This weekend, my husband and I loaded up the car for a short day trip. We have a goal to visit every region in Italy while we are here. We drove roughly 2 hours away to the Molise region to visit a small mountaintop town known as Cascata di Carpinone (Carpinone Waterfalls). It is a beautiful and quiet medieval village with churches and a large castle. The main draw to this village is its namesake, the waterfalls. There are two waterfalls here very close together and the hiking trail winds from one to the next. Our ShihTzu tzu was not happy with our choice of destination (she much prefers to be on the couch in the air conditioning). But my husband and I were in awe of the beautiful nature.
I sat down next to the smaller waterfall and just let the sounds of nature soothe me. I could have stayed there forever. As I relaxed by the water, I started to realize just how little I think about water. Thanks to modern ingenuity, we rarely have to think about where we will get our next drink of water. That is so very different from our ancestors whose entire villages were based on the nearest source of water. As a hedge witch and green witch, my practice heavily leans towards the earth element with a little bit of fire element mixed in. I rarely focus on the other aspects so I decided to take a deeper look into those that I am lacking. To be a well-rounded magical practitioner I feel it's important to understand and utilize all 5 of the elements. I plan on expanding this course in the following months so I hope you'll join me!
Bog Water
Bogs are a type of wetland that often get confused with marshes, but unlike other wetlands, bog water is stagnant and anoxic (lacking any oxygen). It does not flow into other bodies of water, and the base of a bog is covered in hard clay, creating a seal that prevents any water from seeping out. Due to its trapping and suffocating nature, use this water in dark magics such as hexing and cursing. Bog water is linked with death and decay and can be used in workings related to the dead or ancestry. For an interesting read, look into 'bog bodies' on google.
Black Water
This water is often the product of pollution and should never be ingested. Black water is excellent for banishment, shadow work, hexes, and curses.
Brackish Water
Often seen in estuaries, brackish water results where seawater and freshwater meet. Due to the different salinity of the two waters, they don't mix but create a new type of water in between. It's this 'in between' that makes brackish water perfect for astral travel, hedge riding, or spirit work.
Dew
Dew is a natural form of water, formed as water vapor condenses. Frequently used in beauty spells, dew is also collected for healing purposes involving the eyes or skin. In Scotland and Ireland, people believe that dew collected on May Day has unique beautifying properties and will gather a bunch of it to last them through the next few months.
Floral Water
Floral Water is any water infused with flowers. A witch can increase the properties of their water by carefully selecting plants with particular attributes to imbue in the water. In Italy, Carthusia (a famous perfumery) credits leftover floral water for its original perfume. According to legend, the queen of Italy made a surprise visit to a monastery. Wanting to impress her highness, the monks rushed out and picked every beautiful flower they could and made giant bouquets as a gift for her. Once the queen left, the monks realized how amazing the water left in the vases smelled and began selling it.
Fog Water
Fog is a cloud that touches the ground. Many ancient cultures collected water from the fog by placing large pots under trees and shrubs. As the moisture from the fog collected on these objects, the containers collected the water. Fog is often witnessed at intermediate times, such as dawn or dusk, making it an exceptional choice for astral travel, divination, hedge riding, and spirit work.
Fountain Water
Most fountains are believed to be wish-granting, and water taken from them can be used in wishing spells and prosperity magic. However, some fountains have specific lore associated with them that might change the properties of the water. For example, throwing multiple coins into the Trevi fountain grants visitors love and marriage. Therefore, the water from that specific fountain would best be used in love and glamour magic.
Hail
Anyone who lives in an area frequented with tornados can attest to how powerful and destructive hail can be. It is water in its solid form and shaped into spheres. A witch can use its aggressive qualities in curses and protection. It can also be used as a substitute for stormwater when making rust water.
Holy Water
Water that has been blessed by Christian rituals that can be used for cleansing, purification, or angelic work.
Ice
Ice is the most solid form of water and is most recognized for freezer spells. However, thawing ice can be just as valuable for unfreezing a stagnant situation.
Lake Water/ Pond Water
Lake Water is calm, fresh water with mirror-like qualities. It can be used in water scrying or healing spells and rituals. Use lake water in cleansing, purification, or relaxation spells.
Marsh Water
Marshes are vital wetlands filled with herbaceous plant life. Most are located near a water source such as an ocean or river. While marshes don't move quickly, they are a vital ecosystem. The marshes absorb pollution, toxic chemicals, pesticides, and excess nutrients that would harm the ocean and wildlife. Use marsh water when you want to see past a surface view. Great for spellwork to uncover hidden truths and secret agendas.
Moon Water
Any water charged under the moon is known as moon water. There are a couple of variations that have different properties. Water resting under a full moon will be filled with the most considerable amount of power from the moon, used for beauty, prosperity, abundance, purification, and warding magic. Water under the new moon is darker in its aspect. Great for banishing, invisibility, cursing, hexing, letting go, and worshiping the dark goddesses.
Rain Water
Similar to Moon Water, there are multiple rainwater types, each having its own properties. Sun showers are needed to grow plants and, therefore, perfect for nourishing or growth spells. Use overcast rain for invisibility, relaxation, renewal, shadow work, and sleep. A witch should use stormwater (aka Thunder Water) with caution. It is tenacious and aggressive, useful in cursing, hexing, or any spell you desire to be forceful. Stormwater is also the preferred base for Rust Water. Rainwater is an excellent offering for specific deities such as Thor, Tyr, Odin, Berchta, Hecate, Horus, Ba’al, and Peru.
River Water
Never slowing or stopping, river water is always on the go. This liveliness makes it great for spells that are needed to activate quickly. And as always, running water is the perfect way to get rid of old spell ingredients, provided they are organic and not harmful to local waterways.
Rust Water
A combination of water and rust that is useful in placing or reversing a curse and protection. Using stormwater will increase your rust water potency.
Sea Water
Sea Water or Ocean Water is dual-purpose. It represents water, but because the salt is of the earth, it can also be used as a representation of the earth.
Snow
Snow is a more rigid form than water but softer than hail. It is skillful for unthawing stagnant times in our lives. Because snow can be captured before it ever touches the ground, it is rumored to be a purer form of water. This purity can be added to glamour magic or rejuvenation magic.
Waterfall Water
Waterfalls are potent bodies of water rushing from a higher to a lower plane. Waterfalls are strong enough to erode rocks and mountains over time, making them a prime candidate for removing obstacles. Their speed also lends itself to kickstarting a spell. And since all waterfalls are fresh water, the water can also be used in purification spellwork.
Well Water
Well water is located under the earth and must be pumped or pulled to the surface. Due to its connection with the underground, it is an outstanding source for astral travel, hedge riding, and specifically for working with the Otherworld.
Sources:
https://bestlifeonline.com/superstitions/
https://otherworldlyoracle.com/storm-magick-hurricane-protection-spells/
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/fog#:~:text=Fog%20is%20a%20cloud%20that%20touches%20the%20ground.,are%20almost%20impossible%20to%20see%20in%20thick%20fog.
http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=4449
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/marsh
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