Sacred
Water Sites
When talking about sacred water, it is absolutely necessary to discuss some of these elemental sites throughout the world. Many are World Heritage sites that are protected for the beauty, majesty, and importance they hold. If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit these sites in person, I highly recommend it. It will give you a direct connection that will allow you to access the blessings of water in a truly divine way. Even if you are unable to make a pilgrimage to one or more of these sites, please consider honoring the sacred water in your own way in your community. This will help to strengthen your personal power by reinforcing your connections to the spirits of place.
Sacred Water Sites Around the Globe
Bath: The sacred water in Bath, England, has been a sight of pilgrimage and healing for over a thousand years. The use of the hot springs dates back to Neolithic times. They were utilized by the early inhabitants of the British Isles and later the Romans. The main spring in the area expels around 250,000 gallons of water at a warm 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It is here that ancient Romans and Brits sought to commune with the goddesses and the dead. The water was viewed as a powerful portal to the otherworldly. It was also a site of early settlements. The first shrine there was dedicated to the goddess Sulis.
With the arrival of the Romans, she quickly became associated with their goddess Minerva. In addition to the head of the statue of Sulis Minerva discussed earlier, the temple also had a giant shrine with panels depicting Bacchus, Jupiter, and Hercules. The spring there was most certainly a place for offerings, and over 12,000 Roman coins have been recovered from the site. Of particular interest, over 130 small tablets have been found there on which were written curses, most along the lines of begging Sulis Minerva to punish those who had wronged them. The temples and sacred sites there seem to have fallen into disuse around the fourth or fifth century CE, possibly because of flooding. A Christian monastery was later built on the site around the seventh century. The city itself, including the baths and the remains of the temple to Sulis Minerva, are now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site attracting approximately 300,000 visitors a year.
Bayou St. John: The bayou is known as a site of powerful magic in Southern Conjure and Hoodoo. Bayou St. John is undeniably the most well-known bayou in Louisiana, if not the world. In the 1700s it was a four-mile-long waterway beginning approximately two miles north of the Mississippi River, winding through the swamp, and connecting to Lake Ponchartrain. It was used by the indigenous people of the area at the time and later became a shipping channel for a brief time. What it is most well-known for, however, is the Voodoo. There are many reports of the legendary Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau performing rites and rituals there. It is here that she is said to have performed some of her sacred St. John’s Eve blessings. These are still continued there today where crowds gather on the holiday to receive their blessing at the water.
Boyne River: This river is located next to the passage tombs at Newgrange in Ireland—these gravesites are even older than the pyramids in Egypt. They line up exactly with the sun on the winter solstice, showing us some of the magic and power of the ancient people who lived in the area. The river flows all around these tombs, and during a visit you will most likely cross them, seeing their power and majesty.
Brighid’s Well: The Celtic goddess Brighid was a deity who ruled over both fire and water. Over time she has become blended with the Christian St. Brigid. There are hundreds of wells in the UK and Ireland that are considered sacred to this manifestation of the divine feminine. The wells are said to be sites of miraculous healing and blessings.
Chalice Well: Great Britain contains many sacred wells, but one of the most popular is definitely the Chalice Well in Glastonbury. It has long held magical significance but also is said to be the sight where the cup from the Last Supper was washed (or buried, depending on the retelling), causing the waters to become equated with the blood of Christ. Over the years it has become known as a sacred sanctuary that draws numerous visitors each year.
Ganges River: The Ganges River is one of the most sacred water sites in the world. It flows over 1,500 miles from the Himalayas before opening into the Indian Ocean. In the Hindu tradition, it is known to represent the goddess Mother Ganges, known as Ganga Ma in Hindi. For devotees, the river is a source of purification that will wash away their troubles. It is also known to help the dead achieve moksha, a spiritual enlightenment that transcends the cycle of rebirth. Cremations are carried out on the banks of the river. Like many sacred waters around the globe, water from the Ganges River is available for sale online if you care to include this in your spells and workings.
