As previously noted, each element is also associated with a mythological being, or an elemental, that can be called upon for help with spellcasting and rituals. An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types: gnomes, undines (also known as nymphs), sylphs, and salamanders. These correspond to the Classical elements of antiquity: earth (solid), water (liquid), wind (gas), and fire (heat). Aether (quintessence) / Spirit / Akasha was not assigned an elemental.
The exact term for each legendary creature varies somewhat from source to source, though these four are now the most usual. Paracelsus used the names of mythological creatures from earlier traditions; their names are often used interchangeably with similar beings from folklore.
Undines (Latin: Unda—a wave), also called ondines, are elementals, enumerated as the water elementals in works of alchemy by Paracelsus. They also appear in European folklore as fairy-like creatures; the name may be used interchangeably with those of other water spirits. Undines are said to be able to gain a soul by marrying a man and bearing his child. The German folktale of Ondine, a water nymph who curses her unfaithful husband to cease breathing if he should ever fall asleep again, is the basis for "Ondine's Curse," the historical term for congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, in which the afflicted lose autonomic control over breathing, placing them at greatest risk when they are asleep (a severe form of sleep apnea).
According to a theory advanced by Paracelsus, an Undine is a water nymph or water spirit, the elemental of water. They are usually found in forest pools and waterfalls. They have beautiful voices, which are sometimes heard over the sound of water. According to some legends, Undines cannot get a soul unless they marry a man and bear him a child. This aspect has led them to be a popular motif in romantic and tragic literature. Their origins may be best traced back to ancient Greece wherein mythology cites a clan of nymphs called Oceanides who claimed the waters of the world as their home. These beings were the daughters of Titan and his wife Tethys. Their presence in the oceans was legendary among seafarers. Mostly beneficent, Oceanides would aid water-travelers in navigation and provide safe sea-ways. In 18th-century Scotland, Undines were also referred to as the wraiths of water. Even then, they were not feared as other wraiths such as the kelpie.
Undines are essential to awaking gifts of empathy, healing and purification. They are usually female in form. They work to maintain the astral body and feelings. They represent energy of creation, birth, intuition and creative imagination. They make their presence known through dreams.
We could say an Undine is a personification of water. Many schools of thought liken Undines to sprites, nymphs and mermaids. This is an understandable comparison. When we contemplate such subtle (even unseen) life, it's natural to find comparisons. However, the energetic flavor of elementals is quite unique and unlike anything else in the intangible realms.
• As they are entities united with water, Undines are governed by the Moon.
• Undines are also associated with the directional domain of the West.
• As water affiliates, Undines will speak most freely to water signs (Cancerians, Pisceans, and Scorpios)
• The realm of cups in the Tarot are connected to Undines and study of this Tarot suit may augment our concept of their temperament.
Undines, (like their elemental kin: Salamanders, Sylphs and Gnomes) unite within their medium to form an impenetrable energetic bond. Thusly, nature-based belief systems may pay homage to the Undine as the embodiment of water itself. When we hear the term "Guardians of the Watchtowers" Undines would be the guardians of the water, and so communication in this arena would be directed to their ilk.
Water is the well of life, and these beings are essential to finding that well within. They are essential to awakening the gifts to empathy, healing, and purification. The undines work to maintain the astral body of humans and to awaken and stimulate our feeling nature. They assist in unfolding heightened psychic feelings, as well as emotional ones. Theirs is the energy of creations, birth, intuition, and creative imagination. They assist us in absorbing and assimilating life experience, so that we can use them to the fullest. They help us see and feel the fullest ecstasy of the creative acts of life, be they sexual, artistic, or performance of a duty with the right emotion.
Undines often make their presence known through our dreams. Dreams of water and sensuality often reflect undine activity and their urging to greater creativity in our life. Working with them can assist us in controlling and directing dream activity, as passions for life may reflect a need to get in attunement with our personal undine or those water spirits who can affect our feeling nature.
Failure to connect with the water elementals on a regular, balanced level can increase toxicity levels of the body, for the water wont flow and cleanse.
