A Witch on the Land:
Befriending the
Powers of Place
Danu Forest
A Witch, a wisewoman, knows the spirits of the land around her as closely as kin, as cousins. She knows every curve of the earth—the green hillsides and the rolling fields of golden barley. She knows the trees in the woodland personally, rejoicing at the appearance of buds and seedlings as at the birth of a child. The river is her sister, the well her confidante, the wind and the rain and the wide blue sky as much her coverlet as her blanket by the fire. Her hearth is a beating heart, and her home is in every atom of soil.
Weaving into the Old Ways
In Britain, the history of venerating the spirits of the land goes back thousands of years. Dating back to the Neolithic Era, we have ancestral burial mounds known as barrows, stone circles, and rows aligned to the stars and the movements of the sun and moon. We also have sacred complexes where these sites are grouped together for ceremonial purposes, in places where the very earth itself is and was considered holy, sacred. Central to all these ancient constructions is their positioning on the landscape itself; hilltops, caves, islands, the sources of rivers, forests and single ancient trees, and panoramic views as well as naturally circular enclosed horizons have all been marked out as special. These are places where the spirits of the land make themselves known, where the land itself feels more alive. They are liminal places where the veil is thin and can be crossed at will.
By the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Celts left grand offerings at such places. They left swords and shields as honored gifts to the spirits of place, the spirits of nature. Then as Christianity came and the Old Ways were demoted to folklore, the offerings changed to bowls of cream and milk, honey, and butter for the faery folk and the “powers of place,” as they’re called, but the spirits remain as strong as ever.
The cultures, traditions, and landscapes may differ, but look deeply with clear eyes at the earth around you and you will find places, even beneath the city streets, that have been held as sacred, where the spirits of the land remember when we walked hand in hand with them.
It’s the same all around the world. The cultures, traditions, and landscapes may differ, but look deeply with clear eyes at the earth around you and you will find places, even beneath the city streets, that have been held as sacred, where the spirits of the land remember when we walked hand in hand with them. They remember when we shared the green earth together as kin. With some care, some commitment, some love, and some guts, we can rekindle these friendships and gain so much more than power and spirit allies to help us with our work. We can gain a greater vision and learn to walk in rhythm with the heart of the earth herself. Then our magic is her magic, and our craft, her craft. We walk in service to something greater than ourselves, and are supported in turn by the very soul of nature.
Befriending the Spirits
For me, coming to know the spirits of place has as much to do with understanding how this landscape functions—how it changes through the seasons, its moods, the ways it expresses itself under sun and starlight—as it does with knowing its stories, its history. I now eat food grown from its rich soil, and I drink its red and white waters—sacred springs colored by their infusions of iron and calcite. To grow into relationship with the land, wherever you are, means the same things. You need to live there, draw sustenance from the earth, drink the waters there, and have its dirt under your fingernails and its grass beneath your bare feet—not just for a week or a month, but for years. If a place is truly in your heart, then it’s not a long road; it’s the life you live.
Learning the Land
There are so many ways to become aware of and honor the spirits of place, even those long forgotten. Start by being aware of yourself, present and conscious of the “now.” Take a slow, deep breath and feel your bare feet on the earth. Close your eyes and listen. What do you hear? What do you feel? Take note of those subtle little sensations in your body—they have much to teach you about the energy and spirit of a place. Take long walks and really notice your surroundings, the lay of the land and its shapes, curves, and dips. Where are the rivers? Do they still flow as they did or have they disappeared underground? Where are the oldest trees? What is the history of your land? Who were its earliest inhabitants? Ask around, look for old photos, and visit a library. Find old wells, folk tales, and faery stories and visit their locations. Get to know every inch of your land. Be present and aware, and look out for how a place feels to your body as well as your mind and intuition—that sense in your gut, the tingle up your spine, that gust of wind just when you wonder if there are spirits here. Believe me, they are everywhere; just train yourself to notice them. And when you reach out to them, they will notice you in return.
Simple Seership
Another way to get to know the land is to “journey” or meditate. This can be as directed and deliberate as participating in a full shamanic ceremony to gain vision or as simple as sitting by your fire (as my Celtic ancestors used to do) and letting a trance come over you as gentle as rain. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and wander the roads outside your home in your imagination. See how different it all looks using your inner eyes. Who do you meet on the spirit roads, the faery paths? Do you feel the dragon lines pulsing like the veins of the earth goddess herself? Seek quietude, stretch out your senses a little, and see for yourself. In your waking day, visit the waterways, the forest, the local park, and be open to whatever draws your attention. Notice that stone by the path. Will it be your friend and speak of the memory of the earth? The tree in the yard—will it be kin and ally to you and teach you how to grow deep roots, how to bend in the wind? Sit quietly by their side, and let your inner vision commune with them while the seasons turn and turn again. Reach out to them honestly, gently, kindly, and listen with your whole body. You may be surprised.
