The ocean as a practice
what the water teaches me
On mirrors, ocean clarity, magic, glimmers, and the reveal of truth
This summer, part of why I didn’t return to living & working upstate in community was because I wanted more spaciousness. Specifically, I wanted a stay-at-home, find-new-internal-rhythms kind of summer. A going-to-the-beach-without-it-being-a-4-hour-trip kind of summer.
Astrologically, I am essentially all fire & water, and sometimes I forget to tend to the part of me that craves being in a body of water.
This past Sunday, I went to the ocean for the first time in much too long. Though I love swimming in rivers and lakes, the ocean and I have a special bond. Through her, I am nourished and seen and offered a kind of clarity that only comes from floating in the salty waves, phone free.
As I was swimming in the water with my partner and best friend by my side, I considered how the ocean is a practice. It’s a mirror for how I show up in my life (and probably how you show up in your life, too, dear reader).
First, there’s how you get into the ocean. Do you run right in, diving under the first wave headed toward you? Or do you prefer to saunter in slowly, waiting for a break in the waves to submerge yourself?
Then there’s how you interact with the waves — this is my favorite part. When the big, tall waves approach, do you choose to swim over the wave, or do you dive under? Or do you freeze, thus letting a big wave break over you, some chaos before coming up for air?
I love the ocean as a metaphor for life. Honestly, I think ocean swimming at least once should be a requirement for being human.
For me, there’s something about being in the water and in my body, having to move with the waves, that teaches me how to pay attention. The ocean is sacred attention.
Gently lulled by her waves, I find a presence that allows the rest of me to catch up to clarity, landing in the reveal of truth.
My inner child comes out to play, enamored with big waves and salty water and glimmering sunshine and fluffy clouds and sparkling portals on the ocean’s surface. Nothing else matters.
I find within myself deep, sprawling fields of love and medicine and nourishment and limitless joy.
The rolling hills of magic and aliveness unfurl toward me, and I remember why water is a necessary nutrient for staying centered.
Gratitude to the ocean, which teaches me choice and flow all at once. I always leave in a freer shape, more embodied than the one I arrived in.
If you’re reading this letter, I encourage you to take a big deep belly breath, roll your shoulders back, and rest your eyes on the nearest swaying tree. This is my invitation to find a kind of ocean-clarity in your day, as practice.
May we all give ourselves the gift of opening to receive the glimmers of clarity and truth.
Thank you for reading Sacred Attention. Consider sharing this letter with a loved one who treasures the ocean!
<3
Christie