Water is one of 4 elements that we talk about in astrology. In her book, The Missing Element: Inspiring Compassion for the Human Condition, Debra Silverman, my teacher and mentor, blends psychology and spirituality, examining the elements in depth and offering ways to embrace and make peace with ourselves so that we can become more powerful and effective human beings.
I LOVE studying the elements!
The elements - Water, Earth, Air and Fire - are an integral part of our lives. Right from the moment of conception when we grew in the watery depths of our mother's womb, to when we took our first breath at birth, to when we started to eat, cry, crawl, walk, run, talk... the elements are so much a part of our lives.
And our personality.
To describe them briefly...
Air people love to talk and think. They find words easily. They enjoy watching people and asking questions. They observe and analyze people and get easily bored with people and want to move on. They will remember numbers and details but get easily distracted by things around them.
Earth people use money and things to feel safe and secure. Saving money is important to them. They appear practical and grounded, thorough and deliberate. They love to eat and enjoy tastes and smells. They'll clean when they're upset.
Fire people are bold, outspoken, and frequently say things that get them in trouble. They have lots of energy and are enthusiastic and passionate. They thrive on exercise, sports, athletics. They can be loud and bossy, the life of the party, the one who will inspire others to take action. They love to laugh and find the humour in life. Anger can be an issue - their own or other's.
Water people cry easily. They are very sentimental and like to save sentimental objects. They won't talk if they are upset. Their body will give them an immediate gut reaction to people. Private people, they cherish their alone time. They love to listen. Music is important to them. They are prone to addiction or depression or weight issues.
All 4 elements are a part of who we are, and to live happy, fulfilled lives, our elements need to be in balance.
Last week we talked about Fire. Today, let's take a closer look at Water...
Water is an element of meditation, stillness, feelings, dreams, symbols, and love. It rules the unconscious.
Water people are very sentimental, sensitive and cry easily. They are quiet and introverted and have a great capacity to feel. They can be highly emotional and find it difficult to change moods.
Water people have great instinct. Their body will give them a gut reaction to anything and everything. They can have great psychic abilities. They can absorb negativity, like a sponge. Water people can have difficulty maintaining healthy boundaries. They can feel others' pain and that pain can get stuck in their body.
If Water people are unable to release their pain and feel their feelings, this can lead to depression, alcoholism, sexual and fear-based addictions. This is Water at its worst.
Water people prefer to be alone, quiet and private. They are very creative, poetic, visionary. A nurturer, water people love home, comfort, music, meditation, yoga, snuggling with their favourite furbaby. They can get caught in negative thoughts and their self-talk tends to be negative.
Water people need to be aware of their shadow side - losing boundaries, complaining that they're always giving and not receiving; getting sick a lot because they take on others' pain and their feelings cause symptoms in their body; indulging in alcohol, drugs or sex; feeling depressed, complaining, wallowing in their emotions; becoming addicted to negativity; unable to let go of the wounds of the past...
When Water is lacking, you can't feel your feelings and you go numb. You can't empathize. You may move quickly through your emotional issues, finding it easy to let go of things, and can't understand why people are so attached and can't let go.
When there is too much Water, you drown in your feelings.
Water at its best is the Meditator, sitting still, turning off the internal conversation that goes on in your head. It's finding peace in the stillness. It's learning how to "be". It's listening to your heart and Soul. It's finding the Source of all Light and Love and Joy deep within.
At its best, Water is also the healer, using your hands and your heart, able to sit with those who are in pain without taking on their pain or trying to take it away.
Water at its best has healthy boundaries, able to feel feelings and to release them. It's able to say "no" when necessary, putting its own health and well-being first.
When my Water is high...
I cry easily. I'll cry when singing our National anthem. I'll cry when reading stories of the animals of the rescue groups that I follow. Just the other day, Edgar's Mission was celebrating the rescue date of two dairy cows that they had rescued in 2010. I remembered that date. That was the date that I learned how cows gave milk. How blind I have been! I thought it was something that just happened! Then I learned how the mother's babies are ripped from her shortly after birth, the males often sent to slaughter and some females kept to maintain milk production. I can't imagine the grief of the mothers, the bewilderment and fear of the babies. The tears flowed again. And don't get me started on baby lambs, goats, and pigs! Then there are the heartwrenching stories of the furbabies rescued by the Trio Animal Foundation of Chicago... Tears flow because of the incredible suffering that these precious souls endure, and tears flow again when healing happens and they find their forever homes. I cry at commercials. I cry when reading news stories. I cry when a person or team wins a sporting event. I cry when hearing a certain song. I cry when singing certain songs at church. I cry when I talk about painful memories. I cry when I feel, when I'm being honest, when I go deep and breathe deeply.
