sacred earth magic lesson eight

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8/18/2019 Sacred Earth Magic Lesson Eight http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sacred-earth-magic-lesson-eight 1/28  THE avalon avalon avalon avalon M Y S T E R Y S C H O O L A Path to Higher Consciousness through the Arts of Sacred Magic  _____________________ A COURSE IN SACRED EARTH MAGIC LESSON EIGHT That which derives for our native folk tradition springs up like water from the soil, made alive by the good brown earth and fresh with the breath of herb and tree; it springs, it sparkles. It vitalises a man’s nature because it puts him in touch with the sun-warmed, rain-wet earth – his native earth, that his bare feet trod as a child when his soul was open and still could feel the unseen.– Dion Fortune  

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THE

avalonavalonavalonavalon 

M Y S T E R Y S C H O O L

A Path to Higher Consciousness

through the Arts of Sacred Magic

 _____________________

A COURSE IN SACRED EARTH MAGIC

LESSON EIGHT

That which derives for our native folk tradition

springs up like water from the soil,

made alive by the good brown earth and fresh with the breath of herb and tree;

it springs, it sparkles. It vitalises a man’s nature because it puts him in touch

with the sun-warmed, rain-wet earth – his native earth,

that his bare feet trod as a child

when his soul was open and still could feel the unseen.– Dion Fortune 

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Sacred Earth Magic

Lesson Eight

 

OVERVIEW OVERVIEW OVERVIEW OVERVIEW

1. READING AND STUDY

The Element of Water

Spirits of Water

The Well of Wisdom

2. INNER WORK 

VisionJourney I: Kingdom of the Undines

VisionJourney II: The Four Rivers

3. PRACTICUM

Making Holy Water

Energy Clearing: Ritual Baths and Saining Spaces

4. IN THE GREEN WORLDGetting to know Water

Listening to Water

Collecting Sacred Water

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1. READINREADINREADINREADING AND STUDY G AND STUDY G AND STUDY G AND STUDY  

THE ELEMENT OF WATER

In all cultures, Water is considered the primal element, the very matrix of our world: the ocean out

of which all life emerged. A Vedic text proclaims, ‘Water, thou art the source of all things and of all

life!’ The earliest Greek philosopher, Thales, asserted that everything came of Water. Mircea Eliade,

the great historian of religions, wrote: ‘Water symbolizes the whole of potentiality; it is fons et origo, 

the source of all possible existence.’1  This is not surprising, given that life on earth probably

originated in water, the majority of the world's animal and plant species live in water, and more than

half of the human body is composed of it. Without drinking water, we cannot survive beyond a few

days.

Although we tend to think of it as liquid, water is the only substance that occurs at ordinary

temperatures in all three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. In its solid form of ice, it forms

glaciers, frozen lakes and rivers, snow, hail, and frost. As a liquid, it falls as rain and dew, and covers

three-quarters of the earth's surface in swamps, lakes, rivers, and oceans. As a gas, or water vapor, it

occurs as fog, steam, and clouds. Water is constantly flowing through our planet, cleansing, renewing

and regenerating life on Earth. It rises from lakes, rivers and oceans, from the land and from the cells

of all living beings, then circulates through the atmosphere before falling as rain or snow. When it

reaches the earth, Water either flows into streams and then into oceans or lakes, or it infiltrates the soil,

where some of it is absorbed by plants and trees, and the whole cycle begins again. One of its vital

properties is its ability to dissolve other substances. Without this, life could not exist because Water

transfers nutrients vital to life in animals and plants. Yet like all the other elements, Water can be a

force for destruction through devastating rainstorms, floods, and tidal waves.

The most mysterious and controversial property of Water, however, is its ability to hold and store

memory. This property underlies the healing capability of homeopathy, including flower and gemstone

essences. A homeopathic solution in water is produced through a series of dilutions, often until

effectively no trace of the original material remain. Yet an imprint or memory remains for the cure, and

the greater the dilution, the greater the effectiveness. Recent experiments by Dr. Masaru Emoto of

Japan also suggest that Water can respond to suggestion, forming beautiful crystals when exposed to

music, words and pictures of love and gratitude, and deformed ones when subjected to those of discord

and hate.2 

1 Eliade, Mircea. Patterns in Comparative Religion. London: Sheed and Ward, Ltd., 1971, p. 188.

2 Emoto, Dr. Masaru. The Hidden Messages in Water . Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Publishing, Inc., 2004

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Having spent nine months before birth in the amniotic fluid of the womb, Water is our second home.

We feel refreshed by the seaside, exhilarated out on the ocean or river, soothed by the gently-flowing

stream. Hot and cold baths, spas, even the sound of Water flowing, all have healing properties. 

Whether we use it to drink, bathe or swim, Water makes us feel cleansed, renewed and alive.

In its psychological aspect, Water represents our feelings that are forever changing and flowing like a

river. If we ‘bottle them up,’ it can feel as if we are dammed up or stuck, but if we are in touch with

our feelings, even the negative ones, they can be felt, released, and allowed to flow on out of our

systems. Another way in which the element of Water is expressed in the psyche lies in its

reflectiveness: Water is a receptive, feminine element, which acts like a mirror. When we are being

introspective and imaginative, doing divinatory work or listening to inner guidance, we are in effect

gazing into the Waters of Wisdom within at the reflections afforded us by the world of Spirit. Its

ability to flow into the shape of whatever it comes into contact with is like the way we learn to ‘feel

with’ or empathize with a being other than ourselves. This leads to love and compassion, which is why

these qualities are often symbolized in art by a chalice filled with flowing grace.

SPIRITS OF WATER

In the Three Worlds, the Spirits of Water manifest as the following:

Kingdom Type Form

OverRealm Archangelic,

Planetary

Gabriel,

Moon

MiddleRealm Elemental Devas of Water

Undines

UnderRealm Chthonic Merpeople, etc.

Undines

The Water elementals take their name from the Latin word for a wave: unda. They appear as beautiful

female creatures, brilliantly colored in rainbow hues, with long hair and flowing graceful movements.

