Springs were particularly revered as the elixir of the Earth since the waters that emanate from their depths have been touched the least by the crude matter of the exterior world. They carry the memory of the womb of the Earth Mother in its pristine state

This understanding survives in folklore all around the world, and it was understood by ancient cultures for thousands of years. The reverance of the sacred spring went beyond maintaining the purity of the water; the equilibrium of the individual, the tribe, even the immediate landscape depended on the purity and sanctity of the water emanating from a sacred spring.

In many parts of Europe the tradition of honouring sacred springs was maintained well into the Celtic era. When these blessed repositories came under the protection of this emerging faith they were protected by what is called 'well dressing', where permanent stone structures were erected over the spring so as to maintain the purity of the site.

Later such places became holy wells. But the practise of well dressing survived right into Victorian times, specifically in Britain, where it is still possible to see elaborate, Gothic structures protecting the springs.

As the Catholic church supplanted the Celtic system, so the holy wells became christianized. Local pagan deities were changed to reflect the new master, one such exampel being wells once dedicated to the goddess Morgana were changed to Mary. The church also adopted the use of holy water from pagan cultures, even if it was largely a symbolic gesture. However, it is interesting to note that in older churches the water fonts—which traditionally sit in the western part of the church—still sit over blind springs.

This superimposing actually has beneficial effects. A blind spring is the result of a spiralling subterannean energy generated by the movement of water as it passes through fissures below the buildings. Since these blind springs tend to attract lines of magnetic force, the rising vortex of nergy is highly charged. When it reaches the surface it penetrates the granite of the church font and all its inherent quartz crystal.

Quartz is a wonderful memory storage device, so the energy upwelling from the earth charges the font. Any water placed inside its bowl will be affected by the energy stored in the font, charging the water and making it whole— literally wholy water.

Even today, many sacred springs are honoured with prayers and offerings. It is the continual reinforcement of the spirit of place that maintains the purity and effectiveness of the elixir flowing out of the Earth. The recent scientific experiments of Masaro Emoto, showing how human intent has a profound affect on the shape and crystalline structure of water, is proof that prayers and words of veneration, particularly aimed at water, will charge its properties. In the Victorian era many patients would be referred by their doctors to find cures for ailments in holy wells and sacred springs. After all, this had been the practise for thousands of years. Local traditions today will refer you to a well that has specific cures for eyes, gout, liver, rheumatism and so on.

To some degree the designation of sacred springs comes from the dissolved mineral content inherent in their waters, and there is no doubt that many are very good for your heath. Anyone who has drank the water of the Chalice Well in Glastonbury will tell you of their marvellous restorative properties. And hardly surprising given the high content of iron,which gives the well an otherwordly reddish colour.

Recent discoveries may just prove these myths to have been borne out of a basic truth. When comparing the water from sacred springs and holy wells to normal water under the microscope, it displays a higher vorticular motion than ordinary water. In other words, there are millions of tiny vortices writhing in a very excited state, as if the water is alive. This water also exhibits energetic properties that allow it to capture a much higher frequency of the light spectrum.

Hardly surprising, therefore, that during medieval times kings in northern Europe would send for sacred well water to be brought from the countryside in cups made of quartz to maintain its purity.

It is also not surprising that the emerging Catholic church decided to place its holy wells on top of existing pagan sacred springs, precisely to take advantage of their special properties. Given the interaction between blind springs, underground water and magnetism, if a person happens to be in the right place at the right time they will often see unusual light phenomena emerging from these special places. Sometimes this takes on the form of balls of light, or orbs. There are also many cases of unusual light features captured on modern camera equipment that is able to register frequencies in the untraviolet range. Perhaps thsi is one explanation for the apparitions in one of christendom's most famous springs, Lourdes, once an ancient place of veneration.


©Freddy Silva. No unauthorized reproduction.