Celebrating our 7th Anniversary this week, Conscious Chimera is dedicating this blog-article to the main substance of our being. That is, water.

Years ago, when I was immersed in training in Wing Tsun, a form of Kung Fu, my Si-hing would always say, “Be like water.” I learned this way of movement and relating to life from the discipline of Wing Tsun. A lived commitment to this fluid, formless, yet effective martial art was shown through a consistent practice of yielding…just how water does. A deep bow of respect to Grandmasters Ip Man, Leung Ting, and Bruce Lee for bringing this wise way of being into the western world. After I had moved on from my physical Wing Tsun training, the psycho-spiritual realities of Wing Tsun stuck with my for a long time. As time continues to pass, I began to forget.

It wasn’t until years later, when I relocated to Maui, that an oceanic state of consciousness would permeate my entire being. And then, those words from long ago –  ‘be like water’ –  would be recalled along with how water flows without resistance. Water has no rigidity. It yields, gracefully moving past obstacles. How could I be more like water on my new island home? Would its attributes permeate me while being completely surrounded by it? Allowing life to flow without a structured plan for the future, without familiar surroundings and routine, all the while without resistance to fluidity and unfamiliarity, may naturally arise when one lives this close to water…if we allow it. Such a state of consciousness could do us the favor of slowing us down, and of existing in the now.

During my last few years in California, I lived in the mountains and forests with its deeply dense, heavy energy. A switch to now residing in the most remote island chain in the world has many blessings, especially as a water sign (I’m a Pisces), yet it has spun me around quite a bit. Some days I found a part of myself just didn’t give a f*@# about fast-paced productivity, yet I knew I had to work, to produce, to survive. This is evidenced by the absence of a January blog post – ha!

As a part of nature, and in relationship with it, I value nature as a primary tool for grounding and connecting to Source. So, having the ocean waves crashing in (literally a five minute walk from the front door) and on me, has surely enhanced its effects. It’s been challenging to make decisions, follow-through on intellectual work-related plans, or even have logic-based conversation. And honestly, I just haven’t been interested in such.

Because I also choose to immerse myself in the ocean water regularly, it completely permeates me. It’s not just on my skin, but inside and through me. The effects of detoxing also come into play. Yes, I have been feeling a bit all over the place. I’d like to think that I can open myself to it, fully surrender to this shift, but some days I sense how a part of me is still grasping on to something I can’t fully explain. A part of me resists. Turns out, it’s not so easy to “be like water.” But I know one thing. The salty detox and mana here are in control. If you want to stay, there’s no point in resisting. 

I’ve written a lot about nonordinary, or altered, states of consciousness, especially here on the Conscious Chimera blog, with a fair amount of personal experience behind my writings, yet what is unfolding here is something different. It’s a dreamlike energy that doesn’t quit. The waking dream is real. Since I haven’t figured it all out yet (haha) I just continue to respect water, pray to water, ask her to protect me upon entering her, and honor this experience of existing in an oceanic state of consciousness…letting go fully so I can see where it takes me. 

In Peace and Wellness,

Dr. Kim