In size and shape they are not far removed from the human race. Their ruler is known as Nixsa. They

inhabit all the waterways of Earth, from seas, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams, and may be seen at

times darting through waterfalls, riding the ocean breakers into shore, or in falling raindrops. They alsodelight in the still calm waters of forest pools and deep mountain tarns where they recharge their

spirits. Undines are concerned with all the movements of currents and tides within the waterways of

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A Deva observed by Geoffrey Hodson

in the South Pacific 

the world, the unfolding of the multitudinous life-forms within river, pond and sea, and the process of

absorption of waterborne nutrients, including sunlight, as has been observed by more than one

clairvoyant. Here is a description of undines working with sunlight and water, made by Geoffrey

Hodson:

…Poised amid the spray, or in the centre of the downward rushing torrent, she absorbs,

slowly, the magnetism from the sunlight and the fall; as the limit of absorption is

reached, she releases, in one dazzling flash of light and colour, the energy with which

she is surcharged. At that magical moment of release she experiences an ecstasy and

exaltation beyond anything possible to mere mortals dwelling in the prison of the flesh.

The expression on the face and particularly in the eyes at that moment is beautiful, I

would almost say wonderful, beyond

description. The eyes flash with dazzling

radiance, the face expresses rapturous joy and

a sense of abnormal vitality and power; thewhole bearing, the perfect form, and the

brilliant splendour of the auric radiance,

combine to produce a vision of enchanting

loveliness.3 

Related to the Undines are huge elemental beings who

are the overlighting Devas of large rivers, lakes and

oceans. They do not have the swift, flowing

movements of their smaller kin, but preside with

stately magnificence over large bodies of water forwhose well-being they exhibit a vigilant guardianship.

They can often be seen hovering or half-submerged

within the waters of a bay or lake, or as opalescent

gigantic figures far out over the water.

Water Faeries

‘. . . Magic casements opening on the foam of perilous seas in fairy lands forlorn’ – John Keats

There are perhaps more faeries associated with Water than any other element in Celtic and British

faery lore. This is probably because Water so often demarcates a ‘thin’ place, a portal between thisworld and the Otherworld. These traditionally liminal or threshold places are located at:

3 Hodson, Geoffrey. Fairies at Work and Play. Norwich: Fletcher and Son, 1972, pp.58-9.

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Fords

The confluence of two or three streams

Lakes

By the Sea

In a mist

Here the bards and poets of old Ireland went for inspiration, for it

was commonly believed that vision was most often revealed on the

brink of water. It is not for nothing that Avalon is said to be on an

island!

Most well-known to us are those faeries of the sea known as

mermaids, who feature in so many stories and songs of the islanded

shores of the northerly lands. The classical mermaid appears as abeautiful woman from head to waist, but below that she has the

tail of a fish. She is traditionally found on a rock by the sea,

combing her hair and gazing into a mirror. In a number of stories she lures sailors to their death with

her seductive wiles, after the manner of the Sirens of Greek mythology. Yet in other stories she warns

sailors of impending storms and helps to avert disasters. A legend from southwest Scotland tells of a

young man who sat by the shore lamenting his sweetheart who was almost dead of consumption. A

mermaid appeared and sang to him:

Wad ye let the bonnie May die in your hand,

 And the mugwort flowering i’ the land?

He gave her the juice of the mugwort, and she recovered.

Mermen were less common, and generally not as attractive, but nonetheless there are quite a few

reports of mermen sightings in Scotland from the 16th to 19

th centuries, such as the farmer of

Campbelltown, who, in 1811, was walking on the seashore when he spied something white on a black

rock some distance from shore. He climbed along the rocks until he was able to see a white-skinned

merman with a reddish-grey tail.

Related to the merpeople, but not as well-known, are the Merrows, (from the Irish moruadh, seamaidens). They look like human beings, except for their webbed hands. They often fell in love with

fishermen, as did the Selkie people, who were believed to be seals in the sea, but appeared as human

women on land. Scottish and Irish folklore abounds with tales of the Selkie folk whose beauty was

A Mermaid  by

John William Waterhouse 

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irresistible to mortal men. The story usually goes that a fisherman

sees a lovely Selkie in the shape of a human woman, dancing on

the shore. As he gazes in wonder, he catches sight of her sealskin

nearby and steals it in order to keep her on shore and make her

his wife. Many years later, she finds her skin where he had

hidden it for years, and returns to her people in the sea. There are

families in the western isles of Scotland, such as the McCodrums

of the Seals on South Uist, who are said to be descended from

this strange union.4 

Cousin to the sea faeries are the Lake Maidens of Wales, known

as the Gwragedd Annwn (gwrageth anoon). In Wales, the

knowledge of herbal medicine was supposed to have been taught

by a faery woman who lived beneath a lake. The legend tells how

a young shepherd fell in love with the beautiful faery of Llyn yFan Fach (hlin uh vahn vahkh), in the Black Mountains. To his

delight, she consented to marry him. He took her back to his home

in the village of Myddfai (muth-vie), where they were wed, but she warned him that if he ever struck

her three times, she would go back to her underwater kingdom. They lived happily together, and she

bore three sons, but over the years he thoughtlessly struck her three times. Two of the blows the

shepherd gave her were the result of his ignorance of faery wisdom. The first occurred at a village

wedding, when she astonished the congregation by bursting into tears. Embarrassed and annoyed, her

husband gave her a reproving tap on the shoulder. Afterwards, she explained that she could see into the

future and she had seen trouble ahead for the newly-weds. The second time he gave her an angry shake

because she burst out laughing at a funeral, knowing that the dead one had left the world of sufferingfor a realm of bliss. Then he struck her a third time, and she returned forever to her old home beneath

the lake. But when her sons were grown, she taught them all the wisdom of faery healing through the

use of herbs, and they grew up to become the celebrated healers known throughout medieval Wales as

the Physicians of Myddfai. Descendants of this renowned family were still practicing medicine in the

18th

 century and there is at least one herbalist in Dyfed today who claims descent from the famous

family.

Not all dwellers of the watery realms were lovely feminine creatures. Many were more like monsters

of the deeps who terrified local people. Among these were a group of spirits known as water horses. In

Scotland, there was the Each Uisge, (ech-ooskya) which haunted the lochs and some parts of the sea-coast. It was kin to the Kelpie, who dwelt only in running water. Both these creatures appeared as

4 This story is told in the recording, Celtic Tales of Birds and Beasts, by Mara Freeman.

Detail from A Naiad by John

William Waterhouse

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handsome steeds, which seemed to want to be ridden. If anyone was so foolish as to do so, the horse

raced headlong into the sea with his rider, who was unable to dismount, and ended up as the creature’s

supper.

