The monsoon clouds are circling Bangalore skies these days, and if we listen attentively, we can hear their faint whispers and rumblings. Yet, the stage curtains are closed for now, the air thick with their unsung songs that speak of journeys from faraway lands and seas.
Once in a while, the curtains part to give us a glimpse of what is to come. This is the story of one such night when I slept to the song of the rain.
I found myself floating in an azure sea that stretched as far as the eyes could see. I could feel the lightness of being while playing hide and seek with the sun. Shape-shifting into anything that I wanted to on that blue canvas of a child’s imagination: an elephant, a ship, or a fire-breathing dragon.
Then the dusk beckoned the sun into her folds, leaving me dressed in a gown of shimmering grey with silver linings. So, began the slow dance with the moon in a room filled with stars, until the gown started changing colors from muted greys to thunderous blacks. And, I knew it was time for me to say goodbye.
I was free-falling now and could see myself in the multitude of dotted silver threads falling gently along with me. As we dissolved in the embrace of the parched earth, I could smell the sweet perfume of her first rain, hear the seeds waking up from their deep slumber, taste the freshness in the air, and watch with delight a world, freshly bathed. And, just like the voice of thunder declared my arrival, a rainbow announced my departure.
While earlier I was multiple, now I was one body, both wide and deep, held and contained by the earth. My mirror-like surface reflecting the trees, the clouds, and the sky, holding everything in itself. And, then a breeze would cause the reflections to distort and disappear, as the ripples danced on the surface. And through it all, I rested deep in the silence and stillness below, accepting both the qualities of clarity and the ripples as part of me.
It was time for me to move on, and so I journeyed forth, learning to flow effortlessly in the current of life. Sometimes flowing gently, sometimes gushing forth, sometimes circling around in whirlpools, and sometimes fearlessly falling from great heights. Accepting the twists and turns, the rocks and the branches, and both the shallow and the deep parts on my journey. Even though I changed courses a couple of times, I knew that I was ultimately returning home.
And, so here I was at the end of my journey. Standing before the vastness that was an invitation to let go and to merge with the one.The sound of my trembling heartbeat lost in the sound of her crashing waves. Her tides ebbing and flowing to the beat of the moon’s drums, stealing kisses from the shoreline. Surrendering to the vastness, I finally knew that I was the clouds, the rain, the lake, the river, the wave, the ocean, and also the water that makes it all.
This was home and I could finally rest under the watchful eyes of the moon, lulled by the soothing rhythm of the water’s lullaby.
The next morning when I woke up, I was back at home and was greeted by a sunny day with not a cloud in sight. And, yet the memory of water was strong in me in all her myriad forms and moods. Each of her forms left a beautiful imprint on my heart-mind as I connected with them through my waking hours.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could learn to embody each of water’s forms and their qualities when needed?
The freedom and playfulness of the clouds, the generosity and nourishment of the rain, the clarity and stillness of the lake, the effortlessness and flow of the river, and the vastness of the ocean, these are qualities within each of us. All of them sourced from the vast reservoir of love within us.
Maybe all we need to do is to pause and ask ourselves the questions:
What is the form of water within me in this moment?
What would water do in this moment?
What form would the water take?
