As a reminder, here was my list of living water experiences from the last post.
Robin's List of Living Water Experiences
Walking by any body of water (ocean, river, even someone's backyard fountain - makes no difference!)
Having fun consulting with or coaching others, not stressing about saying the "perfect" thing
Opening myself to the universe's messages, whether with divination tools or just honoring insight and inspiration
Creating beautiful things
Making something new out of something old, hopefully rescuing something about to be thrown away (makes me feel like I am doing Divine work!)
Prayer and meditation (when I can get past my anxiety...)
Feeling like I am a small part of something larger (e.g. staring up at the night sky or contemplating the immensity of the forest)
Noticing details in nature - our local nutrias, herons, hawks, dragonflies, even the gnats hovering over seaweed at the beach have provided innumerable lessons
Seeing animals going about their happy lives, not worrying about success or accomplishment
So what have I done to incorporate more?
Tweaked free time activities:
I've changed my regular romance-reading diet to almost exclusively those with characters finding themselves, connecting with natural energies, or opening to spiritual messages. I'm reading about people modeling my Living Water activities.
In my personal growth meditations, I'm now visualizing myself near water - real-life locations like the Willamette River near our apartment or fantasy spots created from my imagination - any beautiful place I can visualize dipping my hands even though my body is lying in my bed.
Tweaked mandatory activities:
Taking a shower or washing dishes, I add energy to the water, imagining it cleansing away excess negativity, sadness, or fear. Essential oil in the shower stall lets the steam create an immersive, natural environment even though I'm just showering indoors.
Riding in the car or eating out, I connect more with the energies of outside plants and animals, feeling supportive love, and reaching out to learn lessons. I don't want to feel separate from nature when I'm in a human-made environment.
I've changed my astrology and divination services to "by donation only" to worry less about being "worth it" and cultivate more fun. Since people can pay whatever they want, I feel more free to enjoy the experience.
Spending less time listening to other people's ideas and more opening to my own intuition, I'm strengthening my own spiritual connection, and enjoying my own grounded aura. I don't want to feel like every spare moment has to be "productive" or "defensible" if someone asked.
Becoming more conscious about creating Living Water Experiences has lengthened my initial list!
Adding more Living Water Experiences (LWEs) to your life!
Step 1: Add LWEs to unplanned free time.
Here's your nudge to get back to things you enjoy. Consider your LWE list and next week's schedule. Are there empty moments that could be filled with more LWEs? The pandemic closed down many physical, communal, and travel-based activities. Can you reclaim your local rose garden, contact your workout partner, or resume your love of coffee-shop reading?
Step 2: Add LWEs to free time habits.
If you veg with tube time, find LWE shows: wildlife documentaries to connect with natural energies or occult shows to be invigorated by the paranormal. On social media, investigate special interest groups that relate to your LWEs. Find books that involve characters doing what you want to do or glean inspiration from a podcast with an invigorating vibe.
Step 3: Add LWEs to mandatory activities (where the rubber hits the road!)
But wait, you say, what about when life rears its ugly, mundane, or boring head: washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the house, managing your budget, returning emails, getting stuck in traffic? Even required chores can have more Living Water Experiences!
Adding LWEs to Low Brain Power Activities (e.g taking a shower, doing dishes, cleaning, routine driving)
Visualize - If you have a Living Water location (a special beach, a forest trail, Paris) imagine yourself in this beautiful spot and absorb its enriching energies while you wash the dishes, say. Add prayer or intention-setting by visualizing a desired activity or situation, perhaps feeling strong, confident, peaceful, or more physically active. Athletes use downtime visualization to improve their competition performance. Why not use your low brain power activity time to increase LWEs?
Open to Your Intuition - Ask the universe for more "eureka" moments during routine activities. If immediate inspiration eludes, simply give your brain a chance to rest. Perhaps subconscious percolations just aren't ready yet. Opening to intuition ensures your brain experiences varied states, enhancing life's rhythms. Don't make the mistake of only valuing high intensity, high productivity brain time.
Listen to LWE Videos, Podcasts, or Audio Books - Instead of choosing work, recommended, or self-help content - valuable, but not always inspiring - pick LWE-inspired sources. One of my students who's fascinated by psychology listens to true crime podcasts while filing paperwork. Her crime knowledge doesn't pay financially and has no practical value for passing AP Chemistry. But you can't put a price on feeling alive, engaged, and excited. Especially if you have a Living Water guilty pleasure (makes you feel great but doesn't seem socially acceptable, practical, or "attractive") consider adding a dose or 10 during your low brain power time.
