Water for my heart

The earliest human records with any meaning come from Sumeria and Akkad, the birthplace of civilization (not human settlement, but civilization).  Water was important to the people of Sumeria, which is why they had settled along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the Persian Gulf. Water was something they had depended on for life, and something they could not create themselves, so they assigned a supernatural origin to it.  That deity filled river beds and dry inlets with life-giving water.  A temple to this deity has been found in Eridu.  He had other attributes as well, but he was named for being responsible for the life-giving water he made sure humans had.  So they called him The One Who Presides Over the Earth, or Enki.  Later, the priests who represented Enki took the title En (the equivalent of lord).  Enki's personal number was 40.  His symbol was the fish at first (he allowed them to flourish since he was the provider of water).  Later, he also was given the symbol of the goat since that was the plentiful meat that was the source of life-giving food from the earth.  When people looked to the sky and imagined the zodiac, the goat was named among the stars and given the name of Capricorn.


It's a story that resonates with me.  On nights when I need to listen to my heart, I look skyward and see the stars of Capricorn, the sign of Enki, the one who provided life-giving water.  But, I don't think in terms of goats and fish, but in terms of laughter, smiles, cheer, and generosity... attributes of the one who has given my heart life.