Across the Ninth Wave

Many references have been heard describing items of magic and mystery as coming from “Across the Ninth Wave”, but what does this mean? The “Ninth Wave” is an old seafarer’s expression. It has long been believed that waves at sea become successively larger and larger, reaching higher into the sky and plunging deeper into the dark waters until the most powerful possible force is created: The Ninth Wave. The Ninth Wave is colossal, larger than any wave seen by a man who lived to tell the tale, and unexpected, for there is no way to predict which waves will join forces and merge to become one, more powerful than the sum of its parts. In our age, such waves have been referred to as “rogue waves” for their tendency to appear as though the Gods themselves have blown across the waters with a mighty breath that stirs the very depths of the sea. In terms of Our Druidry, the gifts from the Gods are often sent to us from a place of power so great as to be unreachable and unimaginable without the aid of one powerful enough to master this phenomenal strength. Those of us on the path as seekers, searching for evidence of the Ancient Ways in our Modern Times have felt the call of power from Across the Ninth Wave to a place where the Gods freely roam, where myths are more real than we are and where the roots of magic have plunged into the Earth to mingle with the very waters with which we connect around our fires.

Rees, Alwyn and Rees, Brinley. Celtic Heritage: Ancient Tradition in Ireland and Wales. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 1998:39.