"I am the water, the water is me" — Blessing the Frome
by Robin Layfield | Amplify Stroud
February 2026
At about 10.30 in the morning on an overcast Winter Sunday, a figure could be seen frantically pedalling their e-bike up the canal towpath from Wallbridge, trying to get to Capel's Mill in time to attend the Blessing of the river Frome, an annual celebration of the river that runs through Rodborough that is strongly rooted in the Celtic tradition of Imbolc. This was me and I was running late!
The blessing weaves together a number of elements and brings together people from all backgrounds and beliefs — climate activists, water specialists, town and parish councillors, passers-by, people of faith, druids, spiritual practitioners and locals who have embraced the 'new traditions' of the parish, such as the 'Finger in the Spring,' that takes place towards the end of April each year.
The Blessing
THE BLESSING, LED BY LOCAL SHAMANIC PRACTITIONER KATE DINEEN and Robert MacNaughton, the former mayor of Calne, took place on land close to the watercourse. We crossed the bridge from Capel's Mill into Rodborough Fields and gathered in a wide circle around a small brazier.
Nearby on the ground lay a blue cloth with a wreath, a large glass jug and various items of leaf, twig, paper and stone laid on it.
The gathering was accompanied by the steady beat of several bodhrans and the sound of a gong, chiming in accompaniment to Robert's calling in of the spirits and the elements.
There were around eighty people there and they had all kinds of reasons for participating - whether it was for nature and conservation, as with the Natural Flood Management Officer that stood beside me or the more elemental Water Maidens that were participating in the ceremony, parents taking their children outside to join in and witness this spectacle and those interested in the more mystical or spirtiual aspects of the ceremony.
Jo McAndrews led a group chant whilst individuals stepped forwards to cast their tokens into the brazier and to call in the warmth and the heat from the fire, the new and revitalising energy - a gift from Brigid, the Celtic goddess of fire most closely associated with imbolc.
Rebecca Swanner
This small ritual was empowering and meaningful - it was us communing with the spirits of place and whether we sensed them or not, it felt as though they were there with us.
We began a fresh chant - "I am water, water is me" and this time we each added a few drops of water, taken from the source of the Frome, into a large jug to be ceremonially poured into the river to join the wreath.
We threw flower petals and leaves into the water and we established our bond in a deeply symbolic and harmonious way with the presence of nature all around us.
As the blessing ended we made our way back up to the field to where Robert MacNaughton was standing. We heard from Robert about the origins of the service, how it had begun several years ago but was growing and how the large turnout this morning was a cause for celebration: that so many people wanted to be a part of this.
He told us that he was very aware of the spirits of place all around us, that at first they had been curious as to what we were doing and why we were gathering and were now ready to join in the celebration.
This was practical magic, it was performance, it was theatre, it was tangible, physical, it was inclusive and included every single one of us.
We shook out the dregs of Winter and welcomed the new and healing warmth of the Spring yet to come.
The Spiritual View
THERE IS SOMETHING DEEPLY MAGICAL about reconnecting with the land and the water around you, about acknowledging that we are all just a tiny part of this world and that no amount of tarmac, river pollution, AI or doomscrolling can take away our fundamental links to and our origins within nature.
The whole ceremony feels like the weaving of a giant collective spell: practical magic in burning, blowing, sharing, chanting, in dropping flower petals and in pouring river water, a communion with the land and the genius locii — the spirits of history and place — that abound here all around us.
A video recording of 2024's Blessing of the Frome
Land & Nature
A NUMBER OF RIVER BLESSINGS take place across the UK each year and these events are closely coupled with the Rights of the Rivers movement, which seeks to establish the sovereignty, agency, sentience and legal protections for rivers all over the world.
Kate Dineen
There is a campaign across the world to give rights and sovereignty to rivers and watercourses and this is in direct opposition to the continued pollution of our rivers by water companies. Many local councils up and down the country are engaged and committed to this shared outcome.
Work is being done at all levels from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) to local government to encode and affirm these rights.
2nd July 2025
The Rights of Rivers
OUTLINED BELOW ARE THE PRINCIPAL RIGHTS of rivers, that when formally codified will give them protection by law from damage and destruction, from ecological violence and will enshrine them as active participants in our world.
- To be treated as living entities.
- Entitled to these fundamental rights:
- 1) The right to flow,
- 2) The right to perform essential functions within the river’s ecosystems,
- 3) The right to be free from pollution,
- 4) The right to feed and be fed by sustainable aquifers,
- 5) The right to native biodiversity, and;
- 6) The right to regeneration and restoration.
- Entitled to legal guardians.
Closing thoughts
I CAME AWAY FEELING NOURISHED, REFRESHED, inspired and energised by the experience of being a part of something so special. There is something genuinely lovely and liberating about being able to voluntarily give up any questions that I was holding and simply to enjoy the moment in whatever way it connected with me.
This ritual, this blessing brought it right back to me and I could feel the fresh earth under my feet and the mud and the grass and the dirt, the fences and the trees, the rock and stone and louder than everything, the wild water tumbling down the river in her haste to get out to sea, carrying forward all of our hopes, dreams, wishes and aspirations.
Member discussion