“Enlightenment is when the wave realizes it is the ocean.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Water is a fascinating liquid element that can adapt and move within a confined space. It adjusts itself to fit its surroundings, with its particles sliding past each other to create a flexible force. Despite its simple formula of H2O, which comprises two hydrogen and one oxygen atom, we still don’t fully understand this mysterious substance. Water is like a wizard that can transform into various forms depending on its environment. In its liquid state, it appears as running water. In warmer temperatures, it transforms into vapor or steam; in colder temperatures, it changes into ice or snow. Water can penetrate, dissolve, and defy gravity by moving up into trees and plants. It has a unifying effect that makes things stick together and can absorb other substances. Water is constantly in motion and never stagnant, flowing around and over things and even through them if necessary. If given enough time, water can erode through any obstacle in its path. It is constantly seeking unification with the sea.
Water is essential for life. It enables growth and sustains living organisms. The human body is composed of approximately 70% water, which reflects the amount of water on our planet. The heart comprises 73% water, the lungs are 83%, and even the densest part of the body, the skeleton, contains 31% water. The nervous system, which controls the senses and shapes our reality, is also primarily composed of water. Water flows through the blood, lymphatic fluid, saliva, sweat, urine, and respiration, carrying electrical currents, chemicals, and hormones. A vast water network moves continuously throughout the human body, much like the water in the Earth’s rivers, lakes, and oceans.
THE FLOWING AND CONNECTING ELEMENT
Our emotions play a significant role in shaping our earthly experience. They are responsible for how we feel about ourselves, our lives, and everything around us. The water element symbolizes our emotional life, and just like the water in our bodies, our emotions are constantly in motion within us. Just as water is meant to flow and be flexible, our feelings are also supposed to change rapidly from one state to another, depending on the circumstances. Our emotions are meant to fluctuate and transform – from a calm lake to a rushing waterfall – in seconds.
A healthy emotional state will naturally adapt to changing circumstances. On the other hand, an imbalanced emotional state may try to control certain emotions while repressing others. It is common for people to chase happiness and excitement while suppressing negative emotions. However, a balanced emotional state allows for the free flow of emotions that respond to life´s experiences. There is no good or bad emotion – all emotions are valid and should be allowed to move freely. When emotions are not suppressed or held onto, a person can quickly move through life’s ups and downs.
Emotions are ever-changing and fleeting, so striving for constant happiness can lead to trouble. It’s essential to allow yourself to feel your emotions naturally. If something angers you, let yourself feel angry. If something sad happens, allow yourself to feel sadness. Similarly, if something wonderful happens, let yourself feel happy. Don’t try to suppress or ignore your emotions, and avoid being overly attached or rejecting others. Instead, allow your feelings to flow naturally with the changes in your life. Doing so lets you discover that your baseline emotional state is stillness and peace. You’ll feel neither attraction nor repulsion towards anything, just a sense of peace.
Water is an element that seeks unity and connects you emotionally to your life. It can nourish and refresh you but also overwhelm and drown you or become stagnant or polluted – just like your emotions. Water moves circularly, always seeking back to itself. Every river and lake constantly rushes toward the ocean. After the water arrives in the sea, the water on the surface will eventually heat up and rise into the air. Then, the winds will sweep it up and fall to Earth again as rain. Finally, the water will continue its journey back to the ocean in an endless, connecting cycle. Emotions move similarly – if you allow them to move naturally, they will eventually return to you.
CONNECTING TO WATER – YOUR SENSE OF TASTE
The water element is associated with your sense of taste. It is an incredible chemical sensing system that helps your body regulate what you eat, keeping you healthy and out of harm’s way. Your tongue and taste receptors are a part of your digestive system and are connected to your emotional body. You have neurons in your gut that signal your brain about what you have eaten. The brain then releases chemicals into your body, which creates different feelings. For instance, when you eat carbohydrates, your brain releases serotonin, which helps you feel relaxed and satisfied. Consuming sugars releases dopamine, which makes you feel motivated. Even when preparing to eat, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel more alert, excited, or anxious, depending on your relationship with food.
Your tongue is a remarkable organ that connects you to the water element through five distinct tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. It contains various receptors that communicate with your brain through the roof of your mouth. A cluster of nerve information travels from your tongue receptors to your brain in less than a second. Each receptor is responsible for identifying specific tastes and signaling your brain to encourage, regulate, or prevent certain foods from entering your body.
Sweet receptors seek out sweet foods because they are usually high in energy, essential for survival. Salt receptors search for vital electrolytes for our nervous system to function correctly. These receptors also regulate the amount of salt in our body to prevent harm. Bitter receptors can detect poisons, and if there is something extremely bitter on the tongue, they can activate our gag reflex. Sour receptors look for spoiled or fermented foods, which can harm our bodies. Lastly, umami receptors detect anything savory as it may indicate the presence of amino acids, which our body needs to survive.
BALANCING THE WATER ELEMENT
Water is an essential resource on our planet and necessary for all living beings’ survival. It creates a solid and intimate relationship with the element of water. In developed countries, clean, safe water is readily available and easily accessible. However, in many parts of the world, there is still a lack of access to safe and clean water, which leads to waterborne diseases and even death. Additionally, pollution in our rivers, lakes, and oceans is increasing at an alarming rate, similar to the pollution occurring in our emotional bodies. Our bodies can also be polluted through trauma and unbalanced emotional states. Whenever you have negative thoughts about yourself, you are polluting your emotional body, similar to how pollution affects our oceans.
In our modern societies, a lack of emotional well-being has become prevalent, which suggests that we may have lost our way. Our emotional states become more unbalanced as we distance ourselves from the natural world. To regain balance, we need to reconnect with who we are – human animals living among a vast array of other animals – and derive our nourishment and emotional well-being from feeling connected with life. The water element not only nourishes us but also connects us. Emotions are powerful forces that can either bring us together or tear us apart, but ultimately, the natural cycle of the water element will unify us all.
Maintaining a balance in the water element within ourselves and the environment around us is becoming increasingly crucial. It’s important to understand that everything in the natural world is connected, and to survive as a species, we must realize that everything in our waters happens to us. Our bodies are made up of 70% water; the same water was once part of the great ocean, and it will return to it at some point. Just as our emotions are like the ocean, we can transform and heal both by seeing the connection between the two. Water has its own magic – if we let it flow and move naturally, it can transform and heal itself.