Unfortunately, what has been such a sacred sight is also polluted. Used by millions of people along its journey, it has become a source of toxicity. At the time I write this there have been efforts to clean it, but they remain underfunded.
Guangsheng Temple: Located in Hongtong, Linfen, Shanxi, China, this site houses one of the last remaining water god temples in China. Dedicated to water god Ming Ying King and his eleven attendants, it is decorated with frescoes depicting people praying for rain.
Ibo Landing: The tale of the flying Ibo people has survived for generations. It has been told among African Americans almost since they arrived as an enslaved people. The story is one of resistance and tells of how slaves left in droves, walking into the water and then flying back to Africa. These myths relate not only to supernatural power, but also to the choice of suicide rather than to submit to oppression and slavery. The actual Ibo or Igbo Landing is located in Dunbar Creek, Georgia. It is here in 1803 that a group of Igbo slaves came off the slave ship and marched, singing, to their deaths in the creek. Some reports say just over a dozen bodies were recovered of the approximately eighty slaves who went missing, lending credence to the possibility of escape, either magically or practically. The story is retold in the works of Black writers such as Paule Marshall, Toni Morrison, Jamaica Kincaid, and others. Locals claim that you can still hear the cries and feel the presence of these slaves at the creek. Many consider this act the first real Freedom March on American soil, despite the unfortunate end.
Jin Ancestral Temple: This sacred site dates back to the eleventh century BCE and is located in Shanxi, China, about sixteen miles southwest of Taiyuan, at the base of Xuanweng Mountain at the Jin Springs. The largest building at the site is Sage Mother Hall, which is dedicated to the spirit of the springs there. There are also several other water-related buildings at the site, including an octagonal pool and the Never-Aging Spring. The hot spring continues to bubble up despite all kinds of weather.
Jordan River: The Jordan River, located on the border between Syria and Lebanon, has been considered sacred for thousands of years. There is archaeological evidence that the site was the location of a temple dedicated to the Greek deity Pan from around the third century BCE that lasted almost 700 years. The sanctuary there is located in Golan Heights and encompasses a huge natural cave sitting above a ravine, from which flows one of the tributaries of the Jordan River. There is also a manmade cave that bears the inscription “Cave of Pan and the Nymphs.” As time went on, the site began to take on significance in Christianity, the river being named as the place where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. It is here that it is believed the Holy Spirit transformed into a dove and appeared. There is evidence it has been visited by thousands of pilgrims a year, even during medieval times. Even today it is considered one of the top holy sites in Christianity. People continue to make pilgrimages there as part of their visit to the Holy Land, both bathing in and drinking the sacred waters.
Lake Lhamo Latso: This lake, situated southeast of Lhasa, is considered the holiest lake in Tibet. It is also called Oracle Lake, and starting with the second Dalai Lama in 1509, it has been a place for these holy individuals to receive visions and information. The site is located at the end of a narrow valley strewn with prayer flags. It also contains a throne where the Dalai Lama sits when in attendance. It isn’t just these holy individuals who make the trip, however; several people also make pilgrimages to the area each year, where after fasting and prayer they hope to receive visions of the future themselves.
Lake Manasarovar: This lake located in Tibet is considered sacred to followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Bön (the indigenous Tibetan folk religion). Almost everything about the place is magical. It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, but the surrounding land is almost like a desert. One of my closest friends just made the pilgrimage there this year and described the experience as truly incredible. Bathing in the water there is said to assist with entry into paradise. Visitors walk around the lake clockwise, stopping at sacred points along the way for bathing and prayers.
Lake Mashapang: This lake in Connecticut, now commonly called Gardner Lake, has its own mermaid legend. It goes a little something like this: the land was once dry and the people were wasteful, ruled by a queen who did not have the intelligence to listen to her advisers. One particular woman, referred to as a prophetess, urged the people to make a change. They did not listen, and the Great Spirit flooded the land. Except for the prophetess, all the residents were killed, and all that remained was the lake where the community once stood. There are reports of fishermen and others on the lake hearing mysterious music.