Lastly, we must not forget the Washer of the Ford, an old woman who was seen washing the linen of

one about to die in battle. Beholding her at this liminal place, a warrior knew that he would soon be

crossing the river that separates life and death. Yet she was also regarded as a strong protector of her

people for she is an aspect of the Dark Goddess known in Ireland as the Mórrígan, (mor-ee-yan). In

Irish legend, she appeared to the Daghda, (Dahg-da) god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, at a river in Sligo,

 just before the Second Battle of Moytura against the sea-race called the Fomorians. The Mórrígan was

washing herself with one foot on either bank, her hair hanging down in ‘nine loosened tresses.’ The

two had sexual intercourse, just as an Irish king would make an alliance with the goddess of the

territory he hoped to rule through performing a ritual marriage with her. The Mórrígan warned the

Dagda of the approaching Fomorian host, and promised him her aid in the coming battle, which indeed

they won, thus securing the land of Ireland for themselves. Those who have completed the first coursein this series will remember that Morgen/Modron was also associated with a sexual union with a

chieftain at a ford in North Wales. Some scholars have suggested that Morgen is an aspect of the

Mórrígan. This figure was also well known in Scotland as the Bean-nighe (ben-neeyah) meaning

Washer-Woman. She was said to be dressed in green with red webbed feet. Although it was generally

considered wise to avoid her, anyone who managed to get between her and the water was granted three

wishes. She also answered three questions, but asked three in return, which had to be answered

truthfully.

SACRED WATERS OF THE CELTS

In pre-Christian times, the Celts regarded rivers, lakes and springs as places of great sanctity wherethey could commune with the gods. Even where no trace of indigenous lore remains, much can still be

gleaned by place-names, especially in the case of rivers who were mostly named after women, as the

following list shows: 

Boann River Boyne, Ireland

Sinann River Shannon, Ireland

Sequana River Seine, France

Matrona River Marne, France

Sabrina River Severn, Western England

Verbeia River Wharfe, Yorkshire, England

There may also have been one great goddess of the Waters who gave her name to many waterways

across Europe and Russia, including the Don, the Dneiper, the Danube. Some believe she originated

with the goddess Dānu of ancient India, whose name means 

‘Stream’ and ‘Waters of Heaven.’ In

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Llyn Cerrig Bach today

Ireland, Danu, (pronounced don-uh) was the mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann, which means the Tribe

of the Children of Danu. Even today some places acknowledge a female spirit of the river, such as Peg

Powler, an old woman of the River Tees in Yorkshire, and her cousin Jenny Greenteeth who haunts

stagnant pools in Lancashire. In these sadly degenerate times the goddess has been reduced to a hag

whose name is invoked merely to scare small children.

Many treasures have been discovered in lakes where they had been cast in as offerings to the

underworld deities. Not long ago, almost two hundred pieces of Iron Age metalwork were recovered

from Llyn Cerrig Bach on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Among them were spears, swords,

shields, cauldrons, complete two-wheeled chariots

and a curved bronze trumpet – all from the 2nd

 

century BC. This was a particularly important

sanctuary, being a lake on an island, especially

since Anglesey, or Mona as it was then known, was

sacred to the Druids. The large number of items

may have been cast in as desperate offerings to thegods when Mona was attacked by a huge army of

Roman soldiers in 60CE. The island had up to then

been the last stronghold of British resistance, and

must have been considered a serious threat to

Roman rule, because the soldiers were ordered to

fell the sacred groves and massacre every last

Druid. The offerings in the lake are testimony to the

desperation of the Druids who had no other recourse

against the well-honed military machine of Rome. In marshes, fens and rivers, including the Thames

and the Witham, priceless treasures have been found, while the greatest hoard of Celtic treasures everdiscovered was found at La Tène on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, a place which gives

its name to an entire period of Celtic culture.

The Well of Wisdom

In many early cosmologies, a holy well was viewed as a symbol of the sacred center of the universe,

connecting the MiddleRealm with the UnderRealm, just as the Tree of Life connects the worlds above

and below. And like the tree, the spring in the physical world was seen as the outer manifestation of a

magical spring or well that lies at the heart of the Otherworld. This tradition is strongest in Ireland,

where the Well of Wisdom was believed to lie at the center of the Celtic Otherworld. This well gushes

up as a fountain in the courtyard of the palace of Manannán mac Lir, ( mon-un-awn muck lihr) theking of the faeries. Over the well hang nine magic hazel-trees that drop their purple nuts into the water.

Salmon – the Celtic fish of knowledge and mystic inspiration – eat the nuts and send the husks

floating down the five streams that flow down from the well. And ‘the sound of the falling of those

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streams was more melodious than any music that men sing’5. In the wisdom tale, Cormac's Adventures

in the Land of Promise, Manannán explains that the streams are the five senses through which

knowledge is obtained, ‘and no one will have knowledge who drinks not a draught of the fountain

itself and out of the streams. The folk of many arts are those who drink of them both.’ (This story was

written down quite late. Originally, the Well of Wisdom would probably have had four streams

running down from it, in keeping with similar stories from any other cultures and traditions.) This story

later entered Welsh mythology in the 8th century poem, The Spoils of Annwn, discussed in the first

course in this series. Within Annwn, the Welsh UnderRealm, lies Caer Sidi, the faery isle of

Manawydan, the Welsh Manannán, and at its center is the sacred spring whose waters are sweeter than

wine.

Because the sacred springs are so rich with numinous meaning, people

have visited them for centuries either to drink or bathe in the waters for

blessings and healing, and continue to do so today, especially in those

places where the original sacred springs were rededicated by theCatholic Church. Most come to the wells to pray for healing, for which

they may drink or bathe with the water. In older times, they also came

to learn the answers to hidden things, for the wells are oracles whose

depths plumb the unseen worlds. This tradition is still very much alive

in Ireland and other areas of the British Isles today as can be seen by

the number of rags hanging from the trees by holy wells. By leaving a

piece of clothing as a token, the healing influence of the well can act on

one’s behalf. A much-visited well may also contain coins, replacing the

earlier custom of throwing a pin into the water as an offering.

Nowadays the guardian spirit of the well is a Christian saint; once itwas a pagan spirit, most probably a female guardian of the holy waters,

a Goddess of the Sacred Spring.

Merlin’s Well

The Druids fashioned their outdoor temples after the Well of Wisdom in the Otherworld. As mentioned

earlier, their sacred grove was called a nemeton, a forest clearing in which flowed a spring beside a

sacred tree, with a nearby stone to serve as an altar. Merlin himself was closely associated with such a

place – the Fountain of Barenton in Brittany where he met Nimuë, and also, according to one version,

his death beneath the stone. Barenton, located at the highest point of the forest of Brocéliande, may

have originally been Bel-nemeton, the sacred grove of the Celtic sun-god, Belenos. Local legends

5 Tom Peete Cross and Clark Harris Slover, eds., Ancient Irish Tales. New York: Barnes and

Noble,1969, p.505. 

