On the Wheel of the Year Lughnasa, the season of autumn falls in the direction of the west which also holds the energies of the element of Water. Water is a feminine element, flowing with abundant potential, mirrored by the harvests of the grains and the fruiting of the trees. Water holds us and invites us to flow into the next season, surrendering the heat and intensity of summertime with cooler days and luminous sunsets, gently spiraling us inward.
Each of the Elements holds their own aspects to deepen into your magic workings and form a cohesive wholeness. We place the Elements on the Great Wheel, the Circle, the Wheel of the Year, the Wheel of Life and each has its own place in synergy with the whole.
Element of Water
Time: Sunset/ Twilight
Season: Autumn, Lughnasa, the months of August, September, October
Location/ Direction: West
Astrological Signs: Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio
Blessings: Fertility, Creativity, Healing, Soothing, Opening
To Honor Water: Ritual Tea, Ritual Drink, Bath, Journey Meditation, Gem Elixirs
Life Cycle: Fertile Feminine, Mother
Herbs and Essential Oils to Engage the Element of Water
Herbs to Engage the Element of Water: rose, motherwort, Lady’s mantle, lemon balm
Essential Oils to Engage the Element of Water: rose, myrrh, angelica, geranium, ylang ylang.
Gem Elixirs with the Moon
Gem elixirs are vibrational medicines, like flower essences/ flower remedies and homeopathy.
To begin, select a gem, crystal or stone that you would like to work with to create your elixir. Do a bit of research to make sure it is a stone that will not dissolve in water like dessert rose or selenite or of course Himalayan pink salts. I prefer working with rough cut stones although polished or tumbled stones are fine so long as they have not been coated or treated with anything.
Ensure your stone/ crystal/ gem has been cleansed to hold the energy you desire. You can also work with a stone that has been blessed with the energies of a certain place (ie summer solstice on the Hill of Tara or from the waters at Brighid’s well at Liscannor or your own ritual or sacred space). Gems, crystals and stones receive energies around them. If you solely want to work with the properties that the stone holds, ensure it has been cleansed in moonlight or in the Earth, in sea water or a sea salt or your preferred method.
Next determine what moon energy you would like to work with to create this elixir. You can choose a specific moon sign, a full moon, dark moon or new moon. Most commonly gem elixirs are created under a full moon (this month the full moon falls on Friday the 13th! September 13 in Aries, fire sign of the warrior) although the possibilities are endless when working with lunar energy.
To create your gem elixir:
Take a small clear glass bowl, free of etchings, and place your gem in the bowl then cover it with spring water, distilled water or purified water. Do not use water from your tap as it is filled with chemicals and other impurities that will interfere with the infusion.
At dusk, the liminal time when the veil between the worlds is most thin, set the stone and the bowl in a window to receive the lunar influence, ideally in the west (which holds the Element of Water). It does not matter if the bowl is in direct light of the moon, and you may be making it under a moonless night regardless.
Allow it to steep all night then, before the sun shines upon it, remove it from the window. Strain out the gem and keep about an ounce of water. Offer the remainder of the infused water as a blessing to the Earth or, even better, a water source, even your drain or bathtub.
To the gem-infused, moon-infused water add equal parts of a preservative like brandy, apple cider vinegar or rose hydrosol. So for one ounce of the infused water, add one ounce of preservative. Place in a glass bottle, put the lid on the bottle and succus 50 times. Succus’ing is a specific process that activates and synergizes the essence and is key to the alchemical response. To succus, hold the bottle in your right hand and tap it firmly but gently onto the palm of your left hand. Do this 50 times. You now have your Mother Essence.
You do not take directly from the Mother Essence and instead dilute it further. In the magical (and scientific!) laws of homeopathy, less is more, so as it is with gem essences/ gem elixirs (and flower essences/ flower remedies).
From the Mother Essence, take 4 drops and add to a combination of 2 part spring/ purified/ distilled water and 1 part preservative (brandy, apple cider vinegar, rose hydrosol). Ideally use a ½ ounce or 1 ounce dropper bottle for this. Mix the water and the preservative in the dropper bottle then add the 4 drops of Mother Essence. Succus 50 times. You now have your Stock Bottle.
You can take directly from your Stock Bottle or dilute it one step further to the Dosage Bottle, which is the most potent and most common way to dispense these remedies. To create a Dosage Bottle, repeat the same steps as for the Stock Bottle (ie 2 parts water/ 1 part preservative in a ½ oz or 1 oz dropper bottle). For the Dosage Bottle, take 4 drops from the Stock Bottle and succus 50 times. You now have your Dosage Bottle.
To use: 4 drops directly in your mouth, on or under your tongue. You can also add drops to your wrists or other pulse points, to the crown of your head and third eye. You can add 4 drops to your water bottle or to your bath. No matter the size of the container, only use 4 drops per use. If you are taking it directly into or on your body, ou can reapply every five minutes or so, although do not take more than 4 drops at one time.
To further activate the energies of the elixir, as you take it recite audibly or in your mind an affirmation, an “I am” statement which should be used every time (the magic of repetition!). This affirmation statement should be a reflection of the energy infused into the elixir through the stone.
