The Way of the Eight Winds

A guide to the history and practice of traditional European nature-based spirituality

• Examines the Eight Directions and the powers of their Winds, the Tides of the Day, and the eightfold year of modern Pagan practice

• Explores geomancy practices, how to work with spirits of place, and the power of mountains, rivers, caves, standing stones, and crossroads

• Shares spiritual exercises, including runic practices and divination techniques, as well as how to craft your own magical tools

In this guide to the Way of the Eight Winds, Nigel Pennick explores the history and practice of traditional European Pagan spirituality, a path that recognizes and celebrates our relationship with the Cosmos and the creativity of Nature.

The author looks at the Eight Directions and the powers of their Winds, the Tides of the Day, stations and houses of the Sun, and the eightfold year of modern Pagan practice. He explores practices for restoring a connection with sacred places in the landscape and the eldritch powers that inhabit them, including working with spirits of place (the Anima Loci), interpreting the lore of trees, and recognizing magical, otherworldly, and auspicious features. He describes divination techniques, including ostenta and signs, as well as sigils and emblems that emerge from the Wildwood. He explores geomancy and the magic of the landscape, including both natural and man-made features such as standing stones and crossroads. He shares spiritual exercises, including meditations, runic practices, and geomantic walking, and explores how to craft your own magical tools and build labyrinths, from small talismanic ones to those large enough to be danced in.

With re-enchantment of life as the goal, Pennick emphasizes the Way of the Eight Winds as a spiritual path that reconnects us to Nature, brings us back to the present, and helps us see the world our ancestors venerated.