ONE

THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER

All is born of water and upheld by water, too!

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

The eighteenth-century poet and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) referred to water as “the ground of all being.”*5 Thales of Miletus (640–546 BCE) also believed water to be infused with being, believing it was the original substance of the cosmos. The Austrian “water wizard” Viktor Schauberger (1885–1958) had a similar view, saying that water is the product of the subtle energies that brought planet Earth into being and is itself a living substance. “The upholder of the cycles that support the whole of life is water,” he wrote. “In every drop of water dwells a deity, whom we all serve; there also dwells life, the soul of the ‘first’ substance—water—whose boundaries and banks are the capillaries that guide it and in which it circulates.”1

To taste cold, fresh water from a mountain stream is to experience the elixir of life. But what of its sounds? Do you know anyone who is not affected by the evocative sound of water? The thunder of waves crashing on a rocky headland is awe inspiring, and a raging tsunami is terrifying. But usually the sounds of water are relaxing and healing: the quiet slap of the tide against the shore on a still day, the burbling of a brook, or the plip plop of water dripping in a cave.

In all symbolic traditions, water is linked with the emotions that make us sensitive, receptive, and compassionate. Artists love water for its inspiration; it has the ability to stimulate awareness and imagination. Why does water affect us so profoundly? Might it be because we are composed mostly of water? It is what unites us with all of life.

The moon is water’s cosmic partner, for it controls the tides. Almost every rhythm—from moon rhythms reflected in the hydrosphere and planetary rhythms known to biology, right down to the many physiological rhythms found in every living organism—is based on the pulsation of water.

THE INSPIRATION OF WATER

As if it were not enough that life is totally dependent on water in all its forms for creation and sustenance, we are given extraordinary bonuses in the form of the magical beauty that it displays for our wonder and enjoyment. What would life be without rainbows and sunsets, thunderstorms and cloudscapes, waterfalls, and waves breaking on a rocky shore?

How many great painters and musicians have been inspired by streams, by mighty rivers and the ocean? It is hardly surprising that water plays a central role in many of the world’s religions.

We all need to get away from the daily grind, and many of the ways people relax involve water. My cat likes me to take her for a daily walk, and we have a ritual of sitting together on a log by a sharp bend in the river where the trees on the bank form a tunnel (see plate 1). I watch the clear water’s surface while she observes the squirrels and little birds. Now and again a sunbeam pierces the canopy and reflects off the rippling water’s surface, making light waves on tree trunks and the undersides of leaves. As the sunlight becomes softer and more golden in autumn, these reflections are as inspiring as a Mozart symphony.

What a contrast it is to go to the same bend on a stormy winter’s day when the swollen river is boiling with murky turbulence. The ford below my home becomes impassable, and fallen branches get trapped on the depth indicator that rises to the two-foot mark. Cars trying to navigate this amount of river have, in the past, been swept downstream.

We forget how inspiring different forms of water can be. For many, winter is a depressing season, but how beautifully the land is transformed after a fresh snowfall (see plate 2)! If you ski, you know how wonderfully refreshing it is to get out on the slopes, whether you prefer fast downhill runs or the more peaceful gliding through trees. One poignant memory of mine is of the winter stillness of a New England pond, the swishing of my ice skates harmonizing with the wind in the trees lining the banks.

When I lived in Boston, I used to escape to the Charles River basin after work and sail a little Mercury sloop. Now that was relaxing, even though I was still in the big city. Sailing is a great way to let go of life’s worries and be at one with the wind and water.

I first crossed the Atlantic by sea in a troop carrier in 1948. It was fun later to go on the big Cunard ships, in the days before commercial airlines; the ocean helped me to lose the sense of time. But what I enjoyed most was to go on a small cargo boat where I could spend all day in the bow watching dolphins or long-distance seabirds. The ocean is mesmerizing, calms the busy mind, and stimulates the inner philosopher.

