Annwyn Avalon - Water Witchcraft: Magic and Lore from the Celtic Tradition

Praise for Water Witchcraft

Water Witchcraft is a fluid mixture of ancient and modern practices flowing from the fertile watery realms of Annwn and Avalon. The author has listed many interesting items from tradition, often combined with thoughtful and creative concepts of her own. I enjoyed her accounts of her direct magical experiences with water and the practical advice that she offers based on those experiences. This is a very thorough beginners' book that should prove useful and inspiring to those seeking a path of water magic.

R. J. Stewart, author of The Underworld Initiation, The Way of Merlin, and other books

Come away with Annwyn Avalon and immerse yourself in the wonderful, magical world of water witchcraft. Water witch Annwyn Avalon will deftly guide you through the flowing deep wilderness of all aspects of water magic, regaling you with magical tales and folklore rooted in Celtic and Brythonic lore. In her book Water Witchcraft, Avalon meanders through the history, magic, and deep mythology of water with vast knowledge and experience. No pebble is left unturned in this enchanting book, as you are swept up in a magical voyage of spells, meditations, incantations, and useful tools for the modern witch.

Patricia Weston, author of White Witch Patricia Westons Book of Spells & Magic

Water, one of the primal elements of nature, has long deserved a book such as Annwyn Avalon has brought into the world with Water Witchcraft. Featuring rituals of connection, charms of healing, and goddesses to reach out to, this book isn't just a primer, it has something for witches working with every drop, from sacred well to local spring. The magic within feels as though you've been practicing it your whole life from the moment you pick up this book.

Amy Blackthorn, author of Blackthorn's Botanical Magic and creator of Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends

Annwyn Avalon takes us on a fascinating journey that explores the various types of water and their associated folklore, deities, and magical beings. In addition to explaining how to work with different forms of water, her unique practices and exercises serve as a guide for becoming a water witch and using the enormous power of this element.

Sandra Kynes, author of Sea Magic: Connecting with the Ocean's Energy

A gorgeous guide through the world of water myth and magick. Annwyn Avalon lifts the lily pad on the watery nature of our own spirits and shows us how to embrace our own mermaid, selkie, and well spirit. If you have ever gazed at the ocean and longed to touch its heart, this book offers a path to do just that.

Courtney Weber, author of Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess and The Morrigan: Celtic Goddess of Magick and Might

Annwyn Avalon's enchanted book dares to peer deep into the watersthe mirror betwixt the worldsrevealing unto the reader a rich trove of spirits, ancient deities, eldritch beings, stories, and lore. Deeply practical too; Water Witchcraft reveals also tools, substances, rites, charms, and spells, both traditional and innovative, enabling the reader to fully explore, connect with, and employ water in all its forms as a potent vehicle for power and transformation.

Gemma Gary, author of Wisht WatersAqueous Magica and the Cult of Holy Wells, Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways, and other books of magic and witchcraft

Annwyn Avalon shares her deep water wisdom in this insightful book that is empowered with well-researched lore, traditional folk practices, and sound magical principles. Water Witchcraft is a truly comprehensive work that reflects not only an intimate understanding of the nature of water in its various forms, but also details the myriad ways in which water can be used to effect positive change in our lives. Annwyn deftly channels various streams of folkloric knowledge into a practical approach that is reflective of the wisdom of the past, while being eminently accessible to the modern-day practitioner of water magic.

Jhenah Telyndru, MA in Celtic studies, priestess, author, and founder of the Sisterhood of Avalon

This edition first published in 2019 by Weiser Books, an imprint of
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
With offices at:
65 Parker Street, Suite 7
Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2019 by Annwyn Avalon
Foreword copyright 2019 by Skye Alexander

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57863-646-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Cover art by Shaheen Miro

Interior by Deborah Dutton

Typeset in Weiss

Printed in Canada

MAR

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Dedicated to the Gwragedd Annwn, Melusine, Sulis, and the
water spirits that guided my mind and heart and forced my
fingers to write when I was lost in the whirlpool of my mind.

Special thanks to the Green Flame and Fire Storm that gave me
such a strong foundation for my magical craft, holding oceans
of possibilities. To the Circle of the Rising Moon who honored
my voice and gave rise to my water craft. To Duston and
Tiffany who loved, encouraged, and believed in me.

Maybe we sense a sacred connection with water because our bodies and our planet are composed largely of water. Maybe it's because, as science says, we emerged from aquatic sources. Long before the theory of evolution developed, however, creation stories from around the globe told us life on earth originated in the world's waters. According to Babylonian mythology, for instance, the water goddess Tiamat was the mother of everything, including the other gods and goddesses. The Aboriginal Australian story of the Rainbow Serpent also credits a water deity with bringing us all into existence.

Water goddesses, such as Anuket, Sulis, Oshun, and Danu (for whom the Danube River is named), figure prominently in the folklore of cultures everywhere. Our ancestors believed ponds, rivers, and seas teamed with spirits of all kinds. In his book The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Manly P. Hall wrote According to the philosophers of antiquity, every fountain had its nymph; every ocean wave its oceanid. The water spirits were known under such names as oreades, nereides, limoniades, naiades, water sprites, sea maids, mermaids, and potamides. Usually we link water with the feminine or yin force, which is why so many water entities are described as female.

Today we continue to revere the earth's waterwaysthe Ganges River, Lake Manasarovar in Tibet, Glastonbury's Chalice Well, the grotto at Lourdes, Crater Lake in Oregon. At these places of power and mystery, modern-day pilgrims seek healing, purification, consecration, and transformation, just as they did centuries ago. Even people who don't recognize the spiritual nature of water intuitively understand its curative properties. Who hasn't felt invigorated when sitting near a waterfall or cleansed after a dip in a cool lake? We go to spas to take the waters and flock to the seaside to rejuvenate our minds and bodies. Those who live near the ocean, as I did for thirty-one years, quickly become aligned physically, emotionally, and psychically with its shifting tides.