I confess that I did go out and mumble these words in the quiet of an evening. Strange words for strange times...
We were lucky enough after our winter
holiday to squeak back into our Corsican home just before lockdown. Not so
lucky though that we didn't have to abandon plans to cross the Tyrrhenian Sea
to our summer home in Preggio, just over the hills from Cortona.
I know it was terrible for many. Not just
the isolation, but the loss of friends and family before their time. But there
is always a silver lining and, for me, having my feet nailed to the ground for
a while probably wasn't such a bad thing. We decided to use some of the time to
clear a patch of land that had long been overgrown with trees and bushes
(called 'maquis' in Corsica).
What
appeared was a real surprise for me....an old water source emerging from the
side of a hill. What the locals would call a fountain. It was clearly very old
and it felt a very special place...one that would have been very important to
people generation after generation. For those who know the mediterranean, water
has a central place in small communities. And the find was particularly
poignant given that our land is marked on the map as 'Morte Secca'.
I mentioned the find to an old friend of
mine in the UK who considers himself a Druid and likely to be interested in
such things. He suggested that I should recognise the place with these words.
"Oh Goddess of fire and water. May we
find healing in your waters, in your well. May your waters cleanse and purify
me. May the spirits of Wisdom and the
West give me creativity and insight. I consecrate this water in your name. May
it be protected and venerated and may it remain clear and cool. May it's
inspiration live on in my being"
I'm not religious, but I confess that I did
go out and mumble these words in the quiet of an evening. Strange words for
strange times. I didn't feel alone.
But it's good to back in Preggio at last!
Peter Brooke, 26/06/2020 10:28:10
