8/18/2019 Sacred Earth Magic Lesson Eight http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sacred-earth-magic-lesson-eight 1/28 THE avalon avalon avalon avalonM 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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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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.