Water flows with no agenda, clear only to the truth. Love First

The Water Element calls us to Be Truthful And Transparent, a practice similarly essential to life. Water is clear, flowing honestly and easily. When we act in alignment with this principle, when we are true to who we are and transparent about our goals, we too will walk the easiest path.

Honesty is lightness. Being true to ourselves allows us to shine most brilliantly. Being transparent is to know our goals and be clear with our agenda. Truthfulness asks us to observe simply what is, stripped of bias and any ascribed meaning or intention. Truth and transparency give us clarity in whatever we apply it to.

Putting this principle in practice means to:

• be authentic, to strive as best you can to be the person you truly feel within; the person that does not experience frustration having to present a certain way in this world;
• look at the real impact of your or someone else’s words and actions, and address them for what they are, not for whatever motivated reasoning there might be as well;
• dismantle, examine, and interrogate your beliefs and opinions, so you can clearly articulate what authentic values are driving them.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

To Be Truthful And Transparent is to communicate your authentic desires, hidden underneath any layers of frustration, discontent, or dislike. Those clouded layers are less the result of inner conflict than they are created by the influences of your environment: the media you consume, the information or topics you focus your attention on, and the people you interact with most.

To see the truth is to see that we live in a world that relentlessly tries to tell you who to be, what to buy, and what to think and believe. To create a world made with love, first, we must be the ones to say for ourselves who we are. We must be the ones to identify and declare what we need—both material and otherwise. We must cultivate our beliefs, values and opinions not through the messages from others that make us feel better about ourselves, perhaps, but the messages that help us see ourselves better.

This principle calls you to interrogate complaints and reframe them as the genuine desires behind the frustration. In doing so, you may find those desires easier cared for than anticipated; they do not have to come at the cost you might fear.

First, remember these practices from the first principle: to act through love is to strip shame, blame, and accusation when expressing your needs or views. It is to know that your authentic and true needs never have to come at the cost of others; that life is not a zero-sum game, and that our world is one of abundance.

Then,

“No one else in the world is qualified to be you, but you.” Sarah Silverman (paraphrasing Fred Rogers)

Love First is not just about acting with your most loving version first while hiding a spiteful version second. To Be Truthful And Transparent is to allow yourself to identify any parts you feel the need to hide, and the emotions associated. Look into what drives those emotions; there are valid pains and frustrations behind them.

The world does not need you to be a perfect and good person at all times. The world needs each of us to be ourselves, truly authentically, and each of us is a flawed diamond, made of both love and darkness.

We cast out our inner shadow not by pretending it isn’t there, but by shining a light on it—so that we may see it for what it is: a fear, an insecurity, or a desire not being met.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it—because what the word needs is people that have come alive.” Howard Thurman