Written by Dori Baker
A spring gently rises out of the earth and becomes a stream, which becomes a river, which becomes an ocean, which evaporates and becomes rain,
which feeds itself back to the earth again.
Finding its way back to the surface, water repeats this sacred circle of enduring life.
– Randy Woodley
Historical and Cultural Context:
I encountered the origins of this practice while learning to lead 10-day wilderness canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota when I was a young adult. Each morning, we would paddle together into the middle of the lake, where the water was crystal clear and safe for drinking. We would dip a cup of water and pass it to our fellow paddlers, along with the blessing “May you Never Thirst.”
My guides on this trip were a cadre of white United Methodist Church pastors from Illinois who were environmentalists, fishermen, and science-fiction nerds. The phrase “May You Never Thirst” echoed both a sci-fi novel about Martians and a beloved sacred text, John 4:13-14 from the New Testament that says, ““Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Years later, this phrase still brings me back to those sacred canoe trips. I created a practice inspired by these words to help people remember and honor their deep connection to water, using additional inspiration from Indigenous and other earth-honoring sources.
Suggested Use: This practice can be used at the beginning or the end of a gathering, or can also serve as a meditation at the beginning of a meal, a meeting, or an outdoor excursion. If time allows, invite a 10-15-minute conversation that encourages people to voice particular aspects of climate grief, climate anxiety, or climate hope relating to their watersheds or beloved bodies of water.
How to Lead this Practice:
In advance, make sure everyone has a drink of water waiting for them, either by asking them to bring their water bottles, or by arranging to have a glass of water for each person. Please avoid using plastic for this ritual.
Gather people around the water and share the quote at the top of the page from Randy Woodley. Then say:
In between the spring, the stream, the river, and the ocean are we – made mostly of water. Water is constantly entering and exiting us, coursing through us on its sacred circle of enduring life. We are part of the water cycle.
Invite a moment of silence to reflect on this water, expressing gratitude and imagining the journey this water traveled to be here today. If time allows, ask people to name a body of water they hold sacred. Note the way people lean into this invitation, literally and figuratively. Then, read or rephrase the following.
Veda Austin studies the intelligence of water and points out what monks and mystics from across religious traditions throughout time have known. Water is not only central to our physical wellbeing, it is also connected to our souls. Veda documents through photography how water changes when humans attend to it. Water, she writes, appears to intelligently respond to human interaction. When humans leave tap water next to spring water, the health of one heals the other. Imagine that honoring water may actually change it. I invite you into a communal practice.
Invite each person to take a glass of water, hand it to the next person, while saying the words “May you never thirst.” Alternatively, invite each person to pick up their water bottle, and, before drinking, make eye contact with another person while lifting their water and saying “May you never thirst.”1
Breathe deeply as you enjoy a few moments of communal hydration
Sources:
Randy Woodley Phd is a scholar, practitioner and Indigenous leader. This quote comes from Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Connecting to Sacred Earth, (Broadleaf Books, 2022). Randy and his wife Edith live at Eloheh Farms in Yamhill Oregon, where they welcome groups to participate in immersive learning journeys that help them decolonize their worldview.
Veda Austin is a photographer and student of water. Listen to her wisdom in this interview with Ayana Young on For the Wild podcast.
This practice is also inspired by a Unitarian Universalist water blessing.
Recommended Approaches
A few thoughts on water that might deepen your leadership practice: Without water, we have no life at all. Our bodies need water more than they need food. To say, “May you never thirst,” is to wish each other life itself. In the face of climate anxiety and ecostress, it is to wish each other survival, freedom from a parched throat, health and happiness.
A friend adapted this practice to say, “May you always thirst,” inviting participants to reflect on what we wish to thirst for: justice, freedom, liberation. Feel free to get creative and interpret as you see fit.
If you invite discussion after the ritual, a few key prompts might include: a) What feelings or images about water are swimming in you now? b) What are you thirsting for?
May this practice support you and your community in your healing journey. Try this practice and let us know how it goes by emailing: ourowndeepwells@gmail.com
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