Why Cleanliness is Next to Creativity (and 3 ways this can benefit you)

The best time to plan a book is while you’re doing the dishes. — Agatha Christie

Many people might assume that doing mindless repetitive tasks frees up the consciousness to get into all sorts of imaginal realms.  This may be true, but it’s also the WATER.  

Eureka!  — Archimedes

Supposedly, Archimedes uttered this phrase as he discovered the workings of volume and displacement, where?  Why, in the bath, of course.

Water is the element that flows.  It is the fluid of creation.  It represents the depths of our psyches and our emotions.  It goes around, under, and sometimes through.  It is the only element capable of carving out such wonders as the Grand Canyon and other marvels.  

The womb itself is a water center.  When we gestate something in our wombs, we surround it with salt water and provide nutrition to it through either a physical or energetic umbilical cord.  

Water is also the connection with SPIRIT.  When we want to clear our energy, we bathe.  When we want to receive a spiritual blessing, we receive a baptism. 

When Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki sought to find a way to heal without depleting his own energy, he participated in a known Buddhist practice of sitting under a waterfall, allowing the water to flow into his crown chakra, the energy vortex of divine connection. When enlightenment came, it was through the energetic conduit of water.  

5 Ways the Water Element Can Increase Your Creativity

1. Keep yourself hydrated.  Every cell in the body functions better when it’s hydrated.  Water flushes toxins from the body and helps regulate the hormones.  Just like mama said, water helps flush the kidneys, the organs that correspond with the emotion of fear.  It takes courage to create. If we are afraid to take risks or to fully invest ourselves in our creative work is stifled.
2. Clear your energy.  One of the best ways to ensure creative flow is to release any blockages, dense emotions and the like through a salt bath.  You can use Epson salt, Dead Sea salt or a combination of both.  You can also add some essential oils to lift your vibration, such as lavender, frankincense or patchouli (all of which are also good for the skin), as well.  
3.  Let your creative energies flow like the river, or ocean or waterfall.  I realize that not everyone is as lucky as I am to be ten minutes away from the ocean. However, most of us can find a lake, a river, a pool, a puddle to commune with. If not, try your shower, which is akin to Dr. Usui’s waterfall. Take a moment to breathe deeply with your eyes closed.  Feel the natural flow of the water. Allow your thoughts and movements and energy to mimic this fluidity. Embrace the vibration of water throughout your being.  Now is the time to ask for answers to any questions you have or to release any unwanted feelings, doubts, limiting beliefs or anything else holding you back.  Now is the time to delve into your creative depths to see what is dormant there.  Let your imagination and your intuition roam free and see what insights come up for you.  All sorts of spiritual connections are possible when exploring the element of water.

Not everyone resonates with water as much as I do.  Others may be more drawn to earth, fire or air.  Each element has something to teach us about ourselves.  Which element do you feel most at home in?