When I think about the water element, I feel it can be the most often neglected and misunderstood element.  In its extremes it’s a full on tsunami, destructive in its force OR dammed up to become stagnant, scummy and stinky.  The middle ground is a free flowing stream or river.  Ahhhh, now that feels better!

The water element can bring up  trepidation and fear which can be about having a feeling surface and not knowing what to do with it.  What it’s really about is control, or loss there of.  Emotions are like that as they rise from our depths and can be overwhelming.  But the good news is, the more you  listen to, learn from, and ride with your emotions, the better you’ll feel and the control issue can melt away.

I think of emotions as a GPS system installed at birth.  We’ve all got ‘em, so instead of pushing them back or ignoring them, find out how they can guide you.  Emotions are a language and information, period.

When we dam up the water element, pushing away or ignoring how we are really feeling, we create inner turmoil.  Our inner world becomes stagnant like a pond without a fresh spring to feed it.  We gather scum and debris, which is not good for our health.  The life force begins to fade if there is not fresh oxygen, created by movement. Depression can settle in here.

Consider the nature of water, it moves.  As the old Chinese proverb states, you cannot step into the same stream twice.  If you are feeling something, feel it and allow it to move.  And it will, it’s the law of nature.

This past week I found myself getting frustrated over a business issue.   This caused me to begin writing about my own past business experiences and a passionate blog post emerged.  Additionally, as I allowed this feeling to surface and stayed open to being with it, I gathered even more information about why this issue caused such a reaction within me.  If I had ignored my feelings, I can guarantee this situation and feeling would show up at a future date.  But now I know and there’s inner personal power in that.

Want more wisdom? Listen to what your emotions are sharing with you.  They may not always be the truth, but they are true to you.  Honor them, listen, and be gentle with your precious self.

If you’re interested in learning more about your emotions, I highly recommend the book, “The Language of Emotions” by Karla McLaren.

“The soul walks not upon a line; neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.”
~Kahlil Gibran