Water Magic & Mermaid Song, part 1

If you were drawn to the title of this blog, it is likely you are a Water Magician.  That is, someone who goes to water – physically and spiritually – to tap into the Divine and find empowerment, inspiration, cleansing and release. I’m Jenna Greene, a new guest blogger on Pagan Song. I’m here to share the beauty of water magic with you.

My lifelong thirst for the magic of water

For me, my greatest moments of magic happen at the ocean at dawn and during thunderstorms.  I grew up not far from Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts.  For several years, my parents lived near White Horse Beach in Plymouth, MA, where they had access to the private area of the beach, which usually had few crowds.  I would often go there at dawn and have the whole beach to myself.  Anyone who knows this beach knows it is a mystical place.  For some reason, the stones there are more colorful than anywhere else in the area.  I would bring at least one home to remember the lessons and blessings of the magical workings I had done there each time.  These stones now line my gardens and altar to bring me that ocean energy that centers me.

An invitation to ritual

Rather than a traditional blog that simply shares my thoughts on water magic, I’d like to make this a ritual experience for you.  As a musician, artist and meditation leader, I often use the senses to create a magical landscape.  So, if you will allow, I will be your guide through several mini rituals to help you immerse yourself in the energies of water.

Let us start by calling Water, in all its spiritual forms.  Oh, how the mythologies of water spark the imagination and stir the heart! There are my favorite water deities:  Yemayá, mother of the ocean, Sulis of the healing springs, Lakshmi of the cosmic lotus pond, and the mysterious Ladies of the Lake.  There are mermaids and water spirits of many types.  There are sacred objects: the holy grail, cauldrons of inspiration and dreaming, Brigid’s well of healing, the chalice upon your altar, your grandmother’s favorite teacup.  There are countless mythic symbols that can draw the nourishing energies of water to you. 

I have written a Water Calling Song, as a prayer or an invocation to the many spiritual forms water has taken in my life.  Feel free to speak this aloud to begin our rituals:

Water Calling

Holy water, sacred water
Purify, wash over me
Holy water, sacred water
Mermaids, undines, and selkies

Sulis, Sedna, Aphrodite
Holy Brigid, sacred well
Deepest waters of compassion
Cauldron dreaming mystic spell

Holy Keepers of the Cauldron
Kernunnos, Dagda, Cerridwen
Of abundance, deepest wisdom
Bring your balance back again

Waters of the deep subconscious
Arianrhod’s starry sea
Oh, within those gentle waters
Deepest peace, tranquility

Holy healing well of Brigid
Cup of magic, grail of dreams
Help me spiral to my center
Labyrinth of mysteries

Remind me I am healer
That I wash away all pain
That I gift the grail of dreaming
That I am the summer rain

Keepers of the starlit cauldron
Betwixt time, beyond space
Faerie mist calls me there often
To that otherworldly place

Nurturing Yemayá, Oshun,
Goddesses of Avalon,
All Mothers of Moon and Water
In your care, all woes are gone

Thank you, Sacred Water, in all your aspects, for your many blessings.

“Water Calling”, an original invocation by Jenna Greene (c) 2021

Water Ritual #1 – Drinking in the Blessings  

This is a ritual that I do every morning.  You will need:

• A small space in your home that you dedicate to being your sacred space.  It can be a corner of your desk, the top of your bureau, or a full altar set up.
• A drinking vessel that is used only for this ritual; such as a teacup, mug, goblet or a glass that has special meaning to you.  This will be your ritual chalice.
• Water
• (Optional) Candles, incense, seashells, beach stones; anything that makes you feel centered.

Clean the chalice with soap and water.  As you do, imagine you are clearing your mind of any chatter and your heart of self-doubts.  Fill your chalice with clean water and bring it to your sacred space.  Feel free to light candles and incense.  Make it as calming as possible.  Stand before your sacred space and hold the chalice in your hands.  Think about the many ways that water blesses you.  Take a few deep cleansing breaths and then speak your hopes and intentions for the day over the water.  Drink the water, as you imagine these intentions flowing into your reality.  Smile and feel the relief of these good things unfolding.  Thank the water for all its blessings.  Leave your chalice on your altar and begin your day.