On the other hand, too much connection with water elementals and nature spirits can make us water-logged with emotions and contradictory feelings. Water retention in the body is often a physical signal of this. It can make you self-absorbed with a pronounced imagination and even extreme behaviors. It can make you compulsively passionate. It may generate over-sensuality, overwhelming fear, and secretiveness. You may be spending all of your time yearning and emoting, rather than doing, and there will arise a heightened sense of vulnerability.
Through our personal undine, we can get in touch with feelings and deeper emotions. It can help awaken us to the oneness of creation. It stimulates our nurturing abilities and opens us to the emotional pool where we can find healing compassion and intuition. Because of its fluid nature, the undine is best controlled through firmness.
Invoke the Undines with barefoot feet and get a glass container containing water. Invoking the Undines helps in love situations and in the development of intuition. It is important to be facing west when to making the invocation.
Practice Meeting Undines: What You’ll Need: Water Incense, Water Oil
To begin, light some water incense and allow it to waft over your body, infusing you with its energies. Place a dab the water oil at all seven body-energy centers: base of the spine, pubic region, solar plexus, heart, throat, center of the brow, crown of the head. Next you will engage in a guided imagery. Find a comfortable lying-down position and close your eyes. Take several deep breaths and allow your body to become relaxed. Slowly allow the earth to hold you completely. Surrender your body weight to the planet, where it belongs. Imagine that you stand at the western edge of a large freshwater spring. The spring is set within a lush, green forest and you cannot see beyond the surrounding greenery. Hold your spirit hands up toward the west. Feel the cool, fresh energy of the spring water circulate through you completely until you feel that you are one with it. Then imagine that you cast this energy out through your hands and it appears as an electric-blue power that forms a protective shield around you. Turn your spirit body in a clockwise direction, casting a circle of protection and containment with this energy that bursts forth from your hands. When you face the west again, the energy that once emanated from your hands subsides. You are now completely surrounded by this blue field of energy, yet you are able to clearly see through it. Imagine that you raise your hands to the sky and summon forth the undines–the spirits of this magickal spring. Soon you see finned, human-like figures emerge from the depths of the spring. When the undines appear, you notice that your circle takes on a sparkling cobalt hue. Ask the undines where near to your home you can find them. Remember what they tell you. When you have heard their answer, bid them farewell and firmly request that they return to their magickal realm. Watch them as they glide back below the surface of the spring, leaving only the sparkling cobalt aura that surrounds you and your magick circle. This aura left behind is the balancing force of water. Feel it balance you, center you, and cause you to become whole. When you feel you have absorbed enough of the undines’ powers, it is time to close the circle that you have created. Imagine that you hold your hands up to the west, begin to turn your spirit-body in a clockwise direction. This time as you turn, imagine that you draw the energies of the circle back into your body. Then allow the energy to pass through your body and return to the earth below your feet, grounding it completely. Once you have finished, it is time to open your eyes. Get down on your hands and knees and place your forehead to the floor, grounding and solidifying all of the energy you raised. Take time to journal about your experiences, to draw a picture of the undines, and to write down where you can find them near your home.
Make an offering to the undines to assure they become good magickal partners: What You’ll Need: A cup of red wine (or a red fruit juice), A piece of a baked good. When you first arrive at your chosen water spot, the place of the undines, sit on the ground and close your eyes. Imagine the undines, gathering, floating, watching you. Open your eyes and pour out a cup of wine. Grasp the filled cup and baked good in your hands. Hold your arms out, to shoulder level, offering the food to the spirits. Cast your gaze to the ground (a respectful gesture). Leave the baked good on the ground and pour the wine over it, saying: “Undines of the deep, Lord Necksa, I summon you. / Accept this offering of water and fruit. / I give this in thanks of your aid in my past magick / and hope you will answer my call in future works. / Enjoy this offering, and depart! / So mote it be.” Quickly gather your belongings and leave this enchanted spot. Return only when you wish to contemplate the undines or if you wish to invoke their magickal energies for some purpose.
Activity Consider how you might ask Undines to help you in your magickal work. Journal or write in your book of shadows about Undines and their power.
