My favorite place to walk my dog near to where I live is a wind farm which covers 25 square kilometers of moorland known as Eaglesham Moor. The moor has long been renowned for extreme weather and is always windy! It is the highest point in the area and there are spectacular views in all directions.

The wind farm is the largest onshore in the United Kingdom with 215 turbines generating enough electricity to power over 300,000 homes. There was a lot of opposition to its construction and this seems to be the case wherever wind turbines are planned, as many consider them to be a blot on the landscape. I myself have difficulty in understanding this point of view as I find them quite majestic and appreciate that the power they generate is green and renewable with little impact on the environment. We tend to think that this alternative energy is something new, forgetting that until relatively recently wind was one of the principal sources of power. So much of our planet was discovered by intrepid explorers whose voyages were undertaken in sailing ships!

Whenever I am walking through the wind farm, I invariably start to reflect on the wind, its power and the many references to it in the bible, especially as a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1-4 When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; … They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

John 3:7-8 “You must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.”

My knowledge of meteorology is very limited so while I know there are conditions which create wind in our atmosphere, to me it still has a mysterious or mystical quality. You can feel it and hear it but not see it. You can only see the effect it has on our surroundings – and how devastating this can be at times. The weather can be completely calm and still when a breeze springs up from nowhere for a few moments and then subsides as quickly as it came. I usually find myself asking “what was that all about?”

As I continue walking beneath the giant windmills enjoying the sound of their rhythmic whirring and clanking I am reminded of Buddhist prayer wheels and flags and often feel tempted to leave prayers at the base of them so that my intentions would be borne away with each turn to the sails!
I must admit to a fascination with the wind. I remember one time holding a small branch of a willow tree between my teeth, feeling the vibrations created by wind. It was a quite an exciting experience, like touching an invisible force of nature

The sense of mystery seems to run through the many poems written about the wind.

One of my favorites is R L Stevenson’s, “The Wind”.

I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies’ skirts across the grass –
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all –
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!