
Thames: Sacred River
In the book, Peter Ackroyd takes us on a journey down the river. At its source, at Thames Head, grows an Ash tree. In Norse mythology the ash has roots that descend to the lower world and connects the three circles of existence. In mythology, a pool was beside it and a river ran from this Tree of Life.
Peter Ackroyd says: “The source is the place of enchantment, where the boundary between the visible and invisible worlds is to be found. It is commonly deemed to be a sanctuary, guarded or protected by the spirits of the young water… It represents the birth of every living thing. It is the Well of Life, or in the Norse phrase, the Well of Wyrd.”
The journey takes past places where tributaries join the Thames, often sites of ancient ritual use and possibly where the Celtic god Condatus – meaning Watersmeet - was worshipped as a healing god.
The Thames at London has been the lifeblood of the city since it was first founded, offering routes for commerce and communication. It has also been the site of battles. It has drawn people to it for pleasure as well as profit. It has inspired artists and poets. It has drawn lovers and dreamers, criminals and suicides to gaze onto its silvery surface or ponder its dark depths.
Thames: Sacred River
Individuals have continued to worship the Thames itself, including Douglas Chellow, born in 1790, who published a broadsheet entitled Crimes against the Thames and believed that the river was an ancient deity. Today, modern pagans honour the gods of the river and even those who are not religious continue to be inspired by the landscape of the Thames.
It is very hard to sum up the scope of Thames: Sacred River
Thames: Sacred River
To see a guided visualisation following a river from its source to the sea, click on this link: www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/09/visualisation-on-element-of-water.html
1 comment:
A very good review of this superb book.
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