22 Dec Selkie Swim
Parting mists/and eagles glide
the dawn is breaking/and Selkies slide
into the river/in this liminal time
they sing their song/their swim a rhyme
to welcome the day/farewell the night
wash off from dreamland/and greet the bright
light of the sunscape/the creatures of morn
the spells of the day/they are reborn
with a slip in cool waters/they are sisters
they are daughters/River combing their hair
this is the song and the prayer/of early morning swimmers
the Selkies, the seals
Won’t you come join?/Feel how it heals?
Selkies are the seal-folk of the north seas, a Scottish version of mermaids. In their spirit, I invite my sisters to join me on the dock of the Illinois River before breakfast. With love and intention, let’s encourage each other into the cool, life-giving water, and greet the day with a rush of joy and sisterhood! I will be there to sing, discuss dreams, and hold space for silent thoughts, but sisters are welcome to come and go as they wish. Mama bears, I am happy to hold your little one while you take a quick dip. I suggest bringing a towel and hot tea, perhaps a journal. I will have a carafe of hot coffee!
Photo by Tookie.
Selkie Swim will be shared by Courtney Wallace Stokes.