This picture is an adaptation of an old alchemical image that shows the flowing and generous nature of the goddess of the waters. The Sun and Moon look on as the water goddess gives abundantly out of herself. The double fish tail merging into the body of a human represents the integration necessary in the human soul to master the flowing creative energies that have established deep unconscious currents in the psyche. This goddess is an image of the person who has a creative view of his or her own life’s challenges. When these people meet with obstacles their enhanced water consciousness allows them to identify the deeper currents with the soul and then modify them so that the flow around hindrances is enhanced. In water consciousness, people come into contact with the flow dimension of the work towards self transformation.

An initial step in learning to do this water alchemy of flow is to ask myself what is it that makes me irritable in a given situation? Once found, an irritant can be transformed in such a way that it becomes a key to understanding creative flow. To do that shift, I need to train my attention to participate in the consciousness of the water element. When I am in water consciousness I am able to form an inner picture in which I see just how irritation around a simple issue limits my ability to achieve creative flow.

The most successful attempts at self transformation reveal that singling out just one simple issue that promotes an irritation is best. It may be that the dog always sleeps in a busy doorway or that the paperboy always cuts through the rose bed in the morning, or that my car has an annoying rattle. Simple irritations like this are very useful for exploring the methods of water consciousness. When I can identify a simple issue that is an irritation the first step is grounding it in the earth consciousness. Earth is about control.

Irritation often arises when I feel that I am not in control of situations connected to an issue. Identifying a source of irritation is fundamental when I want to teach my soul to flow creatively.  To help me to do this it is very effective to form inner pictures of how simple irritations arise in me.

Using the mandala accompanying this article I can place my issue in the earth categories of what, when and where. These questions help identify my irritation by asking the earth questions, what, when and where. If my irritation centers on another person I can add who to the earth questions.

When I have who, what, when and where identified I can then make a little movie in my inner eye of just how who does what, when I feel irritation around my issue. This little movie of how the irritation arises is known as an ABC exercise. Though simple, it represents a profound state of water consciousness. In the ABC exercise I imagine who or what is doing what when I get irritated. I then form a three step sequence in which I visualize what comes first, what comes second and what comes third in the irritation process.

By repeating this little visualization we are working towards a consciousness that will eventually reveal to us the how of the irritation. Asking how is the ultimate water question. I find out how by forming and dissolving a moving image of the who, what, when and where movie. It is useful to do that when I can remember to do it throughout the day. Waiting in line or at a traffic light is a good place to run the movie. The movie is especially productive when viewed just before going to sleep.

Discovering how an issue leads to irritation is the key to establishing a creative response to the world. An insight of how an irritation arises in me releases a flood of creative potentials for discovering who I didn’t have to waste energy with the irritation. The rhythm of the repetition of the little ABC movie is the water consciousness that eventually yields the creative insight into the how of my irritation. I am really asking myself how is it that I can become so irritated by something so simple? Insight into this question releases a creative flow towards greater self awareness.