#piriapolis

View of the Argentino Hotel in Piriápolis, Uruguay

Water Spirits: Witches Who Gaze at the Sea An expression of witchcraft in spiritual connection with the ocean

By request from a reader who is both attracted to and frightened by aquatic powers, I am going to provide some insight into the devotion to gods and spirits of water. Generally speaking, river and sea deities are known for their changeable and capricious temperaments, and their mythologies are filled with disturbing and even treacherous monsters.

It is essential to understand that there are two aspects to consider: on one hand, there is the "request" made to a deity, which is accompanied by an offering from the devotee. The offering is crucial because, in an animistic, pantheistic, and/or polytheistic mentality, a plea is nothing more than asking a favor from a force much more powerful than us. It is an exchange, or rather, a gift: the deity is not obligated, and neither are you. That is why it is devotional: if the request is not fulfilled, the relationship between the deity and the person does not change. The offering is spiritual in nature and is in no way a transactional relationship.

Let me give you an example: in Uruguay, on February 2nd, there is a significant turnout for the religious festivity of the goddess Iemanjá. There are always devotees, new devotees, those looking for something to believe in, those who want a favor from the goddess because they heard she grants them, and some who are there out of curiosity or dragged by fashion; but the cult of Iemanjá is something else entirely. Her cult is not detached from the rest of the deities that make up the pantheon, cosmogony, and mythology of the Afro-Brazilian religion known as Umbanda or others like Candomblé. What I want to say is that most non-religious people who make a plea to Iemanjá are seeking an act of magic and do not have a relationship with the goddess or the other gods of this religion's pantheon, meaning they do not have a devotional relationship.

Although they are inextricably linked, it is worth remembering that magic and religion are not the same thing.

SEA DEITIES

If you are going to make requests to a deity, it is crucial to know what they like, what they are connected to. This can be read about or orally transmitted in their mythology. This has both a devotional and practical purpose: we are not going to bring a ham to Iemanjá, right? Her mythology tells us she likes combs, mirrors, watermelons, etc. The most probable thing is that the goddess will not be very happy—or at least will remain indifferent—with a screwdriver or a plate of peeled peanuts (what she will surely hate is people throwing garbage into the sea, bags, and styrofoam boats that harm and kill her creatures).

In the case of Iemanjá, people already somewhat know what she likes, but this concept of offerings she enjoys applies to all deities with pagan characteristics. Yes, I know, people from Afro religions do not like to be called pagans, and we pagans do not include them in paganism for this reason, just as we do not include the living indigenous religions of America or any other part of the world. In this case, I say "pagan characteristics" because, from an anthropological, scientific point of view, they share characteristics: animism, pantheism, manism, polytheism, nature worship...

To recap: to request something from a deity, you need to know at least the basics about that deity. It's not that a curse will fall upon you or anything like that, but doing it wrong is completely futile.

NOTABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SEA DEITIES

You may have heard that there are gods with dual natures; in paganism, we often say such gods are tricksters. Although they exist in all mythologies and geographies, among sea deities, this ambivalence or reverse nature is common and expected.

The sea is so deep, so impossible to tame, and so vast that its attributes cannot be synthesized into just a handful of deities. Thus, it can represent mystery, wrath, voluptuousness, wealth, or infinity in the multiplicity of beings that inhabit it, including fabulous fish-like creatures such as mermaids, tritons, or human-divine hybrids, demigods... Many gods not initially associated with the sea have marine origins, like Aphrodite, or have been raised by deities of the depths, like Dionysus. Even a maternal goddess like Iemanjá—the fertile sea, the origin of life—has her twisted and arrogant side, always fed up with her husbands. Not to mention the mood swings of Poseidon, whose origin can be traced back to Poseideia, the Minoan goddess of the oceans.

Being attracted to sea deities, mythologies warn, can be dangerous. I believe that with such dual and unpredictable forces, these dangers are related to our own emotional reactions to overwhelming power, and that deities drag us to the seabed because they desire something we possess. We can share this treasure with them voluntarily, or in an exchange of favors, but the way to avoid getting lost succumbing to the siren calls is to never stop listening to our own voice and not be deceived by a calm surface. We should not be carried away by chimera or promises of a rudderless ship, adrift at the mercy of the tides, whether we ask for love, riches, calm, or clarity.