Walking the Spirit Roads
Dowsing is a simple and practical way to discover the spirit roads and energy vortexes in your area, which will take many forms. Sometimes a spirit road will be a traditional route taken from a village to a burial ground and will have human as well as energetic markers and presences. Others will be the deep energetic currents of earth energy in your area, the dragon lines. Ley lines are another spirit road, usually made of or marked by a line of natural or built features, such as ancient stone circles, while faery roads—those traversed often by faeries and other spirits going about their own business—may be any shape or length, often changing course or ending abruptly and only appearing at certain times of the day or year.
To dowse, you can use one of several types of dowsing tools, or you can use your own hands and inner senses if you are sensitive enough. A traditional dowsing rod, which was commonly used to find water in the British Isles until the last few centuries, is a thin hazelwood branch with a natural fork at one end. Hold the stick in both hands by the forked end, high and parallel to the ground, and walk slowly back and forth over an area. Breathe slowly, letting your mind go as blank and rested as possible. When you have found something, the stick will suddenly dip down to the ground or sometimes lurch to one side—it’s usually a very tangible feeling and clearly not something you have made the stick do yourself. Be aware of any ideas, images, or other sensations you experience when doing this, as these can provide further details as to the kind of energetic feature you have found. You may be able to chart the flow or path of the spirit road by continuing to sweep across the area with your dowsing rod and noticing where the feature is and where it isn’t. A modern equivalent of a hazel dowsing rod is a pair of thick copper wires bent at a right angle and used in the same way: held parallel to the ground, with one wire in each hand. When the wires have found something, they usually cross each other. Again, it will feel very clear and tangible and not like something you’ve done yourself by accident.
Similarly, you can use a pendulum to discover energetic features by suspending it over a map and asking it to point out areas of spirit presence or energy. Though this takes practice, it can be very helpful and can narrow down your searches.
If you are sensitive enough, you can also learn to dowse with your hands. Again, let yourself be calm and still, thinking of nothing in particular, while you sweep your hands through the air in front of you, palms parallel to the ground. Alternatively, you may be able to sense shifts and differences in the energy of an area by holding your palms upright and facing away from you.
When you feel you’ve found a spirit road of some sort, visit it often and get to know it throughout the seasons. As areas of special power in a landscape, they are good places to perform divination, journeying, and spellwork. They are also good for befriending the local spirits over time, as well as earth healing, depending on what type of energy you feel there.
Give Back to the Land
Make friends with the natural spirits of your area, whatever they may be. Rekindle the tradition of offerings—of song, water or wine, or a bowl of butter. Some sacred herbs, a pinch of tobacco, a sprinkle of cedar, or a whole homecooked meal … what are the traditions of your land? If you go still and listen, what do the quiet voices of the spirits say to you, as soft as a breeze on your cheek? Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and vervain (Verbena officinalis) are helpful, I find. This land knows them, and they tell the land that I remember it is holy. Burning these as incense or smudge sticks purifies the space, and mugwort in particular helps develop the second sight—so it helps communication all around. I grow them myself, with great care and love, and thank my plant friends for their work. I find that gifts of ochre and butter are beloved by ancestral spirits. I bring fresh spring water to trees and plant spirits, gifts of song to rivers and the faery folk, gossip to the bees, and oat cakes to storms. With the gifts, the offerings, comes a ritual exchange. If you show your respect, they will respect you in return, though not always straightaway, so be patient and strong—you may be challenged. There may be work to do; it won’t always be easy, but your relationship has begun.
A Circle of Friends
No wise Witch ever works alone. Though she may need no coven, and sisters may be spread far and wide, the very earth itself calls her daughter. She belongs to the land. The green fields are her mantle, the sky her eyes. The trees are her brothers and the hillside her treasure chest. Her soul is the land and her heart is its fireside. A wisewoman’s magic can be a small thing, but it floats on the wind beyond all horizons. A wise Witch reads the patterns of autumn leaves in the lane and flickering flames. Her spells are sung in birdsong and falling rain, and are as strong as weeds and oak trees and as sure as spring.
Danu Forest has been a practicing Witch and wisewoman in the Celtic tradition for over 25 years, and has been teaching for over a decade. Living in Glastonbury in the rural south west of Britain, she is an Ard Bandrui (Arch Druidess) with the Druid Clan of Dana and runs her own group, The Grove of the Avalon Sidhe, as well as holding regular trainings, online courses, ceremonies and private consultations. She is widely published and is the author of several books, including Nature Spirits, The Druid Shaman, Celtic Tree Magic, and The Magical Year. For more information, visit www.danuforest.co.uk.
Illustrator: Tim Foley