Guest Blogger
Hello! Raney-Mills Turner, LPC, ATR, here again, to blow your mind with science and art and energy and the magic of water and how it relates to your mental wellbeing. A snowflake is the perfect object to bring together all of these elements. I was inspired by the therapeutic art video posted on the WhiteFlag Instagram account, created by WhiteFlag Art Director, Sarah Beth Wiley.
How can cutting a piece of paper into a snowflake bring up so many ideas in this brain of mine: preschool nostalgia, water, crystals, energy, impermanence, my time in the Northeast...
Please stay tuned for how the power of words can affect a water molecule, ie, a snowflake. Mean words hurt on a cellular level.
Snowflakes, whether they are paper-crafted or sky-fallen, have a matter-of-fact way of never being just like the next one. The sky snowflakes are feathery ice crystals in a moment in time, oh-so fragile. All of my above references do stem from this definition, am I right?
We are a fragile species, trying to hone in on what makes us unique, all the while trying to figure out where we belong. We can be drastically different from our blood relatives, and this can feel highlighted during the holidays. The not-belonging can feel energetically overwhelming if we are not prepared to protect our energy bubbles. We can feel intrinsically connected to our neighbors and our chosen families; and this, too, can be highlighted during the holidays. Or it is a mix of the above, with a dusting of holiday grief and joy. Even the gentle fall of a snowflake can feel like a spike of grief in that holiday heart.
Lady, you are supposed to be blogging on art therapy! Good news is art is all of these things, and how we handle them is the therapy. The healing place. The snowflake is art. You are art. The environment around you is art. Nature, be it a mountain or your living room succulent, is art. The choices you make to create new things is art in and of itself, not to mention the product in front of you. In art therapy theory, it is called “phenomenological art therapy.” When we create something, it is now outside of ourselves. It is its own phenomenon.
So phenomenologically-speaking, I believe that as I walk around in this life, I am creating art, yes, but I am also emitting energy every second of the day — both their own phenomena! And so are you, and so is the next guy in line behind you at the coffee shop.
So let’s investigate the phenomena of a snowflake briefly in order to better understand how words and energy and art affect our peace! Hang with me, here. I believe energy is where it’s at, the juice of life, the reason for the season, the life force that connects all things, large and small. In my first ever Reiki training, my teacher shared a book with us that I highly recommend. It is called, “The Hidden Messages in Water” by Masaru Emoto. It is short, and it is impactful; and it is art, science, and magic all in one shabang. His photos of crystals are next level cool.
In this short book, this Japanese scientist writes of the essence and molecular breakdown of water. Boring? I think not! If you may recall, we are, as human earthlings, approximately 70% water. We do slowly lose water, and eventually die; but the majority of us exist mostly as water. This applies to all people everywhere.
Mr. Emoto began freezing all types of waters — filtered, unfiltered, dirty, chlorine-enhanced, regionally and geographically diverse, etc. What he found was that various types of water create various types of crystals (like snowflakes), and that it is impossible to create the same one again.
His research assistant one day mentioned they should see how the formed crystals change when they play music for the water. This sounds so silly, but they did it anyway. The results were astounding in that different types of music affected the crystallization of the water molecules. At one point, he references a Japanese family taking 3 jars of rice and water and treating them all differently in order to test the power of words. They began talking to one jar of water with rice in it with phrases like “I love you” and “thank you!;” and then another jar of water with such phrases like “you fool!” They even took it as far as plainly ignoring the third jar of water. Over time, the water that was energetically adorned with love and gratitude created a nice fragrant fermented rice, while the second one began to rot, and the third neglected water did nothing!
“Water is a life force… Water carried by blood and bodily fluid is a means by which nourishment is circulated through our bodies, “ said Mr. Emoto. The water we know as snowflakes falls into the earth, and returns to the sky, a cycle of change. Everything is a vibration of energy exchange, all the time, everywhere.
What if we were all kind? What if we were all acting from a place of loving kindness and gratitude with a gentle impeccability of word? What if we spoke to all of the people in our lives — both family and strangers (remember each human is 70% full of water) — this way?
If Mr. Emoto provides evidence that water can be changed with love and gratitude, then how could one not believe that love and gratitude can shift the waters of the world, within our bodies and in our rivers.
Even better, what if you spoke to yourself that way? What if you looked at yourself and said “thank you!’ and “I love you!” and “you are a real unique badass!” We may not be able to change others, and we may be too sensitive sometimes; but we also might be able to affect internal change with simple lines of gratitude and love, especially if it was not something said in your home as a child.
My challenge for you WhiteFlag folks is to create that snowflake from paper, write down what makes you unique, shine your feathery, sensitive ice crystals wherever you go; AND protect them. Know you are unique and fragile. Know you are loveable and you are loved.
Thanks again for reading today. If you have any questions, feel free to email me directly at raneydaytherapy@gmail.com or visit my website at www.raneydaywellbeing.com.
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