Sea Witchcraft and Magickal Spell Waters
Harness the power of the water element
Today I’d like to talk about the power of the water element in tradition and practice. We’ll explore traditional and contemporary sea witchcraft and how to harness the water element by making magickal spell waters for your own practice.
Water has been revered for centuries for its properties of transformation and fluidity, and as the bringer and sustainer of life. It is also an energetic transmission system. It behaves like a liquid crystal, holding and transmitting specific energetic frequencies.
It is because of these powers that we can use it to create magickal tools and ingredients. Magick is manipulation of energy and water can be the vehicle for that process.
Sea Witch Folklore
Sea witch legends are strewn throughout European folklore. The sea witch could disguise herself as a sea creature, a mermaid, a selkie or a water nymph, or as an ordinary human who uses magick to influence the sea and the fate of seafaring folk.
The sea witch has the power to control the weather, the tides and even the moon, and in this way, she commands the entire ocean. With this powerful magick, drawn from the strength of nature and the very universe itself, the sea witch can influence a ships passage, a fisherman’s catch, and even call up treasures lost in shipwrecks.
In some folk tales, a grieving widow begs the sea witch to bring to shore the body of a drowned husband, child, or sweetheart so that the person could be given a proper burial. The widow must cast a ring or coin into the sea as the witch's payment, or risk her wrath at not being paid for her services.
Offend the sea witch at your peril; for she has power over life and death for folks on open seas or in coastal homes.
In legend, sailors could buy a rope with three knots from the sea witch to aid them on a voyage. Pulling the first knot would yield a gentle, south-easterly wind while pulling two would generate a strong northerly wind. Untying the third knot however, would unleash a hurricane.
Contemporary Sea Witchcraft
Practitioners of Paganism, Wicca and witchcraft who strongly identify with the ocean and the sea witch archetype will often use seawater and ocean items, and invoke sea deities and spirits in their craft. They may create an ocean altar using items such as seashells, sand, salt, seawater, driftwood, etc.
Ocean magick is particularly useful for work around emotional healing, cleansing and purification, deepening inner wisdom, and harnessing the raw power of the ocean. It is a more intuitive and fluid type of magick, drawing on the power of the water element, emotions and the subconscious mind.
Other types of magick associated with sea witches include:
Moon magick - ocean water is naturally charged by the moon and the moon commands the tides and currents.
Weather magick – sea witches command the weather as well as the ocean.
Water magick – not necessarily seawater but the use of all magickal waters (ideas below).
If you feel drawn to bringing the energy of the sea witch into your practice, here are some ideas to whet your appetite.
1: Create a Sea Witch Altar
If you don’t live near the sea, this is a fabulous way for you to connect with the sea witch and ocean energy. Simply arrange any ocean related items you are drawn to on your altar.
Ideas include:
Seashells
Jar of seawater
Seaweed
Pearls
Sea salt
Sand
Driftwood
Rope
Water element crystals such as aquamarine and blue lace agate
Your sea witch altar will be extremely potent when used for any ritual or magick related to the water element, moon magick, divine femininity, emotional healing, love, beauty and communing with ocean spirits and water nymphs.
2: Use Seashells in Your Magickal Workings
Seashells vibrate with the energy of the ocean and can be amazing power objects just like crystals. Here are some ways to utilise the awesome water element power of seashells:
Add shells to your sacred bathing rituals that are based around femininity, self-love and beauty. Place them in the water like you would with water safe crystals, allowing them to charge you with their strong feminine power.
Create a set of runes. Use 24 similar sized shells and draw the symbols on them using acrylic paints or fine-tipped marker pens. Glaze them with clear varnish afterwards for longevity.
Releasing negativity spell. Do this on a waning moon, at the beach. Sit in meditation with your seashell to infuse it with the energy you want to release. When you feel you have poured it all into the shell, return it to the sea.
3: Make Ocean Potions
Glamour potions – Release your inner mermaid and give yourself a dewy vibrant glow by using seawater in your glamour potions.
Self-love potion – use seawater and any items that resonate with the energy of self-love. For example, rose quartz, geranium essential oil, rose petals, hibiscus, pearls, seashells etc.
Banishing, protection or healing potions – again add seawater plus items and herbs that represent your intention.
Use your ocean potions in the following ways:
Bathing rituals – just like adding seashells to your sacred bathing rituals that are based around femininity, self-love and beauty, you can also add seawater, moon seawater, or ocean potions to your ritual baths.
Anointing tools or yourself.
Sprinkling or spraying to cleanse, charge, or consecrate a sacred space.
Cleansing and charging water and salt safe crystals with the magick of the potion.
Magickal Spell Waters
Seawater can be used alone as a magickal water as we have discussed or charged with the energy of the sun or moon. But you don’t have to use seawater as your moon or sun water, pure spring water is ideal, especially if you want to use your water in drinkable spells or in beauty applications. Let’s look at moon and sun water, and some other magickal waters that you might like to incorporate into your craft.
Rose Water
Rose water is a magickal potion that has been infused with rose essence. Rose water is widely used in many magickal traditions. Ruled by Venus, the planet of love and beauty, roses are sacred to many love deities such as Aphrodite and Eros. Thus, rose water is perfect for use in spells for drawing love into your life, whether that’s a romantic partner or a new friend. Additionally, it can be used in rituals for strengthening the bond you already have with someone… maybe even speeding up that marriage proposal (*wink*).
