As the bounty of summer surrounds us, we hope you are experiencing the many joys of water. May you find yourself near the ocean, lakes, rivers, creeks, ponds or pools. We hope you are swimming, surfing, boating, rafting or simply gazing at it. May you be drinking it voraciously, hydrating yourself inside and out. For both of us, being in or near water has been essential to our well-being, and here we aim to celebrate it and perhaps open you further to your own appreciation of this miraculous element. Our dear friend Pat McCabe, also known as Woman Stands Shining, is of the Dine/Navajo and Lakota lineages. In the Lakota tradition, water is not only essential for life, it is alive and conscious – it listens to our prayers. She says that it is good to pray to water because it actually intensifies your prayer. It evaporates and travels through the atmosphere, carrying your intentions across great distances as well as through space and time. She reminds us that Earth is a closed system that still holds its original water, so every living thing throughout time has shared in it. Thus, all of our ancestors have consumed the same water, tying us all together in a sacred and beautiful way. This lovely perspective from a wise Medicine Woman is but one aspect of this magical, mystical element. If we can listen to it, water has so much to teach us. Water is most often seen as a feminine element – yin energy – and is associated with emotion, intuition, and healing. It is one of the softest substances in the world, yet it is also the most powerful. Flowing water moves around and through anything and everything. It can slowly carve canyons or quickly devastate a man-made landscape. Water is receptive, adaptable and flexible, feminine qualities that enable us to navigate life with resilience and grace. Water is life. It nourishes, cleanses and purifies, symbolizing the life force itself. It is also healing energy for body, mind, and soul. The flow of emotions and the water of our tears bring release and peace. This summer, as you enjoy the fun and frivolity of swimming and playing in bodies of water, you might also connect with its more spiritual offerings as well. You might even offer your prayers to it, asking for its blessings as we humans seek pathways to a more just and sustainable future. | 
