In Praise of Water…
“Let us bless the humility of water,
Always willing to take the shape
Of whatever otherness holds it,The buoyancy of water
Stronger than the deadening,
Downward drag of gravity,
The innocence of water,
Flowing forth, without thought
Of what awaits it,
The refreshment of water,
Dissolving the crystals of thirst.”― John O’Donohue, from In Praise of Water
Beyond it’s obvious necessity for keeping us and the creatures and plants we love alive, the sound of flowing water can sooth a troubled mind.
And there’s nothing like being buoyed by water in the bath, pool, or sea to refresh your spirit.
At the same time, as John O’Donohue reminds us, many of us have been using the water of tears to ease our pain.
Water: voice of grief,
Cry of love,
In the flowing tear.
― John O’Donohue, from In Praise of Water, in To Bless the Space Between Us
Our Summer Interlude Series this year puts a spotlight on our relationship with the earth and her gifts like blessed water. We hope you can join us tomorrow for our free conversation with Kai Siedenburg. In the meantime, we invite you to notice how water supports you. From putting your feet in a river to taking a healing bath, how might you celebrate and receive the gift of water today?
May you seek out and be blessed by the healing gift of water in whatever form most supports you. And may you join us in prayer for the return of water to the places suffering from drought.
The Value of Non-Action
The gentlest thing in the world
overcomes the hardest thing in the world.
That which has no substance
enters where there is no space.
This shows the value of non-action.Teaching without words,
performing without actions:
that is the Master’s way.
― Tao te Ching, translation by Stephen Mitchell
Sacred Waters
Praise and gratitude to the sacred waters of the world, to the oceans, the mother of life, the womb of the plant life that freshens our air with oxygen, the brew that is stirred by sunlight and the moon’s gravity into the great currents and tides that move across the earth, circulating the means of life, bringing warmth to the frozen Arctic and cool, fresh winds to the tropics. We give thanks for the blessed clouds and the rain that brings the gift of life to the land, that eases the thirst of roots, that grows the trees and sustains life even in the dry desert.
― Starhawk, as featured in Spirituality and Practice.com