Surfing provides the most intimate contact possible with water. It offers the rare opportunity to be at one with the water and its energies. The vast, curling tunnel of the mega wave creates a powerful energy vortex down its center.*6 Aficionados say that “going down the tube,” being totally enclosed by a fast-moving tubular wall of liquid energy, is the ultimate experience (see plate 3). “Hanging ten” on the crest of a big breaking wave conveys the sense of going over a precipice; a surfer’s mind is lifted by the vortex onto a higher energy level for a timeless moment that can give a sense of oneness with the whole ocean and all of Nature. To experience this even once can be a life-transforming experience, which may be why many experienced surfers become mystics (see box).

A Door between Dimensions

The vortex is like a door between dimensions. Black holes are vortices, connecting universes. One is reminded of what people describe who have had a near-death experience—going through a tunnel to meet their loved ones on the higher plane.

The common thread in all these experiences is that they give a sense of timelessness, as well as a specific connection with the natural environment. It also gives us a sense of “the spaces in between” and makes us yearn for solitude and silence. Water is an integral part of the human on a physical level, but perhaps even more so on psychic and spiritual levels. As we will examine later, water gives us a connection with the cosmos.

WHAT IS WATER

Because we are composed mostly of water, it ought to be the most familiar substance imaginable, yet we actually know very little of its mysteries. Even the new sciences throw little light on it. One difficulty in grasping the whole nature of water may be that our intimate physical relationship with it—it is a large part of our being—may make it more difficult to form a detached view about it.

Second only to hydrogen, water is the most common molecule in the universe and is fundamental in the formation of stars. It is found in the form of dispersed gaseous molecules and as amorphous ice in tiny grains, as well as in much larger asteroids, comets, and planets, but water needs particularly precise conditions in order to exist as a liquid, as it does on our planet. It is thought that this water was transported to Earth by comets and asteroids, and also arose out of the interior some time after the planet acquired a crust.

STATES OF WATER

There is no compound other than water that can exist in its three basic states within such a narrow band of temperature and pressure. Each state has its vital and special purpose: ice, for weathering of rock, is the most stable state; liquid water, for energy transmission in the earth and in organisms, is chameleon-like and sensitive; vapor, for driving the atmospheric and greenhouse systems, is the most unstable.

We tend to think of each state of water as specific and lasting, but there is an incessant interchange between them. One of the principal features of life is constant change and transmutation, and that is because of these qualities of water.

Water’s quality of absorption is absolutely crucial to all environmental processes. In a sense, the separation of ocean from atmosphere is arbitrary. Water is constantly evaporating from any body of water, leaving impurities behind as it forms the important atmospheric gas, water vapor. Mist is tiny droplets seeking bits of dust in order to make larger drops of water. When you go out walking in a thick fog, your coat allows the mist to condense as wet water (see plate 4).

Water also absorbs gases, a very important aspect of the greenhouse effect. Its ability to contain gas depends on temperature—the cooler it is, the more it can hold. (This is opposite to the atmosphere, which can hold more water vapor if it is warmed.) The principal greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is absorbed by oceans and forests that serve as “carbon sinks” (absorbers of excess CO₂ in the environment). We do not yet understand the mechanism by which oceans normally increase their rate of absorption of CO₂ when the level of this gas starts to raise the greenhouse effect above a balanced level. Unfortunately, we are now in abnormal times, and global warming is reducing the efficiency of forests and oceans to perform this vital function.

As a greenhouse gas, methane is twenty times more powerful than CO₂ in trapping heat close to Earth’s surface. When the Arctic tundra melts, masses of methane and CO₂ are released. There are enormous amounts of methane hydrides locked up in the ocean shelves that might be released into the atmosphere if the temperature of the sea rises to a critical level. All these changes influence each other as positive feedback effects, creating magnified outcomes we are only just beginning to appreciate.

Because ice also absorbs gases, information on the oxygen content of the atmosphere in prehistoric times can be gained from analyzing oxygen bubbles in ancient ice fields. Recent research shows that oxygen levels are being depleted faster than those of CO₂ are increasing.*7

WATER IS A NEUTRAL MEDIUM

Water is an unselective host body for nutrients and pollutants alike. Holistic biology reports that water also stores and communicates subtle energies, both those that enhance life and those that destroy it. The quality of the water determines which role it is able to play, and this is governed by general environmental factors, the shapes and forms of organisms, and the particular response of water to temperature and certain types of movement.

