Water

What role does water play in our lives ~ in our ongoing quest for balance and well-being? Why do some people love the ocean, while others prefer to go hiking up a mountain? Is this attraction to and need for water specific to certain people or rather to certain times in our lives? Perhaps it is a little of both.

I have always felt a strong connection to water. As a teenager, I lifeguarded in neighborhood pools. During my breaks, I often dove to the bottom of their large body of water and remained there for as long as I could, peacefully and quietly, feeling bathed in silence, feeling the presence of my being ~ completely alone yet complete. Today, scuba diving represents an even deeper spiritual experience to me. It also consists of an inspirational activity for my artwork.

Whenever I am in a place where I hear the sound of waves of the ocean outside my bedroom window, quickly, I become conscious of my breath ~ of my physical self. I feel extremely tranquil. Soon, I fall asleep into a soothing and peaceful lull. Splashing water onto my face, many times over, also represents a very purifying experience ~ for my face, for my soul, for my Self. These few examples illustrate how water brings us closer to our individual selves. Water reaches our inner, deepest emotions. Water has the ability to cleanse us towards finding our true soul, towards a deeper level of consciousness.

Throughout time, water has been used for many varying related purposes ~ purposes that go beyond the physical ~ into the emotional and even spiritual. Water is not for extroversion, but for introspection. Not for explosion, but for implosion. Generally speaking, it is for positive growing support of the individual, rather than the group.

When I think of adding the element of water to an environment, my motivation is to add calm and create a peaceful setting, thus offering the possibility for introspection. My objective could be to soothe over stimulated souls, relieve tension that may exist in ones life and as a result in a space, or even lower blood pressures. However at times, water can unconsciously be used as a crutch for self protection. An excess of water can be observed when open communication is scarce, when passions have disappeared, or even when someone is suffering from depression.

I encourage you to observe your space and ask yourself whether the incidence of water in your surroundings is supportive of your specific life needs. From a physical environment point of view, the presence of water and its metaphors include water itself, the existence of transparent glass, all meandering shapes and lines, and especially common to our North-American environments, all shades of blue or black. All works of art featuring any of these characteristics will introduce water into a space, especially if its iconography feels soothing or meditative to you. These factors contribute to bringing water into our world, and hence, the element that support inner focus. Ah, the power of pure, cleansing enlightening water...

Once you have identified the water element throughout your environment, ask yourself whether it is supportive to the space that it occupies. Is it a good stimulus for the types of personalities living or working there? Is its quantity or volume sufficient, given the reason-for being of the space or on the contrary, is it in excess?

Look, see, experience, perceive, feel all of its benefits!

If you find yourself having difficulty focussing on the task at hand or if you need to dig deeper within, for a clearer understanding of who you are or of who you have become, a little color of blue will help calm you down, focus, and see things more clearly, more fluidly and in a truer manner.

Be conscious of the 'ever-so-popular' presence of water in your world. Remember that while it strongly soothes the soul, the deluge of water can stir up emotions, lessen or even put out the effects of dynamic energy offered by other physical elements of our earthly experience: wood, fire, earth, metal... The mystery of balancing the five elements for vital well-being.