Flowing into the streams, rivers and oceans.

Avalonia recently published Kim Huggens’ anthology From a Drop of Water which contains 17 essays by a wonderful combination of modern esoteric writiers, pagan scholars and magical practitioners.  All the essays, though written from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, touch on the concept of “water” in religious, magical, spiritual and religious symbolism.  The contributors explore some of the rich mythologies, folklore, legends and uses attributed to this important element of human life (and indeed all life!) here on Earth.

My own contribution to From a Drop of Water, my essay “To Dare” looks at the Element of Water in the Western Esoteric Traditions.  In my essay I explore some of the early origins of the concept of the “Four Elements” which first emerged in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles in his work Tetrasomia (The Doctrine of the Four Elements).   Empedocles’ work was to filter through many people and magical systems, eventually giving us the system of attributions we have today.  David and I previously researched the origins of the Doctrine of the Four Elements, for our books Practical Elemental Magick and Wicca Magickal Beginnings.   In the latter we explored in great detail the practice of the invocation of the Guardians of the Four Elements, or Four Directions – sometimes referred to as “Watchtowers” as found in modern initiatory traditions of Wicca, as well as the many Neo-Pagan traditions who derived their practices from Wicca, showing clearly that the origins of this practice can be traced back many hundreds of years prior to Gerald Gardner, going back to Ancient Egypt, Greece and so much more.  For those lovers of sigils and symbols, I included a huge collection of symbols used for the element of water, in a wide range of traditions in history, in From a Drop of Water which should be very useful for making talismans and amulets!

Of course my own is only one of many contributions in this unique anthology, here is a full list of the contributions and contributors:

Foreword By Kim Huggens
Anahita (Lady Of Persia) By Payam Nabarz
Dancing With Water By Nina Falaise
The Mirror Of The Soul (Assessing The Function Of Watery Rituals And Folk Beliefs) By Yvonne Aburrow
Married To The Sea (Eroticism In Ocean Lore) By Chrissy Derbyshire
The Admiral, The Siren And Whale (Water Spirits In The Vodou Tradition) By Kim Huggens
To Dare (The Element Of Water In The Western Esoteric Traditions) By Sorita D’este
The Well Spring Of Wisdom (Sacred Wells In Faith Through The Ages) By Katherine Sutherland
A Flow Of Water Through The Grimoire World
Exploring Holy Water, (Cleansing Baths As Well As Magical Operations Like The Water Of Life And Turning Water In To Blood) By Maestro Nestor
Nimue (The Archetypal Priestess) By Emily Carding
Quenching The Thirst, Drinking The Spirit (Water And Water Guardians In English Root Magick) By John Canard
The Queen Of The Oceans (The Afro-Brazilian Goddess Yemanyá And Sea Magic) By Andrea Salgado Reyes
Mayans, Maize And Much-Needed Rain By Rachel Donaldson
A Feast For Water (Baptism In The Thelemic Tradition) By Rodney Orpheus & Cathryn Orchard
Strung Like Pearls (Dion Fortune’s Sea Priestess And Its Relationship To The Elemental Contacts Of Water) By Diane M. Champigny
Rituals Of Water By Magin
Water: A Key To Healing By Harry Barron
The Moon (The Door Of Dreams, And The Tides Within) By Melissa Harrington

The cover artwork is by the artist, and fellow contributor, Nina Falaise.