Water at my worst...
I could walk into a room, feel the pain of someone who was suffering (their anger, sadness, frustration), and soak it up like a sponge. I'd be the compassionate, understanding person who took on the role of the rescuer. The person would feel better and later I'd feel awful. In my family, I learned 3 important rules: don't talk; don't trust; and don't feel. I went numb inside. I took on the role of caretaker, trying to fix people or situations, believing that that was my role, my responsibility. I put others' needs first. Being the people pleaser that I was, I was unable to say "no". I did not have healthy boundaries. I lost touch with my needs, my hopes, my dreams, my feelings. I thought that I was the most kind, patient, and understanding person in the world, completely out of touch with the anger, resentment, helplessness, hopelessness, hurt, shame, and unforgiveness that I kept buried deep inside, hiding these feelings from others and from myself. Prayer, meditation, journalling, and counselling helped me to discover these feelings, face them and release them. It doesn't happen all at once. It takes time, commitment, dedication and hard work. Water at my worst is when I go, go, go, do, do, do and don't take the time to be still, quiet, pray and meditate.
Water at my best...
When I feel my feelings and release them. When I recognize my need for rest and relaxation and say "no" to others who may be demanding my time and attention or when I finally turn off my computer. When I put my need for prayer and meditation first. And when I forget and get caught up in the busy-ness of the day, Water at my best reminds me to stop, take a breath, take time for myself and my relationship with my Higher Power and meditate and journal. Water at my best...when I practice gratitude and give thanks; when I recognize and receive with open hands the blessings given to me each day from God and from others.
If you'd like to discover more about the elements in your life, I can help. By completing Debra Silverman's Elemental Survey, we can discover your relationship to each of the 4 elements right now, at the present time. Then we can look at ways to help you balance those elements. We learn to see ourselves and others with eyes of compassion, understanding and love. What a wonderful gift!
If you're interested, please send me a personal message for details. You can also send me an e-mail at mcevero@shaw.ca
or comment in a post below this video.
For our gift today, let's take a look at the Suit of Water in Colette Baron-Reid's "The Good Tarot" card deck. Water is about the way we feel and how those feelings influence our behaviour and our relationships.
Colette says, "in this deck, the Water suit represents the heart, our emotions, and how they affect our dynamics with others. How do our emotions influence the way our energy flows into the world? How do they color our perceptions as we respond to and interact with one another and the events of our lives?
The appearance of a Water card reminds us that our initial enthusiasm may now be joined by deeper, hidden emotions that come up to the surface for processing so we can use the power of love to propel us through transformation. It is our birthright to experience intimacy and to enjoy well-being, healing, and unconditional love."
So I pulled a card from the Suit of Water asking, "What do we need to know about our emotions for the highest good?"
and I was gifted with...
2 of Water
which is about Harmonious partnership, loving and lasting relationship, heart connection between two souls
The affirmation is: I partner with one who is in harmony with me. Together, we explore what is and might be, knowing we are there for each other. Two hearts beat as one as we take turns replenishing and encouraging the other. I have someone who can bring out the best in me, and I can do the same for another soul, for we are all expressions of divine love.
The whole Water suit is about partnerships, connections. We can't do anything by ourselves. We are all connected. We are encouraged to seek harmony and peace in our relationships for we are all expressions of Divine love.
Water! Life-giving, healing, cleansing, nurturing. It invites us to love, to heal, to connect with ourselves and with others, to be still, to accept all that life has to offer, to forgive, to be compassionate, to let go of that which does not serve us or others, to make self-care a priority. May we all be blessed and nurtured by its power and strength!
Just before I go...
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I'll post a link in the description above this video (on Facebook) and I'll also include a link to my website at www.martinacevero.com where you can learn more about me, the work that I do, and the readings that I offer.
If you would like to discover more about the elements in your life, and you would like a personal reading, please send me a message or an e-mail for details by using the links at the top of my Facebook page or click on the Contact link at the top of my website.
And I have a favour to ask...
If there is someone that you know who we can help with today's reading, please be sure to share it with them. We never know the difference that we can make in someone's life by a simple act of kindness.
Thank you so much for listening.
To quote Saint Teresa of Calcutta,
"God speaks in the silence of the heart."
May we make self-care a priority, taking the time to be still, listen to our heart and soul, and use our Water to bless others!
Talk to you soon.
'Bye!