The Element of Water

In the goddess wheel of the year the West is traditionally the direction of Water.living by the sea in the far west of Cornwall I am very aware of the presence of the ocean and the ebb and flow of tides beneath the moon. The West is the place associated with feeling,emotion,menstruation, the womb, generation, fertility and the unconscious, as well as with the obvious features of landscape:ocean, streams,lakes, rivers, springs, pools and wells.

Animal associations are obviously sea creatures like dolphins and seals, porpoises, whales and all fish species as well as dragons, snakes and serpents.The direction of the west is linked with mystery and an entry into the womb of the earth goddess at Mabon or Autumn Equinox. The coiling of the snake or kundalini energy into the root chakra. This direction marks the twilight of the year.

The element of water is represented by the suit of cups in the tarot with their symbolism of the chalice and on an unconscious level the womb. Zodiac signs are the water signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

The element of water is fluid, changing, purifying, cleansing and transformative. It hints of mystery and the undefined aspects of the unconscious, a place of deep wisdom and dreaming,where emotions intuitively guide us to a greater understanding of the world and ourselves. It is the place of healing.

The element of water invites us to go with the flow of our instincts and impulses, to trust our intuition and gut feeling and go with the heart not the head.Our body is made up of mostly water; blood, sweat, urine, tears. As women we are governed by the tides of our menstruation and the blood line with our mothers.

The ocean at my door reminds me of my link to the sea. It is a place of nourishment and reflection. I am hypnotised by tides and feel cocooned here in the arms of the small harbour. This afternoon a male voice choir will meet on the Old Quay and sing in deep bass and tenor to the sea. It is a sound unique to the Cornish and the resonance of the song lulls one into a heady nostalgia evoking memories of the past and resurrecting the voices of drowned men and women, of sailors and fishermen, the siren song of the ancient sea kingdoms and the mysterious drowned landscape of the fabled Lyonesse out beyond toward the Scilly Isles. It is a haunting sound....you can hear the knell of the ship's bells, the boom of sea caverns, the call of the mermeid and seal on rocks...this is a drowned land and beneath Mounts Bay lie the wrecks of hundreds of ships rocking in the weedy deep.