Air—that invisible, yet essential element for life on earth. What is vital for animals, including us humans, is the oxygen in the air. For plants, it’s the carbon dioxide. And the fact that these two forms of respiration are intimately entwined, seems to me to be the definition of reciprocity. You have something that I need, and I have something that you need, so let’s take care of each other and swap.
And while air is essential, it is its movement that gives life—the movement of inhalation and exhalation, oxygen in, carbon dioxide out. If the air in a room is still and doesn’t move, it becomes stale, building up with toxins and humidity. That’s why it’s important to have good ventilation in our homes. Air is as important as its movement.
And isn’t it interesting that we cannot experience air except when it’s moving? We don’t even actually experience it, but only the effects it has on the environment—wind in the leaves or in our hair, for example.
The Hebrew word “ruach,” found four hundred times in the Bible, has been translated into English as breath, wind, or spirit. The first biblical use of the word “ruach” is in Genesis 1:2. “The spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” There is movement in that verse, especially if we read it as “wind” or “breath,” as well as “spirit.” We can’t see it, but we can feel it.
The “ruach” of God is translated as breath of God when the meaning is the life-giving source, as in “God … gives breath to all living things,” Numbers 27:16. Again, there is movement as the divine actively breathes into creation, bringing it to life.
In the New Testament, ruach is translated as spirit in Matthew 3:16. “The spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on him,” referring to Jesus’ baptism. Again, notice the movement inherent in this sentence.
Now try reading each of these three verses substituting wind, breath, and spirit, and a richness in the text emerges. It comes alive with movement.
We can feel the effects of moving air on our bodies. We can smell the effects of moving air when spring flowers bloom. We can taste the effects of moving air in the tiny bubbles of carbonated water. We can see the effects of moving air as clouds scuttle by. We can hear the effects of moving air in the sound of a hummingbird’s wings.
I’m reminded of this Zen parable: There were two fish swimming in the ocean. One fish turned to the other and said, “I’ve heard of something wonderful called ‘ocean.’ Let’s go find it.”
We are surrounded by air, constantly breathing it in and out. It is all around us, but we cannot see it. We cannot go look for it because it is a part of us, moving through us. And it is essential for our being.
If the divine is everywhere (and not living in the clouds on a great throne), then our every breath incorporates the divine within each of us. And we, along with all living things, are intimately connected through the exchange of air. And if the spirit of the divine is like the wind, breathing life into all living things, then our inhalations are bringing the divine into ourselves and our exhalations spread the divine throughout the world.