The Gift of Psithurism

 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Psithurism

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the Autumn tree.”

Emily Bronte

The gust of wind that gives you a little chill. 

The leaves that fall like rain all around, they make the most wonderful sound.

The red, the orange, the yellow beautiful leaves.

They are giving their show stopping performance before taking a reprieve. 

The crispness of an Autumn day adds to the delight of this wonderful display. 

Stop, take a moment.  

Enjoy the wind.

Let it caress you, let its tendrils touch your soul.

Enjoy the leaves, enjoy the wind, take a little stroll. 

Let them calm your spirit and take some time to pray. 

Give your spirit a respite from the cares of the day. 

The wind can be our teacher and a wonderful guide. 

To find solace in nature one day at a time. 

That solace leads to peace and meaningful reflection.

Which leads to growth, patience and for a moment, pure perfection.

Psithurism?  You are probably scratching your head wondering what in the world is she talking about now? Psithurism is the sound of wind in the trees and rustling of leaves.  I had not heard of this word until recently.  I thought about what an interesting word, interesting concept, and yes, I do love it. I thought, how can we relate this to everyday life?  One of the many times that my husband and I have visited Rhode Island, we were always in awe of the wind turbines.  There are a lot of them around and they are HUGE!  Those turbines provide power to many homes in the area.  What can we draw from that? Let the wind caress you, it will give you a little power.  Wind, (when it is not dangerous) is refreshing and can be quite powerful.  The leaves, well the rustle is kind of nice on a fall day.  I can remember when I was a child running and jumping into piles of leaves from the front yard.  It was quite fun.  One of the funniest things I have seen in the last few years is our really old lady dog running and jumping into the leaf piles in the backyard.  She acts like she is a puppy again. Today I had to drive for a while, so I decided I would catch the news.  Well, as I predicted.  It is not good.  So much suffering.  I offer my prayers for those who are in harm's way on a daily (sometimes multiple times) basis.  I cannot even fathom the pain that they are going through, the fear.  Sometimes life gets that way and we are not nearly as impacted as those across the pond (or some would argue, those who are only miles away from us).  We can’t see the forest for the trees.  What can you do? Well, I read today that you can go outside and feel the wind.  It takes something that is stagnant and blows away the mind and soul dust.  It is actually refreshing to the human psyche.  There are places in the Bible that refer to the Holy Spirit as a refreshing wind that lifts your spirit.  Wind, leaves, etc.. all are signs of rejuvenation.  The leaves fall so that they can grow again and be renewed.  The wind blows and brings cooler temps and refreshing rain.  Wind breathes new life into nature.  Go ahead!  Embrace Psithurism!  In the words of Henry Ford: “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”