  Spiritual
This week: Water, Water, Everywhere Edited by: Sophy  
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Hi, I'm Sophy ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Water, Water Everywhere
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
Ecclesiastes 1:7
On those who enter the same rivers,
ever different waters flow.
Heraclitus
We all come from the Goddess, and to her we shall return
like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.
Z. Budapest
As you read this, if it's during the day I am likely sitting on a beach in South Carolina - if it's at night, I am likely sleeping to the sound of ocean waves. Lucky me! Mr. Sophy and I are are camping for the month of February at a little state park right on the water in the southern part of the state. I will likely be sitting outside quite often, starting at the water for most of the days we are here (weather permitting) because water has always been a spiritual touchstone for me.
I grew up not in the land-locked Midwest (where I currently reside) but in California near the Pacific Ocean, and have always had an affinity for water. I love to sit and look at water for hours – ocean waves, a river current, ripples on a pond – it doesn’t matter. As long as there is a body of water I will stop, look at it, and meditate on it. It’s one of the few times and places where I am content and quiet without distraction, and am happy to simply watch the water. At night I have a noisemaker that makes the sound of ocean waves and helps me sleep more restfully.
Several religions celebrate and incorporate water and water blessings into their traditions. Christianity, for example, uses water as part of the sacrement of Baptism. Last month the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela began, a celebration which occurs once every 12 years. Millions of Hindus descended upon Allahabad (the City of God), a divine location situated on the confluence of three sacred rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati, as part of the celebration of includes ritual bathing in the rivers.
Muslims use water to ritually cleanse themselves in preparation for their five daily prayers. Those who practice Judaism observe ritual cleansing within the tradition of the Mikvah (or mikveh), a specific type of bath designed for the purpose of ritual immersion. The word "mikvah", as used in the Hebrew Bible, literally means a "collection" - generally, a collection of water. Other ritualistic cleansings are part of the tradition, and water was also used throughout Jewish history to anoint a person as a sign of their being chosen or accepted with a special identity or calling.
Additionally, in some pagan celebrations of sabbats, a chalice of water is passed around a circle, each member taking a sip while another member offers this blessing: "May you never thirst." In earth-based religions water is one of the four elements (air, water, earth, fire). And that’s just the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to water traditions within religious and spiritual practices.
It's not surprising water plays such a key role in so many spiritual traditions and rituals. After all, the human body is a "body of water" in and of itself. It is not only what makes us up but also keeps us alive. Water and its dissolved constituents make up the bulk of our bodies, and determine the nature of nearly every physiological process. We are made of intracellular fluid, the liquid within our cells, and of extracellular fluid, which includes our plasma and other solutions which are under our skin. When we bleed, our blood is as wet and salty as the sea, for our biochemistry is still based to a great extent on the salinity of the oceans from which we evolved. Further, water is essential to our survival. Put simply, we cannot live without water.
Water is also incredibly powerful – one need not look further than the gulf coast after Katrina or the northeastern seaboard after Sandy to see that. And water has created most of the spectacular wonders on our planet. For instance, hundreds of millions of years ago, changes in the earth's climate brought about environmental forces that created the Grand Canyon and many of the other great wonders of the natural world.
Finally, water invites us to think about the depth of the Sacred presence in our lives and about a limitless love, which pursues us relentlessly, and which is both within and without. Water suggest, at least symbolically, the deep and limitless mystery of the very essence of existence, which we contain within ourselves and which also dwells outside of ourselves. Water can serve as a reminder of the connection we have to the Sacred and to the rest of creation. No wonder water is such a powerful theme in writing. One can't help but make a spiritual connection to water, and so may books, poems, and movies are filled with meaningful references to it.
How does water flow through your writing?
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Below you'll find some spiritual offerings from other WDC members. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review.
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Here is a response to my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (January 8, 2013)" about Spiritual hot topics:
From ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy 
Thank you for this newsletter which, in a most positive way, speaks about marriage equality. And, you reminded us of the hate and anger of too many when they read something they disagree with. I get their intense anger here at WDC often. I appreciate that you listed one of my Lesbian Romance stories to magnify your message. ANN, "Out At Sixty".
Thank you for your kind words - sorry you get anger on WDC. Responding with love and peace is the best way to go, IMO.
   
From Pita
Dear Sophy, Thanks for sharing that editorial. Brave? Yes. Compassionate? Yes! I hope you don't take any flak for it, and I appreciate the loving view you take on the topic.
What crossed my mind when I read this was a recent chat with a friend who is Islamic. She told me that in Islam a smile is viewed as charity that is given to the world at large. And I have been thinking about that beautiful and delightful thought since she shared it.
I think the same can be said of compassion. I think what truly separates us from the animals isn't our ability to accessorize, make tools etc, it is our ability to walk in someone else's shoes, to have compassion for "other."
Thanks again for sharing this,
Hugs
Pita
I love that about the smile - thanks so much for sharing it! And thank you for your kind words. No flak (so far, lol) but I can handle it if comes my way. I'm a tough bird. 
From Hugo
Yeah,
Hot topic...religion.
I hafta be true to my feelings, I dislike the idea of Gay Marriage. I understand that a gay person did not choose to be gay, however I doubt that a gay who is truly gay would support having themselves changed to heterosexuality if it were possible. I am seventy years old and from an era when most folks totally disassociated with gays and gays remained closeted out of fear.However, I am in a quandary trying to sort out or commit to a rock solid belief concerning homosexuals.
In the Christian Bible Jesus mentions several virtues that a person may possess and all are exceptional. Still He says that Love is the greater of the lot. We are to love our fellow man. Also, in the Bible God states that He is disgusted when a man lies with another man or woman with woman. We Christians are taught that the Bible is inerrant. If a Christian changes his belief and accepts that practicing homosexuality is not a sin then we are also saying that the Bible is in error.
If the world became 100% gay we would procreate only through mechanical means. Not a pleasant thought.
I just don't know what to think.
William Sikora
Thank you for sharing your struggle with this issue. I appreciate you doing so in a respectful manner. We are both Christian, so we'll have to agree to disagree about what the Bible "states" and the issue of inerrancy (which not all Christians believe). But if we can disagree respectfully without name calling or worse, we've achieved much, I believe.
From Mia - craving colour 
Dear Sophy,
Your column is one I return to again and again. I enjoy quality of your reflections. They are consistently in keeping with your statement: "As I have matured I've realized that the only way to effectively share beliefs is just to speak my own truth, tell my own story."
That attitude shines through.
It gives me as a reader a sense that even while reading your column I am free to live in my own truth and open up the dialogue as I wish to, trusting that I too can speak my belief and be heard.
Mia
Wow, thank you for your kind words - I am humbled and very appreciative.  I am glad my words have been helpful for your journey.
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming! Until next time! Sophy
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Spiritual: February 05, 2013 Issue [#5475]
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