Water is an energy of intuition, so this exercise will open you to seeing the magic that is often hidden in plain sight and the beneficial pathways, like currents, that lead you to the things you wish to manifest.

Ritual #2 – Moon Water

On the night of the full moon, put a bowl of water outside or in a window to soak in the moon’s energy.  Using the water will then align you with the lunar vibrations of intuition, wisdom, creativity and self-empowerment.  It will also connect you with the astrological sign that the moon is in, so research that beforehand.  The next day, you can use the water in various ways: an advanced version of Drinking in the Blessings, cleaning your home, sacred painting (using the moon water to wet the brushes), or brewing tea. 

The following are some tips.  While they might seem like common sense, they are things that I forgot to do, and several times ruined my moon water:

• If you do put your bowl outside, I recommend a metal bowl during freezing temperatures, as glass or pottery will often crack.  Shards of glass in moon water – bad. 
• Try to keep your moon water bowl away from trees.  Strain and boil the water if it gets any dirt or leaves in it.  Moon water bowl under favorite tree – bad. 
• Save any that you don’t use in the fridge for more ritual magic later.  Funky punky forgotten moon water – bad.

Ritual #3 – Deeper Waters

This ritual is inspired by the late great David Bowie.  He gave an inspiring talk called “Never Play to the Gallery.”  Watch this one-minute clip:

What does this have to do with water magic?  He speaks about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, comparing that creative process to deeper waters.  He talks about how art and creativity are about self-exploration and not meant to be created from a place of impressing others.  Explore first, then if you choose to share your project with the world, people will make a soul-to-soul connection with it.

The exercise I’m about to share is not just for people who consider themselves artists.  I believe each person has their own unique gifts and ways of expressing creativity.  There are a few things that people either don’t know or forget when it comes to creativity.  I’ll share some of these methods with you now!

• Think of a way that you enjoy creating or expressing yourself.
• Ponder if and why you put aside your creativity/dreams/passions.  Ask yourself, “Do I avoid creative expression when I’m stressed?” “Do I put it off because I don’t feel I have the time?” 
• Some people feel they don’t have a creatively expressive outlet or stop themselves from choosing one.  Ask yourself, “Do I feel like being creative is childish?”  “Do I stop myself from being creative because I’m embarrassed by my lack of skills or perfectionism?”
• Give yourself permission to take creative time for yourself.  Lock yourself away with whatever tools you need to create. 
• Use it to vent.  Often, people wait until they’re in a happy mood to create.  Creativity can be used as a sacred container to pour uncomfortable emotions into.  In this way, it becomes a powerful healing force.  Take all your sadness, stress, anger, jealousy, “not good enoughs” and POUR them into a project.  Sing, dance, paint, write, etc.  You may find all the ugliness you release transforms into a thing of beauty.
• Now we’re going to do the first part of what David Bowie said, “Never play to the gallery.”  In other words, remind yourself this project is for you.  You are exploring creativity, passion, emotions, and your soul for you alone.  Don’t worry about anyone else validating this project.
• Now that you have your project going and your emotions pouring, try to take it one step further.  Ask yourself, “How can I push a little more out of my comfort zone?”  Some of you might be like, “Whoa, wait, I was already out of my comfort zone on step one!”  Okay, okay, if that’s the case, I’m very proud of you.  But, if you feel you can be even a little braver, try something you’ve never done before.  It could be something as simple as choosing oil paint if you usually use acrylics.  If you’re a poet, write in a different meter.  If you write all your songs in D minor (like me, for years!) try a tune that isn’t in the saddest of all keys.
• Sidenote: This ritual might be very intense, but I hope it reveals wonders to you.  Carrie Fisher said, “Take a broken heart, turn it into art.”  There is also the saying in theater, “Use it!”, which means any emotion you feel before you go onstage – sad, excited, happy, sick, nervous – you channel into your performance.  I love these concepts now, but there was a time when I thought that only polished, happy, pretty music was acceptable from myself. These days, I try to aim for raw, intense, and real.  I’ve learned to enjoy pushing myself into the “deeper waters” so much that I decided to make that the title of my next album.