Lake Pontchartrain: This Louisiana lake covers approximately 630 square miles. It features the world’s longest bridge, the Causeway, which connects New Orleans to the other side of the water. Lake Pontchartrain was said to be a ritual sight for Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. There she performed not-so-secret ceremonies that were reported on in the newspapers and magazines of the time. It is even said she nearly drowned in the lake in the 1880s. Anyone visiting the area can see its power and majesty.
Lake Waiau: This lake is located 13,020 feet above sea level on the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Locals have historically considered this spot a sacred site and the residence of the snow goddess Waiau. Many make a trip to the lake to witness the magical reflection of the moon on its water. For many years this heart-shaped lake, sitting on a bed of lava, was considered bottomless. It is now known to be roughly ten feet deep.
Loch Ness: Loch Ness is the stuff of Scottish legend. It is home to the infamous Scottish beast “Nessie,” who has become an international legend. The loch is actually the largest body of fresh water in Great Britain, traversing almost twenty-three miles, with a depth of about 800 feet. The tales of the beast that is said to live there are even seen on Pict carvings on the standing stones there that date to AD 500. Even Christian history is intertwined with the loch, for it is said that St. Columba traveled to the area and confronted the “monster” with the power of God. Christian reports say it was never seen again, but the local news tells a different story.
Lourdes: This sacred site in France is mainly seen as a place of pilgrimage for Christians in search of healing. The holy well is one of the most popular in the world, with over six million visitors each year. Since 1858 it has been the site of at least sixty-nine miracles or cures verified by the Catholic Church. It is said that the Holy Virgin appeared eighteen times here to Bernadette Soubirous, and it was then the miracles began. It has been the subject of many films, the most famous being The Song of Bernadette (1943), starring Jennifer Jones. Over the years the site has become very commercialized, with many comparing it to Disneyland. For those who want to experience the water without making the pilgrimage, this water is readily available through online sources.
Madron Well: This healing well is found in Cornwall, England. Tradition dictates that you must face the sun when receiving blessings from here. The site is also known for healing, and it is customary for children to be dipped in the water three times in an effort to cure them of all sickness and disease.
Mississippi River: The Mississippi has always been a sight of magic. The final stop on its winding journey is the city of New Orleans. The river was considered a sacred place to the generations of Voodoo queens who have graced the crescent city. Marie Laveau was said to have held ceremonies there, and even today Voodoo priestess Miriam Chamani from the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple has been known to perform rites and leave offerings there.
Niagara Falls: Every time I visit Niagara Falls, I am truly impressed by its sheer size and magic. Depending on which way you approach it, what you may see is a fairly normal-looking river with no clue what waits just down the way. It was considered a sacred site by the indigenous people of the area. Today it is still one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Nile River: The longest river in the world is the Nile. It flows northward over 4,100 miles, draining out into the Mediterranean Sea. It passes through parts of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. The ancient Egyptians settled around the river in approximately 5500 BCE, and they believed the river was a gift from the gods. Osiris was the Egyptian god of the dead, and it is his death that was associated symbolically with the flooding and rising of the river. This flooding was a vital process responsible for fertilizing the surrounding areas. In the area, tombs were traditionally located on the west side of the river because that is where the sun set every day.
Ojo Caliente: These hot springs are located in New Mexico approximately fifty miles north of Santa Fe. Ojo Caliente was considered sacred to the indigenous Zuni people, who utilized the water in dance rituals to help bring rain and success to the crops. The springs were also prized by many other local tribes, and it has been considered a powerful site for healing and rejuvenation for thousands of years.
Osun River: The Osun River in Nigeria is seen as the home of the orisha Osun. It is surrounded by the Osun Sacred Grove, on the outskirts of the city of Osogbo, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Each year the area is home to the Osun festival during July and August that celebrates her and her sacred river of the same name. The land is also home to sacred palaces and worship sites along the river.
