SPIRITS OF WATER
The Nature of Water
All four elements; earth, air, fire and water, work together
in a variety of ways that depend on similarities and differences
between the individual elements. Water is the opposite of fire and the
two are necessary to each other for balance. One could not exist
without the other. Fire provides the warmth and movement that water
lacks, whilst water dampens and controls the flaring, extreme activity
of fire.
Water is the element that is most like earth, being next to it in
density. It is a heavy, downward-settling element like earth. (In
contrast, fire and air are light, upward-moving elements.) Despite the
similarity, water also has useful differences that work well in
conjunction with some of the characteristics of earth, countering
earth's solid, static nature with its ability to flow, permeate and
dissolve solids. Water brings a type of movement to earth. This is not
the vigorous activity of fire, but a gentler form of movement. It can
be seen physically in the way water can weather and erode earth,
carrying particles along with it.
Metaphysically, water has the ability to hold vibrations, patterns or
templates clearly, accurately and for prolonged periods of time. This
ability is balanced by water's ability to cleanse itself of forces that
are not in accord with the templates it is holding. These abilities can
be temporarily affected by manmade pollutants or those arising from
natural causes such as volcanoes, tsunamis or violent storms.
Water plays an important part in activating the archetypes that are
held within earth. Because water rests on or permeates the Earth, the
closest possible contact is made between the two. This closeness allows
the archetypes or templates for life to be transferred into the water
where they are raised to a state of alertness by the specialised
quickening action of the water. They are then passed back to the Earth
and to the other elements in an energised form that makes life
possible. This process is like the germination of a seed. A seed is a
solid, like earth. It contains within it the blueprint for life just as
earth holds the archetypal patterns. The life within a seed is unable
to be released, however, until it is moistened and activated by water.
Once this is done, it is able to grow, interacting with earth, air,
fire and water during the life of the plant. Water activates the
archetypal patterns within earth so that they become available to
interact with the other elements.
The activating qualities of water come from its affinity with the
creative forces of the astral plane. Impulses are transmitted from the
angels through the planes, including the astral. These impulses pass
readily into the astral counterpart of water and they are distributed
from here through the etheric and into the physical world by the
appropriate water spirits. As water has the ability to release these
forces in stages, physical life is activated and awakened in ways that
perfectly match the physical environment, including season, weather and
temperature.
Water Spirits
Only the element of earth has greater number and variety of
nature spirits than water. All water has its associated nature spirits,
even if it is only present in the form of dampness or water vapour.
Certain large devic beings are associated with bodies of water and
sometimes with significant features such as lakes, rapids and
waterfalls. These devas are not specifically water spirits, as they
really belong to all the elements, having a particular affinity with
earth. They work extensively with water, however, when it plays an
important part in the landscape
As with all the other elements, nature spirits of water have a variety
of forms and functions, with the larger spirits usually having greater
consciousness and presiding over the smaller spirits who are less
outwardly aware. Some work within the etheric field of water, whilst others
have both astral and etheric forms and work mainly to shape and draw in
astral energies. They bring life and growth to their element, enabling
its physical manifestation to adhere as closely to the original
archetypes as possible.
Many of the nature spirits of freshwater are different in appearance
from those of ocean water, with those existing at the surface being the
most similar.
Sunlight has the ability to penetrate both water and air to
considerable depths. Undines, like sylphs, the spirits of air, draw in
power from the sunlight, transforming it within their forms and
releasing it into the etheric of the water they are a part of. This
force activates the etheric of the planet, bringing vitality to its
life-giving waters.
At night, all water spirits become still and appear to fade into the
surrounding water, or into nearby wet rocks or earth. It is as if they
are slipping between the layers of the metaphysical worlds and out of
sight. Even spirits of the deep where light does not penetrate follow
this pattern. Earth's energies are radiated outward during the day and
drawn inward at night and all of nature responds to this rhythm.
The Oceans
The oceans of Earth are a great creative cauldron in which
physical and metaphysical life is brewed. All water is indelibly
imprinted by its contact with the earth archetypes and as rivers and
rainwater flow into the oceans, these impulses accumulate and become
very concentrated. They are sustained and kept stable by the
metaphysical components of the mineral salts that are so plentiful in
seawater. The oceans therefore contain strong evolutionary forces,
maintaining within their etheric and astral fields the essence of all
life that has already been and the promise of all life that is still to
come.
Physical life began in the oceans, with single-celled organisms
eventually evolving into more complex life-forms. In time, life spread
from the oceans to take up residence on every part of the globe.
The oceans are complex environments, with the deepest ocean trench
being nearly 11,000 metres deep, just over 36,000 feet. Pressure here
is extreme, about a thousand times that at the surface and no light can
penetrate. The oceans have many zones with different physical and
metaphysical life-forms existing at every level. The nature spirits of
water found at the surface are very different from those in the depths.
