I call myself a sea witch, but it’s really an inaccurate term. While my magical practice mainly encompasses the ocean and oceanic spirits like mermaid and sirens, I do not limit my practice to one type of water. As my magic has expanded, so too has my love of other bodies of water. Lakes hold peace and clarity, storms and rain water bring both chaos and cleansing, and sacred springs have imbued a sense of newness and clarity that I have become totally obsessed with. I got a small taste of it during my brief trip to Glastonbury, but a recent road trip had me experiencing the magic of sacred springs in a whole new light.
Now you might be asking, why springs?
Well, in a generation where we get our water in plastic bottles from the grocery store, there is something so refreshing (spring pun) about finding a clean source of fresh water popping out of the ground, free of micro plastics and free to drink from.
*this is the part of the post where I do the responsible thing and remind you to invest in some water testing kits and/or strips– drink at your own discretion*
Springs represent new life, healing, renewal, transformation…basically all things I have been needing for quite some time! While staying at my friends lake house in the Adirondacks, I was out on the water with her quite often, and got a great taste of the calmness and serenity that lake water can provide. There are also a ton of fresh water springs in upstate New York, and I decided to take the scenic route to go spring hunting on my way home.
Lake House View
Hunting for springs:
My first stop was Saratoga Springs, where I was greeted warmly by the locals there, a rarity since its well known that New Yorkers don’t speak to you unless they have to (I say as a native New Yorker). They informed me of the different springs around the park, the sides at the spigot I was at that provided both filtered and mineral spring water, and told me a fun tidbit that the water company with the same name no longer sources its water from Saratoga Springs (they did not know where they currently source it from, and I’m not sure if I want to know).
The second spring on my hunt was typical of what you expect from most spring sources, a small spigot off the side of a roadway, with a wooden palette over the top to allow people to get close to the spring without stepping into a puddle.
I was curious and nervous about the last spring on my list, as the reviews I had read said that it was hard to find, with a recent one saying that it was completely covered. But as I turned the last bend onto a small side road, my nerves gave way to awe.
Well of Souls
It was like I had stepped into one of those precious, quiet pockets of the world, where there is nothing but calm and tranquility. the trees and shrubs provided abundant sound shielding from the road beyond, and I could instantly feel the spiritual magic of the place before the spring even came into view. Below is a journal excerpt from my initial thoughts after visiting the spring:
Excerpt:
I pull onto the quiet road of the spring, and feel the spirits stir around me. The air is thick beneath the shade, but not with humidity, but instead with the steady thrum of pure magic. And that’s what this spring was, pure undiluted magic, looked after with care and loved by all who visit. It’s so small you could drive right by it if not for the small signpost of its namesake, which proclaims itself proudly and sweetly, as the water flows bright and crystal clear. The shrine is simple and beautiful by design. I don’t believe I have felt the urge to cry like this since Glastonbury, have not known this peace in a very, very long time. I feel compelled to sit for a long while, to let myself soak in the beauty of this moment, and my head swims with the thought that I know I have to leave it and return to the chaos. I do not know if I am strong enough to handle it. But then I am interrupted by a bark, and the voice of a lovely old woman with clear blue eyes and the smile lines set pleasantly into her pale skin was walking her border collie. She embodies the energy of this spring, motherly and gentle and warm, and she informs me that she has been drinking the water of this spring for ten years and this spring has had many lovely people visit over the years and bask in its quiet beauty. We exchange pleasant words, and when she departs, she seems to vanish back into the trees, as if she truly was the manifestation of the spring itself. And though my heart felt heavy to leave, my cheeks wet with tears, there was a smile on my face that finally felt like mine again.
~Jessie Joi || Book of Tides
Practicing witchcraft means being open to the possibility of change. Practicing witchcraft with water means that change is always a constant, one that are more keenly aware of. If you had asked me at the beginning of my practice, I never would have thought I could feel that level of peace anywhere except the ocean. But time again I have been stuck speechless by the magic of sacred springs. If you are drawn to the springs and need a map to find them, I use findaspring.org for all of my spring hunting needs.