THE SEA WITCH

Well, it never hurts to clarify that there is no such thing as this witch or that witch; I put this subtitle to give myself the chance to explain: I am referring to myself. I was born in Maldonado, and this geography belongs to me. There is an intimate reason why my web is called Los Faros Australes ( The Southern Lighthouses)

All witchcraft depends on the territory in which it unfolds. If someday I move to live with my friend Paula who lives in El Bolsón, I will not transform into a little mountain witch, but clearly, my witchcraft will change. It will not make sense to summon the same winds, just as it does not make sense for someone from the Bolivian Altiplano to practice sea witchcraft or for someone from the Moroccan desert to call themselves a forest witch.

I will not delve into atmospheric phenomena or historical data, although one day I would like to tell you some legends and myths and about their fabulous creatures. Here are some basic suggestions and symbolism to approach this particular type of witchcraft with common things. Reflecting on how to cast spells is your work.

Having made this pristinely clear, here are some tips or insights for doing witchcraft with the powers of the sea:

Sand has crystalline properties, hardness, and immeasurable antiquity. You can draw, make wells, figures, structures, etc. Some spells can include anything from sandbags to castles or fortresses, pouring seawater over it...

Shells, due to their shape, represent female polarity. Spirals, eternity. Sexuality. Aphrodisiac properties.

Feathers represent the bird they belong to. Flight and, by association, dreams. Connection with the superior, elevated, distant, subtle, and ethereal.

Seawater, of course. A world of which we only see the surface, full of creatures, beauty, dangers, and food. The primordial broth of life. Mystery, healing, and the subconscious.

Glass —which is nothing but transformed sand—stones perforated or sculpted by erosion, nets, plants, hooks, snail eggs, sticks returned by the sea—excellent pencils for drawing in the sand—are elements for casting spells; also foam, rocks, waves, silver fish, and the flashes of the moon—the maker of the tides—as well as the total darkness of its grottoes. The mood of the sea is a powerful indicator: a rough sea is not the same as gentle waves, a port is not the open sea, nor is the color palette always the same.

SPELLS WITH MARINE OR NAUTICAL KNOTS

Mentally reviewing the oldest written reference to this type of magic, I thought it is very likely that it predates the poet Homer by many centuries, given that Minoan civilization was undeniably maritime. But well, Linear A has not yet been deciphered, so everything remains a mystery.

I imagine that it is possible to perform magic with knots related to embroidery and tapestry—which I do not master—although nautical knots associated with weather magic and both mythical and real-life sea witches have prevailed. So, here I will speak about what I know, which are the navigation sailor’s knots. If you do not know how to make any, know that they are very easy to learn and that you do not need to know many, just enough to manage some numbers that will be represented by the number of ropes; their function on ships also symbolizes their role in Magic, regardless of the knot's complexity.

Knot magic is simple, and mastering it involves understanding a few basic principles:

It is binding magic, meaning it has the function of tying or joining two or more different elements, or two or more parts of the same thing.

Each individual rope represents an action or influence.

The specific functions that marine knots serve on ships, docks, and sea-related activities maintain analogous symbolism in their magical use.

If a knot can be tied, it can be untied, which means we can use negative magic, that is, to undo an influence, action, etc.

This simplicity can become as complicated as the spell itself, each time considering the rope's color, the number of ropes used, the number of knots made, and if objects are attached to the rope or string, as in a witch's ladder, etc.

The good news is that knowing how to make a simple knot is enough, and the skill is much more focused on concentration, spells, and magical action. Moreover, it is an excellent resource when you do not have or want a lot of paraphernalia and when you need to do something quickly. In witchcraft, there is an unwritten principle that we all know: what is done quickly has quick but not lasting effects; the complex takes time but endures. Sometimes we need something urgently; other times, we need stability. Effectiveness is conditioned by the type of spell, concentration, need, and time you dedicate.

Imagine the complexity of magically weaving a fishing net! I still haven't found the patience for that.