The Magical Properties of Water

By Mrs. B

There are tons of ways for the domestic witch to bring the elements into his/her home. Here is a quick list of the magical properties of Water, and how the handy household witch can use many of them in daily life. And don’t forget that ritual and worship can be fun and playful!

Activities:

• washing: dishes, floors, windows, laundry, yourself, your partner, small children, pets, running through the sprinkler with kid, dog or partner, having a squirt gun fight
• drinking: teas, wine, fruit juice, beer, mead, Kool-Aid
• boiling/steeping: herbal potpourri, canning, making sun tea (includes the element of fire/sun), creating herbal oils, vinegars, or tinctures
• brewing: making beer, mead, wine, ale, etc.

Animals:

• all sea animals: collect shells at the beach and display them in your home, raise hermit crabs
• sea birds: collect naturally lost feathers near the water
• fish: create a signature fish recipe (remember to say thanks before the meal); keep fish as pets (as easy a betta or gold fish in a bowl to an elaborate fish tank), create paper fish with kids and hang them from the ceiling

Appliances/Tools of Domestic Witchery:

• bathtub/sinks: keep it shiny and clean with intention, use it for ritual bathing, meditate in it (with a locked door, bubbles and maybe a glass of wine!), float boats in it with kids while telling them all about the element of water
• coffee pot: create a coffee blessing chant (for example: “Coffee pot you brighten my day! Let others see me in such a way!” or perhaps a warding chant: “Keep others away, my strong, dark brew, until I’ve had two cups of you!”) and say it each time you brew, use an old pot to create herbal infusions
• clothes washer: (See Magical Laundry article)
• dishwasher: Bless your dishwasher to make it a elemental tool, run the empty washer with a few drops of lemon essential oil (use the short wash or pre-wash cycle), use it to clean your magical tools (make sure they are dishwasher safe, of course!)
• scrub brushes/sponges: Bless them and use them as wands of water!
• shower: When there is no time for a ritual bath, have a quick shower and image the water as a white light cleansing you from head to toe

Colors:

• Blue/Blue-green: Use the color in your home in paint, curtains, knick-knacks, dishes, etc.

Deities: Obviously there are tons of gods and goddesses of the seas and oceans. I searched for god/esses that could be used primarily for household water– wells, fountains — or god/esses of laundry. Here are a few that I found:

• The Crinaeae: Greek/Roman; a type of nymph associated with fountains
• Naiads or Naiades: Greek; a type of nymph who presided over fountains and wells (also springs, streams, and brooks)
• Mokosz (MOH-kosh): Slavic Goddess, who when happy with her offerings of vegetables would help women with their laundry.
• Saule (sew-lay): Baltic goddess of sun and sea who is also a hearth goddess who oversees all spheres of domestic work, including laundering
• Camenae: Roman; A nymph of wells and spring water
• Laga: Norse goddess of springs and wells
• Nethus: Roman; God of wells and fresh water
• Fontus: Roman, God of fountains

(And of course, any goddess of the domestic arts would be appropriate for water based domestic witchery as well)

Elementals:

• Nymphs: Display artwork or statues
• Undines: Display artwork or statues

Direction

• West: create a water shrine on a west wall

Foods:

Use any water related foods or drinks in formal rituals, at meals, to create recipes, or to add smiley faces on the kids burgers.

• all drinks (especially clear liquids), apple, artichoke, banana, berries, cauliflower, cucumber, fish, ketchup, most melons, root vegetables, shell fish, sushi, tofu, tomatoes, watermelon

Herbal Associations

Use water related herbs in incense, sachets, mojo bags, roll a candle in them, create teas, use them in foods, grow them in an elemental garden, display them dried around the home, create herbal potpourris. Before using any herb, do your research to make sure that it is safe to handle and/or eat.

• Aloe, birch, boneset, cadamom, chamomile, coltsfoot, damiana, elder, feverfew, gardenia, Irish moss, ivy, jasmine, lemon balm, mugwort, myrrh, poppy, rose, skullcap, thyme, Valerian, willow, yarrow

Magical Correspondences

• Water rules spells dealing with love, friendship, meditation, healing, dreams, childbirth, clairvoyance and purification.

Rooms and areas of the house

• bathroom
• kitchen
• laundry room
• west-facing windows

Season

• Autumn: Instead of the usual fall flower altar decoration, create a water element altar in autumn

Signs of the Zodiac

• Cancer
• Pisces
• Scorpio

Stones

Use water related stones as a decoration by themselves, piled in a vase, add to the dirt of plants to enhance water qualities, make into runes or make a pet rock with the kids.

• amethyst
• coral
• seashells
• rainbow colored crystals
• silver
• river rocks

Type of Energy

• Feminine

Have an idea for using one of the correspondences in your daily domestic life? Let’s hear it!