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 Water
is one of the four classical elements (air, fire,
water, and earth). Liquid water, more than
anything, sets our planet apart from the lifeless
worlds elsewhere in the solar system. Most of our
planet's surface is covered by water, and we
ourselves are mostly water. Life first emerged in
the seas, and we carry that watery legacy with us
in our bodies and our physical memories.
Water in
nature is a rich and varied thing. From the
enormity and power of the ocean, stretching farther
than our eyes can sea, and crashing to shore with a
great roaring power, to the tranquility of a
mountain stream or quiet pool, water is a substance
of many moods. As a vapor, it permeates the air we
breathe and condenses into clouds. As ice, it
covers the lands and oceans of the poles, and the
peaks of mountains.
My own
connection with water is a deep and long one. I was
born under a Scorpio Sun, so I am a water
sign. Although I've never learned to swim,
I love to be near large bodies of water. When
Karen and I were married, we chose Waters to be our
surname, because of the way water had entered our
lives and presiding over our blossoming happiness
together.
Water is
classically associated with emotions, moods,
intuition, and psychic receptiviy. In modern terms,
water is also the element of the subconscious.
Below the surface of the water, things move unseen
or barely glimpsed, in the deep places of our
awareness. By entering the water, we can move with
them and bring them up into the light of conscious
understanding. If we become trapped under water,
however, we drown. This is the symbolic equivalent
of plunging into the world of overwhelming emotion,
and losing our contact with clear thought
(air).
To symbolize
water in magical work, one can use cups, goblets,
bowls or other vessels. Shells of sea creatures
also make an obvious connection with water.
Water-dwelling and amphibious creatures are also
common water symbols. In traditional forms of
Wicca, air is associated with the direction west
(and hence evening), the color blue, and the
chalice as a magical tool. Water is considered a
feminine element.
Astrologically,
the signs associated with air all relate to
emotions and sensitivity: Cancer (nurturing),
Scorpio (passion and intensity), and Pisces
(mysticism and dreams). People who are strongly
aligned with the element of water tend to be
emotional, focused on relationships, and can be
very reactive, lacking the objectivity of air or
the practicality of earth.
The
elemental creature traditionally associated with
water is the udnine, a variant of the more familiar
mermaid. Water elementals are fluid, alluring, and
sometimes treacherous. They can be disruptive by
causing sudden mood shifts and bursts of psychic
awareness (accurate or otherwise).
For magical
work, water and its symbolic counterparts can be
used to enhance feeling, perception, feminine
energies, love (romantic, sexual, or familial),
divination, telepathy, shared consciousness, bliss,
pleasure, and empathy. Water is also a the
archetypal cleansing element, used to wash away
negative energies and purify body and spirit alike.
Ritual bathing is a preparation for magical work in
many traditions.
Although
I've spent much of my life developing my verbal and
analytical skills, it has always been emotional
needs and questions that have most motivated me and
called to me with the most intensity. I found those
depths sometimes magically seductive, sometimes
frightening. Navigating the currents of heart and
soul has been my life work.
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