Water in Witchcraft

Through my spiritual journey, I've remained open-minded and accepting of a lot of things involved in spirituality. Some of the most difficult things for me to be accepting of, are those things that ask me to be accepting of myself as I am.

I have always thought of myself as having a stronger connection to the Earth element. Being out in nature has always given me clarity, grounding, and re-centered me. But over the past few years, I have had intense callings to water (some of which I have talked about here). These callings haven't always been in the form of dreams at night. Sometimes they're day dreams when I'm wide awake, or random flashes of visions. Sometimes it is just me standing in water, or near water. Sometimes instead of me, it's an unknown woman. On a few occasions, it has been me submerged in water; like what is depicted here. Water has been the common theme, and when I accepted Medusa and brought her into my pantheon, these water themed callings intensified and became much more frequent. It makes sense, given that she is associated with water. Now I find myself looking forward to planned trips to the beach (which isn't something I ever desire unless under very specific settings). Water seems to want a more active presence in my life.

The challenge for me, has been accepting that Earth and Water can both be my elements. That I can have a calling to both. Which all came to a big "aha" moment while leisurely reading Lore Olympus; a modernized telling of Persephone and Hades. It finally clicked; if Persephone could be both the goddess of the underworld and the goddess of spring - quite literally, life and death - then why couldn't I have connections with both Earth and Water? (By the way, if you haven't checked out Lore Olympus, I strongly urge you to do so, it's amazing.)

So with my newfound acceptance of Water, I started to pay attention to it more. I started letting it relax me; take my time in the shower instead of doing my thing and getting out. I got in a swimming pool without my witchlings begging me to do so. And then, ironically, I randomly came across a video on social media about different waters used in witchcraft. It sparked a desire to research further, and that's exactly what I did, logging my findings into my BOS. 

There are so many different uses and purposes for water, and more kinds of water than I think I ever paid attention to. I've decided I'd like to collect some of as many different kinds as I can, keeping them on hand to use whenever I may need.

Most people who practice the craft are very familiar with "full moon water." That's not a new concept. But there are also other types of moon water:

    

The two eclipse waters, it is important to note that they take on properties of two different kinds of waters, making them a bit stronger than either type by themselves. And yes, Solar Eclipse Water (if you were lucky enough to collect and set water out during that super awesome even in April, I envy you. I definitely did not remember to do so), means that there is also Sun Water. I remember listening to a podcast by Chaotic Witchy Mama, who said that when she collects moon water, she leaves it out in the sun to also utilize the sun's properties as well. That's something to think about and perhaps experiment with a bit. And yes, go check out her podcast on Spotify or Apple, she's got a lot of good tips and ideas for us witches with little ones, and for us in co-faith households.

Then there are waters from sources most people would think of when thinking of collecting water, like rain. One thing to consider though, is how rain water can have dual properties like eclipse water. Rain during a full moon would have the properties of rain water and full moon water. Rain during the sun would have the properties of both rain and sun. A few others to remember are Rainbow Water and Storm Water, because yes, you can have rain without a storm.

Other sources people tend to think of are large bodies of water; creeks/streams, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, swamps, and oceans. These all have their own properties as well. I suppose one could argue that you could collect these during a certain moon phase to give it dual properties of both types, but I couldn't find any information to support that concept. So take that as you will.

When it comes to Sea Water, the water is taken from out in the ocean, like you'd have to get out on a boat to collect it. Other types of waters from that area are Beach Water and Harbor Water.

And finally there are waters from sources most people don't (at least, I didn't) normally think of: Mountain Water, Fog Water, Dew Water, Well Water, Snow Water, and Cave Water. I'm sure some people think of these sources more than others; like if you live on a well, you're probably going to think of well water more than someone who's on city water. If you live up North, or it's during the winter season, you may think of snow more than when it's summer. And so on. 

I would like to add a disclaimer: please be aware of WHERE you're sourcing your water. A lake where many people have drowned may have negative properties that you may not be aware of. Please always remember to check your Wells for Samara, and please be respectful of areas that may have certain cultural practices that you should be mindful of (the Appalachian Mountains come to mind). And always be aware of your surroundings when collecting. You don't want bitten by a crocodile because you're trying to collect Swamp Water, nor do you want to slip to your death in underground caverns while trying to collect Cave Water. 

