Tag Archives: crystals

Huatulco

Ice Crystals of Emotion

Leave a comment

By Kary Vannice

Water is more than just a vital substance to sustain life. For centuries, humans seem to have known it holds mysteries that bridge science and spirituality. From ancient creation stories to modern scientific studies, water is valued not only for its life-sustaining properties but also for its deeper, hidden potential. In the early 90s, Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese researcher, set out to prove water’s ability to interact with human consciousness and answer the question: Does water respond to thoughts, energies, and emotions?

Our daily life is intimately intertwined with water. Not one living thing on planet Earth can survive without it. Humans are composed of 60-70% water, and the human brain is nearly 85% water. This physical connection hints at a deeper relationship – one where water reflects our internal state and acts as a conduit of energy and information.

In his book, Hidden Messages in Water (2005), Dr. Emoto demonstrated water’s potential to reflect and retain emotional and energetic imprints. His studies involved imprinting water with various words, intentions, and music before freezing it and photographing the resulting ice crystals. Water samples exposed to positive expressions formed intricate, symmetrical patterns, resembling snowflakes. Water exposed to negative words or feelings, on the other hand, produced chaotic patterns and irregular shapes. These results represented visual proof of water’s sensitivity to external stimuli, suggesting that it might be more than just a passive resource. It might actually be interacting with the energies around it, and be impacted by feelings, thoughts, words, and intentions.

This sensitivity is not a new idea, however. In Native American traditions, rivers are revered as sacred beings that sustain life and connect the spiritual and physical worlds. Aztec mythology celebrates Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of water, fertility, and childbirth, who is seen as the provider of life-giving rain. These ancient perspectives align with the notion that water is more than a substance, it’s an energetic force woven into the fabric of life itself.

The unique molecular structure that allows water to interact with its surroundings seems to also allow it to retain information from its environment, creating what is known as “water memory.” It is believed that water carries imprints that influence its behavior. Knowing this is true, it could be said that water acts almost like the subconscious mind, which stores impressions from our experiences and interactions.

Many spiritual traditions teach that everything is “mind” and speak of the “primordial waters” as the background energy of all creation. It seems science now also links water to mind and substance to unseen energy.

In the Christian Bible, the “water of life” flows from the throne of God, symbolizing eternal life and spiritual renewal. The Quran also emphasizes water’s foundational role: “We made from water every living thing.” And in the Hindu tradition, the cosmic churning of the ocean symbolizes the origins of life, the universe, and the nectar of immortality. In almost every spiritual tradition, water is seen as both the origin of life and a medium for spiritual connection and renewal.

Since both ancient wisdom and modern science support the idea that we are always in a two-way conversation with the water in us and around us, choosing more positive emotions, thoughts, and intentions can have a profound effect on both our internal and external worlds.

This unique quality of water is a testament to the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, a reminder that we are not separate from the world around us. It demonstrates that even the smallest ripple of emotion can grow into a wave, reaching places we may never see. Knowing water carries information gives us the opportunity to contribute to a positive flow of energy that uplifts not only ourselves but also the environment we live in.

The mystery of water’s intelligence may never be fully understood, but the lessons from Dr. Emoto’s work are profound, and offer us the opportunity to interact with water in a more intentional and empowered way. So, the question is, how will you interact with water today?

Huatulco

Going Out and Under

Leave a comment

By Kary Vannice

Some of Mexico’s most fantastical and fascinating outdoor pursuits aren’t actually outdoors but underground. With over 7,000 recorded cave systems scattered across the country, Mexico boasts some of the most extensive and awe-inspiring underground networks in the world. Beneath its amazing surface lies an even more mesmerizing world waiting to be discovered – a labyrinth of caves, caverns, and underground rivers that weave throughout Mexico, telling the earth’s ancient origin story.

Mexico is, of course, well known for its diverse landscape, from lush green jungles to towering blue mountains, but it’s her vast subterranean realm that can truly captivate the adventurous spirit. Each cave system tells a story of geological evolution, carved out over millions of years by relentless forces of nature.

One of Mexico’s most iconic cave systems is the cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula. Cenotes are ancient sinkholes formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock to reveal a hidden world of crystal-clear waters and intricate caverns. Exploring the cenotes offers a unique opportunity to swim, snorkel, or dive amidst massive stalactites and stalagmites as shafts of sunlight pour down from surface openings, lighting up the subterranean landscape. If you’re visiting the Yucatán, you can find many guided tours that will safely allow you to experience these hidden wonders.

Venturing further into Mexico’s underground realm, you can explore the sprawling cave systems of the Sierra Madre Oriental on the eastern side of the country. Here, limestone cliffs give way to a network of caverns adorned with stunning formations, including delicate helictites, which, unlike stalactites and stalagmites, look like they were formed in zero gravity. They can extend horizontally or even diagonally across the cave’s surface often ending up looking like sea coral growing out of the depths. Also, in this area, you will find the Cave of Swallows, one of the largest vertical cave shafts in the world. It plunges over 1,200 feet straight down for anyone seeking an adrenaline rush by rappelling a quarter of a mile down into the black abyss.

If you’re looking for a more immersive experience, the Rio Secreto in the Riviera Maya provides a journey through an underground river system that flows beneath the pristine jungle above. Kayaking or floating through the subterranean waterways reveals a hidden world of ancient rock formations and subaqueous chambers where the echoes of dripping water create a symphony of sound that reverberates through the caverns.

But perhaps one of Mexico’s most extraordinary underground landscapes lies deep beneath the surface of Naica, Chihuahua – the Cave of the Crystals. Located 300 meters within the Naica Mine, this otherworldly cavern is renowned for its gigantic gypsum crystals. Some of the crystals inside the cave are as tall as a 4-story building and weigh over 50 tons. Humans in this environment look like tiny ants surrounded by perfectly formed, crystal clear prisms and luminescent shafts of light. The cave’s extreme conditions, with temperatures reaching up to 58°C (136°F), along with humidity levels nearing 100%, created the perfect environment for forming these monumental crystals over thousands of years.

So breathtakingly beautiful, this true marvel of the underground world was featured on the Discovery and History Channels and the Outdoor Life Network in Canada. These programs offered a rare glimpse into this surreal underworld that seems more like a scene from science fiction than reality. Unfortunately, unlike many other underground wonders in Mexico, your only opportunity to experience this mystical landscape is on TV. Discovered initially as part of a mining exploration that required pumps to keep the underground water from filling the chamber, the caves were allowed to re-flood when mining operations ceased in October of 2015. Nevertheless, the mere existence of this extraordinary ecosystem serves as a testament to the incredible geological diversity and untold mysteries that lie beneath Mexico’s surface.

Mexico’s expansive cave systems offer a gateway to a realm where time stands still, and the earth reveals its hidden treasures. Each unique cave system tells a story of geological wonder and cultural significance. You just have to be adventurous enough to look below the surface.