Be Like Water

“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” ― Bruce Lee

The Chinese Water Element embodies the meaning of wisdom, spirituality, and transformation. Fear is also the essence of Water. Why fear? Because emotional and mental breakthroughs often emerge after we have conquered our fears.

If we imagine the flow of water, it can serve as a great teacher, showing us how to move through the world and our circumstances with grace, ease, vigor, and humility. When you close your eyes, envision when a river breaks at a waterfall. You will notice how it gains energy and then gradually moves on. This aspect of nature can be applied to our own human experiences. As we encounter our individual waterfalls, we may fall hard at first, but we always keep going.

Water can hold and contain our fears, but it can also inspire us to not become so rigid with fear. Water is brave and flows onward without ever turning back. By the same token, the Water fills every hole, however dark or deep; it envelops and fills the void and empty spaces. With courage and a nudge, we can face the dark moments of our lives squarely rather than run away from them.

Eventually, a river will empty into the sea. Water does not hold back from joining with a larger body, nor does it fear a loss of identity or control. It gracefully and humbly tumbles into the vastness by contributing its energy and merging without resistance. Each time we move beyond our individual egos to become part of something larger, we can try our very best to follow the lead of the river.