Hello readers! I am so happy to share with you another installment in the Interview with a Water Priestess series with you! This time I interview Lyn Thurman and we learn about her connection with the Sea!
Before we begin I also want to share that the 2nd annual Water Priestess Confluence is just around the corner! We have 3 keynote speakers and 40 other presentations this year! It is going to be a delightful and immersive experience! Get your ticket here!
Let’s now learn all about Lyn Thurman who has created Watery Oracle decks and tends her sacred beach in Wales!
Who are you and how do you practice?
My name is Lyn Thurman and I live in a small seaside town in North Wales. I’m just a ten-minute stroll from the Irish Sea and even closer to a river and a small stream. I’m blessed to have a waterfall and a village well within walking distance (albeit quite a walk) and living in Wales means there is rarely a lack of rain. Water is everywhere.
My background is in witchcraft. I’ve been mainly a solitary practitioner for two decades with a few years as an initiated priestess in a coven.
I would describe my path as eclectic and ever-evolving. It has definitely changed since moving to Wales on the edge of the first UK national lockdown (we made it by 10-hours). My path is fluid and less structured than before. I feel more in tune with the oneness of creation and nature.
I identify as a priestess through my training and life path but I can also easily wear the label of witch and shamanic practitioner. Whatever hat I might be wearing, water plays an important role. Bodies of water are where I find myself, inspiration, and guidance.
What brought you to this sacred water path?
Although I now live by the sea, I was born in London. My mother came from the coast and we’d often visit my grandparents – the highlight was always a Sunday morning walk by the English channel. My maternal grandfather was a sailor who ran away to sea when he was fourteen. On my father’s side, some of my ancestors were lightermen on the Thames.
The draw to water has been there for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I’d often take the Tube into central London just to spend time along the Thames. There’s one place in particular that feels as Thames itself resides there. It was one of the first places I took my husband when we were dating.
I moved away from London in my mid-thirties to live on the south coast of England. Being near the sea felt like coming home – even more so now I am even closer to the water’s edge. Our move to Wales was completely spirit-led. In 2019, my family took a spur-of-the-moment visit to North Wales and we fell in love. We visited Bala Lake in Snowdonia, the place where the Goddess Cerridwen created magic in her cauldron, and a great sense of peace washed over me. I knew I wanted more of that feeling so I suggested to my husband and daughter that we move.
I feel as if the sacred water path has always been with me. As a Pisces with moon in Cancer and Aquarius rising, it seems as if the heavens had aligned it.
Do you have a Sacred Body of water you tend?
I believe all water (and Earth) is sacred but there are definitely certain areas where I feel more in alignment. My local beach on the Irish Sea is one of them and I go there as often as I can.
I feel so blessed to live such a short distance from the sea. There are miles of sandy beaches (a novelty if you are used to the shingle beaches of southern England) framed by sand dunes. I can lose hours (and myself) walking along the shore. It’s here that I do most of my work and I’m forever on litter patrol.
I have yet to identify singular spirits here. What I feel is the connection to the Infinite, the Great Spirit. It’s my temple.
Tell us about the work you do there now?
Although 2020 was a very challenging year, it gave me a unique opportunity to connect with our new area. Every day in lockdown, my husband and I walked for miles along the beach, often without seeing another person, so we got to know the sea, its tides, and quirks quite well.
It’s a clean water area but in the summer, with the influx of tourists, litter becomes a problem. Many people feel it’s okay not to take home rubbish (including dirty nappies) and to let the tides take it away. We take part in beach clean-ups and we always pick up rubbish when we find it.
There is a bounty of wildlife in the area including grey seals and I feel very protective towards the animals that live in or around the waters.
If I had a goal for my work, it would be to help people become aware of the sacredness of the natural world and specifically the seas.
I haven’t got into a regular ritual practice since I moved. Rituals have tended to be spontaneous. As I mentioned previously, my practice has shifted since I moved and I now use the beach to plug into the Source. I can’t quite describe it adequately in words but it’s a shift in consciousness.
I do take home treasures from the sea – shells, stones, and driftwood – that get used in healing, protections, and charms.
The sea is also the inspiration for my artwork including my tarot deck, The Wisdom of the Depths, and my oracle cards Sea Whispers. Also, I am rarely without a camera to capture the beauty of the sea.
How do you feel about the current attack on water? Standing Rock? And Pollution in general?
I often find myself at a loss with the state of the world. It’s a beautiful and sacred planet. I don’t think we realize how blessed we are to have the opportunity to exist here. And yet, most humans seem oblivious to the blessing and continue to destroy what we have been given.
We cannot survive without the seas and it is narrow-sighted to ignore the destruction that happens to them.
I am very mindful about how I conduct my life and how I participate in the downfall or upkeep of the Earth. I believe taking personal responsibility is the key to healing our world.
I believe a shift in human consciousness is needed so that we can drop the idea of owning natural resources (water does not belong to companies or corporations) and allow vision to return to the oneness and connectedness of everything. It’s a bold dream but one I truly hope will be realized.
I do what I can to keep my local area clean and free from plastics. I also support a local charity that cares for injured or distressed sea mammals.
Learn more about Lyn at the below links
Website: https://lynthurman.com
ETSY: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SoulscapeStudioUK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynthurman/
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