Adding LWEs to High Brain Power Activities
(e.g managing your budget, returning emails, planning a trip, or scheduling routine calendar events)
Add LWE Background Sound - instead of your "favorite" music (often just what you listened to in high school) or even activity-appropriate tunes (recently I found a family member preparing Taco Tuesday dinner to salsa music), consider your LWE soundtrack. If you love the woods or beach, search online for ocean or forest sounds. Trying to understand Divine love, I listened to back-to-back-to-back 1980s romance ballads while answering work emails. Every time a new song came on, I imagined my Divine Source singing it to me. I actually started looking forward to emails!
Do a Pre-Activity LWE Ritual, Meditation, or Exercise - it's tempting to jump right in, determined to get through as much unpleasant work as possible! However, 15 minutes meditating, contemplating, or doing a ritual for productivity (or focus or peace...) to begin may help you get more done overall. Starting cold makes it easier to get distracted or grind down due to fatigue or boredom, or unresolved issues. Years ago, I had a student who ran on a treadmill for 10 minutes to decrease restlessness and produce endorphins before tackling his less-than-exciting SAT homework. Consider boosting your own Living Water first to enhance your routine activity performance.
Add LWE Objects or Beings to Your Work Environment - crystals, sacred objects, inspirational photos, a power animal symbol, pet or family member can add Living Water to seemingly mundane activities. Combine with the previous suggestion and meditate with crystals, or scour the house for encouraging photos before starting. Convince a friend (furry or otherwise) to sit in companionable silence while you work to add positive energy. If a pet is uncooperative or distracting, use a stuffie or power figurine. Chose a personal Living Water animal or one that seems related to your task: perhaps an elephant for emotional intelligence or a crow for financial acuity (did you know crows can count?)
Plan an Enjoyable LWE After-Completion Reward - I had a student who gave himself one Skittle for every math problem he solved. Another drank Gatorade - preferably Windex blue - every time he finished his English homework. While I don't recommend unhealthy food rewards, I applauded their self-motivation skills. If you no longer have the metabolism of a teenager, LWE rewards may be just what the doctor ordered! Scheduling future LWEs will create a more positive brain state during routine activities. Some people do well with immediate rewards ("As soon as I finish this accounting, I'm going to take a bubble bath.") Others do better storing up good behavior. ("If I exercise for 20 minutes 5 days this week, I'm going take Sunday afternoon to go for a hike.")
Optional Extra Step: If you know your Inner Spiritual Adventurer type, consider the following suggestions.
(If you don't know your Inner Spiritual Adventurer type, here's a button linking to my website quiz. Take it to get lots of ideas for enjoying your spiritual gifts and proclivities.)
Wisdom Seeker: Dig into informational podcasts or videos to learn more about Living Water topics. Use divination or divine connection (e.g. prayer, astrology, cards, pendulum work) for creative inspiration about how to incorporate LWEs.
Connection Captain: Boost companionship. Schedule a web call with a friend while both of you are cleaning or balancing your checkbook. Also, reach out to and enjoy metaphysical companionship - sense, honor, or talk to Spirit guides, ancestors, or your divine connection during routine activities.
Sensitive Sojourner: Focus on creating a comfortable or nurturing Living Water environment for routine activities. Don't get so focused on what you're doing that you lose track of creating a positive feeling while you're doing it. Even things that don't seem logical or sensible are worth it if they create a more positive experience. (For some reason, having this polymer clay cat figurine I made near while I work makes me feel much better.... Don't ask me why!)
Power Packer: Make a plan to practice or implement the LWEs you learn about or imagine about during your routine activities. Make a list of new LWEs you'd like to try, and record which are most satisfying. Use routine activities to cultivate anticipation and excitement about future LWE time. Share and inspire others on their own LWE journey.
Next Steps
Which of these resonate with you? As soon as you're comfortable, start incorporating more Living Water activities, and note your results.
Do you have inner voices that say you don't have enough time, that your Living Water Experiences aren't important, or that you can't make your life more enjoyable?
Very important! Write down any obstacles and develop a plan to address - external like scheduling difficulties, free time shortages, or logistical issues; or internal like negative self-talk, discouraging cultural messages, or conflicting personal priorities.
I've been enjoying adding more Living Water and have seen my self-concept grow. Putting this series together has been like super intense training in the personal-growth gym. Thank you guys for going through this together.
I appreciate your time and attention. Would love to hear any feedback!