As you might have guessed already, water is a dear element to Raindrop Movement. Through our offerings, we usually take you on a journey within. We invite you to connect with your own waters, we use her as an inspiration, a symbol, so you can feel her, and experience how she lives inside of you.
But with this article, we would like to take you around the world. Get ready to dive into the most sacred waters of each continent. Learn about the history and mysticism of these healing bodies of water.
And who knows? You might encounter some of these rivers, lakes, and cenotes on your next adventures!
The Nile: The Life/Death/life River
The Nile is the longest river of the World and one of the most mystical ones. Still today, 95% of the Egyptian population lives on its banks.
As life on its ridges depends on its floods, Ancient Egyptians welcomed these yearly events as a blessing from the gods. This regenerative cycle became a symbol of death and rebirth.
In fact, death was only seen as the beginning of a long and beautiful journey. Among numerous steps, it was believed that souls had to travel through the Nile to reach the underworld.
If you would like to learn more about it, many stories refer to the sacred river. Our favorite is the myth of Isis who always acted out of love and intuition.
Ma Ganga: India’s Holy Waters
The Ganges is another source of life, and although one of the most polluted rivers on Earth, an emblematic place of the Hindu religion. Several ancient texts tell her formation story and praise her cleansing powers.
She is sometimes referred to as Ma Ganga, the goddess who flew from heaven, through the world, to the underworld. Bathing in her holy waters would purify one, wash their sins away, and maybe even end their reincarnation cycle.
The Kumbh Mela festival takes place every year either in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, or Nasik. Millions of Indians from all casts gather from all over the country to complete this pilgrimage.
This UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has a rich history and bring together in a unique way the sciences of astronomy, astrology, spirituality, ritualistic traditions, as well as social and cultural customs and practices.
Lake Baikal: The Oldest Lake on Earth
Lesser known, Lake Baikal is however the deepest, largest, and oldest lake of our planet! Geology studies estimated that this fresh body of water was formed just about 25 to 30 million years ago! Can you even imagine how much information, how much memory, how much wisdom it holds?
On his Trans-Siberian adventure, the French Musician and DJ Thylacine captured the profound essence of this place in his songs Irkutsk and Chaman.
Shaman is also the name of a sacred rock located on Olkhon Island, right on the lake. Buryats, a local indigenous tribe, conferred great powers to the stone. Only shamans would travel there to connect with the spirit world and perform initiations and rituals.
Cenotes: Portals to Xibalba
Cenotes are sinkholes that can be found throughout the Yucatán Peninsula, parts of Belize, and Guatemala. Although these formations are present in other parts of the world, thousands of them — and counting — have been registered in this region only, making it a very unique place.
These natural pools of crystal-clear — and surprisingly cold — water have been on every traveler’s bucket list. But little know their ancient history and the great mysteries they hold.
Cenotes are sacred to the Maya. They are believed to be portals to Xibalba —the underworld. In the times of Tikal and Chichén Itzá, rituals were performed in the caves, and offerings were made to the divine, or what we most commonly but incorrectly translate as gods.
Lake Titicaca: The Birthplace of the Inca
I love that each sacred body of water has such unique characteristics. On top of being the biggest lake of Latin America, Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable one! It is actually shared between two countries: Peru and Bolivia.
Research has shown that the area has been inhabited for over 10,000 years. In 2,000, ruins have been discovered underwater, offering new insights on the rich history of this site.
Among older but lesser-known civilizations, the Inca were born right on the Lake, on La Isla del Sol — the Sun Island. According to their creation stories, the whole universe emerged from the lake, starting with the Sun God, Inti, and the Moon Goddess, Mama Killa.
Later on, Inti sent his own son, Manco Cápac, and his wife, Mama Ocllo to establish the Inca civilization. It is said that both arose from the depth of Lake Titicaca.
Lake Bled: The Island of Wishes
Nested in the Julian Alps, Lake Bled seems straight out of a fairytale. In its heart, the teeny-tiny Bled Island is locally known as the Island of Wishes.
Legend says that God submerged part of it to prevent shepherds from taking their herds and disturbing this sacred site.
The St. Mary Church has in fact a long history. Digs have revealed that a pagan temple originally overlooked the island. It is most likely that he was devoted to the Slavic goddess Živa who embodied the cycles of life, fertility, growth, and abundance.
As Christianism made his way through Slovenia, it was replaced by a small chapel where one could pray the mother of God. Finally, it was transformed in a church which bell can be rang with a wish. And so it is.
The way ancient civilizations and indigenous people revere water in all her forms reminds us of how precious, how beautiful, and how sacred she is. Their beliefs, myths, legends, and rituals carry profound symbolism on how we should treat and connect with the water. She is one of our great ancestors and we have so much to learn from her.
Reverence for Ancestors is the theme of our next Wild Woman gathering on September 6th. Meet us at the Altar to wash away your old wounds and experience the healing powers of the Raindrop Movement method.
Sources:
- World History Encyclopedia. Nile. Accessed August 12th.
- Learn Religions. The Ganges: Hinduism’s Holy River. Accessed August 12th.
- Sacred Sites International Foundation. Siberia’s Sacred Lake Baikal. Accessed August 12th.
- The Bled Island — a holy place. Accessed August 13th.
