I have just returned from a deep dive into the woods. During my retreat we opened up big questions about how we participate in the universe’s unfolding story. This work shakes up our entire worldview – in a good way!
I love the big picture. But at the end of the day we must face the responsibilities and details of life. All us had to go home and figure out what’s for dinner. I sit down to my desk and ask “how do we live out the biggest vision and hopes for our lives?”
I’ve tried writing “Transform global paradigm†on my to do list. Of course that’s too big to fully achieve on any given day. So while that goal is in between the lines of my to do list, I’ve found it more effective to focus on water.
I continue to be awed by the power of focusing on water for transforming our lives and our world. Here’s why.
Can you name one thing on our planet’s surface that has no relationship to water?
I try, but I can’t. Water is tied up with the life of our rocks and everything that grows.
Water is the source of our lives. Our bodies are carried in water in the womb. Our bodies are roughly 70% water. You are the water. I am the water.
Water is an everyday way we experience our interconnection and the flow of life. Every culture has a set of spiritual beliefs to describe this flow. How we treat the water reflects our spirituality. Working with the water can also transform us spiritually, and help us understand and experience big abstract spiritual concepts.
Can you name one thing about your daily life and work that has no relationship to water?
How does water affect your family? How does water affect the health of your community? How does it affect kids in school? In an office or in a factory, what are the many ways that water is intimately entwined with the people and actions taking place? Try naming at least five ways water is involved in the people, location, resources and consequences of what you do.
As I ponder this I notice how important it is that we all drink healthy water. And how water is also indirectly affected by our choices – whether through pollution or in the melting polar ice caps.
How does life look from the point of view of water as a sacred living entity, interconnected with every aspect of your life?
All work is work for the water.
I love that my weekly routine includes blessing the water every Wednesday at the Healing Waters Qigong practice group. In that sense explicitly caring for the water is part of my to do list.
Working for the water, like water, can also take many forms. If no part of your life can be separated from the water, then every part of your life is also an opportunity to care for the water. Noticing the water within what you do helps awaken you to the broader interconnections in any situation. It’s like recognizing an invisible relative, forever changing the conversation.
Keep dreaming big for the transformation of yourself and the world. Focusing on the water can help you get there.
With love,
Emily
Celebrate and support water walkers.
I have been profoundly shaped by my experiences in ceremony with the water walkers. They will be walking for the Missouri River, from Montana to St. Louis beginning August 1. Learn about and support their prayer at the Missouri River Water Walk Benefit Concert this Thursday night, July 13. Ann Reed, Sara Thomsen and more!
Strengthen your inner resources for transformation.
Newcomers are always welcome to Healing Waters Qigong, a Spring Forest Qigong practice group and to Living Wisdom, a dance-based wisdom tradition from indigenous Europe based on research by Laura Shannon.
Where do I start?
I’m happy to have a conversation with you to help identify which track of classes or services might be the most help to you. You can reach me at (612) 314-5413.
