The waters of consciousness is a term coined by Maimonides to convey the idea of living consciously. Water is associated with purity. In the laws of purity Maimonides writes that one who is impure, after dipping into a ritual bath becomes pure. Purity and impurity is not created by anything tangible. It depends on intention. In the absence of intention one can dip into a bath but nothing is accomplished by it.
Then he adds that just as intention makes the body pure although nothing physical has changed similarly intention purifies the mind: “Once a person has firmly decided to remove himself from this advice [based on thoughts of wrongdoing and bad attitudes] and brings himself into the waters of consciousness, he is pure.
Support for this concept of “waters of consciousness’ can be found in Isaiah 11:9. “In all of My sacred mount nothing evil or vile shall be done for the land shall be filled with devotion to the Lord as water covers the sea.” This verse is saying that the entire world will be covered by consciousness as if the globe would be covered with water and the earth beneath if would not be visible.
There are actually five elements, not four: fire, water, earth, air and consciousness. The same way you immerse yourself in water you immerse yourself in this ‘element’ called consciousness.
For this idea Maimonides has apparently drawn from the rabbinic statement: “How rich you are, Israel! Before whom are you purified and who is purifying you but your father in heaven…God is Israel’s ritual bath.” It’s telling them, in other words: You are steeped in God-consciousness.
Immersion in consciousness signifies a fundamentally different approach to life that radically changes the way we live.
Consciousness means seeing reality in its depth as opposed to seeing it as it appears to your imagination.
Seeing reality in its depth involves delving into and investigating reality. It requires asking questions in order to know the true nature of the reality that I see. There’s a story about Rabbi Yisrael Salanter who saw a shoemaker hard at work late at night and inquired when he will be able to fix his shoes, upon which the shoemaker replied “As long as the light still burns it is possible to repair.” Hearing this gave him renewed zest for life thinking, “Wow! As long as the light still burns it is possible to repair.” It’s never too late to make amends, to start again, to make a better world right now. This is what it means to see reality in its depth!
Seeing things as they appear to your imagination can get you into trouble. Seeing reality in its depth you walk around aware: pure and unfettered by distortions.
The difference between these two approaches is profound.