Sancreed Holy Well,

Cornwall

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Merlin’s spring at Barenton today

claim that it was once the center of a Druid college.

This magically potent configuration of spring-tree-stone appears in a number of tales, the most well-

known being The Lady of the Fountain from the Welsh compilation of myths known as the Mabinogi.

It is the tale of Owein, a knight of Arthur’s court. Interestingly enough, this Owein is the son of

Morgen le Fay by the Welsh king, Urien.6 Morgen does not appear in this tale, but it is significant that

Owein is the son of a faery woman whom his father met washing her clothes at the magical ford in

North Wales. In this tale, Kynon, son of Clydno tells how he came to a great tree in the forest beneath

which was a fountain and a marble slab with a silver bowl fastened by a chain. Later he recounts what

happens next at King Arthur’s court:

Then I took the bowl, and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and thereupon, behold, the

thunder came, much more violent than the black man had led me to expect; and after the

thunder came the shower; and of a truth I tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast that

could endure that shower and live. For not one of those hailstones would be stopped, either by

the flesh or by the skin, until it had reached the bone. I turned my horse's flank towards theshower, and placed the beak of my shield over his head and neck, while I held the upper part of

it over my own head. And thus I withstood the shower. When I

looked on the tree there was not a single leaf upon it, and then

the sky became clear, and with that, behold the birds lighted

upon the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I never heard any

melody equal to that, either before or since.

The magical rainstorm has the effect of summoning a knight in

black armor who fights Kynon and defeats him. On hearing the

story, Owein decides to try this adventure for himself. The samethings happen to him at the tree and fountain, but he manages to

defeat the black knight, who, though mortally wounded, rides

off to his domain, pursued by Owein. The rest of the story

concerns Owein and the widow of the black knight, the Lady of

the Fountain, whom he eventually marries.

Another version of this story is given by Chrétien de Troyes, in

his romance, Yvain or the Knight of the Lion. In this version, the magical fountain is described as

situated in the forest of Brocéliande, and is clearly equated with Merlin’s Fountain of Barenton. The

tree is described as a magnificent pine and a chapel stands nearby. The basin hanging from the tree isof gold and the stone is a massive emerald, ‘with holes in it like a cask,’ supported by four red rubies.

6 As recounted in Lesson Five of The Avalon Course.

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Although written as courtly romances, both these tales contain magical symbolism and themes

concerning the goddess and the sacred land that clearly derive from an earlier era and are well worth

reading for the hidden mystery teachings they contain.

Pouring water upon a sanctified stone as a way to summon rain is an ancient magical practice that has

been found in the shamanism of some middle-eastern countries and Mongolia. It was a custom

practiced in the Middle Ages at Barenton, as recounted by the 12th  century Anglo-Norman poet Wace,

who wrote:

The fountain of Berenton rises from beneath a stone there. Thither the hunters are used to

repair in sultry weather; and drawing water with their horns, they sprinkle the stone for the

 purpose of having rain, which is then wont to fall, they say throughout the forest around; but

why I know not.7  

The same custom lingered at least as recentlyas the 16

th century in North Wales. At Llyn

Dulyn, on the eastern slopes of Carnedd

Llywelyn in Snowdonia, there was a causeway

of stones leading into the lake. The local saying

in the late 19th century was that if anyone were

to go along the causeway, even in warm sunny

weather, and threw water so as to wet the

farthest stone, which was called the Red Altar,

it was bound to rain before nightfall.

The Lady of the Fountain was most likely

once a faery woman associated with a sacred

spring, like the maidens known as ‘the damsels of the wells’ who administered to forest travelers from

golden goblets. These stories also express important underlying themes connected with the Grail

Quest, and we will return to them in the third course in this series.

Waters of Healing

Water, the universal solvent, the element that bathes, soothes, refreshes and can be warmed for deep

relaxation, is, of all four elements, the great healer. Sea water was well known to contain magical and

healing properties, and in Ireland and Scotland, many healing rituals involved its use. These ofteninvolved the number nine, recalling the Nine Sisters and their association with the mystic nine waves

7 Chadwick, Nora K. Early Brittany. Cardiff, University of Wales Press., 1969, p.334.

Llyn Dulyn, Snowdonia

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of the sea.8 For instance, on the Isle of Tiree, a cure for jaundice, recorded in the 19

th century, involved

boiling nine stones in water taken from the crests of nine waves. (An alternative was to take water

from nine springs or streams in which cresses grow.) The patient’s shirt was soaked in this water and

put on wet. In Wales, it was customary to bathe in the sea nine mornings in succession to gain its

healing benefits. Nine plunges in the sea in one morning was thought to cure nervous ailments.

Certain Scottish lochs were also sites of healing rituals.

At a holy loch in Strathfillan, West Perthshire, crowds

of pilgrims gathered towards the end of the moon’s first

quarter for a healing ritual in which each person took

nine stones from the loch and walked to a nearby hill

where they did three turns of three cairns, placing a

stone at each as they passed by. They also left pieces of

clothing that had covered the diseased part of the body

for the healing spirits of the place to know who andwhat they were curing.

As mentioned above, Celtic countries abounded with

holy wells where healing water was ritually collected.

Not long ago, this would have been a typical sight at a holy well in the early hours of the morning on

the first day of May:

 In the grey stillness just before dawn, a strange and silent procession circles a field

outside a village, moving from left to right, the way the sun moves. They are bare-foot,

 young and old, and they are walking around a well, an unimposing structure shelteredby a small stone arch and overhung by a clump of ragged hawthorn bushes. With

 purposeful steps they make their way three times around the well before stopping in

 front of it with bowed heads. Some tie ribbons and pieces of torn cloth to the bushes,

which the growing light reveals to be already damply festooned with many such rags.

Then the pilgrims form a crooked line, and each reverently approaches the well and

kneeling down with more or less difficulty, throws a coin or bent pin into the dark pool

within. One takes out a metal cup, dips it into the well, and holds it up, dripping, to glint

in the first rays of the rising sun. Then he passes it around the huddled group who, with

each sip of the icy water, pray for healing and renewal.

