The Healing & Purifying Magic of Water

 

Disclaimer:   I am not a doctor… I am a Witch! 

Any medicinal benefits given here are a product of my own research and as such should not be taken over the advice of trained medical professionals. If you are ill, please go and see a doctor. Always make sure that anything you consume is 100% safe. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor or midwife before consuming something you haven’t tried before. 

Consider this blog a perspective of those who seek truth in the Supernatural.  Whether you view them as accurate accounts or not is up to you.  This is just an insight!

I am very passionate about sharing what I’ve learned with others at no cost to you but the time it takes to read, learn and implementing and making it your own.  Research everything for yourself.  Knowledge and Practice makes a world of difference with everything you do, including magick.   Knowledge is Power…literally!  In magick we use what we like and dispose of what you don’t.  You may want to use other methods, combine sometimes, create, and it is totally up to you, but do your homework.   It is up to you how you utilize this information.

The Healing & Purifying Magic of Water is in everyone’s life without you even realizing.  I can remember long before I knew I was a witch; I had told my spouse that I had to live near water.  A lake, a river, a stream, or the ocean.  My favorite is a beautiful country stream, with the freshest water from mother earth and nature all around us.  I’ve always felt in a different world when listening to the water trickle along the rocks of a stream or the waves crashing on the beach and the feeling of calmness come over my whole body no matter which body of water, I was near.  I have a jar that I filled with all of my sea treasures in.  It is filled with seashells, sea glass, feathers, pebbles, stones, fossils, and a slew of other sea treasures.

Water has a way of cleaning what needs to be cleansed, and revitalizing and renewing what needs to be energized.  I love to be pampered in a hot tub, hot bath/shower, or through a hot cup of tea.  When the weather is gloomy, I usually will start to feel gloomy.  But when I listen to a thunderstorm, I feel calm and relaxed and find comfort, and sometimes can fall fast asleep.  Where I live, it is gloomy probably 6 months out of the year.  I clearly have not figured out how to control the weather!

The Celtic Tradition is seeping with water magic and lore.  The Celts held waters and wells sacred as they believed that water was a conduit to the otherworld.  A liminal place, a portal to the otherworld Annwn, Avalon and the Ancestorial realms.  They also believed that evil spirits could not cross running water, fairies reside in wells, and lakes served as portals into other realms.  Each arm of the Celtic Triskele or the three-armed spiral represents one of the three states of water: liquid, solid and gas.

History:

Water Magic weaves deep into our history, deep in every culture and on many different levels.

From The Book of Celtic Magic: Transformative Teachings from the Cauldron of Awen by Kristoffer Hughes, another book that is like a great source for Celtic Magic.  Water Witchcraft: Magic and Lore from the Celtic Tradition by Annwyn Avalon.  An excellent source for water witchcraft.  The website Druidry.org’s page called Sacred Waters – Holy Wells by Mara Freeman gives great detail to the history of sacred waters and holy wells.

I have outlined just a few points below from these sources.  I want to just give you a little bit of history to give you the sense of how old the belief in sacred waters and wells really is. That the research, the practice, and use of water magic sure is worth all the time and effort put into incorporating it into your magical life.

Remember to do your own research as well.  There is so much information out there right at your fingertips.  And well, let’s face it, the craft has a lot of stuff that is open to interpretation.

