The Breath of Change: Śri and the Wind Element-Ch. 1.2 (2)

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Eventually, I gathered the courage.

“Drakos, my twin Sister, Śri’-reāl, do you remember her?”

“Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about the dharma teaching: the element of Wind, okay?”

The wind. It seemed like such a simple thing, didn’t it? Just air, brushing against you, sometimes warm, sometimes cold. But there was more to it. It carried memories, whispers of what was, and maybe echoes of what could be.

Drakos nodded, sensing my thoughts. His voice softened, reverent, like a hymn. “The wind isn’t just something you feel on your skin, Śri. It’s the breath of the world itself. It’s the link between all things—between consciousness and form, between realms.”

I thought back to Master’s words: The wind is the bridge between what is and what was. Between what is present and what flows beyond.

The thought struck me again, heavy but true: could wind really be that important? Drakos’s words earlier about Tashī drifted back, their weight undeniable.

“So, the wind... it carries everything we see today—all the lights, all the shadows, all the faces, forms, sounds, smells, tastes. And, of course, the ultimate consciousness: our souls.”

“Yes,” I said softly, “it whispers and roars all that we are made of—our feelings, our thoughts, our movements, our consciousness. The wind holds it all.”

“And through the four elements, we understand the whole: • Earth for stability, • Water for adaptability, • Fire for transformation, and • Wind for movement.”

Drakos nodded, a small smile gracing his face. “Yes. And beyond movement, Wind is the all-encompassing force of consciousness. It’s the energy vehicle of all existence. Wouldn’t you agree?”

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I hesitated, but the words felt true. “Together, they carry the grounding force of our being. Wind carries... everything. And when we exhale for the last time, when we die, it’s wind—consciousness—that carries our soul out of our body.”

Drakos’s voice grew quieter, almost a whisper. “That is why, Śri, the Wind Element matters so much. It is the energy vehicle to break through... to help us reach full potential when the time comes. When you saw Tashī’s dying consciousness, the power you witnessed was the revelation of our full potential. Now, do you see? Wind isn’t just an element—it’s the movement of everything within us, of everything we are.”

My breath hitched. His words seemed to echo within me, lighting up corners of my mind I hadn’t dared to explore before. I wanted to believe it all.

But belief was one thing. Feeling it was another. Fear still clung to me like a second skin, whispering that the unknown was dangerous, that accepting this truth would change me in ways I couldn’t yet comprehend. I clenched my fists at my sides, my heartbeat hammering in my ears like the wind itself trying to break through the barriers I had built.

Drakos watched me carefully. “You’re afraid.”

I let out a slow breath. “Yes. And I hate that I am.”

“There’s no shame in fear, Śri. Fear is movement too. Fear shifts us, forces us to confront what we’d rather ignore. Just like the wind, fear is a force. But whether it carries you forward or pushes you back—that choice is yours.”

I stared at him, his golden eyes reflecting the fading light of the sky. He made it sound so simple. As if embracing the wind meant embracing all of myself—my pain, my past, my fears.

Could I do that?

The thought of Tashī surfaced again. His fading consciousness, the power that had surged through him in his final moments. If the Wind Element was truly the bridge between life and death, then it meant more than just learning a skill—it was understanding existence itself. Master had always said that we were meant to move, not stagnate. That life was meant to flow, to carry us, not hold us in place.

I clenched my jaw. “Say no more, Drakos. I believe it now, after all the opinions thrown at me over the years. I can’t understand how people could have been so ignorant about such an important truth—the truth of the Wind Element, the breath that shapes our very being. Yes, dear Drakos, eternally, I salute Master, I love you, and all who teach. But I couldn’t lie to myself: fear and desperation still gripped me.”

Drakos’s expression softened. “Then hold onto that belief. Let it be the starting point, not the end. Fear doesn’t vanish overnight. It lingers, but so does the wind. One day, you’ll let it carry you instead of fighting against it.”

I let my gaze drift to the horizon. The wind pressed against me, not as an enemy, but as something that had always been there, waiting. Maybe, just maybe, I was ready to listen.