Sacred Wells

Sacred wells fascinate me. I heard about them on our trip to Ireland and Scotland – their stories and legends around them and their deep connection to God.

My word of the year is – WELL – and the image of a well is a wonderful starting point to explore and listen for the sacred lessons from this word. I remembered sacred wells, so decided this would a great place to start to explore. Man, was that a rabbit trail!  Ha! A delightful imaginative and meaningful adventure into stories, usages, and meaning of sacred wells.

What is a Sacred Well?

Also called holy wells, sacred wells are often tied to a Christian saint, but many wells have been around long before Christianity arrived in Great Britain. The ancient Celts believed wells connected man to the “other world.”  A thin place where we could connect with God. Some wells also were thought to have healing powers. Water does help in healing and is essential for all life. Sacred wells remind me that God is the “living water.”

It is thought that there may be over 600 sites of holy wells in Britain (some sources list more than 3000) and many may not appear much more than a natural spring or a lined well shaft in the ground. In my readings, I discovered sacred wells exist all over the world, often in shrines and places of worship.

Some are wells are how you would imagine, complete with stone, round walls surrounding them and a bucket with a rope. (At this point, I envision Snow White and the wishing well) Others are springs, or even waterfalls that emerge from underground.  What they all share and what separates them from ordinary or mundane water sources — is their sacred function as places where people go to pray, to worship, to intercede, and to seek healing.

When pilgrims visited the wells, the ritual often involved a prayer walk called a pattern around the well, the tree, and the stones, in the direction of the sun. Most common was tying a strip of cloth – called a clootie in Scotland – to the holy tree after washing or drinking from the well. This was thought to drive any illness into the cloth, and as the cloth rotted away, so too would the illness disappear. Call it a clootie tree, a rag tree or a prayer tree, but if you find one, a holy well is not far away.

Lessons

What does this mean to my word of the year?

While I don’t get trapped in the pagan side of sacred wells, I do enjoy the stories of the saints- St Brigit, Columbo and Patrick for example. Hearing their life stories inspire and encourage our walk with God.

The image of a sacred well reminds me all is holy ground, can be places of prayer and healing as God is present everywhere. I don’t have to travel to Ireland or Scotland to be with God.

Water is essential for life – so is prayer. The symbol of a well is an invitation to come and be with God. A sacred well is a connecting point. A place to sit in silence, solitude, and a space to meet God.

If you really want to see a sacred well, you must stop, sit, and listen for a while. This may be my biggest lesson so far in this word of the year – I tend to rush, skim, and “get it done.”  I do believe strongly in stillness and “well” invites me to into this practice. The image of a well reminds me to pay attention to my word of the year. My word became more sacred this week.

Well, my “sacred well” is a space to rest. To listen. To pray. To heal. An opening, entrance way, a threshold into deeper places of the soul. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Well is sacred. A holy word dug deep into my heart and soul; a space to be with God where I am invited to be still and to draw closer to God.

What lessons have you learned so far in 2024?