The summer solstice may not occur until June 21st, but summer is officially here in Memphis. We can look forward to high temperatures and humidity for the next few months, with little relief, with one exception: water. Being able to cool off in a pool, water slide, sprinkler, or lake has been the saving grace of Memphis summers my whole life.
Memphis is known for its water. We sit above an aquifer that supplies our area with sweet, soft water, but that is not the only interesting part of Memphis’ water story. In the 1800s, the city of Raleigh, Tennessee, now the Raleigh neighborhood in the northern part of the city, was known for its healing spring waters. There is a story that in the early 1800s, a family was traveling along the stagecoach road, which is now James Road, and stopped overnight because their baby had fallen ill. There was a natural spring nearby and the family bathed the baby in the spring, hoping to ease its discomfort. Supposedly the next day, the baby had completely recovered, and that began the tales of the healing waters of Raleigh.
In 1842 the first spa was built, and in 1892 the Duke family of North Carolina built a spectacular inn off of what is now James Road. The Duke family built a fanciful retreat with gazebos, stone walkways, and a ballroom where orchestras and dances were held regularly, all with electricity and indoor plumbing. It was named the Raleigh Inn and was the place to go to be seen in society and also to partake of the healing spring waters. After about 10 years, the water table in Raleigh dropped and the springs dried up.
Memphis water still has healing benefits, as does all water. It helps keep our bodies hydrated and nourished, especially during the summer, and historically water has been known by many cultures to offer healing and energy to people who partake of it mindfully. Some believe that water has the ability to hold and carry energy and prayers and to cleanse. Water is the source of all life and is a powerful medicine.
To take advantage of all the benefits water has to offer us, partake of your water intentionally. Next time you drink water, put an intention into it. Bless it with the power of good health, or mental clarity, or whatever you need. The water will hold that intention and you will absorb it when you drink. If you have a water bottle that you use regularly, you can write an affirmation or create a sigil and put it on the water bottle to empower the water there. You can change your affirmation as often as you like and always have blessed water with you.
Many people are familiar with the idea of creating and drinking moon water. You simply fill up a cup or jar with water, and place it near a window where the moonlight will shine onto it, blessing and empowering the water with lunar energies. You can also do this with the sun and create sun water.
Water is a powerful cleanser, which is why so many cultures incorporate it into their traditions. When done mindfully, a bath or shower can cleanse negative energy from your body and spirit, leaving you energetically cleansed afterwards. You can even enhance your spiritual baths with water that has been blessed in the sun or moon, or with specific intentions. Moving water is best for cleansing or the releasing of prayers, as the water will run away from you and out into the greater water source, carrying the energy to a place it can be cleansed and healed, or to where the Universe can hear and answer your prayers.
Regardless of how we use it, water is important to life. We must respect it and our water sources and do our best to cleanse and heal the water so that it can continue to cleanse and heal us. As Chief Seattle said, “We are part of the earth and it is part of us. … Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.”
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.