Pure water exists in Nature only in evaporated form. This is not healthy water; in order to become healthy it must acquire its complement of minerals, salts, and trace elements. Radical scientific thought believes it is then “mature” and ready to perform its role as the nourisher and sustainer of all life.*8 But water is easily degraded, and we need to understand how to help water retain its life force and support health.

Because it is so familiar, we regard water as an ordinary liquid, yet it is anything but ordinary. Its “anomalies” are very different from those of other liquids and suggest that water was intended specifically to bring forth life. Life cannot evolve or be sustained without liquid water, which is why we are eager to find water on other planets and moons. Enzymes, which are actually proteins that increase the efficiency of biological cells, cannot function without water molecules.

The most important of water’s anomalies are those that orchestrate the temperature range of liquid water (0°–100°C, or 32°–212°F). This range is wider than the liquid states of other similar compounds. It neatly encompasses the range required to sustain organic life.

The properties of water are so unique and clearly adapted to the requirements for life that the living world should be seen as a partnership between biological molecules and water. It performs so many functions that you might even think it is life. It energizes, nourishes, transports, lubricates, reacts, stabilizes, signals, partitions, structures, and communicates.

The prophet Nostradamus believed water even held information about the future. He used a bowl of water as a skrying tool for helping him to make predictions.

WATER AS FACILITATOR AND STAGE MANAGER

Earth’s most important substance is, without doubt, water. It drives everything, from the most delicate metabolic processes in our bodies, to creating environments favorable to life, to weather patterns, and to climate change.

Dynamic water, when it is alive and energized, initiates and operates all the processes of life. The most important function of biological water is to facilitate rapid intercommunication between cells and connective tissues so that the organism can function as a coordinated whole.

Though not recognized by mainstream science, living water performs this intercommunication function among organisms, groups of organisms, populations, natural kingdoms, and worlds, creating a network of sensitivity throughout all of life so that nothing can happen without affecting other processes; all are linked together by water. In this way, it drives evolution.

However, its workings are ambiguous. On the one hand it seems to initiate processes, and yet its role is the more passive one of facilitation. This should become clearer as we progress through this study. It is similar to a doctor or healer who initiates the healing process and facilitates the subject’s own potential for healing, rather than actually healing the patient.

Our incomplete knowledge of water’s role and function makes it difficult to predict processes of instability and change such as those we are experiencing today. Water magnifies and accelerates a process like that of global warming (or cooling) and can be either beneficial or destructive. It is vital that we understand water’s role in the critical tipping points of the warming cycle, especially positive feedback loops.

WATER’S SHAPE

The ideal form for water is the sphere (see plate 5). This shape gives water integrity and allows it to circulate and retain its energy. (The egg shape, which we shall study later, has a more specialized purpose.) Water is alive only when it moves and is able to develop layers and filaments. These structures are invisible unless something like potassium permanganate, an oxidizing agent that turns water dark purple, is added.

When the drop hits the ground its shape is lost, but it will seek a slope down which it can develop these structures in its flow. A good place to observe water movement is on a smooth, inclined road surface where it’s easy to see its constantly changing direction, back and forth, like a dance. In the same way, a stream will erode the bank on the outside bend and deposit sand on the inside bend.

The strangest thing about water is that it moves rhythmically. On the slightest slope the water’s surface starts to move and its structure becomes laminar, that is, filled with surface-like plates of vortical structures. Indeed, water is the element of movement; it is a carrier. This movement is its function and its magic.*9

As soon as it is moving it can perform its real function, which is to open up to the environment; in movement it fulfills its potential, which is to bring life. Water sacrifices itself entirely to its surroundings, and everything in Nature depends on it. Movement is influenced constantly by its very presence.