• Holy waters in different forms occur in a wide variety of cultures, religious environments, and historical periods. I believe it is human instinct to revere water sources.  Not only is water essential to life but has been worshipped for its healing and empowering properties throughout the worlds’ history.
• During the witch trial times, a person accused would be bound and thrown into water to see if they would float.  In those same waters, a person could be dunked into the water to baptize them into Christianity.
• Many of the waters considered to be sacred by Pagan, or any religion or group were renamed by the Romans and as the christians did later, naming them after saints.  Many being claimed to have been the saint that has made the water come into the well or water system (stream/river).  There are thousands of sacred or holy wells in the British Isles.  The sacred well was so popular by Pagans that the Romans made sure to take them over and renamed them or destroyed them.  In Celtic tradition, the Great Mother Goddess was Modron (MOD-ron), which is derived from Matrona (MAT-rona).  Although renamed and erased from maps, much is preserved in the folklores, stories and lore passed down from generation to generation.
• Some like St. Madron’s, an open pool, still continues to be a center of pilgrimage as they were from pagan times.  In the 17th century, a miraculous healing was attested to by none other than the local bishop.  A severely crippled man, John Trelille, “upon three several admonitions in his dreams, washing in St. Madern’s Well and sleeping afterwards in what was called St. Madern’s bed, was suddenly and perfectly cured.”
• People visit wells for healing and divination, to drink or sometimes bathe in the waters.  Some waters were found to contain healing properties, mostly due to the presence of certain minerals. But the healing influence of the wells was due to more than their medicinal qualities.  The well itself was viewed as a shrine dedicated to the miraculous emergence of living water, in all cultures a symbol of generation, purification, and life itself.
• A great many wells were supposed to cure eye problems, which scholars have traced to the magical perception of the well as the eye of a god.
• Child’s Well ‘had virtue to make women that were barren to bring forth children’, such as St. Agnes Well at Whitestaunton in Somerset.  It gained fame when Henrietta, the wife of King Charles I, was rumored to have wished for a child there, and then became pregnant soon after.
• Some petitioners would leave a token piece of clothing, usually hung on a bush or a tree as at St. Madron’s, so that the healing power of the well could act upon it.  Such a custom led to Scottish healing wells becoming known as ‘clootie wells’ – ‘clootie’ meaning ‘cloth.’
• Some petitioners would bring an offering – usually a bent pin, which gave rise to the number of ‘pin wells’ to be found in the British Isles.
• A great sum of treasures were discovered at the bottom of wells frequented in Celtic and Roman Britain: at Coventina’s well in Carrowbaugh, Northumberland more than 14,000 coins, bronze figurines, jewelry, glass, pottery, and a human skull were discovered in the shaft.
• A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both.
• Early mariners believed fervently in water charms and employed them widely.
• Modern day witches can use gifts from the sea in their spell work.

Most Known and Used Representations for Water:

• Water is one of the four elements that serve as the building blocks of life.
• In Tarot, water is represented by the suit of cups.
• Three Zodiak signs are water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.
• In runes: Laguz translation is water, lake with a theme of emotion, cleansing, flow, and a safe haven.  The ebb and flow of waters echo the everchanging tide of our emotional state.
• In spell work, the chalice and cauldron are considered water tools.
• Shells, sea glass, smooth river stones & stones with holes that were formed naturally by running water, sea salt, fossils & quartz crystals that contain water bubbles (known as anhydro) all have special properties that bring water attributes in their use.
• Plants: lotus flowers, seaweed, algae, & kelp.

Water Deities:

Healing sacred waters are believed to have been charged with the powers of a water deity.

The list of Water Deities is a very long and extensive. For the purpose of this blog, I am just going to outline some of the deities and their origin.  You will have to do your research to find the right deity to fit your energy or the properties you are looking for.  I also added some links to find a bigger, more detailed list.

Water Deities:

Greek:  Poseidon, Aphrodite, Aegaeon, Achelous or Akheloios The Greek list is very long.

Roman: Neptune

Egyptian: Tefnut

Hundu/Vedic:  Ganga, Lord Varuna,  Samudra

Celtic:  Belisama, Grannus, Nantosuelta, Nodens, Damona, Selkie, Llyr  Gaulish Deities: Acionna, Condatis, Segeta, Sequana, Souconna, Sirona

Irish:  Brigid, Boann, Danu, Manannan mac Lir,  Li Ban, Lir,  Sinann

Norse-Germanic: Freyr, Nix, Saga, Tiddy Mun, Rura

Welsh:  Brigid, Dylan Eil Ton, Llyr

You can check out the full list of Deities: List Of Water Deities from Different Mythologies | Stillunfold or at List of water deities – Wikipedia

Water in Magic

Let’s think about water and where it came from.  Was it collected from a summer sun shower or hail or lightning storm?  Where your water came from can determine what its energy will be.  The summer sun shower can encourage growth, health and creativity.  Whereas a thunderstorm can pack a powerful punch to aid in spell work that needs an extra push such as protection spells.  Storm water can also be used for curses.

For those reasons, it is worth the extra time to document where you collected the water from, the date/time, what type of weather, the moon phase and any information you feel important, like how you plan to use it.