Pittsburgh Rivers: Sacred sites are what you make of them, and while many people don’t necessarily think of Pittsburgh as a place for sacred water, magical practitioners in the area talk about how the city has its own unique energy because it is founded on three rivers. These rivers are the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio. The rivers meet at a place locals refer to as “the point,” where offerings and sacred ceremonies often take place.
Phat Man Dee is a pan-spiritual Jew with Pagan leanings. She works as a jazz vocalist, bandleader, and vocal instructor. She hails from Pittsburgh, PA, where two rivers, the Monongahela and Allegheny, meet to form the great Ohio River. A fourth river flows underground, and it is from that subterranean river that all jazz in the region flows. Pittsburgh native and performer Phat Man Dee wrote the following poem about the magical waters there.
Dampness seeps into the cracks of the world
Carries spirit from within without
Bogged down forgotten pasts even still inform the future
Carry messages from long ago
And those who float on the surface believe
they’ve created them anew
But spirit knows that water remembers all
Falls down, washes back, spins around both
clockwise and widdershins
Seasons pass, years fade into forgotten memories
Which wash upon the banks with every tide and
nourish the future generations in muddy glory
Water is life. Mni Wiconi.
Phat Man Dee
Pyhänkasteenputous Waterfall: This famous seventeen-meter-high waterfall in Finland has been considered a sacred site for generations and is still one of the most popular tourist sites in the area. The name roughly means “initiation to the sacred” and was traditionally used as a place for making offerings to ensure a successful hunt; it was later transformed by Christians into a site of baptism. This process began when Lutheran minister Esaias Fellman Mansveti performed a mass conversion of the local Sami people in 1648. In the summertime the falls are bathed in sunlight twenty-four hours a day.
Queen Nanny’s Cauldron: Queen Nanny of Jamaica is remembered as both a warrior and a queen. Queen Nanny was said to have escaped her own cruel captors and, along with her brothers, founded a free settlement for people of color in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. From 1728–1740, there Queen Nanny led the group who would later be referred to as the Windward Maroons. It is said that under Nanny’s fierce command they managed to free almost a thousand slaves. She used her military skill along with her Obeah talents to successfully complete her campaigns. One of her sacred sights is said to be Nanny Falls in Portland, Jamaica. It is said the water here has great healing powers and was visited by Queen Nanny and her warriors to fortify before battle. Today people take pilgrimages to the area and are able to experience the magical waters for themselves.
She is remembered as a powerful leader and a true force to be reckoned with. There are many reports of Nanny’s life. Some recount that she was a slave; some say she may even have had slaves of her own. It is irrefutable, however, that she was a hero of Jamaica who very likely practiced a traditional form of African-derived religion known as Obeah. Most of history has preferred to forget her connection to African healing methods and magic.
Rhine Valley: This site joined the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2002. It is said to be the domain of Lorelie, the watery siren of legend who was discussed earlier in this book. The mythical creatures of the water known as nixies are also thought to reside there, and on nice days legend says you can see them on the side of the river combing their long blond hair.
Snoqualmie Falls: This sacred waterfall in Washington State is visited by over a million people each year. While the site is probably best known for being featured in the opening credits of the popular cult television show Twin Peaks, it is actually a sacred site that has been honored by the indigenous people in the area for thousands of years. For the Snoqualmie people, the site was even featured in their creation story. Legend says that this is the place where chaos in the world was transformed into order. The mist from the falls is said to deliver prayers directly up to the Creator Spirit. The site has also been a place of ceremonial burial and honoring for the indigenous people there.
Urubamba River:The Urubamba River and the nearby heritage site of Machu Picchu have been long considered sacred to the people there. Located close to the river is Tambomachay, which is referred to by some as the Bath of the Inca, recalling the famous UK site. It is said to be a place where you can ritually clean both your body and mind. All of these sites have recently become popular tourist sites for spiritual pilgrimages.