And as always, please be mindful of Mother Nature. Practice proper "leave no trace" practices. Don't desecrate our church with stupid decisions.

It’s Always Been The Bear

If you, as a woman, were dropped alone in the middle of the woods, 

which would you rather encounter: a man or a bear? 

I’m sure you’re familiar with this hypothetical question that has overtaken social media platforms these days. I’m sure you’re also aware that the men are butt-hurt over it, and showing us exactly why we - the women - always choose the bear.

Men really shouldn’t ask questions they don’t want the answer to. Especially when they can’t handle a truth that forces them to do some inner soul searching and shadow working. 

Stop asking me why women are choosing the bear. Start asking women why they’re NOT choosing the man. Start paying attention as to why men aren’t the safe spaces they like to think they are. 

The men will clap back with “well not all men…” to which I say, “you’re right, it’s not all men. But those men don’t feel the need to defend themselves with ‘not all men.’ Rather they understand when women talk about men as a whole, it doesn’t apply to them.” 

The men will clap back with “it happens to men too…” as a way to invalidate movements like #metoo and women’s suffering. I’ll tell you right now, all the men who have been victims too, would kick your teeth in for saying that. You don’t get to pit one victim against the other in a movement you have no voice in. Stop comparing trauma in attempts to silence. Stop trying to worm your way into spaces that don’t involve you, by riding on the backs and pains of your fellow brother. 

Men, if you were with us, you’d let us do the talking. Your job is to stand silently, listening, and ensuring I have the space to talk. If you’re with us, then why didn’t you lose your shit when Roe v Wade overturned? Where are you when it comes to demanding women’s right to proper healthcare, free period products, birth control, and an end to pink tax? If you’re with us, then why do we have to scream so loud?

The bear isn’t a new concept, guys. Women have been screaming from the rooftops about this for decades. Why did it take a hypothetical BEAR sized shot to your ego for you to pick up on the fact that something is very wrong?

There are around 750,000 black bears in North America, making them the most common bear in the region. Less than 12 non-fatal conflicts happen between humans and black bears each year. In over 200 years, there are less than 200 fatal human encounters with wild bears. 

There are nearly 600 million people in North America, with about 50% of them being assigned female at birth. In 2022, more than 400,000 women were raped or assaulted in the United States, which doesn’t even include unreported cases (about 75% of cases go unreported). 1 in every 6 women have been raped or sexually assaulted. In North America, that equates to 48 million women. It is estimated that 3 women are murdered by men per day. 

48 million American women have been screaming they’d prefer the bear, for years. You just don’t listen. 

Statistically, men aged 18-24 are more than 165 times more likely to kill someone than a wild black bear. Women don’t even need to be alone in the woods to be attacked by men. Men don’t need a reason for attacking women, many times they just do it because they can. 

The bear is predictable. They want to be left alone, so keep your distance. Most bears will avoid you if they know you’re coming, so make noise. Avoid bear areas; they like berry bushes and fresh water. According to the National Park Services, if you do encounter the bear, talk calmly and slowly wave your arms to help the bear recognize you’re human and not another bear. Note that a bear standing on its hind legs is being curious, not threatening. Stay calm and use a low voice. Screams and sudden movements will frighten it. Look big by moving to higher ground. Don’t run, climb trees, or drop things. Rather, move sideways, carry children, and leave the area calmly. In the rare event you are attacked, if it’s a brown bear you should play dead. If it’s a black bear, try to escape to a secure place (not a tree). 