Credit: Stacy Hartlage Taylor
As previously noted, each element is also associated with a mythological being, or an elemental, that can be called upon for help with spellcasting and rituals. An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types: gnomes, undines (also known as nymphs), sylphs, and salamanders. These correspond to the Classical elements of antiquity: earth (solid), water (liquid), wind (gas), and fire (heat). Aether (quintessence) / Spirit / Akasha was not assigned an elemental.
The exact term for each legendary creature varies somewhat from source to source, though these four are now the most usual. Paracelsus used the names of mythological creatures from earlier traditions; their names are often used interchangeably with similar beings from folklore.
Undines (Latin: Unda—a wave), also called ondines, are elementals, enumerated as the water elementals in works of alchemy by Paracelsus. They also appear in European folklore as fairy-like creatures; the name may be used interchangeably with those of other water spirits. Undines are said to be able to gain a soul by marrying a man and bearing his child. The German folktale of Ondine, a water nymph who curses her unfaithful husband to cease breathing if he should ever fall asleep again, is the basis for "Ondine's Curse," the historical term for congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, in which the afflicted lose autonomic control over breathing, placing them at greatest risk when they are asleep (a severe form of sleep apnea).
According to a theory advanced by Paracelsus, an Undine is a water nymph or water spirit, the elemental of water. They are usually found in forest pools and waterfalls. They have beautiful voices, which are sometimes heard over the sound of water. According to some legends, Undines cannot get a soul unless they marry a man and bear him a child. This aspect has led them to be a popular motif in romantic and tragic literature. Their origins may be best traced back to ancient Greece wherein mythology cites a clan of nymphs called Oceanides who claimed the waters of the world as their home. These beings were the daughters of Titan and his wife Tethys. Their presence in the oceans was legendary among seafarers. Mostly beneficent, Oceanides would aid water-travelers in navigation and provide safe sea-ways. In 18th-century Scotland, Undines were also referred to as the wraiths of water. Even then, they were not feared as other wraiths such as the kelpie.
Undines are essential to awaking gifts of empathy, healing and purification. They are usually female in form. They work to maintain the astral body and feelings. They represent energy of creation, birth, intuition and creative imagination. They make their presence known through dreams.
We could say an Undine is a personification of water. Many schools of thought liken Undines to sprites, nymphs and mermaids. This is an understandable comparison. When we contemplate such subtle (even unseen) life, it's natural to find comparisons. However, the energetic flavor of elementals is quite unique and unlike anything else in the intangible realms.
• As they are entities united with water, Undines are governed by the Moon.
• Undines are also associated with the directional domain of the West.
• As water affiliates, Undines will speak most freely to water signs (Cancerians, Pisceans, and Scorpios)
• The realm of cups in the Tarot are connected to Undines and study of this Tarot suit may augment our concept of their temperament.
Undines, (like their elemental kin: Salamanders, Sylphs and Gnomes) unite within their medium to form an impenetrable energetic bond. Thusly, nature-based belief systems may pay homage to the Undine as the embodiment of water itself. When we hear the term "Guardians of the Watchtowers" Undines would be the guardians of the water, and so communication in this arena would be directed to their ilk.
Water is the well of life, and these beings are essential to finding that well within. They are essential to awakening the gifts to empathy, healing, and purification. The undines work to maintain the astral body of humans and to awaken and stimulate our feeling nature. They assist in unfolding heightened psychic feelings, as well as emotional ones. Theirs is the energy of creations, birth, intuition, and creative imagination. They assist us in absorbing and assimilating life experience, so that we can use them to the fullest. They help us see and feel the fullest ecstasy of the creative acts of life, be they sexual, artistic, or performance of a duty with the right emotion.
Undines often make their presence known through our dreams. Dreams of water and sensuality often reflect undine activity and their urging to greater creativity in our life. Working with them can assist us in controlling and directing dream activity, as passions for life may reflect a need to get in attunement with our personal undine or those water spirits who can affect our feeling nature.
Failure to connect with the water elementals on a regular, balanced level can increase toxicity levels of the body, for the water wont flow and cleanse.