8 See the Avalon Course, Lesson 7.

The Fairy Well, Lelant, Cornwall

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The Clach na Brataich 

The liminal, pre-dawn time charged the water with influence from the faery world, and the first rays of

the Sun on the first day of Summer energized it with strength and life-giving properties. Plus the focus

and intent of the pilgrims also added potency to the water, which could now be taken home and used

throughout the year for healing. For Water is a receptive element that can be charged with etheric force

from the Sun, Moon and other sources of energy, including those that emanate from the spirit world. It

can then be used to transfer these forces onto other objects which come into contact with it. This gave

rise to the practice found in many Celtic countries where special stones were dipped into holy water

and then used for healing. Much of this tradition comes to us from Scotland, where favorite stones

used for this purpose were white or rose quartz. The stone was first boiled in water, and when it cooled

down, people washed their arms and legs in it, believing it would prevent rheumatism and other ills.

Sometimes a healing stone was dipped into holy water, which the patient was then instructed to drink

or rub on the affected part.

In some places these stones were considered to be ‘of the faeries.' A Scottish tale tells how a shepherd

lad was one day amusing himself by pouring water from a nearby stream onto a faery hill. Out camethe faery inhabitant, and said, “Thank you, little boy, for the refreshing water you have been pouring

on the roof of my house. Here is a stone of great

price. Your father has pains in his flanks: let him rub

this stone on the seat of pain, and drink of water in

which it has been dipped, and he will soon be well

again.” The boy took the stone home, and it did

indeed cure his father, as well as many other people in

the neighborhood who suffered from similar

complaints. The stone became known as ‘the white

stone of the faeries’ and it stayed in the family whereit was carefully guarded, and still existed at the end of

the 19th century when this tale was recorded. Many

Scottish charms were made of rock crystal, usually

fashioned into a crystal ball. Known as léigheagan, 

(lay-ha-gan) meaning healing objects, they were used for protection, healing, worn as jewelry or

incorporated into royal regalia. They were often the property of the clan chieftain, such as the Clach

na Brataich (clakh na brat-akh)of the Robertson clan, which emitted a brilliant light. In the 19th 

century, it was used in a healing ceremony where the chief ceremonially dipped it into a huge china

bowl filled with water from a sacred spring. The water was then distributed to many people who had

come from far and wide to obtain its healing benefits.

Another famous crystal used by a whole community in this way was the Keppoch Charm Stone, owned

by a local family, the Macdonnells, near Keppoch, in the Scottish Highlands. This was a large oval

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quartz crystal set in a bird’s claw of silver, and was used in conjunction with a well dedicated to Saint

Bride. For healing purposes, it was dipped into the well water to ‘charge’ it with her power, while the

following incantation was recited:

Let me dip thee in the water,

Thou yellow beautiful gem of power!

In water of purest wave,

Which pure was kept by Brigit.

…A blessing on the gem,

A blessing on the water,

And a healing of all bodily ailments

To each suffering creature!

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  2. INNER WORK  2. INNER WORK  2. INNER WORK  2. INNER WORK  

VISIONJOURNEY I: THE KINGDOM OF THE UNDINES

Preparation for the Journey

Sain (cleanse) your sacred space by walking around in a sunwise circle three times while sprinkling

holy water around it.Place your altar in the West, or if this is not possible, sit on the West side. Place a chalice or bowl of

blessed water on the West side.

Light the candle, sit down, ground and center.

Do the fourfold breath.

Perform the Circulation of the Fire exercise.

Chant the elemental vowel sound for Water: Ooooooooooooo (rhymes with two). Feel it deep within

your belly.

On the next exhalation, breathe out a fine white mist that forms a veil in front of your inner gaze.

Then pass through this portal and find yourself standing once again by the shores of the lake, looking

over to the Isle of Gramarye. Merlin is waiting for you, and you greet each other. He tells you that he is

here to help you cross over to explore the Kingdom of the Water Spirits – the Undines. He raises his

staff and points towards the water. From the tip leaps a silver flame which shoots out to become a

narrow bridge of light. You cross over, feeling your body become more light and free with every step

you take. On the other side, you enter the woods and make for the west side of the island. Soon you

can smell the tang of the sea and hear the boom of the waves breaking on the island’s western shore. It

is not long before the woods give way to a scene suffused with water and light, where glass-green

waves curl and break in sparkling white foam upon silver sand. A waterfall cascades from the cliff at

one end of the beach to form a pool among some rocks before flowing out to sea. Within the crystal

water and rainbow light of the falls you see a group of Undines at play, flitting in and out of the

waterfall and diving and leaping up from the pool. One is larger than the rest. This is Nixsa, a luminous

figure who shimmers like water, and whose long greenish hair flows like seaweed around his body.

About him floats a cloak that shines like the sea, edged with silver like the waves on the shoreline. He

gazes at you with large, limpid sea-green eyes.

You must humbly introduce yourself to him and ask him, in Merlin’s name, to allow you to meet with

him and his people; to show you around his kingdom and to learn about the work they do. If you are

allowed to proceed, try to absorb and remember everything you learn about them and their work with

the element of Water in their world and in our own. In return, ask them what they need from you as a

representative of the human kingdom, and see if you can lend your aid.

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When you have both finished, give thanks and return in peace across the bridge of light. If you choose,

you may spend more time with Merlin, during which you can ask him to clarify or add anything that

you have learned here. Return to your own world through the Mist Gate. Do this journey a number of

times – you will find that your knowledge and understanding of the element of Water will grow

considerably. 

VISIONJOURNEY II: THE FOUR RIVERS

See before you a wall of mist. Walk through to the other side. You are walking across a green

plain in a landscape of light and beauty. In the center of the plain is a castle, surrounded by a circular

wall, gleaming with precious metals and studded with crystals and gemstones. As you approach the

castle gate, you see a regal figure garbed in purple with long white hair and a beard. It is the King of

this land, Mannanán mac Lir. He smiles in greeting and ushers you in through the gate. In the middleof a square courtyard, you see a well – a full moon of silver water from which four streams flow down

towards the four directions.

Mannanán tells you that these four streams are the beginnings of the Four Rivers of your life. He bids

you look at the river that flows to the East. You can see it very clearly as it flows beyond the castle

wall all the way to the sea, as if you have telescopic vision and can also see through solid objects. This

is the River of Inspiration, and as you look down it, you see many images of every person, place or

thing that has ever inspired you in your life. Regard them well . . .

Mannanán then bids you look at the river that flows to the South. This is the River of Growth. All that

has ever caused you to grow and evolve in wisdom and understanding can be seen within its waters.

