Water & Wonder: A Seven-Session Inquiry
Tracing water from cosmology to civic stewardship through seven dialogues.
Duration
Seven weeks (February to April 2026 cohort)
Cadence
Weekly 2-hour live seminar with optional field observation labs
Modality
Hybrid synchronous (Zoom) with asynchronous studio prompts in Notion
Overview
Water & Wonder is a seven session inquiry that follows water across scales, from cosmic origin stories and atmospheric dynamics to cultural cosmologies and contemporary policy. Each meeting weaves scientific insight with contemplative practice, inviting participants to read closely, observe attentively, and design responses for their own communities.
You Will
- Map the global water cycle alongside local watershed dynamics to ground inquiry in place.
- Dialogue across scientific, philosophical, and indigenous knowledge systems about water ethics.
- Prototype a practice or civic intervention that fosters resilient water futures.
Lecturers
PhilosophyEthics
Guides the contemplative and ethical framing of the inquiry, drawing on Steiner's lectures on elemental science and social renewal.
Topics & Sessions
Session 1 - Elemental Beginnings
Origin stories of water from cosmology to creation myths; phenomenology of water in Steiner's "Spiritual Science" lectures; observational practice assignment.
Session 2 - Watersheds and Weather
Atmospheric rivers, ocean currents, and the hydrologic cycle; guest hydrologist interview; mapping your bioregion's watershed.
Session 3 - Water in the Body
Cellular metabolism, blood, and lymph; how water mediates attention and affect; contemplative somatic lab.
Session 4 - Cultural Rituals of Water
Comparative study of ritual bathing, baptism, mikveh, and water offerings; students curate micro rituals that honor local water sources.
Session 5 - Infrastructure and Power
Colonial aqueducts to contemporary dam politics; Flint and Cape Town case studies; debate on privatization versus commons models.
Session 6 - Ecologies of Repair
Wetland restoration, regenerative agriculture, and permaculture water design; design charrette for community scale interventions.
Session 7 - Civic Imagination Lab
Showcase of participant interventions; collective drafting of a Water Ethic charter for local adoption.
Readings & Resources
Water Consciousness: How We All Have to Change to Protect Our Most Critical Resource
Tara Lohan (ed.)
Preface and Chapter 3 for Session 2 grounding in hydrologic science.
Theosophy of the Water Element
Rudolf Steiner
Lecture transcript grounding the contemplative framing for Session 1.
Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer
"Learning the Grammar of Animacy" for Session 4 intercultural dialogue.
The Color of Water in Film
Alison Acker
Session 3 supplement on perception, embodiment, and media.
Rivers of Power
Laurence C. Smith
Case study excerpts for Session 5 infrastructure analysis.
Water Justice: The Struggle for Equity in a Globalizing World
Rutgerd Boelens, David Getches, and Armando Guevara-Gil
Session 6 reading on rights, policy, and river commons.
Designing Regenerative Cultures
Daniel Christian Wahl
Conclusion chapter to support Session 7 civic imagination lab.