Water: Receptivity in Being

“And God looked out upon the Waters…”

In many traditions, water predates Creation. It is the primordial beginning, the thing that begets life. In traditions that have a balanced masculine and feminine, Water, especially the ocean, is associated with the Goddess.

The human body is 3/4 water. Consuming enough water increases our coping skills and emotional balance. Water helps all of our systems to function properly. You can survive for a fairly long time without food, but water is required for life.

“Yemaya, wash away all of those things which no longer serve me…”

Salt is cleansing. Water is cleansing. The ocean is the ultimate purifier. There are many traditions in which the best clearing and renewal rituals are done in the ocean. The saltier a body of water, the more it holds you up, supporting you, helping you to relax and float. While this is physical science, it is also spiritual – it is in giving ourselves over to the receptive aspect of the Divine that we find we are most supported.

The Goddess is about being present. When we allow ourselves to be where our feet are, the noise in our heads dissipates, and we stand in Union with the Divine. We allow the Universe to do its work as a perfectly functioning machine, without interjecting our imperfect will (small W) into the Divine stream of perfection.

Find a body of water. The ocean would be best, your bathtub will work in a pinch. Put yourself into the water as thoroughly as is comfortable for you. Feel the water on your skin. Notice the flow or motion around you. Become aware of the change in your experience of gravity. Allow the water to support you in whatever way makes you comfortable. Stay. Continually pull your awareness back into the moment. If emotions come up, bring your attention into the physical sensations of the chemical reaction of the emotion – Where is it centered? Is it hot or cold? Tight or loose? Dull or sharp? Steady or throbbing? Empty or full? Keep doing that until the sensation subsides, and then come back to the external sensations of your interaction with the water.

This is being truly present and in the flow of the Divine. Once you have a visceral memory of being in this state, it becomes easier to re-enter it at any time and under any circumstance.

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