Waterfalls
A couple of nights ago, I woke up from a vivid dream. As I woke, the dream slipped away from me and I was left with the feeling that in the dream-world, I had wanted to paint a picture of a waterfall. Later that morning, I came across a couple of pictures of waterfalls. Clearly I needed to look into waterfalls….
So what does the waterfall represent? There are many interpretations across the world, but a couple really resonated with me.
It is a powerful reminder of impermanence, or rather, the continuous flow of energy and life. The waterfall is never still; it is forever moving and changing. I remember visiting the Niagara Falls in the winter when the top of the lake was frozen, as were parts of the Falls. Yet the water continues to flow, and I could still appreciate the immense power of the water. Just as the water continues to flow over the edge, life continues to move forward even when we feel stuck or frozen. Here the image of the waterfall mirrors the way life pushes forward, carrying us along with its current.
This reminds us to live in the present moment, as life and time changes and moves forwards. Each second is different from the second before and the second to come. As the Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice”, or in this case, the same waterfall twice. Even if things seem the same, there is always movement and transformation happening beneath the surface.
The waterfall is also seen as a symbolism of ‘letting go’. In my case, I feel that I need to let go of my expectations, and the despair. The past few months have been challenging as I have been setting up my business and putting myself out there, yet my calendar isn’t getting booked up. Writing this reminds me that unless I let go of the expected outcome, I will not be open to receiving the highest flow of the universe. Unexpected and unimagined things can happen. We attract the energy we generate, so being in despair will only lead to more despair. We need to generate the energy we want - think success and abundance, and you will become it!
So what about the painting part of the dream? Painting is very much about renewal and transformation, creativity, and self-expression. The feeling I had of wanting to paint a waterfall suggests to me that there is much more transformation to come, but I need to let go and surrender to the flow of the universe. Lets see what happens next…