Water exists in three states: liquid, solid, and gas. Water magic works with all three.  These are some ways to use water for magic.

Freeze water to stop an enemy or freeze something in place through the act of binding.

Defrost water to get stuck energy flowing again, to thaw a frozen heart, or in spells involving new beginnings.

Etch protection sigils or other magical symbols and brief incantations on frosted or frozen windows.

Make snow poppets to use in healing and cursing.

Freshly fallen snow to make a wonderful wintery cleansing water.

Draw beauty symbols or sigils of cleansing on the bathroom mirror using the steam from a shower.

Use fog and mist in visualizations or in the physical world to access the Otherworld or to clear the mind of fog.

There are many types of water that can be used in assisting with our spell work.  All types of water were used to predict fortune, cast spells, break enchantments, and heal.  Here are types of water that have magical properties.

Black Water: modern invention.  It is water infused with trace “fulvic minerals” that turn it black.  Used for the dark half of the years Sabbats, Shadow meditations, shadow work, shadow magic, any nocturnal magic. NOT for consumption.  Black water from places like wells is not safe!

Brackish Water: a mix of fresh water and salt water, where it occurs where a river & ocean meet.  Used for calm but dark energy.  The shoreline at that point is a liminal place full of healing and death, balance and bane, with yarrow growing among poison hemlock.  Use this water to merge with or to enter the “betwix” and between.

Dew:  Collect dew at dawn on May 1st (Beltane), it brings power to beauty rituals and spells.

Fog and Mist: useful in accessing the Otherworld.  Mist can be used as a portal, especially during the liminal hours of dusk and dawn.  Meditate while a fog or mist rolls in can bring calm to your mind and allow you to connect with the Otherworld.

Hail or Sleet: Collected during or after a storm and keep it in a glass jar in the freezer.  Generally used for cursing and can make a great base for War Water, an aggressive formula containing water and rust that is used for physical and psychic protection, spiritual cleansing, and to place or reverse a curse.

Marsh, Bog, Swamp, and Canal Water: dark dirty water that is imbued with decaying plant matter and has become stagnant.  Used for dark magic, ancestral work, and to hide, cover, or mask.

Mud: water and earth mixed together is mysterious and messy. Used as an earth element and bury old worn-out cycles, or for grounding.

Sea Water:  Has unlimited uses.  It is already salty or it can be used for holy water, which can be used in rituals, work with spirits and water deities and in prayers and blessings.  Healing, protection, charming, and cleansing.

Ponds and Lake Water: typically calm and serene and often resembles a mirror.  Use lake water to discover mysteries.  Lakes are considered portals and many creatures dwell in and under them.  Used in relaxation or revitalizing spells.  When in an argument with someone use these waters to calm the situation.  Also, due to its calm water it can also be used for scrying, watery mirror work, and vision journey as a portal to the watery realms.

Rain Water: Sun shower water can be used for healing, nourishment, and solar magic.  A great base for Florida Water (a perfumed water made with various herbs and flowers).  “Dreary Water” occurs when a light rainfall continues for days, typically accompanied by gray skies and cool temperatures.  Collected over several days, it is great for shadow work, resting, rejuvenation, invisibility, and protection.  Thunderstorm water is fierce. Used in aggressive magic, cursing, and in any spell that needs a big powerful punch.

River Water: Fast moving water that can be used in conjunction with or in place of the Chariot Card in the tarot to speed things up, for aggressively cleansing your energetic body of impurities and negativities.  Sit in a river with the directional flow hitting your back to enhance a purging or cleansing visualization.  Rivers, canals, and streams can be u sed for spells involving moving forward, change, getting unstuck, and sending things away.

Snow and Ice:  Can be kept frozen or placed ina jar or bottle and allowed to melt.  Freeze your enemy in place, or defrost their frozen hearts.  Draw sigils in snow for temporary binding or to help unbind.

Spring and Well Water:  fresh water that spring up from below the ground.  Used in healing magic and to connect with water fae.  Also used to remove curses and enchantments and to place curses-often for a fee.

Waterfalls:  they flow all year round, while some are seasonal. Used in cleansing and purification and in rites of birth and beauty.

There are also ways to gather and create Holy and Sacred Water.