The man isn’t predictable. Is the man in the woods hunting? What kind of prey? The apex predator for women is man. The man is also intelligent. One of our greatest differences from other animals is the evolution of our mind; it’s also our greatest weakness. The man knows how to manipulate. The man knows how to act friendly, then attack when you’re least expecting. The man will make you feel comfortable, safe, and satisfied. Then he’ll cut you in ways that aren’t all physical. The man is hard to read. A puffed chest could be an act of harmless attention seeking, or an act of anger. If you do encounter the man, talk calmly but firmly. Keep your hands and arms free of anything that could hinder your movement in the event of an attack. State your boundaries clearly and leave no room for misinterpretation.  Remember “no” is a complete sentence, you do not owe further explanation or communication. Do not react and show no emotion. Do not allow the man to make you feel guilty for putting your needs and safety first. Stand your ground firm with your head up. Make eye contact. In the likely event you are attacked, fight back. Go for weak spots like the groin, throat, and nose. Use those acrylic nails to gouge eyes. If you can, scream “fire” as loud as possible (not “rape” people don’t respond to “rape”). Don’t play dead; 92% of all reported necrophiliacs are male. 

No one will ask if we led the bear on. No one will ask us if what we were wearing provoked the bear. No one will randomly give me pointers on how to avoid bear attacks, or tell me I’m asking to be attacked by the bear. No one will accuse me of enjoying being attacked by a bear. No one looks into background to see how often I hang around bears. No one will tell me if I didn’t fight the bear, it isn’t really an attack. No one will tell me that my body will recognize it’s being attacked by a bear and shut down to decrease possible injury or lasting affects. I wouldn’t be accused of ruining the life of a young budding bear. And I wouldn’t have to see the bear at work, family gatherings, school, church, or other public settings. 

The reality is that this world is vastly anti-woman. From the work force, to healthcare, to assault, the consensus is an overwhelming bias against women. But there’s one facet where that isn’t necessarily true: Paganism and Spirituality. As a whole, pagans tend to be more accepting of LGBTQ+, polyamory, BDSM, expressions of gender and sexuality that are marginalized by mainstream society, and of women and feminine energy. In fact, many pagan paths give women a much more active role than they give to men. Because of its more woman-friendly atmosphere, it can be assumed that there are many more women practitioners than men. 

-+-+-

With this in mind, I ask, the safety of women aside, is there not also a spiritual calling to the bear? While choosing the bear is an extremely valid response when it comes to the safety and well-being of women, if we take away the instilled fear caused by the man, is there not still a call from the bear, on a spiritual level? That is for each woman to decide on their own spiritual path. 

I do wonder though….Artio, is that you? 

Celtic Goddess of Wildlife, Transformation, and Abundance, Artio’s name derives from the old Celtic word arth(e) which means “bear.” She is often times depicted as a bear, or shown with baskets of plenty and surrounded by animals. The Celtic tribe Helvetii worshipped her as the “she-bear.” Prior to the tribe though, the bear has been known as one of the oldest European deities, depicted in stone carvings, cave paintings, ancient texts, and ancient bear bones lovingly arranged in various caves throughout Europe. Even looking to the stars, to Ursa Major and Ursa Minor; the Great Bear and the Little Bear. The brightest star in Ursa Major is the star Arcturus, which is Greek for “bear watcher.” The bear is often associated with transformation and shape-shifting. Female bears conceive in the fall, then hibernate in the dark of winter, which can be seen a symbolism for rebirth, and returning with new wisdom and insight. Artio is also recognized as the Celtic sister to the Greek Goddess Artemis, who is also associated with bears. 

When Christianity took ahold of Europe, many pagan deities were adapted into Christian saints. Saint Ursula, whose name is Latinized from the Saxon word “Uriel” which means “she bear” is thought to be the Christian bastardized version of Artio, thus pulling her worshippers to Christianity. 

Mother bears are fierce protectors of their young. Artio protects the natural world and the wildlife within it. When we talk about the man vs the bear, yes we can talk about the concerns, pain and injustice of women who desperately need more protection from a society who oozes with a patriarchy so set on forever being anti-anything that isn’t the cisgendered white man, but we can also talk about the man vs Artio. 

Perhaps this is an opportunity for Artio to rear her massive head and demand her cubs - us women - be protected, demand transformation to our patriarchal society, by encouraging the abundance of female voices who are screaming “it’s always been the bear.”

On A Break

Once again, it has been a year between postings. It started as just life being incredibly busy, and then turned into a more purposeful and deliberate act of staying away. I moved towards more "old school" methods and actually purchased a journal to use as a Book of Shadows and replacement tool for this blog. Over the years, I've acquired many different journals but none resonated with me that I needed them to, so yes, I searched for a new journal to buy and start. 

