mní wičhóni (“water is life”) The sacredness of water

mní wičhóni

Water Is Life

BY CAROL KAHN

FFor Indigenous peoples throughout North America, water is considered sacred. Spiritual meaning is encapsulated in the Lakota phrase, mní wičhóni (“water is life”), which has become a rallying cry among Indigenous populations and others fighting to preserve this invaluable resource.

According to Indigenous peoples, First Nations recognize the sacredness of our water, the interconnectedness of all life and the importance of protecting our water from pollution, drought and waste. Water is the giver of all life and without clean water all life will perish. Not only is water life, but water is also alive. It has consciousness.

The Lakota people believe that human thoughts can change the molecular structure of water. They believe that prayer over water transforms it into medicine. The Lakota way of prayer honors mní wičhóni. This same knowledge and experimentation was proven by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a pioneer in the study of water. His work demonstrated that water is shaped by the environment, thoughts and emotions. His research also showed how polluted and toxic water, when exposed to prayer and intention, can be altered and restored to beautifully formed geometric crystals found in clean, healthy water. Pat McCabe (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining) is a Diné (Navajo) mother, grandmother, activist, artist, writer, ceremonial leader and international speaker. She is a voice for global peace and earth healing. She speaks about the magical, mystical power of water, and champions that water is, in fact, sacred. She also believes that water responds when we have a conscious connection with it. Several years ago, McCabe talked about her connection to water in a Youtube video titled, “Speaking to the Water.” Currently, that video has over 1.5 million views. She shared her experience and conversations with water. “Water started coming up from the ground. It was so much water — eight gallons a minute at one point — and I was very concerned my house would flood,” McCabe stated. “I began to have this conversaton with the water. As we kept talking, I was able to say, ‘Look, if you need to take my house, it's okay. You can have it because there's something that you're trying to do. And there's something that you're trying to say or perhaps there's something that my community needs, for you to arrive like this. Either way, I will be with you and I will be a protector of you. I can speak on your behalf.” McCabe tried to direct the water’s flow saying, “You can't flow this way, because the neighbors are complaining that you're making things too wet for them. You can't flow this other way, because my storage shed is there. So, I'd rather you don't go that way. And, you can't go this way because

you will flood the street — so I'm not really sure what you can do, but I am asking for your help. I must go now.” McCabe evacuated from her home and returned a few weeks later. She found that the water did not go in the direction of her neighbors, it did not destroy her home. The water split in two and receeded into the ground. Continuing her conversation with water, McCabe said, “This water began to talk to me about itself. It asked me to go and find this larger body of water, close by to where I live and to pray in it. I stood in this lake, and began singing a prayer song with my drum over the water. The water started to teach me. It told me that it's good for you to pray into the water. Because when you pray into the water, it intensifies your prayer.” Indigenous people believe that water that exists in our biosphere is the same water from the beginning of time. As water evaporates it travels through the clouds. The intention you set, your prayers, your words, travel through the clouds, and they can go anywhere they want to go. “Maybe they're going to send a little snow down over the Andes. I could feel that the Andes would say, “Ah, my granddaughter, she's praying… saying good things… she's asking for good things and she's aligning herself with life.” McCabe said that water travels and this consciousness that you're emitting in your prayer, into the water, begins to travel throughout the consciousness of this life on the Earth — and not only does it travel over space, but it travels through time, because it has always been the same water. “Maybe as this Mother Earth travels through the cosmos, we might be gaining some water. But nevertheless, the original water is still here — because this is what we call a closed system. The water just stays here. Every single person, all our ancestors, had a drink from this very water. So, it really does unite us and tie us all together in such a beautiful and graceful way,” she explained. McCabe says that it’s a call for respect, but also, it's a call for rejoicing. “Look where we are; look how magical this life is. And we're just talking about one element here, water. That's just one aspect of this element. There's so much magic and mystery all around us, if we have the eyes to see it — and if we have a way of listening for that teaching and that instruction. So, for me, water is extraordinary and sacred.” mní wičhóni

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