WATER – sacred currents

losing its name
a river
enters the sea

John Sandbach

I recently returned from a short trip to India.  Although life has taken me there several times, I am always appreciative of India’s palpable reminder of the constant changing nature of existence.  Everything finds a way to keep moving forward, seemingly flowing toward an unseen, yet sacred, destination, like a river returning to the sea.

I feel that the inherent sacredness within ongoing currents of all life is best symbolized by bodies of water.  Creation stories in ancient cultures view life borne of water.  The Maori, Haitians, Sumerians, Japanese, Lithuanians, Nuxalk, and other peoples have water deities in their mythologies.  The ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, arose from the sea.  In Mesopotamia, a vast expanse of water represented absolute Wisdom.  Many religions and traditions use water for ritual cleansing.

At its heart, water is the element of emotion, intuition, compassion, healing, rituals, cleansing, and the power of the feminine.  Water signifies the realm of spiritual and mental creation, growth, and realization.   The flow of water reminds us that the force of change happens, impartial to our individual wants and desires.  Yet, the quality of water, especially in the form of a river, offers an invitation to remember we own nothing.  We are passing through the landscape of life, free of clinging and grasping, and eventually surrendering into the great unknown.

Throughout the world, rivers have been considered sacred.  They were the site of early civilizations and continue to offer water for drinking and irrigation, waterway travel, recreation, energy, and food sources for modern society. Hydrologists tell us that what they call the streamflow of rivers fluctuates 24/7.  Even though they account for only a fraction of a percent of our fresh water, they are an integral part in the overall water cycle, sustaining aquifers and refreshing the oceans.  They are the veins of the earth.

It takes a conscious effort to reframe our perspective that our lives are woven within the ever-changing web of nature.  The more common pattern is to resist unwanted changes, and initiate desirable changes, such as how much we own.  This tendency to believe we are almost immune to change and unlike nature is, in part, because our contemporary thought was influenced by Descartes, Francis Bacon and others who helped shape the view of humans as dominant, separate from and even superior to nature.   The journey to India revived my awareness that my innate humanness is to “be in the flow” while anchoring my inner sense with reverence for the sacredness of existence.

Practice
This short practice can be done anywhere at anytime of the day. It is best done seated, either on the floor or on a chair. It offers a gentle reminder of our dynamic nature and that our lives are in our own hands. Various traditions work with the hands for healing and self-care. The fingers represent connections to our outer and inner self, e.g., through the organs, self-perception, the elements and the planets.  I encourage you to read through the practice before beginning and then following it to the best of your memory.

• Prepare –
  • Release, as much as you can, the muscles around your face, neck, and shoulders. If you are seated in a chair, place both feet onto the floor.  Invite either a soft gaze or closing of the eyes.  Allow ease and calmness into your hands and breath.
• Practice –  Throughout, try not to rush the breath or the movements.  Repeat I – III, one to three times depending on your energy and ability to focus.  Begin with index finger, then the middle, ring and little finger on each hand.  Complete each part, i.e., I, then II, then part III, on both hands – either one hand at a time or together.
  • I.  Thumb to Fingertip
    • Exhale – Gently press the tip of your thumb to one fingertip, e.g., index finger.
    • Inhale – Extend that finger.
  • II. Thumb to Fingernail
    • Exhale – Gently press your thumb on to one fingernail.
    • Inhale – Extend the finger.
  • III.  Thumb to Whole Finger (thumb will be near second knuckle and the fingertip of that finger will simultaneously press into the palm.)
    • Exhale – Press your whole finger with the thumb.
    • Inhale – Extend the finger.
• Prepare to return to your day –
  • Open the eyes if they were closed. Maintain a soft gaze and allow the hands to rest comfortably on your thighs or in your lap.
  • If you wish, take your fingertips and base of the palms lightly together in front of your heart, and pause, before returning to your day.

This poem is from Mala of Love:  108 Luminous Poems, page 107, by Ravi Nathwani and Kate Vogt (editors), published by New World Library. This post is an updated version from a 2017 post called “River.”  HEARTH reflections are offered on each Full and New Moon by Kate Vogt.  KateVogt©2024.