The Oracle of Nehalennia is the child of Bela Síol, an intuitive medium, spiritual coach and advisor from Brazil who is now based out of New York, USA.

 

Nehalennia is the Goddess of the North Sea, a Dutch Goddess that was localised to the Rhine River region of the Netherlands around the 2nd and 3rd centuries. As Bela writes, “she was evoked to calm storms and guarantee safe travel… for protection over their valuable goods, their families’ wellness, profitable trade… prosperity and plenty.”

I first became aware of Nehalennia early 2017 when Bela and I first began talking, primarily about sea witchery and ocean witchcraft. In 2009 through her old coven, Nehalennia chose Bela to work with and their relationship grew from there. One way Bela initially honoured and communicated with the Goddess was through physical seashells in an oracle fashion, and from there the Oracle of Nehalennia was born.

Once I was finally able to purchase the cards, and before I really read into who she is, I did what I normally do and found music for her.

Chanting this chorus whilst submerged in the local pool brought this powerful motherly energy to me. Mid-stroke I had to stop as I suddenly felt incredibly protected. Given my history with water witchcraft, and my affinity for swimming (three times a week) I trust the water. But this was something different. This was knowing that I need not fear.

The next day, the oracle arrived in the mail.

The oracle is made up of 33 cards with water colour imagery painted by Igor Alexandre. In a podcast interview with 22 Gifts of the Wyrd, Bela talks about the connectedness with Igor in illustrating, often having the same idea.

What’s wonderful about this deck which is so vastly different from many I’ve seen is that it is bilingual, with the corresponding book printed in both English and Portuguese. The book is colourful, showcasing various meanings of the cards.

If you’ve never heard of or worked with Nehalennia but you have a strong connection to the water, the sea, the ocean; I highly recommend these cards to you. Connecting with these cards have brought me back to my favourite beach where part of my soul resides, as well as granting me a deeper connection to my Dutch heritage.

While my Oma (great-grandmother) was very deeply Catholic, I get a great deal of my spiritual connectedness from her, and working with these cards and introducing myself to Nehalennia strengthens everything together.