Water Meditation
Water...it has so many moods. One can picture the deep swelling power of the ocean or the tiny lines made by raindrops on a window.
Water is the crystal clarity of a mountain stream or a stagnant pool rich in micro-organisms. It's the warm laziness of a scented bath or the cold splashing challenge of white-water rafting. It can nourish or it can destroy. It can clean or it can leave a layer of muddy sludge. It can be still or rapid, deep or shallow, tranquil or fierce, ephemeral or enduring. We do our best to contain it and train it...and it serves our purpose when we do...but it also becomes unusable if allowed to sit too long. All in all, it is a very fitting metaphor for the flow of our emotions.
Take a moment to picture in your mind some of the moods of water. Waves crashing on rocks, perhaps. Or a rivulet flowing downstream. Or the surface of a pond rippling out in concentric rings when disturbed by a rock. Let the images flow...fast or slow...and in each case take a moment to note how they make you feel. Some may fill you with awe, others may make you laugh. Some may lull you into a doze and others may chill you to fearful alert. Some may make you feel disgusted, slightly nauseous, and others stun you with their beauty. Some of these images and the feelings they spark may flick in and out quickly, others may catch and hold your attention. Many of them will call up memories, each with a similar emotional charge. Are the majority of these memories sparked by water joyful or otherwise?
Just note what you observe...and let the waters flow on....
The heart, of course, is another association of Water. Do you recall that melting, weak-kneed feeling the first time you fell in love? Love, considered by some the queen of emotions, is a strong association of Water. The heart pumps the blood through our arteries, and collects it from the veins...which in turn collect water from the tissues and lymph. It pumps blood through the kidneys, which regulate the balance of water and electrolytes in the body. Our bodies are 90% water, and that water creates the intracellular and extracellular fluids, the brew in which electrolytes, nutrients, and enzymes are able to carry on the functions of life.
Water is central to the mystery of how life first came to be; the chemicals that first came together into self-replicating forms could not have done so in any medium but water. Fill your bathtub with warm water, scent it with roses, jasmine, or ylang ylang, and sink into the water. Do this when it's dark, and have the lights turned off. Let the water surround you as much as possible. Be still. Feel the water ripple over you as it responds to the movements of your breathing. Hear your heartbeat. Ask the Mother to let you feel Her love...and open to receive it. Let yourself imagine that you are in Her womb...the dark, peaceful watery nourishment of where life begins...to complete the picture, roll over, so you are face down...and hum a lullaby into the water.
Hear your voice resonate through the water, and imagine it is the Mother Herself singing her love to you. Breathe when you must...but keep singing and breathing and floating until you are surrounded and permeated by a sense of Her love. The Moon, of course, has a deep association with Water because it rules the tides of the oceans. And again, we see here the theme of the uterus, watery container where life begins, with its tides and cycles synchronised with those of the moon.
One of the major functions of water in magic is its role as a cleanser. Of course, all the elements cleanse in their own way, but water of course is the medium in which we bathe, shower, wash our clothes, and scrub our homes. The next time you have a shower, imagine that with the water spraying down around you is a shower of sparkling white healing energy. Let it flow over your head and down your body...and let it flow through your body.
Imagine that as this energy flows through you, though the matrix of water held together by the walls of your cells, it flows into each and every cell and cleanses emotional residues. Let it wash away any old feelings you have been carrying that no longer serve you.....you would know better than I what those might be...but an example might be that you could let go of any old fears you suffered as an infant that your mother or father might not love you...whatever the truth of these fears might have been, you are an adult; you made it, and you have formed your own life and opinions.
And fear about having people accept you can only hold you back...whatever emotion you decide to cleanse, just let it wash away as the healing watery energy flows through you....and see it wash down the drain with the swirling water. Then pamper yourself with some rich skin cream or a hot drink by the fire as you dry off in your robe.. Of course, one of the more wonderful gifts of Water, which combines both its cleansing action and it's Love, is forgiveness. Cleanse the old resentments, fill those spaces up with love, and see how much better you feel.
The Archangel associated with Water is Gabriel. Some sources see this angel as masculine, others feminine; in general, angels are considered beyond gender. S/he rules birth, death, and transformation. S/he is the angel of mercy and justice in balance. S/he is considered the angel of the Moon, and guardian of women's cycles and childbirth. S/he can be seen with a cup or a horn, and is usually dressed in blue with orange highlights.
