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These minerals are leeched out of the rock by the subterranean waters flowing through
them. The ancient Celts were well aware of the different kinds of minerals in springs, and
treated them appropriately. Sulfur springs were thought to be good for skin ailments.
Spring water with a high salt content was thought to ease diseases of the respiratory
system when used to anoint the body. To identify the mineral content of a spring's waters
is to prepare the way for a deeper spiritual engagement with the site.
Springs that created a pool where they erupted were thought of as good places to engage
in a ritual of cleansing at important symbolic turnstiles of the year (e.g., Beltaine and
Samhain). Springs that created marshy areas around them were thought to be good places
in which to throw offerings (coins, etc.) when a woman was pregnant, as a marsh
represents the intricate patterns of life's fecundity. The Celts often left trinkets and other
offerings at springs to (1) activate their powers, (2) propitiate the spring's spirits and
guardians and(3) make restitution toward someone you had harmed or offended during
life.
Celtic spirituality is grounded in Nature; in our relationship to the Earth and all living
things. As such it is deepened and intensified by a scientific understanding of the way
Nature works. To really comprehend springs & wells we must first appreciate their
natural dimensions. Meditate on the ways of water; how it circulates through the
biosphere, evaporating from the sea and from watery bodies in the land, falling as
precipitation, soaking into the ground, and then bubbling up out of springs. Imagine that -
as beings made up mostly of water - we are linked to this primeval environmental
circulatory system. Life has evolved over 4 billion years or so on this planet, coming into
existence as part of the earth's watery environment. All life as we know it is fed by the
presence of water in whatever ecological niche it inhabits.
Have you ever come upon a spring in the woods? Water bubbles up out of a rocky
crevice or perhaps flows out of a hillside, revealing hidden underground pathways. The
first spring I ever experienced was at my grandmother's house in central PA. It was a
limestone spring enclosed in a springhouse that was always'cold,' even in the summer.
Once I began hiking in the woods (at about age 12) I soon found springs that I then
visited on a more or less regular basis. At these sites I learned to comprehend the
mystical patterning of the landscape and get in touch with the earthen energies that
facilitate renewal, inspiration and healing; the three primary 'virtues' of springs.
If you know of a spring, make a trek out to it and either sit or stand beside it. If you have
never visited one, hike out to some local woods on a quest for one. If you cannot actually
get to a spring, imagine one. If you have a picture of a spring, use it as an icon. Hold it in
your hands during meditation and focus on it, imagining yourself 'there.'
From a Celtic point of view, it is important to become familiar with the 'pattern' of
natural sites - like springs & wells - in your area. Natural sites create an earthen matrix
for shunnache2 and manred.3 To know where springs & wells and other sacred sites are
located in your area is to possess a psychic or mystical 'map'. Knowing the layout of
sacred sites in one's area 'structures' what is possible where you live, as in Celtic
spirituality, everything is influenced by your locale. This is why choosing where to live
is so important to Celtic practitioners. It also explains why certain areas become renown
for the practice of draíocht (magic)4 or taghairm (divination),5 while other areas become
famous for the healings that take place there or perhaps for the prevalence of mystical
experiences, such as encounters with the Sluagh-Sídhe (i.e., the"Faeryfolk").
Once you have meditated on springs in naturalistic terms, move on to the symbolic and
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