Whanganui River: The indigenous Maori people of New Zealand have an ancestral river they have honored for over 800 years; it is called the Whanganui River. This is the longest navigable river in the country. According to the Maori, their spirit guardians, called taniwha, inhabit this river. On March 20, 2017, the New Zealand parliament recognized into law what the Maori had been insisting all along: the river is a living being. It was therefore granted the same rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a human individual. The hope is that this will give it some rights and protection from the pollution and degradation it has suffered since the arrival of European settlers in the 1800s.
Local Sacred Sites
This list of sacred water sites is by no means complete; please do what you can to find sacred water sites in your own area and honor them accordingly.
While part of the spiritual experience is always just getting to the actual site, there are some things you can do to help your magic and make your trip more fruitful.
- Consider bringing your ritual tools with you to the site. When you get there, you can then use the water to cleanse and bless these things. Be respectful always, and if your tools are covered with unsavory materials, consider taking some of the water, placing it in a bucket, and using that to wash your items. After you’re done, you can then dispose of the water far away from the source.
- Bring a container to collect a small amount of the water you find there. You will then be able to bring it home and use it whenever needed. Please be sure to be respectful, observe local customs and laws, and always leave an offering for the things you are taking.
- Perform a personal blessing ritual at the site. Being at the edge of sacred water gives you a unique opportunity to cleanse yourself and others at the site. Pay special attention to blessing your hands so that everything you touch will be influenced by the power of that water; do the same with your feet and head.
- Research the traditional songs and prayers associated with the site and the divinities that may reside there. Be ready to perform or recite them at the site. The water contained in these sites is ancient, and finding out how it was honored in the past will help you to access its sacred energy and power.
The Mystical Waters of Niagara
The following is a guest contribution from Witchdoctor Utu about sacred spaces and rites. Witchdoctor Utu is the author of Conjuring Harriet ‘Mama Moses’ Tubman and the Spirits of the Underground Railroad, founder of the Dragon Ritual Drummers, Niagara Voodoo Shrine, and member of the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple. Utu has been presenting and performing at Pagan and Conjure events in both Canada and the United States actively since the year 2000.
Water has always been part of my life. I was born on an island in Scotland, immigrated in childhood to grow up on the shoreline of Lake Ontario in Toronto, and as a twenty-year-old moved to the Niagara Peninsula. The peninsula is surround by two Great Lakes and the mighty Niagara River that connects them. Niagara Falls is actually three different waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls, which are composed of Lake Erie pouring into Lake Ontario, which then runs out into the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway.
It is hard to separate Niagara Falls from either of the lakes it connects to; it’s one big sacred dance in eternal motion, continually changing the landscape and dominating the local weather of several surrounding regions. In order to fully understand Niagara’s sacred mysteries, we have to look at the largest waterfall in North America as “the doorway.”
The word niagara comes from the indigenous people that once inhabited the region who were the Onguiaahra, which simultaneously was the name of their waterfall, which meant “the strait” as well as “thundering waters.” The waterfalls and its caves were the homes to mythical giant horned serpents, deities of wind, thunder, and lightning. They were also the dwellings of larger-than-life anthropomorphic sorcerers and man-eating stone giants. Niagara Falls is a cataract, a chasm better described as a temple, and a unique mix of sacred blessings and magic, as well as a circus of the macabre to this day. The waters of Niagara Falls are truly waters of natural chaos and primordial power.
When people think of Niagara Falls today, many probably think of its title as the honeymoon capitol of the world, and indeed tourism certainly promotes that and has for over one hundred years. Any waterfall and especially one the size of Niagara produces positive energy in the form of negative ions in the air, hence the renowned mystical and healing qualities that exist in its always-present mist reaching to the sky. The mist itself is deified as “The Maid of the Mist,” where an Onguiaahra maiden manifests as an apparition, mesmerizing people for hundreds of years while blessing newlyweds.
