In the book If Women Rose Rooted, author Sharon Blackie shares Celtic and Arthurian legends of women and the sacred wells. These stories explain how women are the guardians and carriers of sacred wisdom and ancestral traditions. The wells enable the abundant nourishment of the community and of the land. The land remains fertile and the people are cared for. But the wells, and the women caretakers, are to be respected and honored. A traveler passing by must make a sacred offering to the well. If the offering is accepted, the traveler is rewarded with food and and a healing drink from a maiden’s grail. The relationship between the women, the well, and the land is preserved.
But what happens when the well maidens are not honored? What happens if the king of the land abuses his power and privilege? In these tales, the king lures the maiden out of the well, rapes the maiden and steals her away to his castle, hoping to use the power of the well for himself. He doesn’t realize the sacred relationship is now broken. When the maiden is violated and the well is coveted, the waters dry up and no longer supports the king or the community. The land turns into a wasteland. From the Irish tale Immram Curaig Ua Corraa
“The Kingdom turned to loss, the land was dead and desert in suchwise as that it was scarce worth a couple of hazel-nuts. For they lost the voices of the wells and the damsels that were therein.”
The land’s heart is broken and the world’s soul is depleted. The well is no longer able to nourish the land. These tales, like so many from our ancient European lineage, are an allegory and cautionary reminder of our intimate connection with the land and with the World Soul. In these stories, women are the wisdom keepers and the life bearers; the sacred vessels. Not only do they carry the potential to create new life, but they along understand the intimate connection and delicate balance we carry with the living Earth.
The unique wisdom of women has been eradicated through our institutions, our education system, our politics. The unique wisdom of women is suppressed through our denial of creativity, the diminishing respect of dreaming, and our loss of community. As the king rapes the maiden, he is the raping the Earth. Neither women nor land are viewed as sacred and alive, but as resources for personal power and capitalist gain. But the king’s biggest flaw is in forgetting that he is not separate from the Earth and from the World Soul. His forgetful and harmful actions create a wasteland.
Women are the carriers of this wisdom, the knowledge of our ancestors, of our land, and of our communities, resides deep in our blood and bones.
You carry a gift to offer to the world. The divine feminine is a principle that rests inside you, whatever your gender or place along the binary spectrum. It is your gift of creativity and your remembering of this power, that can heal the wasteland and restore the well.
You are the vessel.
You are the mediators between the divine wisdom and the natural world. When you refuse to engage with destruction and recognize that what hurts the Earth hurts yourself, you begin to heal the wasteland.
You are the very voice of the well.
Journal Prompts
Write about the water element. What is your relationship to water? Do you enjoy baths, or swimming in natural bodies of water? Do you have a fear of water? Free write about water for 10 minutes.
Write a list of water words. Use words that inspire your senses. Can you list words for sight, sound, touch, smell, taste? Any other words that come to mind are also welcome.
Use the list to write a short poem about the water.
What is your creative spark? Flow, water, creativity, and abundance are all connected.Use this downloadto dream up a creative project.
Practices
This month find ways to connect with water.
Seetali water meditation: Sit in a comfortable position. Hold your hands together in a cup like shape. Use Seetali pranayama- sip air in through your mouth like a straw, and breathe out through your nose. Imagine yourself scooping water in and up and then imagine yourself gently pouring it over your body. Do this for 3-5 minutes.
Matsya Mudra: Sit with a cup of water or tea. Bring your right hand over your left hand, with thumbs on either side. This is Matsya Mudra- fish mudra. Hold the hands over your cup of water, and imagine gentle prayers flowing into the water.
Gratitude: Walk to a water source. Say a gentle prayer of thanks to the water, for its nourishment and flow. Perhaps leave a tiny offering (a bundle of herbs or a note).
Preservation: Think of ways you can preserve water in your actions. Take a shorter shower? Reuse water in some way?
I hope you enjoy this discussion with Sandy Gassett!
Sandy began yoga with me in first few years of teaching. She was also one of my first yoga teacher trainees! Sandy now lives in Arizona and has crafted a life of her own design and finds inspiration in the natural world and in her spiritually inspired creativity. She encourages women to reclaim their own power and voice. Sandy and I discuss the role of women, the knowledge and wisdom of women, and the role of Mary Magdalene in the Christian traditions.
You can reach out to Sandy at her email address, she welcomes discussion! mtsunrisesurf@gmail.com
