Naiads of Eureka Springs

In Eureka Springs, Athena and spent a day walking to visit all the springs in the town.  Many of them had been recently cleaned and relandscaped by the new city gardener (who is a genius and an artist; whatever they pay him it isn't enough!).  But we also wanted to see some of the lesser-known springs.  It delighted me how each spring has its own very distinct character and appearance, they were all quite different from each other.

Some that stick in my mind:

Laundry Spring, so called because it was the place where all the residents did their laundry.  It used to be called Onyx Spring, until tourists carried off all of the onyx :).   This spring is a small cave carved into the rock, a rectangular door that lets you see into a still pool full of clear water.  I reached out to see if the spring had a spirit, and was answered by a charming female spirit.  She said that she used to be very busy, when this was a social center of the town and was always full of housewives gossiping and children playing. She enjoyed this, but she is happy now that she is just a quiet spring on a smaller road. It is quieter now, and she finds it more restful, but she still takes an interest in the people who live on the road and follows their lives. She was very friendly, quiet and centered, secure in herself.  After asking permission, I dipped my fingers in her water and touched them to my lips, offering and accepting grace.

Little Saucer Spring, at Little Lake Eureka. To get to this spring, we had to walk down a path past several "No Trespassing Private Property" signs. Local residents assured us that the spring was public, as was the path to it, but that the owner of the lake kept putting up signs trying to scare people away. He has even set up his own private party place at the spring, with tiki torches and a grill. Perhaps as a result of this, the spring did not feel welcoming (unlike all the other springs). The spirit there felt standoffish, masculine, and somewhat resentful of our presence. Also, the water from the spring is caught in Little Lake Eureka (more like a large pond). One of the delights of all the springs, streams, and other water in the Eureka Springs area is that it is so clear and pure looking, always sparkling and bright even after heavy rains. But the water of Little Lake Eureka was dark, sluggish, and full of algae; it felt hostile and sickly. I wasn't even tempted to touch the water. We left there quickly.

Magnetic Spring. This is on the side of the road a short way out from town. It used to be the main entrance to Eureka Springs, and was the first spring that travelers encountered, and was a major attraction. It is credited with many of the early healings. The road now is more like the back entrance, used only by people going to see the Passion Play; there is a nice pavilion next to it where groups can stop. The spirit here felt very masculine and boisterous. He was happy and welcoming. He said that he used to get a lot of traffic, and enjoyed the activity and the electricity of having so many excited people around. Although it is quieter now, he says that he still gets a charge from all the religious people that go by, and that he enjoys being part of it all. He was happy to have me touch his water, and that it was a pleasure to share his blessings with anyone who wished.