Slake Stones
(If you would like to purchase a set of Slake Stones email kate@wildawen.ca)
Slake Stones are an old Scottish Gaelic folk practice from the Highlands and Islands. They are usually three coloured stones collected from a liminal place of water such as a river bed or a beach. In my practice the stones are Red, Black, and White. I have also seen references to blue and yellow being used.
Black for the night sky, the heavens, and the breath of the earth.
Red for the sea, the blood of the earth, the place of the ancestors.
White for the bones of the earth, the crystals and stones, the land that holds us.
Uses and Practices
I believe that liminality is an important part of their medicine and power. They are collected from a liminal place of water so that they are able to touch and work in the otherworld, as well as our mundane world. So in thinking about their uses, and their place in folk practice, this is a consideration.
There are references to the stones being placed on the body in order to heal or remove unwanted influences. The stones may then be placed in water, and the water poured onto the land or sea in order to release the unwanted influence or sickness back into the earth for composting.
There is also mention of placing them in water, and the water is then used to heal, wash, or bless depending on the intention and the spoken charm used.
I have found, in my own practice, that the Sky black stone is most suited to pulling energy out, as if it were a magnet. The red stone of sea is suited to soothing, calming, and healing. The white stone of Earth seems to be well suited to grounding and dissipating energy or unwanted influences. Though I don’t feel that these are the only functions of the stones, they do seem to work well together.
When anxious or when experiencing dysregulation in the nervous system, it can be helpful to lay with the stones in a line down the chest. The physical weight can be soothing in and of itself, let alone the magical and energetic aspects of the stones.
Although there is no direct reference to it, I suspect that there are shamanic roots to the use of these stone allies. They could be powerful allies in the shamanic journey. With that being said, I don’t think the common folk practice use of these stones is related to any sort of shamanic practice in recent centuries. I suspect that aspect is more ancient, and/or practised only by those few with the second sight and versed in ecstatic trance states.
Slake stones can also be used in the making of Forespoken or Saining water.