Of course, rose water also represents self-love and is perfect for self-care rituals. To create a self-love bathing ritual, simply pour some rose water into your bath, adding some rose petals if you like. As you bathe, think about all your positive qualities and ways in which you help others and add value to the world. Once you’re finished, see any doubts about yourself being sucked away down the plughole.
Holy Water
Holy water has a variety of definitions depending on the belief system. In Catholicism, water is made sacred with a blessing from a religious official for use in baptisms and spiritual cleansing.
In witchcraft, holy water is made by charging water with magickal intent (this intention may be for healing, purification, or strength, or any other positive result) and is commonly used to cleanse and consecrate tools, in bathing rituals for auric cleansing, and in room sprays and home cleansing rituals.
How to make holy water:
Ingredients:
a glass bowl
water from a natural source
sea salt
bottle for storage
Instructions:
Add the water to the bowl.Â
Add a pinch of salt to the water and visualise it purifying the water.
Using your finger or a wand draw a sigil or power symbol from your belief system (i.e., rune, cross, triquetra, pentagram, reiki symbol etc.) nine times over the water, visualising it becoming potent and powerful.
Bottle and label with the name/symbol and date of creation.
Florida Water
Florida Water was first created in Florida, hence the name, and was inspired by the legendary Fountain of Youth. It’s not actually made from water though, it’s a specific combination of essential oils mixed with a solvent, usually alcohol.
Traditionally, Florida Water was used as both a perfume and a cleaning agent. However, in recent years people have realised that it’s great for energetic cleansing, too. You can use it in this way by adding it to your new moon bath for auric cleansing and removal of unwanted energy. You can anoint your ritual tools with Florida Water to consecrate them, and invite blessings into your home by using it to wash your floor and front door.
Moon Water
Moon water can be made at any moon phase, not just the new and full moons. It depends on what energy you wish to harness as each phase has its own energy and uses. For example, full moon water has magical properties that include love, protection, and abundance.
You can concentrate and specialise the energy further by which full moon you choose (i.e. blue moon, blood moon, lunar eclipse, etc.)
It’s also important to keep in mind the astrological sign the moon is in while making any moon phase water. For example, moon water made on a waxing moon in Pisces holds different vibrations than moon water created under a waning moon in Taurus and so forth.
Using the astrological associations means you can get really specific and powerful with your moon water craft. It also begins to explain why certain moon water spells may not have yielded the results you were looking for.
You can also change the magickal properties of moon water by infusing it with herbs and water-safe crystals while it charges.
Some practitioners like to make moon water in a silver bowl, others (like me) prefer to use a sealed glass jar. Whatever receptacle you choose, fill it with water, as pure and natural as you can obtain. Water hand-collected from natural sources such as the ocean as we discussed, and also from rivers and lakes is powerful, but don’t use it if you want to drink your moon water! I like to make a seawater vessel and a spring water vessel, so I have both.
Add any herbs and crystals if you are using them and then place your vessel outside where the moonlight will reach them. If this isn’t possible for you then place them on a windowsill in direct moonlight. Be sure to bring them in before sunrise otherwise you will reduce their moon magick power and they will become sun waters instead.
Here are some ideas for using your moon water:
Blessing and consecrating tools or sacred space.
Adding to bathing rituals as previously mentioned.
Anointing yourself, this is especially powerful when used to anoint your third eye as the moon represents intuition and so can help invite psychic abilities, visions and dreams.
Scry with moon water for enhanced visions and psychic power. Pour some into a black bowl or cauldron and sit in a dim space, ideally under the light of a full moon but indoors with candles works well too. Gaze at the water with unfocused eyes and remain open to symbols, images and messages that pop up in your mind’s eye.
Wash your hair with moon water for lustre and shine (not sea moon water).
Use it as a facial toner to give you a radiant complexion (again don’t use sea moon water for this, only pure spring moon water).
Use moon water as your chalice liquid as it beautifully represents the divine feminine power of the Goddess.
Photo by filmplusdigital on Unsplash
Sun Water
Sun water is charged by solar energy just as moon water is charged by lunar energy. Make sun water by leaving your spring or seawater in a glass bowl or jar to charge in the sunlight one full day. Bring it inside as the sun sets to ensure the moonlight doesn’t change its solar properties.
Uses for sun water include charging tools and altars for sun gods, giving any spell or ritual a boost of energy, helping to ‘grow’ an intention, cleansing a space or object. It is also very helpful in healing and empowerment rituals.
Storm Water
Water that has been collected from a thunderstorm is known as storm water. The storm's potent energy, including the wind, lightning and pressure, have been transferred to this powerful water. Using a sturdy jar or jug, collect rainwater from a storm. Make sure you label your jar with the name and date. You can use storm water to enhance your water magick spells and get things moving very quickly. Be ready though, a lot can change quickly when you harness the power of storm water.
Snow Water
Snow water is basically just melted snow. It has the properties of the element of water, along with ice. Snow water can be used in spells for chilling a hot-headed or angry person or a heated situation. It is also great for any transformation work as it has changed from a liquid state to a solid state and back again. You can add it to your energy cleansing baths to remove negative or lower vibration energy, and to bring feelings of peace and tranquility.
Do you identify with the sea witch archetype or particularly resonate with the element of water? Do you use any of the magickal spell waters listed here in your own practice or do you have some other spell water ideas to share? Please let us know your experiences in the comments below!
I consider myself a water witches most of all. Water and I have an affinity. She has mothered me back to myself so many times. Lovely lost, thank you!
I loved reading this and it explains how drawn I am to the sea! Thank you, Nat ✨