My last journal has entries dating back to 2014, and was a gift from someone who is no longer a part of my life, nor holds any value in my life. Those bridges I left burned, and in my current journey, I feel awkward using that journal. Like the toxicity of that particular person, and that version of me from back then, had become an aura around the journal. As I now seek to move beyond my past, have grown and evolved multiple times since then, and wish to no longer add value to people and events that no longer serve me, I felt that while I won't trash the journal, I would not add to it. There are pretty dark and heavy times in that journal and its entries, and I allow it to live on my shelf for the sole purpose of timeline. Nothing more. Time to close that one, bind its bad ju-ju, and move on.

Enter my current journal and BOS. I spent much more time researching into what I wanted than most probably would have. I wanted something that vibed right, that was worth the resources and efforts into getting it, and something with no ties to to anyone other than me, in my present state. Nothing tied to old and former jobs or people who have exited my life. And there she was, on the wonderful platform of Amazon (insert eye roll). She came with two ribbon bookmarks, a pocket in the rear for loose papers, elastic pen holder and elastic closure strap, faux leather with a sky themed binding and cover, and she was thiiiiick. I like 'em thick. So a transaction was made, and I made my first entry back in October 2023. 

If you're wondering if I've been better about making entries in my journal more than I have been about making entries here, just know that some bad habits are hard to break. While my entries there are a bit more frequent, they still have long breaks between them. 

Originally, I got this journal with the intention of writing entries more frequently, and eventually digitizing it to entries on here, once the habit of frequent entries was formed. With a bit more time between my life and entries on here, I'm contemplating if digitizing my journal entries is a good idea or not. I think for now, I may only share bits and pieces of my entries, and not their entirety. There is something very personal about a witch's journal and BOS. I don't mind sharing my journey, and I've been very much an "open book" all my life, and I feel I will continue to do so. But I feel that perhaps I do so in a way that is also healthy and secure for myself. So for now, what you're going to get here is only bits and pieces of what is there, and information with a bit less feeling than what is in those entries. After all, this is the internet.

In fact, one of my entries was even about the idea of coming back to this blog. It started with a lot of targeted adds on social media platforms for a priestess named Sarah Jenks. Her beautiful advertisement videos are very enticing for me in my current place on my journey, but I've also been very skeptical of it being a scam. Because you know, this is the internet. I am intrigued though, and it sparked the desire to do some serious research on the Sacred Feminine. For some reason that I haven't quite grasped yet, I feel that the path of the Sacred Feminine will help me reclaim and find that "wild woman" version of myself that I've been so desperate to find. 

Which in turn, sparked the thought of "hey you have this blog thing still and that was the whole purpose of why you started it." But I'm still working on making my craft more of a regular habit, including journal entries. I wondered if this blog could be a step in strengthening the habit, allowing me to document my journey with the Sacred Feminine...but then why have my journal? With some self reflection, I realized that this blog has always been a way for me to gain peer approval and appreciation. Which in itself is laughable. At the beginning of this blog, the peer recognition I got was never approval or appreciation. It was ridicule; constantly being told how wrong I am in my practice. Even now I get a lot of ridicule over on Pinterest, where my infographics have been shared. Over time, any bit of recognition dwindled, and at one point I think the only two viewers I even had were the two individuals I was in a relationship with. Now that both relationships have ended, I'd be surprised if they ever came back here. So now, I doubt anyone sees this at all. 

Sidenote: it is interesting, because when I created "47: The Patient Journal" the whole point was to NOT have viewers, and that the whole project would evolve silently and undetected until one day in the far distant future, someone somehow stumbled upon it. I really struggled with the decision of linking it to this blog, because I knew the possibility of it then getting traffic would drastically increase. I still ended up linking it, though I think the fear of it being found has dwindled as my views here have. 

I want to strengthen my bond with my craft and my love for myself before I make a true commitment to come back here. I'll probably brainstorm posts and stuff still, and maybe write a post every now and then. And yeah, as I find information that I feel may help others, it will end up here too. So I'm not gone. Just giving some distance and taking a purposeful break for once.