Water Finds a Way
water finds a way
down
following a salty siren song
that emanates from deep
within the fathomless womb
of whale bones
and rusted relics
while far up above
in the churning and crashing
water finds a way
to soften a blade-like shard
into an emerald green drop
that a child can hold
in the palm of his hand
water finds a way
down
seeping through layers
of silt
and sediment
and unresolved history
and buried, fallow mystery
down
to the roots that wait
parched and patient
without doubt
through each drought
holding the promise
of blossom and fruit
water finds a way
down
down
always down
down
and around
every granite boulder
every delusion
of blockage
finding a way
down
and around
with a grace and a yielding
I am on my knees
to understand
water finds a way
from salt to salt
osmosis tears
I sob the sobs of an infant
curled now in her soft, sandy cradle
her shhhh to me
her constancy
pacifies me
in this pacific
I am bathed
in the ions and eons
of rhythmic pounding
that soften my jagged edge
and bathe my wounds
in a stinging baptism
water finds a way
willow wands crossing
it is here I must dig
it is here
The above poem came to me a while back when I was in deep reflection of water. Winter is the season of the water element in the Five Element philosophy of Chinese Medicine. Thus, it is a potent time to explore how water expresses itself within our being.
Here are some facets of water we might consider exploring within ourselves in this last part of winter…
Depth~
Do you allow yourself to explore your depths, your inner world? Can you sink down to the bottom of the ocean within you, like an anchor dropping down? Or do you spend your life always up on the surface, thrashing about in the waves, trying to stay afloat in the sun? Winter is a yin time, a dark time, and water has an aspect of it that can be very deep, and very still. Do you take time to be in the dark, the depths, the stillness? If not, explore why. Often it is fear, or a sense that we have to be productive, active, busy busy busy. Meditation is the pathway to finding this stillness. Consider incorporating it into your daily life; it can be life-changing.
Fluidity~
In what ways are you fluid, and in what ways rigid? How do you flow with life? Where does there need to be more (or less) fluidity in your being? Explore how fluidity expresses itself within your mind, your body, your emotions? A beautiful way to embody fluidity in the body-mind-spirit is with qigong.
Reflectiveness and receptivity~
Water is a reflector, a mirror, and a carrier of wisdom. It can hold prayers, intentions, and energetic blueprints (this is what makes flower essence therapy, the alchemy of flowers/water/sun, so powerful). If there is a question or contemplation you are holding right now, can you take it to the water? When sitting by a river, creek. lake, or ocean we can receive powerful insights, if we are open. Consider spending a long stretch of time in the presence of a body of water, and allow yourself to reflect and receive wisdom.
Another way to work with the energy of the water element is in a simply but powerful daily ritual:
In the morning, before doing anything else, pour a glass of water. Take a moment to thank the water. It may seem silly but say the words “thank you” out loud, even if it’s a whisper. Many of us know that gratitude is a foundation for mental health, so why not start each day giving gratitude for something without which you would not be able to live? In addition to giving gratitude for the water, you might reflect upon your interconnection with water (your body is a least 60% water, and this blue pearl of a planet is about 70% water).
And finally, as you gaze at this glass of water in your hands, set a clear intention or prayer for your day, and visualize pouring it into this water. Water is receptive, and it can hold energetic blueprints, so we can work with that by offering prayers into the water. Last, but not least, drink your water, receiving its medicine into every cell of your being,
