Silent Water

‍ I am having a great love affair with water.

I continue to be surprised by how I am half stumbling, half leaping into deeper intimacy with

water.

That’s why the idea of silent water captured my imagination. In the Balkans and Greece, silent

water, water that was gathered in silence, is a key ingredient to many rituals, divination, and

remedies. Wanting to understand it more, I invited some of my dancers to join me in gathering

silent water for our Earth Day event.

Four of us set out to mni owe sni (Cold Water Spring), a spring sacred to the Dakota people and

close to the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers.

The winding path to the spring guided us through oak savannah. Just over the hill loomed the

fortress-like Whipple Federal Building. The building reminded me of how much suffering has

happened and continues in our community, making tears well up in my eyes.

Moments like that reveal how many wounds are right below the surface, not just for me, but

also for our community.

When we arrived at the spring the building fell from view. I made an offering to the water and

gathered some in a vase.

And something shifted in me.

It was like I myself had plunged into the purest water.

I was astonished how my heavy heart was so quickly flushed open by the energy of the spring.

I feel so much awe and gratitude for the water’s healing power.

The simple act of silence, silence shared with others, was a key ingredient. I’m grateful for how

this seed of folk wisdom, is a resource for me, for us, now.

Silent attention while your faucet runs is a door to experiencing the act of drawing water as a

miracle. And I encourage you to learn more about the springs near you and visit them. They are

a powerful resource to support you.

Love,

emily

Get inspired by simple, practical, and profound Grandmother wisdom, particularly for working with plants and water for our healing. Check it out at Grandmothers’ Garden on June 15.