Spiritual experiences in water

This year I've been thinking a lot about waves, brain waves and beach waves, this, alongside, with having friends who do cold-water swimming, has lead me towards being in water. Not total immersion, but paddling up to my knees, all the while being conscious of the experiences, my thoughts and being just at that moment in time. This sense of being in the world and not in the anxiety of my own mind is something I'm not good at, but there's something about the shock of flesh in cold water, and the rhythm of the tide that is good at anchoring my thoughts in the here and now.

'Frills of foamy spit caught on the tide reach for the shore. This cliff that frames the beach fascinates me. The caramel and chocolate slices of earth are being nibbled away by the endless waves. They don't stop. The beach is lined with broken slabs of caravan bases fallen from above. They are worn smooth now, like giant lumps of sea glass, but once the foundation of so many summer holidays, tantrums, laughter, love, tension, escape. Once human emotion washed over those grounded slabs, now it's the sea.'

#dycp #artandanxiety #mentalhealthjourney