Charm Water:  9 white quartz stones from a running river, disturbing the water as little as possible. Then retrieve water from the stream collecting in the same direction as the flow.  Heat the quartz stones until they are red, then drop them into the water.  You can then bottle the water and use it in curative spells or in magic.  To align with the old folk method, it is recommended that it be used 9 times or 9 days in a row.

Moon Water:  Cleanse your sacred vessel and place your selected water in it.  Add quartz to enhance.  Let the vessel sit under the full moon.  Make sure the moonlight shines on it for a good portion of the night.  Or leave it out for 3 nights.  At your altar, whisper prayers and blessings over it.  Ask your spirit deity or guides to bless the water, then bottle it and save it for future work.

Hagstone Water:  Hagstones, also known as holed stones or bored stones, are stones that contain a natural hole formed by running water.  Steep the stones in water for several hours, then use the water to wash the afflicted body part.  Water made with a hagstone can be sued for charm water, in healing, and as holy water.

Floral Water:  create a blend of flowers or herbs and steep them in your selected water to create an infusion to use in your magic.

Gemstone Elixirs:  combine gemstones and water to create sacred, magical elixirs. Not all Gemstones are NOT safe to ingest, and some stones cannot be placed in water, as they will be damaged.

Salt Water:  three pinches of salt added to your selected water can be used to transform ordinary water into holy water. “Three pinches of salt, twirled thrice about, I hereby cast all bane out!”

Silvered Water:  created by dropping a silver coin or other silver object into water that has been obtained from a liminal place. Repeat the words nine times:  “Maiden of the sacred well, bless this water, bless this well, in your sacred spiral swell, bless this water, bless this well.  In Scotland, silvered water was often used by faery doctors to cure the curse of the evil eye.  There are also many accounts of it being used to heal and cure, and in various other forms of magic.

Tools used in Water Magic

Bathtub:  a modern witch’s magic circle and can be a sacred place for spiritual cleansing.

Bones: bones of all types are often found in the tween places on the banks of rivers and the shores of sounds, lakes or oceans. powerful spirit allies and can be used in a variety of magic and divination.

Bowls: bowls can hold anything. can be used for scrying, offerings, and even the sacred water vessel.

Cauldron: the cauldron is often used to represent the goddess, but can also be used in place of a chalice.  Cast-iron cauldrons should NOT be used for water-fae magic!  This is a great way to make them angry!

Chalice: used to represent the goddess or the female form, as well as for holding wine for offerings and libations.  Shells can serve as a chalice.

Combs: magical combs are associated with mermaids but can also be used to comb your hair and entwine wishes, spells and magic into braids.

Crab Claws: used in binding and reversal magic, or when something needs a little pinch.  Rituals of solitude.

Jars, Vials, and Bottles: used to store gemstone elixirs, and magical enchanted waters.

Mirrors: closely associated with mermaids and magic, and also functions well as portals and a scrying device.

Pearls: incredibly powerful, very beautiful, and highly prized. Used in ways similar to crystals to magic.

Sea Glass:  a reminder of what your intuitions tells you.  Can also be used for color associations.

Sea Glass Balls: glass fisher floats, which are sometimes quite old, are usually hand-blown glass balls that can be found washed up on the shore. Used to capture and trap negative energy, and a talisman against the evil eye (best when blue in color).

Sharks Teeth: amazingly powerful talisman can be used for protection and magic that needs a bit more aggression.  Radiates ancient power!

Shells: wide range of magical uses.

Stones and Fossils: can be found in river beds and sea shore. In addition, ammonite, belemnite, and other fossils that are associates with water or found on the shore are prized possessions of water witches.

Wands: driftwood or trees from the banks of rivers and streams are the ideal material for making water witch’s wand.  The wand is a witch’s tool for directing energy.  Some sea witches choose to use a marlin spike to align with both the athame and nautical energies.

As you can see, Water Magic is a huge world!  There is a lot to explore and learn about.  There is a lot of versatile ways of using water in your everyday spell work.  I hope this served as an insight of what to expect while exploring water magic.

Blessed Be and Happy healing and purifying with water!

 

Links and sources:

Sacred Waters – Holy Wells | Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids (druidry.org)

@annwynavalon | Linktree                     Water Witchcraft with Annwyn Avalon – YouTube                    WITCH Booktube Review: Water Witchcraft by Annwyn Avalon – YouTube