Spiritual evolution is mirrored in the varying depths of the ocean,
from the deepest, densest, darkest waters near the ocean floor to the
light and bright surface waters. This is a parallel of the gradual
refining and raising of dense, coarse matter into spiritual light.
Physical life-forms tend to be primitive and ancient close to the
bottom of the ocean and more refined and developed at the surface.
Metaphysically, forces within the ocean surge upward, coming from
darkness toward light. The work of the water spirits of the oceans are
an intrinsic part of this process.
The oceans have a profound effect on living creatures on the Earth,
even if they live far away from them. The bodies of animals and human
beings contain a great volume of water as well as many minerals, just
like seawater. Plants also have these characteristics in varying
degrees. These characteristics link them all with the evolutionary
nature of the oceans from which life emerged. The etheric associated
with the water within animals, humans and plants, resonates in harmony
with the etheric of the oceans, maintaining the connection. When the
tide comes in, its influence does not stop at the high water mark. It
continues to ripple throughout the etheric of the land and through all
the creatures, people and plants in its path. It proceeds at the same
pace as the tide was moving and is not diminished by distance. This
carries with it the stimulus to continue to evolve, both physically and
spiritually. Being mindful of these influences that are available
enables human beings to utilise them to the fullest. The rhythm of the
waves also resets inner timing, bringing humankind more into harmony
with the planet and with the Spirit that governs it.
Water Spirits of the Oceans
The greatest number and variety of water spirits exists in the
oceans of the world, far more than in freshwater. The ocean is a
complex environment that provides many different types of conditions
and the opportunity for diverse expressions of life. The least evolved
of the water spirits are found at the bottom of the oceans and the most
evolved at the surface, with every stage of development in between.
Just as many physical deep sea fish appear grotesque to human
perception, having gaping jaws, pointed teeth and strange
protuberances, nature spirits of the etheric ocean depths are grotesque
to the human eye. Most are either very dark in colour or completely
colourless, and are almost indistinguishable against their etheric
environment. These form, disappear and reform frequently. Many have
shapes that are amoeba-like and shifting. Crab-like arms also
occasionally emerge, grasping briefly at the surrounding etheric
material before being reabsorbed into the main form. Some of the
creatures are more elongated and move horizontally, being blunt at the
front and tapering at the back. They are difficult to track with the
inner eye. From time to time, demonic fish-like faces emerge
momentarily at the front end of these forms, only to disappear again
just as quickly. The etheric field of water is normally sensitised by
light filtering down from above. As this does not happen in the depths
of the ocean, the etheric is very dense and less sensitive to the
archetypal impulses from within the Earth. This makes it difficult for
the etheric material to hold form for any length of time. Areas of less
dense etheric material exist within these creatures, appearing as dim
lights.
These creatures of the deep are not evil, even though they can appear
so to our physical perception. They are simply unevolved and time will
remedy this. They are a natural part of the process of evolution,
physical and spiritual, and our acceptance of them as such will assist
them in their growth.
Closer to the surface but where the light is still dim, the etheric
forms of the water spirits become more clearly defined and easier to
view. There are multitudes of small, streamlined shapes, moving rapidly
with darting movements. They are fish-like in shape, but have dimly
glowing centres of consciousness at their foremost tips. They move in
every direction, including upward, but are unable to move up into the
brighter layers of the ocean waters. Their movements condition the
etheric and bring form and life to it.
Here and there are larger forms, with slightly pointed glowing 'heads'
tapering away to drifting streams of energy. The light at the head
periodically creates a faint ripple of light that runs the length of
the trailing energy and is scattered in the nature spirit's wake. This
has an enlivening, awakening effect on the ethers around them. Some of
the largest of these spirits have shapes within them that can only be
dimly seen. These have the appearance of miniature archetypes and are
shaped like shells and other curling or spiralling forms. They are
patterns for the creation of ocean life and are held within the bodies
of the water spirits until they are required. At some point they will
be released into the etheric field of the water for the purpose of
moulding astral light into form.
At higher levels of the ocean, the etheric is less dense and the forms
of the water spirits are more defined and stable. Closer to the surface
dwell water spirits who have some rudimentary human characteristics
combined with aspects of fish and other smooth, streamlined shapes.
These spirits do not belong at the surface, although they visit there
on occasion. They cannot stay for long, as they are not equipped to
process the quantities of sunlight there. They are ideally suited to
transform the lesser quantities of light prevalent at the depth they
usually are found, however their occasional visits to the surface
stimulate their evolution.
The closer to the surface they dwell, the more evolved are the water
spirits, until, at the surface, they have very definite forms made of
radiant etheric material or a mixture of etheric and astral light.
