2003 is being observed by the United Nations as International Year of Freshwater.

Individuals and groups can help to make this Years much more effective through meditation and prayer. Click here for a meditation in support of the International Year of Freshwater.

Throughout 2003 there will be a concentration of human energy on water issues. This means that there will be conferences at local, national, regional and international levels; there will be special books published, research programmes initiated and widespread news coverage of water issues; and there will be many, many projects in the field aimed at meeting the UN targets of reducing by half, by the year 2015, the number of people without access to safe drinking water, and to basic sanitation. As a result, people all over the world will be thinking about water; thinking with heart and with head not just about water but also about the way we conserve, share and wisely use water.

In terms of consciousness it is as if a light will be shining on water issues in the collective mind and heart.

Water Unites Us All

• Our need for water is so very basic. It is one of the things that relates we humans to all life on earth – and it is certainly something we have in common with all human beings. We all need an adequate supply of clean, pure water. So many communities in all parts of the world are today struggling with this most basic need. In parts of the Third World the issue is desperate – the lack of clean water and sanitation is the major cause of poor health, the death of children and the growing of adequate food supplies. It is an incredible fact that 2/3 of the world’s population is ‘water-stressed’; and that 50% of all diseases are due to unclean water.
   
• The momentum of the International Year, plus the goal setting exercises that dominated much of the thinking during the entry into a new millennium in 2000, and the Earth Summit in Johannesburg earlier this year have together led to a remarkable consensus about tackling water issues. A very clear sense of purpose and direction has emerged. By the year 2015 the goal is to reduce by half the number of people in the world who are without access to safe drinking water and to reduce by half the number of people without basic sanitation. In addition there is a clear goal to ‘stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources”. The thing about this is that these goals are achievable – working in co-ordination the international community (which means all peoples and their governments including local government) can dramatically reduce the numbers of people who are water stressed. The goal is so very clear and simple – and it will have such a major impact on the lives of millions of people.
   
• Water is, in so many traditions, symbolic of the desire and emotional life. This global focus on water suggests that, collectively, humanity is beginning to use mind to plan the future and direct the course of events – to be a little detached from emotion. It also suggests that we are in process of refining the desire nature – changing the things we really want out of life – in other words refining our shared sense of purpose and direction.
   
• Water is also a symbol of purity. In July 2003 there will be a World Day of Love and Thanks for Water when we are asked to project thoughts of love and thanks into water – to cleanse the water in the world with prayers of love and thanks. Dr Emoto has done work on water to show that the crystalline structure is altered and refined when exposed to higher thoughts. The suggestion is that on the World Day on July 25, each blesses a glass of water. “Tell the water ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’. At the same time, just briefly visualize that all the Water on Earth is connected together. So a glass of water in front of you actually contains all the water on earth [including the water that constitutes our own body].”

Find Out More

• Visit the International Year of Freshwater website for information on what is happening around the world, how to get involved in the Year, and facts and figures on the world’s water.
• The UN Works site on the International Year contains excellent material on specific water projects around the world, as well as good background on the Year.
• People & Planet is another good source of information.
• One of the major events of the Year will be the World Water Forum to take place at Kyoto from March 16 – 23.