Let water inspire you to take action to protect rivers, wetlands and people. The properties of water - reflection, cohesion, transparency, flexibility - can all be important ways of working as environmental activists.

1. Reconnecting with water
A journey to get in touch with water in all
its forms so as to transform our approach
to water protection and provision
Environmental Monitoring Group | Water and Climate
Change Programme
JESSICA WILSON

2. EMG’s WATER AND CLIMATE CHANGE TEAM
TARYN
THABO
JESSIC
A
THABANG

3. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Introduction to water
• Approach to observation
• Reflecting on water’s
properties
• Direct observation exercise
• Art exercise
• References
• Self-evaluation

4. WATER AS A LIVING ELEMENT
Water has inherent characteristics
which can be used to understand and
improve water service provision,
protect rivers and wetlands, reconnect
people with each other and their
environment, and contribute to
transformation and social justice.

5. WATER AS CULTURE AND SPIRIT
Water is recognised as a key elements
in many cultures, world views and
spiritual traditions. It is used in
purification rituals and as a medium to
speak to ancestors. It’s metaphysical
properties can help us to understand
how the world works.
Think about your culture, religion or
ancestry – how is water used and
viewed?

6. 1. Approach to the exercise

7. STEP ONE
• Direct perception: learn to see things as they are, try to drop theories,
concepts and cultural conditioning: just observe.
Meditation can help this.
DIVE IN

8. STEP TWO
• Recognise we can’t just think our way out of the problem – we need to get
involved in a deeper way.
Connecting to core human values can help with this.
DIVE IN

9. STEP THREE
• Learn to reconnect – to parts of yourself, to your family, neighbours, society,
other animal, plants, water.
Being open to life with all its joy and pain can help with this.
DIVE IN

10. Reflect on the qualities of water

11. QUALITIES OF WATER
• Cohesion
• Adaptability
• Flow
• Reflective
• Transparent
• Transformable (river, mist, cloud,
ice)
• Intension
• Purifying and cleansing

12. • Take yourself to some flowing water – a river is great, but a hose-pipe or even
pouring water from a container is fine.
• Experience it in as many ways as you can – jump in! Listen to it, smell it, cup
some in your hands and watch it reconnect with the stream or contained water
as you release it, notice the play of light and the different forms the water takes.
EXPERIENCE WATER (1)

13. • Notice what happens internally – what thoughts and emotions arise inside you.
• Watch the water flowing downstream and allow your mind to go with the water,
allowing all thoughts, emotions and sensations to flow into the water, and away.
EXPERIENCE WATER (2)

14. • Sit next to still water and repeat the exercise of observing externally
and internally.
• See if you notice differences: can you observe that in essence they are
the same?
(this exercise has been inspired by Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche’s teaching on ‘working with the
elements’)
EXPERIENCE WATER (3)

15. THE INNER WATER ELEMENT
“At a psychological level, a
person with a strong and well-
balanced water element has
natural confidence, flexibility
and a creative approach to life,
a ‘together’ person”.

16. The inner water elements allows us to face obstacles
gracefully and even with pleasure. Water helps us to
experience emotions as part of life’s flow, so even the painful
ones can be worked with if they are not dammed up or
denied.
Changes of feeling can be as natural as ocean tides or
rising streams.
Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche’s: Restoring the Balance

17. BUILD A SCULPTURE (1)
• Find at least 3 friends, and give each
person a piece of clay, a little larger
than a tennis ball.
• Use your clay to make a shape that can
hold water; include a lip on this
contained, out of which the water can
pour.

18. BUILD A SCULPTURE (2)
• Bring your pieces together, and see if you
can construct a sculpture joining them,
whereby water is poured into the first
container, will flow into the next one, and
into the next one and so on…

19. BUILD A SCULPTURE (3)
• Reflect together on
anything you have learnt
about the nature of
water and the creation of
sculpture.
Link to water sculpture video:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Envir
onmental-Monitoring-Group-
186208908128580/videos/?ref=pag
e_internal

20. RESOURCES AND REFERENCES
Available on EMG’s website and in hard copy:
• Wilson, J (ed). 2011. Water and climate change: an exploration for the
concerned and curious (especially Section 5).
<http://www.emg.org.za/images/downloads/water_cl_ch/water%20and%20clima
te%20change%20practical.pdf>
• EMG fact sheet series: <http://www.emg.org.za/publications>
• Leaks, Debt & Devices: a community seeks alternatives (DVD):
• <https://vimeo.com/63819397>
• Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche. 2005. Restoring the Balance. Dzalendara