These water spirits have beautiful, feminine, human-like forms in
varying sizes from tiny creatures the size of a droplet to beings the
size of a fully grown human being. Water spirits with human shape are
called undines or sometimes, nereids. They are the faeries of water.
These bright beings are made of misty, pearlescent light, tinted with
the colours of the ocean: greens, blues and yellows. Beautifully
coloured auras extend for a considerable distance around them,
radiating outward in concentric spheres. They dive and tumble through
the waves in the sunlight, filled with joy and ecstasy and trailing
sparkling flecks of light. At times they appear to have fully formed
legs, held gracefully together with the ankles crossed and at other
times this definition is lost and the legs blend together in a single
stream of energy. Sometimes several of the undines dive straight up and
through the surface of the water, pausing momentarily in the air, with
their arms raised to the sky. They draw in the energy of the sunlight
and dive back into the waves to discharge it. As they fall through the
air, they call in eerily distant tones, sounding something like the
faint prolonged cries of seabirds carried on the wind. They make these
strange haunting sounds only when they are partly or completely exposed
to the air. It is easy to see where belief in mermaids originated. The
sounds are strangely wistful and hypnotic, causing a yearning for other
realms in anyone hearing them.
In shallower sunlit waters where seaweed grows, many undines work and
play, drawing in astral forces and distributing them into the
surrounding water. Some of these spirits have almost complete human
form while others are veiled in drifting energy. They drift among the
waving seaweed, bending their forms gracefully to follow the curves of
the individual fronds. In this way, they interact with the sea plants,
tuning into them so as to harmonise themselves with their environment.
This is a type of rest for them and is in contrast to their usual
vigorous activity amongst the waves. A very faint hum can be heard from
them, carried on the astral counterpart of the seawater.
Undines have from one to three bright energy centres, depending on
their stage of evolution. Most commonly, a radiant light can be seen
around the head. This can have the appearance of a wreath or garland of
sparkling points, which arise from a glowing centre inside the head.
Some undines also have a centre of light within the chest that radiates
forward, intensifying with their level of activity. A third centre
sometimes exists at the feet, allowing a connection with the earth and
interaction with smaller beings of both earth and water. All three
centres are seen in larger ocean undines who dwell close to shorelines
or rocks.
Spirits of Freshwater
Undines and other water spirits exist in freshwater just as
they do in the oceans, however there are fewer varieties. They exist at
all depths, with the greatest numbers existing at or near the surface.
These undines are mainly human in form. At medium depths, the undines
are smaller and less well-formed, flashing through the water with the
appearance of streaks of light. In very deep water, where sunlight does
not penetrate, the water spirits do not have clearly defined forms.
They have the appearance of drifting sheets of energy that twist and
roll, forming an ever-changing array of shapes. At times, there is a
suggestion of faces and arms amid the shifting energies, but these do
not remain for very long. Freshwater nature spirits do not have the
grotesque appearance of some of the deep sea spirits.
Energy centres exist in freshwater undines in the same forms and
positions as in those of the oceans. The undines of deep freshwater
have only the glowing centre at the forward end, while those with human
forms have the centres in head and chest. The largest and most evolved
also have an energy centre at the feet. This is seen particularly in
larger spirits associated with features such as waterfalls. In addition
to these three centres, some of these larger undines occasionally
exhibit radiant light centres in the hands. These appear when they are
engaged in particular types of work.
Water exists in solid and liquid forms and in a range of conditions.
Characteristics such as temperature, mineral, bacterial or algal
content and degree of movement are all reflected in the characteristics
of the associated water spirits.
Undines do not mind whether the water of which they are a part is hot
or cold. They have no personal opinion of it and are not made
uncomfortable by extremes of temperature. They respond with appropriate
changes in form, colour and movement, so that their metaphysical work
always matches the prevailing conditions.
In ice and snow, undines become still, crystalline and radiant. Their
bodies seem to shrink and fade until they can barely be seen, while the
auras surrounding them extend much further than usual, emerging into
the air around the ice or snow. Their normal levels of activity are
transferred from their forms into these auric emanations, which become
very active; flaring, shifting and changing in colour with great
frequency. They remain in this form until the ice or snow melts, when
they return to a human-like form and function in the water as before.
If water is heated, its undines move more vigorously, making sudden and
quick movements. They frequently leap from the water's surface, rising
into the air with the water vapour or steam produced. They either dive
back into the water or disperse with the steam back into the etheric and astral realms from which they were originally formed.
When water is still, its undines can be seen drifting serenely and
rolling within it. The stillness of the water triggers them into
constant, but sedate movement. They occasionally rise from the surface
into the sunlit air, before slowly sinking back into the water. The
energy they absorb from the sunlight is released slowly into the water
as they drift in a blissful trance-like state. When it is fully
discharged they return to the surface and either float there with their
forms partly out of the water, or again rise into the air. Undines are
only able to move beyond the surface of their water when there is
moisture present in the air in the form of steam, rain, mist, fog or
water vapour.
