The Ashes in the Wind Charm – An Irish Ritual of Release & Renewal

“What is released to the wind shall find its way home.”

Among the hushed workings of the old Irish witches was a practice seldom written but often whispered — the casting of ashes to the wind.

It was not a spell of banishment or wrath, but of release and redirection — a sacred act of trust in the elements. Through it, the witch gave to the wind what she no longer wished to carry: sorrow, heavy memories, or words spoken in pain.

As the ashes scattered, the wind bore them across the four directions, returning them to the earth and sky for cleansing. It was a charm of faith — a reminder that nothing truly ends; everything transforms in motion.

The Wisdom of Fire and Air

The ashes used in this working were the remains of what had already served its purpose — burnt herbs, old charms, or fragments of written worry.

These remnants held memory but no longer power. By fire, they were purified; by air, they were freed.

To the old witches of Ireland, such acts were not destruction but completion. The wind was seen as both messenger and healer — the breath of the world, moving all things toward balance.

For this reason, the charm was often performed upon high ground or open moor, where the sky stretched wide and the heart could follow its release without fear of return.

Reflection for the Witch

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