Water Needs to Flow

Note: In astrology, the water element is often associated with emotion, intuition, sensitivity, and the inner world. The modern world often frames these things as vulnerabilities. This piece is my take on the lived reality of the water element.

Water needs to flow. 

It can flow quickly and unpredictably. All you have to do is look at the speed of a rushing river, or the height of ocean waves, to understand that water is powerful. 

So many natural disasters involve water: tsunamis, floods, hurricanes. Because of this, it  is natural to have some fear of water. And still- the human body is composed substantially of water, and water needs to flow. 

When natural sources of water are too tightly contained, they will eventually break their containment structure. Water is just following its own natural instinct, and flowing. We see this when dams break and cause devastating floods. As within, so without. 

The good news is that we don’t need to be at the mercy of our own water (emotions) causing destructive overflow. Allowing for the expression, movement, and active processing of our emotions gives them the opportunity to flow, as water always will, without risk of hazard to ourselves or our relationships. It’s the tight, constant restriction that poses the greatest risk. 

When we feel our inner tides rising, the fear of “what damage could this cause” is not actually a fear of the water itself, but an interpretation of the sense of intensity that comes along with it. Consciously, we can be fearful that the expression of the intensity will push people away, or cause conflict. Unconsciously, we may not even understand the fear at all, and just have the sense that expression and flow are somehow unsafe and to be avoided at all costs. 

This, unfortunately, especially over long periods of time, is the creation and birth of the tsunami (for those who tend to outwardly express), or the flood (for those who tend to keep everything inside). 

We do not have to intellectually understand the nature of water. If you stand beside a large river with many tributaries, you can’t necessarily see where all the tributaries lead. It is not obvious what purpose the tributaries serve. But if they didn’t have a purpose, they would not exist. Nature does not waste resources. If you follow one long enough, you will find an ecosystem that depends upon it. What if we could view our own emotions in a similar light?

Sometimes water flows forward, sometimes backward, and sometimes it is still. These are all natural states of water. However, water that remains still for too long becomes stagnant, because it does not have an outlet. 

Let’s turn the natural disasters metaphor on its head a little: what is more dangerous than stagnant water? The danger inherent within stagnant water is that its danger is largely hidden. Yes, it’s unsightly and unpleasant to smell, but the real hazard is beneath the surface. By contrast, tsunamis and floods are visible, obvious, and not going to lull anyone into a state of complacency. 

Water is meant to flow. 

Each of us is the gatekeeper, manager, and steward of the water within us.