Who was this maiden of the mist in life? A sacrifice, according to indigenous lore; whether willing or chosen, she was one of the humans that was in archaic times—long before the Europeans came to the region—offered to the deities of the falls in a canoe to help stop a plague. This ritual was carried out every year after, with the canoe eventually filled with fruit and flowers sent over the falls as symbolic sacrifice. That’s Niagara Falls for you: a balance between life and death, comedy and tragedy, celebrated constantly.
The mist of Niagara Falls can change a person’s spiritual energy—just by being at the brink of the falls or even close to them, it is a current that runs through the area. When it comes to currents, it was no other than Nicola Tesla who came to the falls and recognized its unique attributes and qualities on more than one level. Tesla is responsible for developing the technology to harness its power through hydroelectricity, and his likeness is immortalized alongside Native American and First Nation legends as well as Victorian-era daredevils in statuary and plaques as he joins Niagara’s ever-growing pantheon.
One of the less-focused aspects of Niagara Falls is its subtle but tangible feeling of melancholy from the sheer amount of death and tragedy that routinely take place there. Niagara Falls shares a dubious mantle as a place where sometimes hundreds of people in mere years will choose to end their lives at the falls. Continuing the legacy started with the maiden of the mist, some pilgrimage from across the globe to do so. This adds to its macabre history along with the humans that have and continue to challenge its might in daredevil stunts, trying to conqueror it in barrels and other contraptions, as well as tightropes, to name a few, with not all being victorious.
Niagara Falls is essentially a power point on the globe, a ley line of immense energy as “the strait.” It was one of the locations for gathering during the Harmonic Convergence in 1987, with the falls being chosen as a place of power alongside Stonehenge, the Pyramids, Mount Fuji, and Mount Shasta.
Niagara’s waters, whether it be the head or mouth of its river or its two joining lakes, also have a water serpent cryptid, which to some is a still-manifesting aspect of its giant horned serpent once venerated by the ancient inhabitants. This horned serpent had many names, depending on the indigenous nation that inhabited Niagara Falls over the ages. To some it was benevolent and helped humans when in need, while to others it was an entity of evil that hated humans and tried to poison its waters and drag people down to their deaths.
In many ways, Niagara Falls defines the many complexities of a sacred waterway and what the water element is: mystical, primal, beautiful, terrifying, indiscriminate, generous, fertile. It gives, takes, and nurtures life, and it houses deities, spirits, and mysteries. To me, however, despite its many layers of legacy and spiritual mystery from the indigenous to the foreign, there is one aspect that truly resonates, and that is “the doorway,” the strait. One of the most overlooked aspects of Niagara’s unique tapestry of sacred water mysteries is one that continued its legacy as a door—a doorway to freedom. That freedom came to those who fully felt and lived that mystery as they took their final steps towards self-emancipation on the Underground Railroad.
The Niagara River is the very “River Jordan” that is hidden among coded African American Spirituals, with the biblical “Promised Land” and “Canaan” being Canada on the other side of the river from the United States. This was the route made famous by Harriet Tubman, who in her guise as Mama Moses brought many to freedom across the old Niagara River suspension bridge, bringing her people to the Promised Land of Canaan. In many ways, this makes the river an embodiment of holy water. (The Detroit River was also a crossing point and final waterway to freedom on a different route of the Underground Railroad, and so it also shares the mysteries of the River Jordan.)
Rivers and creeks continue to serve as a place of cleansing, washing away what we no longer need in order to be reborn, and so it’s no surprise that rivers and creeks are places of baptisms and spiritual passage rites. In the traditions I have been taught and schooled in, living waters are the most effective to use. Rivers and creeks are unique as their currents, even if they are gentle, still carry away burdens and things we can wash away. Rivers or creeks are also places to scatter spell contents and magic that is no longer needed. They can help reverse magic that is in effect against us because the current and the life force of the water carry it away and subdue whatever we scatter or place in the river. If water is used to contain rods from nuclear fission, then it can do the same to spellwork that we may need to offer to it.