CARING FOR THE STREAM

Do your own simple experiment. Wade into a small stream on a warm day with a butterfly net, disturb the gravel and mud on the stream bottom with your feet, let the net sieve some of this water, and drop the contents of the net into a tray of water. You will be astounded by the variety of invertebrate life, from tiny shrimps to insect larvae, to worms of many kinds. The presence of dragonfly and damselfly larvae indicates a healthy stream. They spend six to seven years as larvae in the mud of the stream’s bottom and on pupating have only several weeks in the sun.

With control of pollutants, the water quality of our rivers has improved enormously in recent years, and conservation authorities are trying to encourage a wide biodiversity of fauna in rivers. Typically there may be thirty family groups of invertebrates, some of which may contain two hundred to three hundred species. This is a sign of good water health, which increases the number and variety of fish and brings back animals like otters and water voles.

Schauberger, the Austrian naturalist, posited that streams attract trees to their banks to keep the water cool.2 Through careful study of the ecological balance, sensitive management schemes can be put in place to protect their ecosystems and maximize their biodiversity.

THE SEASHORE

The intertidal seashore is hybrid territory with unique fauna and flora. Rocky pools are home to a fascinating population of tiny crabs, mussels, and worms. The tangle of bladderwort and other kelp—with their attendant insect life, abundant when the sun comes out—creates a pungent aroma. It makes a rich compost, traditionally used in the Scottish Hebrides and the British Channel Islands as a fertilizer. During the Second World War there was a seaweed research laboratory in my village; it created such products as a powder surgeons used inside their rubber gloves.

A sandy beach looks quiet and peaceful, but under the surface are insect larvae and worms, which throw up their casts in little spiral pyramids. When the tide retreats, flocks of wading birds are attracted to the rich takings.

I never did enjoy building sand castles, preferring to divert the little streams coming down the beach into pools and harbors. My favorite pastime, however, was searching for the elusive little pink cowry shells, which still fill jam jars in my home.

Perhaps this special environment reminds us that part of us still belongs to the sea. Certainly it draws us, and many would regard the seaside as the only appropriate place for a relaxing vacation.

LISTENING TO THE STREAM

Indigenous peoples, who lived closer to Nature, understood the importance of water and took great care to protect it.

One of the principal cultural ceremonies of the Pacific Northwest indigenous tribes in British Columbia was the “potlatch,” believed to have been practiced for thousands of years. Usually a part of this complex ceremony was given to the recitation of the spiritual traditions of the tribe. The “speaker,” a position often handed down in one of the chief families, performed this important role.

The training of future speakers was a long-observed ritual in which young people were taught to listen to the wind from mountaintops, ocean waves on the rocky shore, and the music of the rushing stream. In this way they learned to incorporate Nature’s sounds and cadences in telling stories of the tribe’s wisdom. To these people water was a sacred medium of communication, and they felt its sounds should be the vehicle for teaching their traditions.

How water informs language is hinted at by many of the ancient scripts, which employ flowing lines like water in their characters (for instance, Hebrew).*10 Greek became more disciplined, but it was Latin with its upright, straight characters that forgot the memory of water.

Viktor Schauberger had a remarkable experience while sitting by a rushing stream in his pristine Alpine refuge. Listening to its vivacious music, he intuited how water needs to move and behave in order to stay healthy, which was to inform the groundbreaking research that earned him his reputation as a water wizard.

HOW WE REGARD WATER

Until quite modern times, water was always regarded as sacred. This precious substance used to require a great deal of effort to collect for domestic use (and still does in some parts of the world). It was treated with reverence and believed to be protected by divine beings.

Our attitude toward water has changed enormously in recent centuries. With the advent of rationalism and the denial of spiritual influences on humanity came the great explosion of technology that loudly proclaimed human supremacy over Nature. Since we decided we were not part of Nature and devised our own self-centered laws, we have lost touch with the magic of water. We have forgotten its true nature and the meaning of its pulsating movement.

The key to understanding water and living more in tune with our environment and with Nature is to learn to see and feel holistically as part of a community of beings—human, animal, microbial, and botanical—united by the common bond of water.

Water is the source of all life.

ATTRIBUTED TO THALES MILETUS
 (634–546 BCE)