Water for Body and Spirit

Since the 1st of March 2006 my only liquid intake has been water. This was a decision I made at the beginning of the month - to do this for at least 40 days. I carry my 1.5 litre water bottle with me wherever I go and drink about 3 to 4.5 litres a day (refilling from the filtered water each time the bottle is empty). The more I drink, the more I want. It is a pleasure, not an effort. I feel as though my entire body, my mind in particular, is being flushed. As a result, I have been getting the feeling (within the past few days in particular) that something is missing. At first I wondered if I was missing the taste or texture of another kind of liquid (e.g. I used to love the creamy texture of a tickly mixed glass of Lasco non-lactose powdered milk). But yesterday I realised that the 'missing' sensation is as a result of the clean, clear feeling expanding within. It feels like like having a large garden with flowers and weeds. Gradually someone starts to remove the weeds, one by one, without you knowing. Because it is so gradual, at first you don't see the changes taking place. One day you look at the garden and get the feeling that something is different, but at first you're not quite sure what. ...

In addition to starting the drinking of the water on 1 March 2006, I also started back meditating. I do 20 minutes when I wake early in the mornings, when the place is still dark and everything is quiet. This is like giving water to my Spirit. Sometimes that 20 minutes will feel like five minutes. Sometimes I am restless and twenty minutes feels like hours, but I make it through. And even within that restlessness there is a pocket of silence and stillness that connects me to something deeper.

Flow

into me

through me

out of me

clearing

space

for

more.

*

Elspeth