Interseted in magic to support creativity? Check out a related post on this blog: “The Muse in the Garden of Dreams” by Molly. It gives instructions for an art project to support your creativity.

Part Two!!! 

If you liked these rituals, read my blog post: Water Magic & Mermaid Song – Part Two. I share more advanced water rituals in that follow-up post.

On the Pagan Song website, in the Book of Shadows, have a look in the Magic and Ritual How-to section for several other posts on the magical aspects of water. In particular, Carole’s post Calling the Element of Water: A Ritual complements this post beautifully.

Mermaid Song

This is a song that will be on my upcoming album, Deeper Waters.  The video is brand new, and I am releasing it here first as an exclusive to you, the readers of Pagan Song’s blog!  Follow this secret link:

My Sacred Work

I have several job titles: singer, songwriter, artist, meditation facilitator, and sound healer.  At the heart of it all is the belief I mentioned above: that you have unique gifts to share with the world.  I want to help you heal your dreams and live them, to find that authentic version of you that’s not “playing to the gallery” but rather, walking your path.  I want to tap into the powers of intention, lyric, affirmation, melody, guided meditation, ritual, and mythology to empower you to find your voice and your sovereignty.

Here are just a few of the services I offer:

Songspell Session

A songspell is an empowerment chant, created especially for you, to draw in the energies you want in your life.  This chant can be used as part of your daily spiritual practice. 

Here’s how a Songspell session works. I will talk with you about your stress and where you’d like to shift your energy.  I’ll pay attention to your word patterns and see where you might be blocking yourself or letting others block you. Then, we’ll shift the words to attract the energies that you want to bring in.  I’ll keep checking in with you to make sure we’re using the most empowering words for you.  When we have the right set of words, I’ll intuitively add a melody to create your very own empowerment chant.  I’ll also give you tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your songspell daily practice.

I do sessions via Zoom.  We’ll set up a date that works well for you and I’ll email you a link.  Sessions tend to be approximately 45 minutes.  

Serenades

I will perform your very own private concert for you via Zoom, weaving ethereal vocals with soothing harp and crystal singing bowls to present my original songs.  

Songwriting Service

I will write a song for you or for your special someone.  This is a great gift for anyone who is into mythology, world spirituality, or affirmation songs.  I’m also a proud romantic so love songs are another specialty of mine!

Musical Meditation Journey

Journey mythic realms through guided meditation, set to my original music.  Choose from three themes: Mermaids & Water Magick (release and renewal), Empower Your Dreams (strength and focus on your purpose), or Shadow Goddesses (facing fears and breaking negative patterns.)  These meditations can be done as individual healing sessions or group workshops.  Presented via Zoom for now.

Workshops

I’m available to teach workshops. One is coming up soon. Join my Mermaids & Water Magick Workshop, hosted by The Robin’s Nest on May 20^th:

Mermaids and Water Magick with Jenna Greene!

Live Concerts

It won’t be long before I am able to perform concerts in person again.  Please consider hiring me as a solo act or with my bandmates.

Join my Patreon Community! 

Patreon is a website where artists like me share exclusive content and special offers with subscribers.  For as little as $5 per month, you get a sneak peek at songs-in-progress, music videos, announcements, new paintings, discounts on merch and more.  Your patronage gives me the time, energy and resources to focus on my sacred work and rescues it from becoming a side-hustle. Find me at: www.patreon.com/jennagreene

The art pieces on my altar are by:

• Cauldron and green labyrinth bowl:  One Path Labyrinth 
• Mermaid sculpture: Beth and Zeeb of Feywood 
• Yemaya and Sulis oracle cards by Claudia Olivos
• Mermaid print on white treasure box by Sharon Knight
• Ocean Faerie Door by Tree: http://thekitchengoddess.wix.com/tree
• Abundantia (aqua frame) painting by me, Jenna Greene

I’ll see you again in August

Again, if you enjoyed what you read here today, stay tuned for Part Two of Water Magic & Mermaid Song on August 5^th.  Please be sure to subscribe to this blog, and the weekly posts will arrive in your in-box, including mine!

For more information about Jenna Greene, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to Jenna’s sites on the web, check out Jenna’s page on Pagan Song.

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