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ABSTRACT: Water has always been a powerful symbol for human beings. Water is critical to life. First, the human fetus grows in the amniotic fluid. Second, the scientific context of the 1990s suggests a new vision of Homo sapiens as a primate that, although genetically related to the chimpanzees, has adapted to a particular environment through a land-sea interface. In this paper the origins of the power of water symbolism is explored, particularly in the context of the birth process.
The power of water as a symbol has been known and used everywhere through the ages. The symbolism of water has been employed by all religions, through sacred springs, sacred rivers, the ritual of baptism, etc. The beneficial therapeutic power of water has always been taken into account, and hot springs and spas are still used extensively without any clear theoretical basis. Meanwhile, the erotic power of water also has been expressed by many artists, in particular in poetry, cinema, music, and paintings. In most known cultures water has always been a feminine symbol; water is a symbol of the mother.
What are the roots of this symbolism? What are the origins of the power of water on human beings?
FETAL LIFE AND FLUIDS
For those who are familiar with the concept of pre- and perinatal psychology, some answers come immediately to mind: we are mammals; we spend our fetal life in the amniotic fluid. Such interpretations are suggested by the work of Ferenczi, the Hungarian disciple of Freud. According to Ferenczi, any episode of sexual life can be interpreted as a return to the amniotic fluid (Ferenczi, 1924). Such interpretations also come to mind to those who are familiar with the psychedelic research of S. Grof and in particular with what he calls the first perinatal matrix (Grof, 1975). According to Grof, the undisturbed intrauterine state can be associated with a consciousness of the ocean or an aquatic life form (whale, fish, jellyfish, etc.), while disturbances of intrauterine life can be associated with images and experiences of underwater dangers or polluted streams. Those who have experienced birth in complete privacy often share the same kinds of interpretation. Many laboring women seem to regress and communicate with their mother, often calling for her...