I suppose eventually it will be taken, this sacrificial offering to the river. Most of the ancient and wise ones believed that every body of water had its own deity unique to it, or at least some sort of sprite. Why should that have changed in modern times? Every so often we are reminded of the terrible power of water with floods and hurricanes and typhoons.
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| Make a wish . . . |
I never pass a body of water, no matter how small, without
an offering. Sometimes I will drop a
flower in as I am crossing. Usually,
it’s just a small coin, but once in a while it’s a fragrant herb or a pretty
marble. Why not? You never know. This is an old custom that has survived to
this day in the form of a “wishing well.”
A wish is stated out loud and then a coin is dropped into a well or a fountain. Some say if it lands heads side up, the wish
will come true, but I was always taught that you should never see where the
coin lands. If you do, your wish will
not come true.
The Earth had a wish, and having no coins readily available,
she tossed in this tree. “I wish for
continual growth and food for my children!”
And in went the tree. Water
beings are always just a bit lustful for Earth things, as is evident in their
ferocious acquisition of the same during terrible storms. But they never want the Earth to know this. So the river sprite has turned her nose up to
the offering. But be of good heart! When no one is looking, she will accept the
gift. It’s irresistible.
If she accepts the gift, granting the wish is a binding
contract. You can’t accept payment
without delivering the goods. It always
ends tragically if attempted. And how
will the water sprite grant this wish to the powerful Earth? She will send out her workers in the water
cycle, and they will rain wealth upon the Earth and there will be lush growth
and food.
The water sprite has so much more power than she knows. The Earth is cunningly aware of this.