Niagara Falls certainly serves many spiritual needs. The indigenous legacy varies from Nation to Nation on either side of the white man’s border. Its power is harnessed to provide hydroelectricity to much of the Eastern Seaboard of North America. It is a global tourism destination to celebrate love and consummation of marriage. It’s a New Age location that attracts spiritual tourists and seekers looking to commune with its positive energy, albeit just underneath there lies a palpable level of darkness and death lost on many. There are countless paranormal hot spots attributed to a host of reasons, and it was the place of immense and brutal battles fought during the War of 1812, being as it was an official border even back then. But throughout it is a “strait,” a place of movement between two Great Lakes traveling towards the Atlantic Ocean, a doorway between two countries and to many spirit worlds.
Like most rivers, it was settled because of commerce, whether by the indigenous peoples of the region or the colonizers that came long after. There is a reason so many cities, mills, and settlements are built upon the banks of rivers, and in this modern age that reason escapes folks. Regardless of where we live, as spiritual practitioners and witches, we can harness even the gentlest of rivers, like Tesla did with Niagara, only do so on a magical level. As a reader and spiritual adviser, I oftentimes suggest various formulas for people to help with their prosperity, business ventures, and the like, and quite often these people, like myself, live along rivers, creeks, and lakes. This is a variation of magic that is adaptable to one’s own creativity in order to personalize it, and at times I suggest it during spiritual consultations as a simple way to harness the living life force of any local creek, river, or lake to enhance one’s power of place.
Witchdoctor Utu
Honoring the Local Waterway
Whatever waterway exists near you, whether a mighty river, large lake, creek, or series of ponds, chances are your settlement was built there because of them and what they offered. Back in precolonial times in North America, that would have included hunting and fishing. But the colonizers had other ideas and built mills, docks, and factories, causing immense destruction and pollution. Regardless, the local waterways are living life forces, each with their own personality and identity.
You can stand at the edge of any local waterway and honor it and call its name, whether it’s an older indigenous name or the one that was placed on it long after. That is its name you can say aloud—say its name and introduce yourself.
Tell the water you cherish its life force and all of its fish, crustaceans, insects, birds, and animals that live along and with it.
Offer your sympathy towards its almost certain state of some level of pollution. As a spiritual worker, this is an important thing, to let the water know we empathize and cherish all of its life.
You can bring some fresh water with you that you can pour into it as a libation with your love and gratitude. You can also offer a few flowers, either purchased or picked along the way, again as a gift to the water.
You could also add a few pennies at the edge of the river to pay for its favor; a few won’t hurt, and the symbolic gesture can go a long way magically in the reciprocity you seek.
Tell the water you honor it. In these modern times, the industries that were once built along the waters are almost scarce, now a ghostlike energy of a time long ago but still able to be harnessed.
Ask for its energy of motion and abundance towards your needs. As well, you could offer small bits of bread or foods that the fish or birds would enjoy to again offer sustenance and gratitude towards its life.
When you feel you have communed and communicated with the water, gather some in a small container to bring home and anoint your threshold or even the inside of your dwelling. You could create a wash with other ingredients, depending on the purpose at hand. By doing this, you sprinkle the now blessed and honored waters of your region, empowered and awakened to bring forward water’s power of prosperity for you and your work.
Include the occasional or regular visit to your local river, creek, lake, or ponds, bond with it, call its name, and commune with its life force and what lives among it. In this way you will better harness the power of place where you live and carry on the tradition and witch’s work of conjuring the element of water before you. Prosperity and motion towards your magic will surely increase as you work intimately alongside your waterway, as witches have done throughout time.
Sacred water is all around us. Each drop contains its own magic. Some are healing; some provide keys to the past and maybe even the future. The waters can be used to bless or even to use as a passageway to other realms. Exploring the sacred sites both near and far will help you get in touch with all the glorious manifestations of water throughout the planet. This should be done with mindfulness and respect. Consider not only what you can take away from the space, but what you bring to it as well.