A still pool of water near the Little Spokane River.
Copyright © 2006 Barry G. Moses.
Some time ago, my wife and I watched the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know?” and were deeply moved by the film’s portrayal of water crystal experiments performed by Masaru Emoto wherein certain words, prayers, or emotions affected the way water crystals formed in a Petri dish. A loving word, a blessing from a Buddhist monk, or a happy thought produced beautifully formed crystals, whereas angry thoughts or attacking words produced unpleasant or deformed shapes. It seemed to confirm what many of us intuitively know about prayer and positive intention.
In a recent Beliefnet article, Masaru Emoto attributes many natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and droughts to human mistreatment of water. “The water is angry at us,” he says, “Even though we can’t live without water, water has given us so much. Water has given us life. But we never tried to learn anything about water, or understand about water. So obviously water was unhappy about it…”
Masaru Emoto’s words resonate with my father’s teaching about water. My father learned from his elders that “water is the most powerful medicine on earth.” In fact, my father’s spiritual mentor Martin Louie used to speak reverently regarding the largest source of water in our ancestral lands, the Columbia River: “Where it comes from never goes dry. Where it goes never fills up.” Water is constant. It nourishes the people and sustains life.
The idea of loving thoughts forming beautiful crystals appeals to my spiritual sensibilities, but not everyone agrees. Thomas P. Sheahen says, “It's always convenient to invoke science to buttress pleasant ideas. In the water case, the bottom line is ‘be positive and the world will be happy.’ It may be true that positive thoughts help make a better planet, but it's not because those thoughts affect water.”
Maybe so.
I respect science and would certainly welcome more study on the issue. However, faith and science have different goals; science reveals how things came to be, whereas spirit provides a deeper, intangible explanation of reality. Whether prayer affects the world around us or simply the inner reality of the supplicant, matters little. That which arises from the heart is what really sanctifies us, and certainly our attitude toward water will ultimately affect the way we treat the environment. If we reverence the planet we call home, we will more likely create sustainable conditions than if we treat the earth as a commodity to use and abuse.
For more information on Masaru Emoto, click HERE.
For more information on Thomas P. Sheahen, click HERE.
In a recent Beliefnet article, Masaru Emoto attributes many natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and droughts to human mistreatment of water. “The water is angry at us,” he says, “Even though we can’t live without water, water has given us so much. Water has given us life. But we never tried to learn anything about water, or understand about water. So obviously water was unhappy about it…”
Masaru Emoto’s words resonate with my father’s teaching about water. My father learned from his elders that “water is the most powerful medicine on earth.” In fact, my father’s spiritual mentor Martin Louie used to speak reverently regarding the largest source of water in our ancestral lands, the Columbia River: “Where it comes from never goes dry. Where it goes never fills up.” Water is constant. It nourishes the people and sustains life.
The idea of loving thoughts forming beautiful crystals appeals to my spiritual sensibilities, but not everyone agrees. Thomas P. Sheahen says, “It's always convenient to invoke science to buttress pleasant ideas. In the water case, the bottom line is ‘be positive and the world will be happy.’ It may be true that positive thoughts help make a better planet, but it's not because those thoughts affect water.”
Maybe so.
I respect science and would certainly welcome more study on the issue. However, faith and science have different goals; science reveals how things came to be, whereas spirit provides a deeper, intangible explanation of reality. Whether prayer affects the world around us or simply the inner reality of the supplicant, matters little. That which arises from the heart is what really sanctifies us, and certainly our attitude toward water will ultimately affect the way we treat the environment. If we reverence the planet we call home, we will more likely create sustainable conditions than if we treat the earth as a commodity to use and abuse.
For more information on Masaru Emoto, click HERE.
For more information on Thomas P. Sheahen, click HERE.
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