Shamanic Pathways 04 - Dehydration.

[moonvoice]

I have a non-conventional way of approaching some of the problems in my life. A lot of people do, I'm not alone. But I feel that some of my problem-solving methods are distinctly shamanic in nature. They are spirit-oriented. They look towards the sacredness of something.

Since moving into this new house, in a semi-rural, dry environment, I've been dehydrated. I'm not drinking enough water. I love water, staying hydrated is usually not a problem for me. I can tell, immdiately, when I'm dehydrated. I eat more, I get headaches in the afternoon, I feel sluggish and unmotivated.

So my first objective solution was to simply make myself drink more water. Make up a schedule, drink a lot in the morning, a lot at night. It wasn't an 'all day' thing, but hey, at least I'd be doing it right?

Wrong.

I remembered for half a day, and then promptly forgot and ended up even more dehydrated than before. Rinse and repeat for about two weeks, with only one day of me really keeping to my pretty objective solution.

So then I took it to my more non-conventional place, and I decided to talk with an internalised spirit of water since humans - like almost all animals with a high water content - tend to have one (or so I believe). I withdrew into myself, into the watery places within myself, and found a gentle, young female spirit sitting calmly within the waters with her head looking down.

I introduced myself to her, feeling the dryness around me, and seeing it in her environment. It didn't feel as wet as was appropriate. I felt like I should have taken several buckets of water with me and just let them go.

So I said what came to mind, and our dialogue went like this. I asked 'why have I been so combative with you lately?' And this water maiden looked up at me, smiled softly and shrugged. 'I don't know, why have you been so combative with me lately?'

I paused and thought about it, feeling dry and unhappy inside of myself, and then thought about my environment. The land around me. I've recently made a radical shift in my living environment. From suburbia, to a semi-rural area that borders directly onto bushland. Both behind my house, and not too far away from the house. I thought 'maybe it's because the land is dry,' but then I realised that there was a lot of ground-water beneath this land. So much so, that most of Perth's water come from underground aquifers right where I am.

And then as I thought about this, I had a strange brainwave. I said, 'there's not enough water here, I feel like I have to ration how much I drink.'

The maiden looked up, and smiled, though her eyes were sad. 'There's not enough water here, not for everything and everyone, but there is enough to drink of, and drink plenty. Maybe you are more aware of the land than you were before, the falling water table, the fragile water sources. Maybe in trying to understand your environment, you have become too much like it, and forgot to nourish yourself.'

'Maybe.' I said. 'Even if I don't know why, I'd like to help you more. I don't like how it feels down here.'

'Neither do I.' She said. 'I can help you, though. Lately I have been feeling dry and unhappy, my environment is dry and unhappy. But maybe that is why you don't like water very much as a taste or a flavour. What I can do instead, is try smiling more, for you and for me. It sounds little, but it changes the atmosphere down here, right?' And she beamed at me, and suddenly I thought 'I feel like some water.'

We said our farewells and we shook on it, and I've had a lot of water to drink today. So even though my methods were ultimately non-conventional, they were useful. I feel even more inter-connected with myself and my inner state of being, experiencing 'dryness' at a literal level. I feel grateful that part of this may even be because of my interconnectedness with my environment and local spirits. And I am grateful I have found what seems to be a solution.

Now, I don't know if it's a long-term solution yet! But of course if it's not, I will write another pathway like this one to let you know my next non-conventional way of dealing with dehydration. After all, shamanism is about things that seem small and simple, because often we build our health and healthy environments, from the ground up. :)

Comments

[bewylderbeast.livejournal.com]

This is brilliant.

I had a similar, but not as in-depth conversation, with the "spirit" of my reproductive organs, which helped me come to the conclusion that I didn't want to cut them away in an attempt to feel more balanced. Since then, my periods have been less detrimantal to my mental health.

[negani.livejournal.com]

You gave me an idea.
I thought about sterilizing myself (because ... I don't know why, exactly, but it was a comforting thought when I was down). I feel good most of the time now and I don't think those thoughts regularly anymore, but I think my reproductive organs are not healthy. I think ... A certain damage was done and not repaired yet. When I'm writing this, contacting the spirit of my reproductive organs (this is the closest I can imagine to the spirit of my womanhood) feels more and more as "right", as "something that will work".
It's strange, I was thinking on and off for a while now, what should I do, and here's the answer.

[bewylderbeast.livejournal.com]

Awesome. Good luck with it. I learned that my womanhood (and so my period) was not an enemy, just a misunderstood friend.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I had a similar, but not as in-depth conversation, with the "spirit" of my reproductive organs, which helped me come to the conclusion that I didn't want to cut them away in an attempt to feel more balanced. Since then, my periods have been less detrimantal to my mental health.

I think this was an amazing thing you did. So 'simple' in terms of what it involves, and yet so many people just would never think about doing it. It has given me the idea of communing with my own reproductive organs, but I haven't done it yet. *blush*

[earthguardian.livejournal.com]

This is very awesome. I wish I could do something similar whenever I was having a problem with something. Sometimes I like to think of my body as Osmosis Jones - you ever seen it? - where each cell is alive and has its own personality. I think this would help with a lot of the issues I have with my body.

:D

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Osmosis Jones, but what a cool title!

[rabbit-heart.livejournal.com]

I think everything you write is wonderful. I'm not even entirely sure why I friended your journal to begin with, but I read every entry and it's such a pleasure to read your thoughts. There's something eloquent in how you share your beliefs. Shamanism is something I'm interested in, but not something I pursue. I feel connected to nature, but not in the same depth because it's not something I practice.

I'm glad I stumbled across your journal. <3

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Aw *hugs* Thank you, this made me smile a lot.

[aleia-kali.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to hear this worked for you, i believe you go with what works for you, whether it be conventional, or non conventional.
*hugs*

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

i believe you go with what works for you, whether it be conventional, or non conventional.

I'm starting to realise it's pretty okay to be non-conventional if it leads to great physical, emotional and spiritual health!

[negani.livejournal.com]

I find this post interesting. Especially because what happened was that you turned your attention inwards. I know to turn my attention inwards, but I often don't know what to do there. Looking for a spirit of water in oneself by going to watery places within oneself is genius.

(Beside this post, I only read 01 in the Shamanic Pathways series till now, because no time/no energy/it wasn't the right moment for more/glancing over the contents and finding them too complicated/...)

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Especially because what happened was that you turned your attention inwards.

Usually I go outwards into the otherworlds, but I've made the mistake too often of valuing journeying over inner visualisation work. And I'm trying to make more use of that, with great success. :)

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

A purely mundane way to keep with it? Find things during your day to have a pint/bottle of water before you get to them. I finish one before I get to go eat breakfast and have coffee. I finish one during working out and before I get a shower. That's two more than I was before I started this, and the rest of the day, while I work and/or garden isn't as hard to keep to. It's a bit harder when there are errands, as I can't fill it as much and find myself wanting tea or coffee instead.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

If this doesn't work, I'll definitely try it. But I couldn't even keep up with forcing myself to just drink a litre of water first thing in the morning, and last thing at night.

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to say this wasn't going to work, but more as something to do along with it to help.

I've never thought of doing this, though...the possibilities!

[lupabitch.livejournal.com]

I never know what to say about journeys like these, other than "Yes, this makes complete sense".

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

:D
Yay! Personally, I like it more than 'this makes no sense at all!!!'

*grin*

[mirrorred-star.livejournal.com]

I think it makes more sense that you'd be more likely to drink more after talking with your inner water spirit than going, 'Okay, I'm doing this now.'

Also, non-conventional solutions are far more interesting to read about than conventional ones, even if they do make you feel a bit silly. :)