Once you've had your initial insights, go deeper.
Shiraito Falls, Japan
Hopefully by now you have had a chance to soak in this picture without looking at these guidelines. It's easy to take the plunge because there are no right or wrong answers, only feelings, memories, thoughts, reflections, insights or inspirations that tumble down as surely as the water falls when it reaches a drop. As the awareness cascades, it might feel unsettling or in flux, but, like the water, in a moment or two, it will complete it's rocky course and settle into the quiet stillness of the pond. It is within this stillness that we find our inner wisdom, our innate knowing that what surfaces is right for us. Trusting the sometimes faint voice within brings a deeper sense of calm, an assurance that we have access to true wisdom.
Water is indeed sacred to life on our planet. These falls in particular flow from the melting snows of Mt. Fuji and are therefore revered by the Japanese. Shiraito Falls, on the western lowlands of the mountain, beautifully illustrates the graceful "white threads" of their Japanese name, and are of special importance to the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism. The monks meditate by standing under the main flow of water, sometimes without moving for hours at a time. When I was there in April, the runoff from the recently melted snows of Fuji's upper slopes was almost too cold to drink. Yet these two monks waded into the pool at the base of the falls, clambered onto the wet rocks, and stood for forty minutes with hands pressed together, in honor of the Buddha in all nature.
Perhaps these two people can be a reminder to us that wherever we reside, we can choose to live in harmony with the natural laws of the universe.