There is so much we do not understand about the mysterious substance that is water. Scientists are still scratching their heads as to where all this water on our planet came from, with many deducing that passing asteroids must be the culprit for depositing it here and others hypothesizing that water simply must have been here all along.
Many of the properties of water defy science. Hot water freezes much faster than cold water. When compared with similar molecules, such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, water should turn to gas at room temperature, but the sticky nature of water molecules allows them to overcome the force of gravity, and bonds them together in liquid form. Ice or frozen water can form into a variety of different crystalline structures. Unlike most other liquids, water expands as it freezes, allowing it to float and insulating the water underneath, which has helped sustain life during the ice ages as lakes and rivers freeze from the surface down. Everywhere on the earth, where you can find water—even at its most acidic or boiling—there is life. Our solar system is also full of water. Planets such as Saturn, Mars, Pluto and Jupiter are known to have water on them and many comets hurtling through space are made of frozen water. There has even been a water cloud found around a black hole.
The Consciousness of Water
As a symbol for healing and alchemy, water represents the deepest recesses of our subconscious, where we glide from the realms of self into the place where our collective experiences merge, fold into and lap against each other. Here is the infinite playground of our deepest emotions—their lightness, their extremes. Just like the sea, a pool or a raging river, our inner waters can feel calm or turbulent. But the beauty of water is that it is fully moldable, able to be shaped, held, and contained within a vessel. It also holds the ability to shape itself and can adjust its properties to whatever environment it finds itself in. It can be still as glassy pond, sweep as rain, sprinkle as mist, roll as a wave, crack as ice and explode as a geyser. So as a metaphor for change, shifting from one state of being to another, moving with the flow of life, and maneuvering around obstacles, it is perhaps our ultimate teacher.
Our bodies are made up of 60% water and our blood is made of 90% water, so you could say we are predominantly liquid beings. As such, we are constantly having a visceral experience of life. Yet we often underestimate the powerful impact our feelings have on us, and many humans have grown accustomed to burying and suppressing the deeper, innate part of their sensory intelligence.
Water is a conductor of energy, and carries information and energy around our bodies. Water aids in waste removal, the regulation of our core temperature, the improvement of cell function, it helps cushion our ligaments and joints, protects the spine, and aids in the production of essential bodily fluids.
Water moves in cycles, rhythms and tides both around our bodies and around the planet. 70% of the surface of earth is covered by oceans and the seas make up 97% of all the surface water on our planet. Of what remains, around 2% accounts for the polar ice caps, leaving a very small less than 1% as the precious fresh water we require for drinking. Water hydrates, cleanses and renews, creating pathways of growth, and encouraging new life to flourish wherever it goes. Water is essential to life. It was out of the very first primordial waters that all life on this planet first formed, so it is also the ultimate tool for manifestation and for seeing the highest potential of life.
As a metaphor for the human, water acts as a powerful mirror, revealing to us our softness, our smoothness, our hardness, our power, and our serenity. We cannot survive without water, so we must not take it for granted, for to do so would be to take our very existence for granted.
The Sacred Significance of Water
Water is a sacred substance. Without it, there can be no life. It is one of the most abundant substances on our planet, and yet it remains a source of puzzlement.
The water molecule—otherwise known as H2O—is perhaps the most studied chemical compound as there is nothing else in our material world that can take so many different forms, and behave in so many various ways. From vapour to liquid to ice, water is unique in its capacity to shape-shift and adapt to temperatures and environments with beauty, grace and ease.
Since a vast percentage of our own bodies are made of water, working with water for healing and divination helps to remind us that we, too, can fluidly adapt to any situation we may find ourselves in.
Alchemy is all about breaking down an original substance or material, clearing it of any impurities, and getting to the true core of what it really is. In terms of spiritual alchemy for healing, the goal is to become our truest self by going through an inner journey to reveal the treasure within—the gold of the soul that is us at our most refined.
Water as an element is aligned to emotion and intuition. Greek philosopher Thales said that water was the very first substance ever to be created in our world. It is the source of all life, where the immaterial takes form and becomes material.
Water Alchemy Oracle by Alexandra Wenman, illustrated by Aveliya Savina published by Inner Traditions International and Bear & Company, ©2023. All rights reserved. Innertraditions.com. Reprinted with permission of publisher.
Alexandra Wenman is a gifted angel communicator, spiritual alchemist, channel, healer, poet, and presenter. The author of Archangel Fire Oracle and Archangel Alchemy Healing, she is the creator of The Alexandra Wenman Show on YouTube. Aveliya Savina is an artist and illustrator whose inspiring graphic design compositions range from cartoons to realism. alexandrawenman.com.
