A Meditation on the Element of Water

Standing on the shore, half the sun was gone as I watched evening segue into night. A regal presence filled the waters as the sun slowly dropped his head below the surface, leaving behind a crown of foam in its wake. With envy, I imagined the sun relieved of His duties, finally settling into the comfort of the sea’s bed.

I looked out over a liquid expanse of glossy dark hues, a childhood world of mermaids, titans, and jeweled encrusted shells. A warm, salty breeze passed over my skin and I became aware of Mother Ocean’s sentience.

The crest of a wave seemed to pause at its crescendo, the whites of its foam giving a moment’s glance before falling on my feet and retreating backwards, pulling me with a fingerless grip. The soles of my feet molded into wet sand. I could feel the ocean’s heart pumping, circulating wave after saline wave, out from its center onto the shore, and then dragged back to its secret heart. A flow, a rhythmic beat, lulling me into trance.

In a dream-like state I began wading through the shallows, out into the pulsating deep. Wind and water mingled, baptizing me with smoky wisps of spray. At chest level I could feel the pull of the tides, undulating waters calling me to leave the world of form behind. Relinquishing, I pushed up from the sand below and dove into a warm, thick swell. All became silent.

I am liquid. My point of consciousness is one with the ocean. My physical body left behind; problems are foreign matter here, forced out, like air bubbles to the surface.

A sudden realization that I could do anything I wanted floods my senses with freedom. I am one with the ocean’s mysteries; I sense Her motion, Her receptivity.

With a magical thought, my back transforms into the entire surface of the ocean and I am looking downward through the depths of my waters. There are starfish all around me, manta rays are moving in slow motion, and a giant seahorse floats suspended in time. They all speak to me, a poetic illumination, translated through the undines: water, like love, connects us without an embrace.

A slender ray of light catches my attention. It is the sun again, about to rise. Soon, He will lift from the waters, bringing my consciousness with Him. I will be awakened from this reverie and united with my physical body to once again fulfill another day’s duties.

But until then, it is still night, and I am still water. So I join the angelic hum of a passing current, and slowly, ever so slowly, disappear into its sweet oblivion.

Magical associations of the element of water:
~ Some properties are serenity, purification, universal love, psychic ability, the unconscious mind, dream and altered states, and healing.

~ It is symbolized by the cups in the tarot and represents the emotions.

~ Water elementals are known as undines and their ruler's name is Nicksa.

~ The archangel Gabriel presides over the element of water.

~ The colors blue and orange are associated with water.



Lawren Leo




Suggested reading:


Deepak Chopra. Peace is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End, (Harmony Books, 2005)

Brian Cotnoir. The Weiser Concise Guide to Alchemy, (Weiser, 2005)

Scott Cunningham. Earth, Air, Fire & Water, (Llewellyn, 2002)

Masaru Emoto. The Hidden Messages in Water, translated by David A. Thayne (Beyond Worlds, 2005)

Sandra Kynes. Sea Magic: Connecting with the Ocean's Energy, (Llewellyn, 2008)

Gede Parma. By Land, Sky & Sea: Three Realms of Shamanic Witchcraft, (Llewellyn, 2010)