The Wisdom of Water
“Water is our first mother,” says Irish poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue in his blessing for water. Our bodies are 90% water. When we listen to Mother Water, we listen to our bodies. We are drawn to water as a reflection of ourselves. “We are nature; we are the trees, the clouds and the water,” says Ram Dass. “When you see the ocean, or the lake, or the river, you’re seeing yourself.” Wauconda is a Native American word recognizing the sacred sacred Spirit Waters; it describes a palpable energy that courses through the spring-fed landscape in Lake County, Ill. Wallace J. Nichols, another Lake County native called by the energy of water, explores the neuroscience of being in, on and around water in his book, Blue Mind. Water is not only essential to life; in many cases, it’s a luxury or a cure, posits the author. When we experience the flow of water in our minds, we are able to think, act and discern with grace, our vocation: A vibration of calling that evolves us to the fullest expression of our embodied selves.
Poet Victoria Erickson weaves water into grace:
“Grace means knowing
the space and moving
through it
understanding
the ways of water.
Gentle.
Fluid.
Intuitive.
Subtly strong.
Moving toward
The natural flow.”