-Sometime near sunset, when the moon is waxing or full, take yourself to an ocean beach if that is possible, or to a lake or river. If it's warm enough and private enough, you might consider stripping down and bathing naked; if this isn't possible, consider at least taking your shoes off and putting your feet into the water. Think of someone you love whom you have a quarrel with. Take a few moments to review the quarrel, and really feel your anger and frustration. Then let this anger and frustration flow out your feet to whatever extent is possible, using your breath, perhaps with sounds or toning, to help it flow out. And then think of what you love about this person. Review all their good points and how much they have done for you. Focus on your heart as you breathe and let it open. Then allow yourself to see/feel/know that the energy of the Water is flowing up into your being.
Feel it fill your legs...your pelvis...your abdomen...your chest...up to your shoulders and out your hands...and your head. Feel your heart in your chest, and feel it pump the loving energy of the water through you. And if it feels right, express in your own words that you are willing to see the other side of this quarrel, to try to understand the point of view of the other person involved. Not necessarily to accept it if it doesn't fit your own sense of truth, but to understand it and allow your loved one to have his/her own view. And allow the moonlight to shine into your being and speak to the energies of the waters flowing within you. Pull in the moonlight and let it shine in your being. And let a new level of love and understanding shine in you as well.
Psychological Qualities Associated with Water:
Balanced Water
Compassion
Comprehension
Conscience
Devotion
Forgiveness
Receptivity
Tranquility
Imbalanced Water
Apathy
Depression
Frigidity
Laziness
Indifference
Insolence
Instability
Creatures Associated with Water;
All creatures that live in or on the water:
Fish, Whales, Dolphins, Sharks, Otters, Beavers, Seals, Walrus Starfish, Anemones, Shellfish, Abalone, Sea Snails, Crabs, Lobsters, Scorpions, Sea Horses, Barnacles, Sea Urchins, Sand Dollars, One-Celled Organisms, Seagulls, Ducks, Swans, Herons, Albatross, Puffins, Cormorants, Alligators, Crocodiles, Eels, Water Snakes, Frogs, Leeches
Water Creatures from Myth:
Water Dragons, Mermaids
Herbs Associated with the Element of Water:
African Violet, Aloe, Apple, Apricot,Aster, Avocado, Balm of Gilead, Banana, Bedstraw, Belladonna, Birch, Blackberry, Bladderwrack, Bleeding Heart, Blue Flag (Iris), Boneset Buchu, Buckthorn, Burdock, Cabbage,Camellia, Camphor, Cardamon, Catnip, Chamomile, Cherry, Chickweed, Coconut, Coltsfoot, Columbine, Comfrey, Cowslip, Crocus, Cucumber, Cyclamen, Daffodil, Daisy, Datura, Dittany of Crete Dulse, Elder, Elm, Eucalyptus, Feverfew, Foxglove, Gardenia, Gourd, Grape, Heather, Hellebore, Heliotrope, Hemlock, Hemp, Henbane, Hibiscus, Huckleberry, Hyacinth, Hyssop, Indian Paintbrush, Jasmine, Kava-Kava, Lady's Mantle Lady's Slipper, Larkspur, Lemon, Lemonbalm, Lettuce, Licorice, Lilac, Lily, Lobelia,Lotus, Maidenhair, Mallow, Mimosa, Moonwort, Morning Glory, Mosses, all Myrrh, Myrtle, Orchid, Pansy, Papaya, Passion Flower, Peach, Pear, Periwinkle, Persimmon, Plum, Poplar, Poppy, Purslane, Ragwort, Raspberry, Rose, Sandalwood, Scullcap, Skunk Cabbage, Spearmint, Spikenard, Strawberry, Sugar Cane, Sweetpea, Tamarind Tansy, Thyme, Tomato, Tonka Trillium, Valerian, Vanilla, Violet, Willow, Wintergreen, Yew.
Water Incense
2 parts Benzoin
1 part Myrrh
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Rose petals
1 drop Ylang Ylang oil
Water Oil
From Cunningham
3 drops Palmarosa
2 drops Ylang Ylang
1 drop Jasmine
1 ounce carrier oil
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