Author: Huggens, Kim (Editor)

FROM A DROP OF WATER is a unique collection of 17 essays by some of the foremost modern esoteric writers, pagan scholars and magickal practitioners.

Each contribution reflects the writer's own understanding and passion for Water, and in doing so they share their unique insights, experiences and their diverse research on the subject with the reader. The powerful nature of Water as transformer and healer, initiator into the mysteries and bringer of both life and death is emphasised throughout.

The multitude of spiritual beings associated with Water are powerful and volatile forces of nature. They include the Undines and Nymphs of European folklore, as well as mythical creatures such as mermaids and krakens, sirens and selkies.

The importance of Water is often taken for granted, yet its symbolism connects every religion, spiritual path and philosophy. Many of the earliest creation myths have Water as a central theme, and man has forever been telling tales of the Waters of this Earth, and has since time immemorial gazed up at the Moon who governs the ebb and flow of the ocean's tides.

Likewise, deities associated with Water often play a central role in myths, legends and practices, and this is explored in many of the essays in this anthology. From Anahita, the Persian Goddess of rain and abundance, to the Afro-Brazilian Goddess Yemanyá, the Egyptian Mother Goddess Isis as portrayed in Dion Fortune's Sea Priestess and Nimue in the Arthurian Legends, the power of Water is ever present.

Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love is born from the foam of the oceans, and many of the Vodou Lwa – including Agwe, Mambo La Sirene, Erzulie Freda, Damballah Wedo and the Simbis also have strong associations with Water which are explored in this collection. Furthermore, the magical qualities and symbolism of Water are explored through examples of meditation, ritual, song and dance. Its magic is manifested through talismans, poetry, art and invocation. Moreover, Living Water as used in the Kabbalah and Grimoires, as well as the role of Water in Baptism are also explored.

This exceptional collection of essays bring together a breadth of experience, which is emphasised through the diversity of traditions they represent. These include Vodou, Thelema, the Western Mystery Tradition, Wicca, Paganism, and English Root Magick, as well as Grimoire Magicians who work the magick of the Key of Solomon and Goetia.

Water both allures and terrifies – just like the stark contrast between the glimmering of moonlight upon the ocean's surface on a clear night and the hulking gloom in its fathomless depths. But the planet's oceans and many Waters are vast and unfathomable, and herein lies but a few drops of wisdom in a sea of possibilities.