Pathwalkers herb gardens - Gypsey Website

PathWalkers.Net Interactive :: Helping you along your path
mythical dimensions of springs. IN SYMBOLIC TERMS, a spring stands for an origin,
fecundity, the breaking-forth of life's power and the manifestation of the Earth's
mysterious inner-life. Water is a primal feminine element in Celtic symbolism, as is
Earth. Water flows from the Earth, thought of as a'goddess.' The water that comes from a
spring is seen primarily as a gift from the Earth to the people who live in that particular
place. To drink the water from a spring is to connect with the various powers of the Earth
in that specific area.
IN MYTHICAL TERMS-which are usually a 'logical' extension of the natural
symbolism-springs are often thought of as 'tended' by a god or goddess. Some springs
were the haunt of a goddess of healing, while at other springs a god - unseen to the
visible eye but 'apparent' to the senses or perhaps the imagination- might riddle you
toward wisdom's threshold, calling to you in deer-walking visions.
The most famous spring in the Irish Celtic tradition is THE POOL OF SEGAIS, located
at the source of the River Boyne. This haunted spring is tended by Nechtan6 and his
wife; the Boann.7 Nine hazelnut trees stand along the banks of the fecund spring-pool. A
salmon of wisdom lives in the fresh, clear waters.8 To eat the hazelnuts is to seek
wisdom.9 To receive an oracle from the salmon is to discern one's 'destiny' or 'fate.' To
be drawn to this pool in dreams and waking visions or else while 'traveling' in the
Otherworld is to be drawn to your own primeval spiritual source.
Having become familiar with springs as natural phenomena, now reflect on them in
symbolic-mythic terms. A spring is a place where life first emerges from the Earth. Thus
it symbolizes birth and also rebirth. The ancient Druids are said to have pathed up
streams to their spring sources, looking for the 'birthplaces' of gods & goddesses. Though
the deity had long since gone downstream, it was said, the seeker could get in touch with
them at their birth-spring. "Which deity was born here?" is a question to ask of the Earth
Goddess (e.g., Tailtiu) at each spring you visit on a regular basis.
Most of these gods & goddesses have never been named before - as there are far more
springs in the world than there have ever been known deities - so don't be surprised if the
'name' you 'hear' at a spring is unfamiliar to you (or to anyone else for that matter). All of
the traditional Celtic gods & goddesses will have been born from springs in Celtic lands,
so, unless you are in one of those countries, the name of the deity born at a spring will
never be that of an old Celtic deity. And even if you do live in Celtic lands, there are
thousands of sacred springs and only a few hundred known deities.
Though the deity born at the spring has long since gone downstream, the waters are still
thought to be enervated with spiritual presences. Just as microorganisms inhabit the
physical water, so it is mystically infused with the presence of various spirits. If the
spring is located in a wooded area, pixies and woodsprites may well frequent the water.
If the spring is located in the side of a cliff, the water in the spring-pool may well be the
home of a rock-dwelling spriggan or gnome. There are no absolute rules, though, for
predicting what spirits inhabit the waters, so you will have to be imaginative and discern
the denizens at each spring on the strength of your own magical wits.
Until you have identified the spirits that haunt a particular spring, you will not know
what draíocht (magic), taghairm (divination) or corrguine (herbal arts)10 are likely to
work there, or what spiritual practices are appropriate to the place. (A hint: the spirits of
a spring will be related to the natural, physical characteristics of the site, such as the
make-up of the rock, the composition of the soil, and the trees and other flora growing
nearby. If you learn the natural phenomena of a place and come to understand its
http://www.pathwalkers.net/interactive/modules....ame=News&file=index&catid=1&topic=&allstories=1 (125 of 236) [12/25/2005 12:17:43 AM]