For 94 days and 94 nights did it rain.... And here we are, trapped in the Northwest without even an ark to count on. Many ancient cultures had legends of floods that covered the entire earth. In ancient Greece, it was Deucalion who built the ark that saved humanity when Zeus flooded the earth. In Babylon, it was Uta Napishtim who built it. Israel had Noah. Even the Norse mythology had a flood. When Ymir, the first giant who fathered the Aesir, was slain, his briny blood flooded the pre-earth, drowning his evil giant children. That opportunity let the Aesir create the world and start the race of men. In that legend, two giants escaped and founded the race of Jotuns that forever after plagued the Aesir.
Floods and water have always been an agent of change. There is the old world, the flood comes, and a new world is begun. To us modern pagans, the water still brings change. In theory at least, there is winter, then the water comes, and then there is summer. The water is the symbol of spring. It is the spring rains that make the plants bloom, changing the world from the death of winter to the life of summer.
Oestara is a time of change, and water is the agent of that change. That is why this issue of Widdershins is devoted to water. We hope to present some ideas about water that you may not have thought of. Water is also a cleanser. Just about everyone I know, myself included, needs a good cleansing and grounding after being cooped up all winter, and now is the time. Spring cleanings are for the soul as well as the house. Get outside, enjoy the spring. Go swimming if you can. Let the waters of spring work their changes on us all.
[Home Page | Other Articles in This Issue | FAQ | Local Resources]