On the other hand, too much connection with water elementals and nature spirits can make us water-logged with emotions and contradictory feelings. Water retention in the body is often a physical signal of this. It can make you self-absorbed with a pronounced imagination and even extreme behaviors. It can make you compulsively passionate. It may generate over-sensuality, overwhelming fear, and secretiveness. You may be spending all of your time yearning and emoting, rather than doing, and there will arise a heightened sense of vulnerability.
Through our personal undine, we can get in touch with feelings and deeper emotions. It can help awaken us to the oneness of creation. It stimulates our nurturing abilities and opens us to the emotional pool where we can find healing compassion and intuition. Because of its fluid nature, the undine is best controlled through firmness.
Invoke the Undines with barefoot feet and get a glass container containing water. Invoking the Undines helps in love situations and in the development of intuition. It is important to be facing west when to making the invocation.
Practice Meeting Undines: What You’ll Need: Water Incense, Water Oil
To begin, light some water incense and allow it to waft over your body, infusing you with its energies. Place a dab the water oil at all seven body-energy centers: base of the spine, pubic region, solar plexus, heart, throat, center of the brow, crown of the head. Next you will engage in a guided imagery. Find a comfortable lying-down position and close your eyes. Take several deep breaths and allow your body to become relaxed. Slowly allow the earth to hold you completely. Surrender your body weight to the planet, where it belongs. Imagine that you stand at the western edge of a large freshwater spring. The spring is set within a lush, green forest and you cannot see beyond the surrounding greenery. Hold your spirit hands up toward the west. Feel the cool, fresh energy of the spring water circulate through you completely until you feel that you are one with it. Then imagine that you cast this energy out through your hands and it appears as an electric-blue power that forms a protective shield around you. Turn your spirit body in a clockwise direction, casting a circle of protection and containment with this energy that bursts forth from your hands. When you face the west again, the energy that once emanated from your hands subsides. You are now completely surrounded by this blue field of energy, yet you are able to clearly see through it. Imagine that you raise your hands to the sky and summon forth the undines–the spirits of this magickal spring. Soon you see finned, human-like figures emerge from the depths of the spring. When the undines appear, you notice that your circle takes on a sparkling cobalt hue. Ask the undines where near to your home you can find them. Remember what they tell you. When you have heard their answer, bid them farewell and firmly request that they return to their magickal realm. Watch them as they glide back below the surface of the spring, leaving only the sparkling cobalt aura that surrounds you and your magick circle. This aura left behind is the balancing force of water. Feel it balance you, center you, and cause you to become whole. When you feel you have absorbed enough of the undines’ powers, it is time to close the circle that you have created. Imagine that you hold your hands up to the west, begin to turn your spirit-body in a clockwise direction. This time as you turn, imagine that you draw the energies of the circle back into your body. Then allow the energy to pass through your body and return to the earth below your feet, grounding it completely. Once you have finished, it is time to open your eyes. Get down on your hands and knees and place your forehead to the floor, grounding and solidifying all of the energy you raised. Take time to journal about your experiences, to draw a picture of the undines, and to write down where you can find them near your home.
Make an offering to the undines to assure they become good magickal partners: What You’ll Need: A cup of red wine (or a red fruit juice), A piece of a baked good. When you first arrive at your chosen water spot, the place of the undines, sit on the ground and close your eyes. Imagine the undines, gathering, floating, watching you. Open your eyes and pour out a cup of wine. Grasp the filled cup and baked good in your hands. Hold your arms out, to shoulder level, offering the food to the spirits. Cast your gaze to the ground (a respectful gesture). Leave the baked good on the ground and pour the wine over it, saying: “Undines of the deep, Lord Necksa, I summon you. / Accept this offering of water and fruit. / I give this in thanks of your aid in my past magick / and hope you will answer my call in future works. / Enjoy this offering, and depart! / So mote it be.” Quickly gather your belongings and leave this enchanted spot. Return only when you wish to contemplate the undines or if you wish to invoke their magickal energies for some purpose.
Activity Consider how you might ask Undines to help you in your magickal work. Journal or write in your book of shadows about Undines and their power.
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