Regard them well . . .

Now Mannanán tells you to look at the river that flows to the West. This is the River of Love. All that

you have ever loved, and all who have loved you can be seen within its waters. Regard them well . . .

And now Mannanán bids you look at the river that flows to the North. This is the River of Challenge.

All the challenges, big and small, that you have known during this lifetime, can be seen within its

waters. Regard them well . . .

Finally, Mannanán tells you to look inside the source of the waters, the well itself. You gaze into itslimpid silver waters. Then, slowly and silently, an image emerges from its depths . . . it is an image of

your soul, the eternal part of you that sent you into this lifetime as a physical expression of itself. You

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may also hear it as a Voice. Through it, you begin to understand the way your life has unfolded as it

flowed forth in time down the Four Rivers. When you have finished learning from your Soul, the

image slowly sinks back into the waters once again, but it has left behind a token of Itself upon the

edge of the well. Take this now back into your world to remind yourself of Who you truly are.

You may spend a few more moments talking with Mannanán if you wish. Then he leads you away

from the Well of Wisdom and the Four Rivers, out through the castle gate, and you make your way

across the plain until you come to the wall of mist. Step through it and find yourself back in the room.

Write down what you have learned in your journal.

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3. PRACTICUM 3. PRACTICUM 3. PRACTICUM 3. PRACTICUM   

MAKING HOLY WATER

Holy water – water that has been charged and blessed with positive etheric energy – is an important

part of the magical toolkit, with many uses. There are two ways to make it – one is used for charging

water that you have drawn from a domestic source or bought from a store. The second way is a

traditional Celtic way, using flowing water from a spring, pool or stream. It’s as well to learn both

methods, since not everyone has access to an outdoors supply, and even if you do, there may be times

when you want to make holy water for use when you’re traveling and need to use whatever water is

available. The first method is given here. See Section Four for collecting water from a natural source.

1. Fill a cup with water, ideally from a source that has been drawn from a pure spring or else

filtered so that it is free from chemical additives. Place in a clean bowl made of pottery, glass or

other natural substance. Place a small amount of salt in a small bowl or egg cup. (If you do thisaway from home, just improvise with what you can find.)

2. Sit with the water and salt before you. Relax, ground, and bring yourself into a quiet, calm state

of awareness. Turn your attention to the water and send feelings of warm positive regard (i.e.

love!) to this living substance. Place the palm of your dominant hand over the water and say:

“In the name and power of ______, may you be purified and blessed. (Insert the holy name that

for you represents the highest source of divine love, or use a phrase such as: “In the name of all

that is good and beautiful . . .” ) As you do so, draw the figure of an equal-armed cross, circled,

with your palm over the water and sense that you are channeling a current of purifying, loving

energy towards the water. Visualize the water being fully charged with this energy.

3. Bless the salt using the same procedure.

4. Sprinkle the salt into the water in the shape of the circle-cross three times, saying: “May you be

hallowed in the name and power of ______ . Wherever you are scattered, may you bring

beauty, love and peace to every place and living soul.”

You can do this ritual out loud or in silence. You can also dispense with the words as long as you are

channeling the energy correctly. As with 99% of all magical work, it’s all in the intent.

Using Holy Water

Water that has been hallowed and blessed can be used in many ways. You can use it to anoint the brow

of yourself or another. Sprinkle it in the corners of a room or house as part of a house cleansing, or to

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renew the energy in your sacred space. Add it to a bath, with or without essential oils or herbs. Put in a

small pump bottle for spraying around the body to purify the aura – this is a much more convenient

procedure than using a burning herb like sage, especially when traveling or conducting outside rituals

in rainy places! As we saw above, you can also soak a special stone or crystal in holy water to

empower it with healing energy. When you need to dispose of the residue of holy water, take it outside

and pour it upon the Earth.

ENERGY CLEARING

An important part of Sacred Earth Magic is knowing how to clear unwanted energy from yourself and

your environment. Although Water is the element most commonly used, we will also be looking at

ways in which the other three elements, together with sacred herbs and trees are traditionally used for

cleansing and saining.

Purifying Showers and Baths

The act of bathing is sacred. As Mircea Eliade writes:

 Immersion in water symbolizes...a total regeneration, a new birth, for immersion means

dissolution of forms, a reintegration into the formlessness of pre-existence; and

emerging from the water is a repetition of the act of creation in which form was first

expressed...Water purifies and regenerates because it nullifies the past, and restores –

even if only for a moment – the integrity of the dawn of things.9 

Ponder this while taking your daily shower or bath, a ritual that is just as important for spiritual reasons

as for physical ones. As the moving essence of life, Water has the power to purify us of unwanted

lower or negative vibrations that may have accrued to us during the day. A shower at the end of a busy

day cleans the aura as well as the body, which is why we usually feel so much better after one. An

evening shower is best taken cool, (or hot, followed by a cool rinse) and you can add to its cleansing

power by using a salt scrub. As discussed in the foundation lesson, salt and water together make a

potent mixture for absorbing and dissolving negative energy. One AMS student makes a wonderful

refreshing scrub by taking a handful of fine sea salt and adding fresh aloe vera juice to it. You can

make it more therapeutic by adding a few drops of essential oil, either on its own or in a carrier such

as almond oil. Rosemary, juniper, cypress, pine or peppermint are stimulating oils that work well, but

you may discover your own favorites.

Alternatively, take a bath in water that has a tablespoon of salt and /or essential oils added to it. Hyssop

is a traditional purifying oil used for this. Or you can make a decoction by taking four teaspoons of dry

9 Eliade, ibid. 194.

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hyssop and pouring boiling water over it and letting it steep, covered, for about twenty minutes.

Lavender is also good for purifying baths and can be prepared the same way, only with five

tablespoons of lavender in place of the hyssop. Strain the liquid into the tub so as not to block the

drain. Another good formula for cleansing negative vibrations is a bath to which is added a teaspoonful

of salt to one cup of organic apple cider vinegar. If you can take a bath in sea-water, so much the

better. In Ireland there is a tradition of taking seaweed baths in sea-water containing mineral-rich

seaweed, that leave body and mind feeling marvelously rejuvenated.

Whenever you take a cleansing shower or bath, visualize any negativity pouring off you and draining

away down the drain. As you soak in the tub, inhale the fragrance and visualize yourself becoming

physically and spiritually cleansed.

