Invoke the Wind Mother when you need comfort and divine intervention.
The theme of self nourishment has appeared a number of times this year. Vēja Māte is the Wind Spirit I pulled from the Wind Sack for the collective mood for the Spring Equinox. While they are not here to work strictly on your behalf, the wind gods and goddesses will assist you when called. It is your job to walk in the open air and listen for their messages. Messages can be as subtle as the rustling of leaves on trees, or fierce enough to grab your full attention. Global winds can disrupt the status quo of an entire country.
We have to put the focus back towards our self, in order to understand what is TRUE. If we look inside and remain grounded like trees in the Wind, we will thrive during these tumultuous times of change. Trees roots grow stronger in the Wind.
The nature-loving serfs who occupied the remote lands east of the Baltic Sea had little interest in outside world affairs, and kept their traditions underground for generations. Dzīves ziņa (life knowledge), passed on in the form of dainas (folklore), provided trans-generational continuity and insight into the serfs’ sacred relationship with nature. Dainas were preserved though song. Because the meter and tone does not permit the substitutions of words and phrases, their lyrics have remained intact throughout the centuries. [i]
While the early agricultural religion of the Balts had is roots in the mystical contemplative traditions of India, Latvians exercised a more practical and interactive approach to prayer through song. Testaments of their strong faith live on in the archives of over 500,000 songs (dainas). [ii]
Up until the late 14th century AD, the Mother God religion flourished in the swampy forests. The triad of Dievs (goddesses) comprised the Saule (Dual-Sun), Māra (Earth), and Laime (Fortune). The Sun Goddess was responsible for two suns, one that rose daily and one in the netherworld. Māra, the Great Earth Mother, had dominion over matter; she was the giver, preserver, and taker of life. The goddess Laime was Lady Luck and Fortune. While the parameters of one’s fortune were set at birth, many dainas spoke of freewill and responsibility: “each the forger of his luck, don’t wait for Laime with your decorated mittens on, Laime as a grain for a blind chicken; misfortune comes without greeting, but calling fortune won’t bring her.”[iii] Those born under the right star, who make responsible decisions and take appropriate action, are blessed with good luck.
One of the nutritive Dievs is Vēja Māte, the Mother Wind. Wind brings rain, which nourishes the rye crops required to make bread. Agricultural celebrations marked significant events in time as the sun moved across the heavens. Rituals included the vasaras saulgrieži (summer solstice), ziemas festivāls (winter solstice), lielā diena (Easter / spring equinox), and the several autumn harvest festivals (fall equinox).[iv] Many dainas reflect the importance of the mother goddesses, Veļu māte (Shade Mother of Death), Mežu Māte (Forest Mother), Darzamate (Garden Mother), Jurus Māte (Sea Mother), and Ūdens Māte (Water Mother), to name a few.[v]
[click_to_tweet tweet=”When Vēja Māte evokes a wind-formed song, you are reminded that Mother Earth will take care of all your needs. #shamanism #hayhouse” quote=”When Vēja Māte evokes a wind-formed song, you are reminded that Mother Earth will take care of all your needs. “]. It is time to “harness your winds, as a horse to a yoke,”[vi] and sing your praises to the goddess.
South
Vēja Māte might arrive as a windy storm, causing distant memories to rise to the surface of your consciousness. She may also appear as a rainy-day love song and stir your emotions. Healing can be triggered by broken contracts, feuds, divorce, death, or betrayals. The sun goddess often arrived in tandem with the wind mother to create dissension; a certain feud myth describes a dispute at a wedding; this dramatic tale is designed to encourage resolution and summon a rebirth.[i] True nourishment comes from soaking in the summery salted waters of the bay and feeling connected with the dynamic web of life. Within this framework reside the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. True compassion arises when all of nature’s manifestations are understood and accepted.
The Latvian people regard frogs and snakes as sacred creatures. If Vēja Māte blows one onto your path, it’s time to shed tears of gratitude. The warm wind brings cleansing rains of transformation. This is an ideal time to be creative, and to restore peace and harmony in your life.
[i] Janis, The Ancient Latvian Religion Dievturība.
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[i] Tupesu Janis, “The Ancient Latvian Religion – Dievturiba,” ed. Vilius L. Dundzila, Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences 33, no. 3 (1987).
[ii] Marija Alseikaite Gimbutas, The Balts (London: Thames and Hudson, 1963), 12.
[iii] Ludis Adamovičs, Ancient Latvian Reliǵija, 1937, zagarins.net.
[iv] Janis, The Ancient Latvian Religion Dievturība..
[v] Janis, The Ancient Latvian Religion Dievturība..
[vi] Gimbutas, The Balts, 96.
[vii] Janis, The Ancient Latvian Religion Dievturība.
[viii] Gimbutas, The Balts, 96.
