A Ship on the Seas and Rivers of Emotion

The West.

In the Western Mystery Tradition the direction and place of the Element of Water.

It is no mistake that the Element of Water is spiritually linked with our emotions.

The great bodies of water on this astoundingly beautiful planet can sometimes reflect the emotions we feel on our journey through life. The ebb and flow of the tides, the calm mirrored ocean, the wild stormy sea, the gentle flowing river, and the torrent of rapids. As we live our lives we will all feel these changing currents as our journey follows the flow of existence.

Sometimes when we are caught in the rapids, or the loud resounding storm, it can feel like things may never change – that we will be forever caught in the storm. Sometimes when we are floating on the calm sea our lives may feel stagnant, going nowhere, directionless. But all bodies of water change with the tides, or with the addition of rain, running down from the hills, flooding, forcing change.

The connection of emotion and water is a useful reminder that they are called emotions for a reason – energy, in motion.

A walk in the forest, a chat with a friend, a change of direction, a reassessment of possibilities. We can wait out the storm, we can wait patiently for the wind to lift our sails, or we can turn and fire up the outboard and take the rudder for ourselves.

That’s another beautiful thing about the water/emotion connection.

If our lives are a ship on the seas and rivers of emotion, it’s good to remember who the Captain is.