The Ritual Bath

There may times when you want to take a full ritual bath. This could be in order to give yourself a

spiritual ‘make-over’ from time to time, for example at the beginning of the new year. A ritual bath canalso mark an important life transition such as a marriage or the end of a relationship or job, or remove

residual energy from an unwholesome person or situation.

1. First take a shower or bath to remove physical grime, then clean out the tub, affirming that you

are removing all traces of the physical world. (It would be a good idea to clean the bathroom

beforehand as well.)

2. Fill the bath tub about half full of lukewarm or cool water. Pour in any preparation you wish to

add, such as salt, essential oils, or a sachet or tea of chosen herbs.

3. Disrobe fully, then step into the bath tub. Immediately immerse your entire body, including

your head for a few moments. You can scrub yourself with a wetted cloth if you wish, but don’t

use soap.

4. Focus your thoughts on the intention of your bath and pray to your guides or the Goddess to aid

you.

5. Stay in the bath a minimum of eight minutes, or longer if you wish.

6. After the bath, wrap your hair in a towel and cover yourself with a bathrobe, but allow yourbody to dry naturally without rubbing it down. This is in order to let the full effect of the bath

work on your body. Don’t bathe or wash your hair for 24 hours afterwards.

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Saining the House

People living in the Celtic countries regularly sained their homes, especially at the threshold times of

the year. In Scotland, for example, bands of young men brought branches of juniper down from the

hills and spread them round the fire to dry. Another member of the household fetched a pitcher of

‘magic water’ from the ‘dead and living ford,’ (a ford over which funeral processions passed.) Next

morning, the household came together and the pitcher was passed around for each to take a drink. The

head of the house went from room to room with some assistants sprinkling water in the four corners

and on the beds. Then doors, windows, keyholes and other openings were sealed off, and the juniper

branches were set alight and carried throughout the house as incense. If smoke from the more

enthusiastic conflagrations resulted in bouts of coughing, all the better – it showed that people were

ridding themselves of disease! Afterwards, everyone recovered with a drink of whiskey, followed by a

hearty New Year’s breakfast.

1. To purify your house at the beginning of the New Year, or at any other time, use water that has

been collected in a sacred manner, (see Section Four) If you live with other people, form acircle around the hearthfire or a central candle. Pass the water in a sunwise direction for

everyone to drink, then take it around the house and sprinkle some in the four corners of each

room.

2. A saining can be done by water alone. But if you also want to use juniper incense, it is not

difficult to obtain, being a popular garden plant as well as one that grows wild in many parts of

North America. Cut a few sprigs the night before and put them on the hearth or other warm

place to dry out a little. (For a better burn, dry it by the hearth, on layers of newspaper or hang

it in a dry place for a few days or weeks.) When you light them, have a small bowl or abalone

shell to catch any ash or sparks that might fall. Using either your hand or a long feather, fan thesmoke around each member of the household in turn, then take it to each room and blow some

into the four corners.

3. An even simpler house blessing from Ireland involves lighting a candle and taking the flame

around to the threshold, the hearth and four corners of each room while reciting this blessing

from the Hebrides.

 May Brigit give blessing

To the house that is here…

 Both crest and frame, Both stone and beam;

 Both clay and wattle; 

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 Both summit and foundation;

 Both window and timber;

 Both foot and head;

 Both man and woman;

 Both wife and children;

 Both young and old;

 Both maiden and youth…

Plenty of laughter,

Plenty of wealth,

Plenty of people,

Plenty of health, Be always here. 

This is particularly good to use when moving into a new house. Follow it up by setting a

hearthstone in place and lighting your first fire in a sacred manner, and also making an altar to

invite benevolent household spirits or angels into your home.

4. When cleansing and saining your house, don’t forget the threshold. As the place ‘betwixt and

between’ the outer world and your home, you should make sure the threshold always looks

bright, well-kept and welcoming. Sweep it regularly with a besom broom, preferably made of

birch. Brush it from the inside out, mentally affirming you are sweeping away any negativeenergies. Give it an extra sweep as close to dawn as possible on the mornings of the eight

festivals and on New Year’s Day. A traditional form of protecting the threshold is to hang an

upturned horse-shoe over the door to trap spirits you don’t wish to enter. Another way is to

hang a rowan tree cross over the door: Make an offering to the tree by pouring a libation of ale

upon its roots. Then, after asking the tree spirit’s permission, break off two twigs without using

a knife. Tie them into a cross using red thread and hang them over the lintel. Sweep your

threshold regularly, and from time to time, sprinkle holy water over it for added protection.

Clearing a House from Unwanted Energy

Sometimes a house or apartment needs more than a regular house-cleaning. Disruptive builders ordecorators, difficult guests, or a pile-up of dirt and mess after an illness or absence – all these can be

reasons to give your home a thorough spiritual cleansing.

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1. The first step, of course, is to physically clean the house. This is particularly important if you

need to rid the house of any unwanted influences. Open all the doors and windows, vacuum or

sweep, and wash surfaces with fresh water to which a few drops of apple cider vinegar has been

added. If you want to cleanse the house of the energies of disturbing guests, remove the

bedclothes to the laundry, and vigorously shake the mattress and any other bedding outside.

Shake the curtains and beat the cushions of chairs and sofas with a wooden broomstick or

similar.

2. Use the power of sound to cleanse the house (see Lesson Six.) Take a bell, chime, drum or

gourd rattle, and shake it vigorously in all the corners of the rooms you wish to clean, silently

commanding any lower astral entities to depart. If you have a crystal or metal singing bowl,

sound it in each room. Or simply put your favorite music on and play it loudly as you clean.

3. If a particular room needs a spiritual cleansing, place the following at the four directions:

Incense in the East; small bowl of sea or mineral salt in the North; a lit candle (white or yellow)in the South; a bowl of fresh or sea water in the West. Leave overnight. (If you are worried

about leaving an unattended candle, use a red satin ribbon or bright piece of tinfoil in the South

instead.)

4. For a more serious case of negative energy in your home, burn dragon’s blood incense, with all

the doors and windows wide open to allow unwanted energies to leave. Follow it up with

frankincense, which is spiritually uplifting and encourages beneficial energies to enter

instead.10

 

10 If you have a serious problem with a ghost or other unwanted astral entity, it’s best to call in an expert until you have had

some experience in exorcism.

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 4. IN THE GREEN WORLD4. IN THE GREEN WORLD4. IN THE GREEN WORLD4. IN THE GREEN WORLD

GETTING TO KNOW WATER

How much do you really know about the natural waterways in your area?

