Went down to the beach today to get me some seawater, for it’s said that if you put a glass of salt water under your bed, while you’re asleep it will cleanse your aura of negative energy. Apparently the negativity gets trapped in the salt, a bit like with psychic self-defence and then you flush it away, a bit like the egg cleanse. And I have been feeling a little sluggish recently.
Under the bed seems to be quite a popular place for folklore; potatoes and cups of cold sage tea are said to cure night sweats, axes sort out nightmares, if you look under it at night you’ll never get married, if you want to give someone bad luck, sweep under it while they’re asleep, but the luck will return via a newspaper tucked beneath it, water stops sleepwalking, and onions cure fevers. And don’t get me started on Pierrots and other such monsters.
You don’t have to use salt, it’s said that water on its own will do the trick. But then other sources say add salt, sometimes specific salt (I didn’t even realise that Celtic salt was a thing). But as I have the sea round the corner, it seemed silly not to take advantage.
The beach was not very busy, although quite a few people were in the water, one in particular screaming as every wave hit her. Which was a lot. I had a quick look round for seaweed but seeing as there wasn’t a great deal, I’m thinking the gods didn’t much care for my whiskey and gruel offering earlier in the year.
The water was quite choppy and it soon became obvious that in order to fill my jam jar, I would have to wade in. Given how cold the sea had been in April, this realisation didn’t fill me with joy. But actually, it was lovely. Warm even. I stayed calf deep for quite a while. Then I dried my feet off with the cloth shopping bag I’d brought with me and stuffed my socks and shoes back on.
On the way back up the beach I found a mermaid’s purse, aka a devil’s purse, aka a Thornback Ray egg case. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that they’re lucky (although annoyingly I can’t find the reference now), so I grabbed it given that earlier this week I’d made the rookie mistake of putting new shoes on a table. I mean I was in them at the time, but you can never be too careful.
So now I have a jar of salt water which I shall stash underneath my bed and then read the bubbles (should there be any) when I awake refreshed and cleansed and raring to go.
Anyhow, I’m off now to get an axe.
Resources
https://www.salba24h.com/2019/09/the-secret-of-glass-of-water-and-salt.html
http://www.thesleepconsultancy.com/american%20folklore.htm
https://www.sharktrust.org/great-eggcase-hunt
https://www.mitchellspublications.com/guides/shells/articles/0074/
http://www.thesimplethings.com/blog/stories-behind-superstitions-new-shoes
Twenty-one seconds of the sea – beautiful.
Thank you! I thought everyone could enjoy a bit of sea at the end of the week.
FYI, the scientific reason for proximity to water, in particular the sea, is because there is an atmospheric concentration of negatively charged ions in the atmosphere… this makes us feel better! Lots of info around th8s one
Oh wow! Thank you! I love it when magic and science collide. Even more reason to love living by the sea. And thank you, Yvonne for the follow!