Tags
AgeofCherishingWaters, BlessingsforWater, Environment, Flower Essences, Nature, Poetry, Rivulet, Water
In the inky-velvet darkness before dawn in Hobart, transcribing Celtic bard, John O’Donohue’s lyrical and reverential blessings for water.
The poem is a lucid synthesis of mysticism, respect, and deft love for the spoken and written word. Hear the blessing at 38 minutes, in the unique cadence of his voice: https://youtu.be/6MmqKJOTI4k
Blessing for Water
‘Let us bless the grace of water, the imagination of the primeval ocean where the first forms of life stirred and emerged to dress the vacant earth with warm quilts of colour.
The well whose liquid route worked through the long night of clay, trusting ahead of itself openings that would yet yield to its yearning, until at last it arises in the desire of light to discover the pure quiver of itself flowing crystal clear and free through delighted emptiness.
The courage of a river to continue belief in the slow fall of ground, always falling further towards the unseen ocean.
The river does what words would love: keeping its appearance by insisting on disappearance. Its only life surrendered to the event of pilgrimage, carrying the origin to the end; seldom pushing or straining, keeping itself to itself everywhere all along its flow – at one with its sinuous mind and utter rhythm, never awkward, it continues to swirl through all unlikeness with elegance. A ceaseless traverse of presence, soothing on each side the stilled fields – sounding out its journey, raising up a buried music where the silence of time becomes almost audible.
Tides stirred by the eros of the Moon draw from that permanent restlessness perfect waves that languidly rise and pleat in gradual forms of aquamarine, to offer every last tear of delight at the altar of stillness inland.
And the rain in the night, driven by the loneliness of the wind to perforate the darkness; as though some air pocket might open to release the perfume of the lost day and salvage some memory from its forsaken turbulence, and drop its weight of longing into the earth and anchor.
Let us bless the humility of water always willing to take the shape of whatever otherness holds it. The buoyancy of water, stronger than the deadening, downward drag of gravity.
The innocence of water, flowing forth without thought of what awaits it.
The refreshment of water, dissolving the crystals of thirst.
Water, voice of grief – cry of love in the flowing tear.
Water, vehicle and idiom of all the inner voyaging that keeps us alive.
Blessed be water, our first mother.’
Dedicating this to the Hobart Rivulet which has survived many insults – from the times of convict ‘settlement’ and beyond, in its proximity to the women’s prison, tanneries and breweries. Perhaps the one million dollar unconditional gift to the current brewery, by the Tasmanian government, could be used to assist the silent waters lying downstream.
Some wonderful work has been done replanting native trees on the banks of the Rivulet but its waters are still not clear.
Far upstream, in another winter, Mount Kunanyi birthed the rare and pristine tarn below.
In the Age of Cherishing Waters, may all rivers – our lifeblood- be this pristine
No 118 Silver Pine – Language of the Stones
http://www.firstlightfloweressences.co.nz/…/silver-pine.html
No No 145 Red Hook Sedge – Sacred Waters of the North
http://www.firstlightfloweressences.co.nz/…/no-145-red-hook…
Rose Claiden is registered First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand ® practitioner, Clinical Aromatherapist, Art Psychotherapist, Usui Reiki Sensei, and Sound Therapist: MFA, MSc. Art Therapy, Dip. Aromatherapy, Dip. NZNFE. Certs. Healers, and Shamanic Studies. Available in Hobart and beyond online: contact rosearomas@gmail.com
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