• In developed areas, the smaller rivers and streams that once flowed freely through woods and

meadows are frequently diverted from their natural course by concrete embankments and

culverts, often underground, in order to make way for roads and pavement. You may need to

look at a map to see which way they flow, their forks and tributaries, and where their source is

to be found. Find out how earlier inhabitants related to local rivers and what stories and myths

may have grown up around them.

• Take a walk by at least one of your local waterways during this lesson period as if you were

visiting a friend and get to know it better. A river is much more than a body of flowing water –

it is a complex, living ecosystem which sustains all manner of plant, bird, insect, marine andanimal life. And of course it is also home to a host of etheric beings – the undines, naiads,

nereids and other spirits of Water. So many of our waterways have been polluted through the

greed and ignorance of those who are unable, or unwilling, to consider the part rivers play in

the health of the human race, not to mention so many other living beings in the web of life,

including the land itself. Rivers and streams are the veins and arteries of Planet Earth, and we

would do well to keep them pure and able to circulate freely.11

 Become a friend of your local

river, tell it how much you appreciate its beauty and its tireless work. Ask humbly that you may

learn its wisdom – in the words of the Robin Williamson song:

Water, water, see the water flowGlancing, dancing, see the water flow

Wizard of changes, teach me the lesson of flowing.

 Dark and silvery Mother of life

Water, water, Holy mystery

 Heavens daughter.

Wizard of changes, teach me the lesson of flowing.12 

• Greet the living Intelligences that dwell by river, pool and stream, and who can sometimes be

11 If you want to work in a practical way for the waters of the world, consider joining organizations such as American

Rivers, (http://www.americanrivers.org) The World’s Water (http://www.worldwater.org ) World Water Day,

http://www.worldwaterday.org/ ) etc.12

 From The Water Song on The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter  by The Incredible String Band. Elektra, 1968.

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seen on the water’s edge or flashing in and out of view in falling water at dusk. The seashore is

an especially vital place where the undines play team-tag with the sylphs of the air among the

breaking waves. Welcome the spirits of rain and snow – raindrops and snowflakes are

accompanied by the smallest elementals who find the whole process of precipitation

tremendous fun! If you like to draw, sketch what you see and send in the result with your

report.

• Above all, remember that Water is a precious, living substance with intelligence and memory, a

gift that we should never take for granted.

Listening to the Story of Water

Like the other three elements, Water has a long tradition of being used for divination. People have

gazed into pools, lakes and bowls of water as a means of scrying – gazing at the images which seem to

arise just below the surface of the water.13

 Here we will look at a way to gain information from the

spirit world by listening to Water in its natural setting:

Find a waterfall or gushing mountain stream, for both these kinds of water produce that rushing,

roaring noise that is such a rich matrix of sound. Sit by the water, close your eyes, and listen. At first,

the movements of the water will sound like radio static, but after about five minutes, you may begin to

hear various beats within the sound that result from the specific location, the way the rock walls are

reverberating the sound and so on. This is the signature of the place; the waters are telling you their

story. Continue listening. Soon you will seem to catch the sound of voices in the Water. A name is

called. Perhaps your name, perhaps the name of a relative or friend; quite often, and curiously,

sometimes the name of someone you knew who has died. The waterfall or mountain stream will now

start telling you your story, the story of other people, or possibly the story of the spirits that haunt theplace or that you brought with you. Don't edit or resist what you hear. Just let the waters speak. A

voice-like sound may spark off a string of associations in your mind. Let it. The waters are speaking

to you.

Collecting Sacred Water

Find a source of water in a natural area, preferably a spring, but otherwise this could be a river, stream,

waterfall or pool. Boundary and south-running streams are considered to be very fortunate, because

they ‘flow to meet the sun.’ If you live near a known sacred spring, so much the better. Observe the

following traditional Celtic rites:

♦ Go to the site between midnight and dawn, preferably toward the end of the first quarter of the

13 This ancient art is taught in the first course in this series.

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moon. Bring a bottle or other container, preferably not of plastic.

♦ If it’s a pool or spring, walk around it three times in a sunwise direction.

♦ Make an offering of a silver coin or pin to the spirit of the well or pool.

♦ Cup your hands, and drink three times in silence. You can make a wish at this point, but it must not

be revealed.

♦ Fill your bottle and carry the water home in complete silence. Do not allow the container to touch

the ground.

SIGIL FOR THE STAFF

During this lesson you will have encountered many aspects of the Element of Water. From the sum of

your experiences, choose a symbol that for you most signifies this Element, then carve or paint it on

your Staff. 

Suggestions for Further Reading

Water, the Element of Life by Theodor and Wolfram Schwenk. Anthroposophic Press, 1989.

Based on the spiritual science of Rudolph Steiner and on their own numerous experiments, the authors

show that earth is a living organism and that Water is its sense organ, which perceives vital cosmic

influences and transmits them to earthly life. 

The Lady of the Fountain in The Mabinogion translated by Gwyn Jones and Thomas Jones. London:

Everyman, 1948. The entire text as translated by Lady Charlotte Guest is also available online at

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/CAMELOT/fountain.htm.

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Yvain, Le Chevalier au Lion by Chrétien de Troyes, translated by Burton Raffel. Yale University Press,

1987.

Chrétien’s version of the Lady of the Fountain.

Sacred Waters: Holy Wells and Water Lore in Britain and Ireland  by Colin and Janet Bord. (out of

print)

This classic book on pagan water cults, healing powers, pilgrimages and rituals, creation of wells and

lakes, water divinities, ghosts at wells; gazetteer of wells to visit, etc. is now out of print: a new edition

is slated for 2006.

Crossing the Circle at the Holy Wells of Ireland by Walter L Brenneman and Mary G. Brenneman.

Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1995.

A lovingly detailed exploration of Ireland’s holy wells based on the authors’ fieldwork and

interpretations of their symbolism, mythology, and ritual origins.

Secret Shrines by Paul Broadhurst. Cornwall: Pendragon Press, 1991.

This exquisite book on Cornwall’s unique holy wells by Earth Mysteries researcher Broadhurst is

illustrated with beautiful photographs and line drawings.

Spiritual Cleansing by Draja Mickaharic. Maine: Weiser, 1982.

A comprehensive book on psychic cleansing by an authoritative magician from Bosnia, who learned

his craft in the early years of the twentieth century. His book contains many recipes for herbal and

floral baths designed for specific magical purposes. 

© Mara Freeman, 2005. No part of this material may be reproduced.