Wind K is the second of the five Buddhist Kasina (or Kasiṇa) meditations, following Earth and preceding Fire. The Pāli term kasiṇa means 'whole,' 'entire,' or 'complete,' and refers to a set of ten perceptual devices used to develop one-pointed concentration (samādhi) and access meditative absorptions (jhānas). The Wind Kasina takes as its object the tactile and auditory sensations of moving air — a subtle, dynamic, and invisible anchor for the mind.

Position on the Tree of Life

Wind K appears at scale step 13, corresponding to Path 13 on the Tree of Life. This path connects Tiphereth (Beauty) to Kether (Crown), a link traditionally associated with the Hebrew letter Gimel and the Moon. The pairing of a lunar path with a contemplative technique that cultivates luminous, formless awareness mirrors the Kasina's function: a method that leads the meditator from solid form (Earth K, step 32 bis) toward increasingly refined states of consciousness.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

In the 777 system, Wind K is not assigned a direct astrological or planetary symbol. However, its placement on the lunar path (Gimel) and its sequential grouping with the other element Kasinas (Earth, Fire, Water, Light) situates it within a cosmology where Wind corresponds to the element of Air in Western occultism — often associated with the intellect, communication, and the Ruach (spirit). The Buddhist tradition itself does not map Wind to any planetary body.

Historical Context

The Kasina meditations are among the oldest and most systematized meditation subjects in Buddhism, codified in the Pāli Canon's Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification) by the 5th-century commentator Buddhaghosa. The Wind Kasina is described as a practice for developing access concentration (upacāra samādhi) and, eventually, full absorption (appanā samādhi). Unlike Earth or Water Kasinas, which use a physical disk (e.g., a circle of clay or a bowl of water), the Wind Kasina typically uses the sensation of air on the skin or the movement of leaves, a fan, or a breeze. The meditator focuses on the tactile quality of Wind — its coolness, pressure, or motion — without conceptualizing 'wind' as a thing.

In the Visuddhimagga, the Wind Kasina is one of eight 'signs' (nimitta) that can appear when concentration deepens. The 'counterpart sign' (paṭibhāga nimitta) for Wind is said to be a sensation of trembling or movement that is more refined than the original object. This meditative sign is then used as the basis for the four formless attainments (arūpa jhānas), particularly the base of boundless space and boundless consciousness.

Within the Western magical tradition, Crowley's inclusion of the Forty Buddhist Meditations in the 777 schema with 32 distinct steps reflects an effort to harmonize Buddhist mindfulness techniques with the Qabalistic path system. Wind K at step 13 suggests a practice that, like the lunar path itself, involves receptivity, reflection, and the cultivation of a subtle, permeable awareness — one that moves as freely as wind.

In Liber 777

In table row XXIII (The Forty Buddhist Meditations), the cell at step 13 is marked Wind K, listing it as the second of the elemental Kasina meditations after Earth (step 32 bis) and before Fire (step 31 bis). It is grouped with the 'light' and 'dimension' Kasinas later in the sequence, indicating a progression from material to abstract objects.