{"id":2637,"date":"2014-07-24T12:12:55","date_gmt":"2014-07-24T18:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=2637"},"modified":"2014-07-23T18:53:01","modified_gmt":"2014-07-24T00:53:01","slug":"a-meditation-on-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2014\/07\/a-meditation-on-water.html","title":{"rendered":"A Meditation on Water"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>The four classical elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth are foundational to the Western Mystery Tradition and its many offshoots.\u00a0 Even if that\u2019s not your path, the elements remain a useful way to relate to life at a high level. \u00a0We\u2019ve contemplated Air<\/a> and Fire<\/a>; today I invite you to join me in a meditation on the element of Water.<\/p>\n

To The Sea<\/em><\/strong>
\nA Hymn of Orpheus<\/a><\/p>\n

Tethys I call, with eyes c\u00e6rulean bright,
\nHid in a veil obscure from human sight;
\nGreat Ocean\u2019s empress, wand\u2019ring thro\u2019 the deep,
\nAnd pleas\u2019d with gentle gales, the earth to sweep;
\nWhose blessed waves in swift succession go,
\nAnd lash the rocky shore with endless flow:
\nDelighting in the Sea serene to play,
\nIn ships exulting and the wat\u2019ry way.
\nMother of Venus, and of clouds obscure,
\nGreat nurse of beasts, and source of fountains pure.
\nO venerable Goddess, hear my pray\u2019r,
\nAnd make benevolent my life thy care;
\nSend, blessed queen, to ships a prosp\u2019rous breeze,
\nAnd waft them safely oer the stormy seas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Water is the element of the West, of sunset, and of Autumn.\u00a0 In the Tarot, Water is represented by Cups, the tool of love, joy, and all the emotions; of intuition and the unconscious.<\/p>\n

Life began in water and life cannot continue without water.\u00a0 Plants and animals can live outside the water only because we carry water in us \u2013 human bodies are about 60% water.<\/p>\n

Without physical water our bodies will die.\u00a0 Without metaphysical water our souls will die.<\/p>\n

Often the two are connected.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Water has been much in the news lately.\u00a0 Detroit is shutting off water<\/a> to the poor who can\u2019t pay their bills.\u00a0 The CEO of Nestle (a major supplier of bottled water) said water is not a human right<\/a>, then his PR department said that wasn\u2019t what he really meant<\/a>.\u00a0 Las Vegas is running out of water<\/a>.\u00a0 There\u2019s a story that pops up on Facebook every few weeks about how it\u2019s \u201cnow\u201d illegal to collect rainwater<\/a> in some states \u2013 a fact that is not some new big government conspiracy but the effects of 19th<\/sup> century water claims<\/a> still in effect.\u00a0 When we were in Ireland we saw protests against their new water tax<\/a> \u2013 which basically means the beginning of metered service.\u00a0 And here in McKinney, Texas outdoor water use<\/a> is now restricted to one day every two weeks.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of talk about water.\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of talk, period.\u00a0 Take a breath.\u00a0 If one or more of these stories has irritated you, take another breath, or three or four or nine.\u00a0 Find your center.\u00a0 Now, what do these stories tell you?\u00a0 What does your intuition say they mean?<\/p>\n

What do they say about the necessity of water?<\/p>\n

What do they say about Nature\u2019s limits<\/a>?<\/p>\n

What do they say about our tendency to ignore those limits, and about our schemes for dealing with them?<\/p>\n

What do they say about our tendency to assume things will always be the way we\u2019re accustomed to them being, and our belief that things should<\/em> stay the same?<\/p>\n

What does your intuition tell you these stories mean?<\/p>\n

And perhaps most importantly, how will you respond to these stories?<\/p>\n

If you are someone who is privileged to have clean running water in your house, go pour a glass.\u00a0 Look at it in the light of the stories you have been contemplating.\u00a0 Give thanks for the water.\u00a0 Give thanks to Water.<\/p>\n

Drink, and allow the water to refresh your body and the Water to refresh your soul.<\/p>\n

May the blessings of Water be with you and your Great Work!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Detroit is turning off water to the poor. Las Vegas is running out of water. Water isn\u2019t a human right, or maybe it is, if you pay for it. Water is very much in the news. Join me in contemplating the element of Water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":2638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[465,464,466,4,5,467,463,468],"class_list":["post-2637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practice","tag-detroit","tag-meditation-on-water","tag-nestle","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-rainwater-collection","tag-water","tag-water-tax"],"yoast_head":"\nA Meditation on Water<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Detroit is turning off water to the poor. Las Vegas is running out of water. Water isn\u2019t a human right, or maybe it is, if you pay for it. Water is very much in the news. 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