|
Ponds: Why Bother?
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. --Genesis 1:2
Walden, On Golden Pond and the creation stories from many religions involve ponds or some pools of water. Millions of people around the world avidly tend to ponds, lakes and natural pools on their property not only to tend the land and make it more valuable, but to connect to their spirits.
Let There Be Life
In myth and legend, ponds are usually symbols of deep, hidden emotions, usually with a mystery inside that really needs to eventually come to the surface, whether that mystery is a frog prince or a dragons treasure. We are undeniably drawn to ponds and other bodies of water, not just because we need water in order to survive, but because of the tranquility such ponds can bring, which we also need in order to thrive and not just survive.
It is widely thought and taught in many creation myths that all life came from the waters, weather the waters are lakes, seas, oceans, rivers or ponds. The eggs of birds, fish and reptiles and the wombs of mammals are small ponds in and of themselves, where all life begins. There is a phase in the womb when fish, reptile, bird, mammal and human babies all look alike they all look like tadpoles. Perhaps in making and tending ponds, we are repaying the debt we owe the primeval pond from which we all come from.
The Source
Although natural ponds in myth and legend are usually described as still, dark and bottomless, real ponds in our solid world need to be kept moving. Still water in ponds breeds anything but tranquility the stagnant water becomes clogged soon with algae, weeds, and the larvae of biting insects. Why are ponds in myths and legends generally described as still but clear water? The laws of nature certainly had to be in effect when the myth makers lived. Why didnt they see that still water breeds dead water?
They did. Remember, the myth makers had more to tell than just gardening lessons. They used symbolism that could be like onions many, many, layers. The myths about ponds that have survived have done so not because they are factually true, but that they speak to the part of all of the listeners who dream. Perhaps when using the description of a hero or heroine stumbling across a still pond where magic lives, it is a subtle reminder that if left alone and still, the magic might soon die. But with moving water, the magic will live on. |