When a riverbed or a lake dries up, the water spirits that remain
withdraw into the earth and reside in whatever moisture is left deep
under the soil. As long as there is any moisture remaining, even if it
is deep underground, the undines will remain. They no longer interact
with the air and the sun, but become mostly dormant, apart from minimal
interaction with the earth element. When water returns to their lake or
river, they once again return to the surface and resume their
activities.
If water contains minerals or other material, its undines reflect this
in the speed of their movement and the colours they exhibit, both in
their forms and in their auras. The presence of base minerals encourages
greater interaction with nearby earth spirits and less interaction with
the sun and the air. The presence of precious metals such as gold
generates a general uplifting in the undines present, increasing their
interactions with the sun and air. Such spirits appear more bright and
radiant and their rate of evolution is increased. They are more
conscious of their surroundings.
Individual raindrops each have a tiny water spirit within them. A
shower of rain, particularly if it's a heavy downpour, also has larger
water spirits that move amongst the sheets of falling water. Rain
undines have a wild type of air energy incorporated into them that
gives them a particular type of vigour. They bring a specialised form
of nourishment to the earth and to any body of water they fall into.
During very violent storms with high winds, extreme rainfall and
flooding, undines occasionally become very wild and act in ways that
are quite unlike their usual watery nature. On one occasion during such
a storm, a large undine of a waterfall was observed to increase in size
and activity, whipped by the fury of the storm. Her predominantly
feminine energy became masculine in expression. Her eyes shone with
fiery red energy, which is very unusual in a water spirit. Her
emanations were forceful and extreme as she extended herself forward
from the rock face, seeking to engulf everything in the path of the
water flowing from her waterfall. The metaphysical noise she emitted
was abrasive and battering to a person with clairaudience, producing
feelings of stress and psychic shock. Her harsh screeching rose and
fell in pitch, affecting all in its environment. Physically,
floodwaters created havoc in the surrounding countryside. By the next
morning the rain had stopped and the strength of the waterfall had
greatly reduced. Within a couple of days things returned to normal and
the water spirit resumed her usual activities as if nothing extreme had
ever occurred.
In general, wild movement in water as a result of flooding, rapids or
very active waterfalls shows itself in the associated undines in
decreased definition of form in the lower parts, increased definition
in the upper parts, more vigorous movement than usual and brightly
gleaming eyes.
In flowing water, undines alternate between vigorous activity and
complete stillness. When active in sunlight, they can be seen playing
and diving through the water, skimming along the surface and rising
into the air above the surface. Freshwater undines spend more time
exposed to the air than their ocean cousins. In sunlight many of them
are barely discernible from the water. They appear to be almost made of
water. They are almost transparent, with parts of their forms coming
into visibility, but rarely is the whole form seen at one time. They
are tinted with pale colours, mainly greens, blues and yellows, but
some of the more evolved ones are pink or mauve. In their less active
phase, they can be seen drifting underwater or lying in graceful
reclining poses on the bottom. They do this mainly in places where the
water is quite deep and is moving more slowly than at the surface.
Undines at the surface of freshwater emit prolonged descending cascades
of sound or undulating sequences of song, mainly in a minor key. These
sounds are only made when they are partly or completely exposed to the
air. Their song is more melodic than that of the ocean spirits and the
sounds are more drawn out and penetrating. They can sometimes be
difficult to hear, as if they are calling from afar. Their sounds are
of the astral realms. It is sometimes difficult to discern them amid
water sounds and the sounds of the wind, as they treat these as part of
their communication also, and mould their own calls around them. They
tend to sing most when the water is rough or the wind is blowing. The
sounds they make create a connection between individual undines,
forming specialised energy pathways within their collective
consciousness. When the water is ruffled by wind, undines often become
aware of sylphs in their area and on occasion call to sylphs,
establishing a temporary bond between water and air.
Interactions
Undines do not have as many interactions with human beings as
earth spirits. The interactions they do have are usually not complex.
They occasionally enjoy swimming with people, undulating their smooth
forms through the water alongside the swimmer.
Many of the more highly evolved undines are conscious of the attention
or scrutiny of humans. They are very aware of their own beauty and of
their power to attract. They have an instinct that drives them to
attempt to involve human beings. Human acknowledgement assists undines
in their evolution as is the case with all nature spirits. At times
they emit an atmosphere of yearning that reaches out to human beings,
attempting to entice them into sharing in the bliss of their
activities. Most people have a natural immunity to these enticements,
as their lack of belief and lack of awareness protects them. A person
who has trained to perceive nature spirits develops a degree of mental
control in the process and is able to resist such enchantments and
observe and enjoy these realms without risk.
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