Waters of the World: a Day of Ceremony
An Important Worldwide Ritual
March 15, 2014, was a very important date for Pagans worldwide. It was a day to bless, honor, ask for restoration and purification of the waters of all the Earth.
The event included both sponsored events for large groups at various locations, as well as solo practitioners such as myself.
The intention and motivation for the event was to have the very destructive and polluting practice of "fracking" to cease.
A Raw Beginner
As a Pagan, I am rather new to the practice; I do not belong to a larger group, so my knowledge is piecemeal, gleaned from what I've read by others, including Hubbers such as WiccanSage.
Therefore, this is intended only as a telling of my experience on this day, and not as instruction, for I probably made mistakes. ;-)
Nonetheless, it is the meditation, the intent, and the combination of those thoughts and intentions from the worldwide community that count.
Some References
My Beginner's Ritual
My original ritual included items easily found in any normal household.
- salt, known as a purification agent
- sage, known as an agent for cleansing negativity
- water, an important part of this particular ritual
- candle
- incense
I also have a few clear quartz crystals that were gifted to me, and I added those.
Usually, sage is used in a bundle, lit, and the smoke used to 'smudge' an area, to cleanse negative energy. As I did not have any whole sage, I simply used ground sage from the spice cabinet. I did not have 'sea salt,' or kosher salt, so I used ordinary table salt. You make do with what you have.
The previous night was a full (or nearly full) moon, so I set my water out in its bowl to absorb the moon's energy overnight.
Different colors of candles are often associated with various properties; however, I did not have the color of candle "required" for this ritual (as far as I could tell what was "required," that is), so I simply used a white candle and mentally assigned its role.
Cinnamon is said to be a powerful agent; but the only incense I had was an apple-cinnamon blend, so I used that, and decided that apple is a fruit of the Earth, and in association with the cinnamon, would do well.
The crystals were associated with Earth, Air and Water, so very appropriate. (I lack a 'fire' crystal.)
I then put on a meditative music selection, titled, "Muir Woods," for a nearby redwood grove that is a National Monument, and has a lovely, clear stream running through.
The Process
First, I used the music to try and clear my mind and focus on the spirit of the intention at hand.
I lit the candle and the incense, and sprinkled a bit of the salt upon the small makeshift altar I'd set up, as a purification to prepare.
I next presented the water in its bowl to the four points of the compass, and appealed to the spirit energy of those points to bless the waters of the Earth symbolized by my small bowl of Moon-blessed water.
I repeated the purification, this time sprinkling some of the sage.
I then meditated upon the intent of this worldwide gathering of such importance, and finished the ritual by using the water to symbolically return its goodness and nurturing properties to Gaia, Mother Earth, by pouring it into the base of our pomegranate bush. From there, I scattered the rest of the salt and sage, co-mingled, to the four corners; to the winds.
I finished by another few moments of silent meditation on the desired outcome; focusing mentally upon all of the clear, beautiful waters and waterfalls I've ever visited or seen in photos.
The Poem That Followed
After I came inside, I wrote this poem.
Waters blest,
Run clear, run free;
Waters blest,
Nourish Earth;
Waters blest,
From all points come;
Waters blest,
Return, return
Waters blest,
Gaia knows;
Waters blest,
To feed us all;
Waters blest,
To cleanse and bless;
Waters blest,
Run clear, run free.
©Liz Elias
3-15-14
Written following the Waters of the World ritual against fracking
© 2014 Liz Elias
