The Hidden Messages in Water [Paperback]

I decided to read this book after seeing some of Dr. Emoto's water crystal photographs at Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success Seminar in August. The library put me on an indefinite hold for his book, but I was able to sign up for a learning annex lecture by Dr. Emoto earlier this month on October 6 in New York. Then, last week the book became available at the library.

If you are looking for a thorough scientific explanation of what Dr. Emoto found and his methodology, this is the wrong book for you.

If you want to understand his process for understanding how water crystals may be affected by thought, prayer, music and writing, the book is excellent. In fact, the book explains his work much better than the public lecture did. And the book is a lot cheaper than the lecture was.

I was glad to have attended the lecture, however. It gave me a sense of Dr. Emoto who seems to be a genuinely humble and open seeker after truth.

As he pointed out in the lecture, his work has raised more questions than answers. But he does give us some theories that will intrigue you. Perhaps the most interesting and important one is that humans can uniquely create earthly harmony by their vibrations.

If you are not familiar with his work, he developed a way to take photographs of frozen water that resemble snowflake photographs. While snowflakes vary in the same storm due to local conditions, water crystals seem to vary due to other factors. Pollution and other forms of human interaction appear to play a role.

Dr. Emoto shows that human interaction can also create disharmony.

The photographs are quite eloquent by themselves. If you looked at them merely for artistic purposes, you would enjoy this book.

Many of his observations are based on spiritual beliefs such as in reincarnation so you can take those parts as you will. But they are not essential to enjoying the book.

I found that I have changed several things in my life since the lecture. I bathe myself in as much beautiful and elegant classical music as possible. I used to do that and am enjoying my return to this practice. I also take time to retune my thoughts to make them more harmonious. I find that my creativity has been aided by this, and my latest book writing work has gone much better as a result.

For skeptics, Dr. Emoto claims that others have repeated his results. I don't know about that, but I'm sure you could check it out if you are interested.

I appreciated his reference to Rupert Sheldrake's work on morphic resonance. I had thought of the parallels when I listened to the lecture. If you are not familiar with Sheldrake, he believes that thoughts affect the physical form of the world and the minds of others. He points to experiments where people learn faster after more people have learned something . . . even if they have no physical or written contact with one another.

With The Hidden Messages in Water, I felt like another piece of the puzzle about what thought is and isn't fell into place.

Dr. Emoto has also started a project to share 650 million copies of this work with young people so that they can sooner learn to live in harmony.

I think this book will provide many interesting epiphanies for you. Check it out!

This is an interesting book looking at the effect negative and positive energies have upon ‘water’, and you will have heard of this book if you have seen the film ‘what the bleep do we know’. I have studied the Kabbalah for 3 years, and in it, it teaches about the power of water, and how it’s affected by energy (blessings etc) etc, so it interesting to see a study of this extraordinary claim. Water has a more complex structure than most would know I think; just look at how homeopathy works – extraordinary! The most interesting images for me show the differences between tap water all over the world, and spring water. (I’ve stopped drinking tap water – that’s all I’m going to say!). The images of the formed crystals are stunning, and the text interesting at times, especially if you have an interest in Quantum Physics at a basic level, but what you may ask, is the point? Well, as the book says, we are made up mainly of water – so what effect is our negative energies having upon our own bodies? It’s a good question! Make up your own mind…
The only complaint about this book is the translation. At times it isn’t great, but it’s not bad enough to ruin the flow, just mildly irritating.

This charming little book is not a scientific treatise but a rumination on consciousness that touches on vibrations, frequencies and the wonders of water. The prologue introduces the reader to the crucial role of water in life and in our bodies and psyche. Physically, humans consist mostly of water, 90% at birth & 70% as adults. Dr Emoto considers water the essential life force, pointing out the various functions it performs, its unusual properties that include the copying and memorizing of information as in homeopathy. He explains the history of the project and the technique of photography employed: Freezing water & photographing the crystals that last for only 20 - 30 seconds. First he noticed the effect of music on the form of these crystals, then the effect of written & spoken words.

The first series of full color plates contain 69 photographs of crystals with captions & explanatory notes. The most beautiful to me are the ones exposed to the words Love & Gratitude (more about this later), Wisdom in its Japanese, English & German forms, Cosmos in the same three languages, Beethoven's Symphony no. 5, Swan Lake, Yesterday by The Beatles, Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Negative & coercive words created distortions, chlorinated water is `dead' and proximity to computers, mobile phones & televisions had the same negative effect as heating in a microwave oven. However, a wholesome TV program produced a lovely crystal so the content of the information modifies the effect of the electromagnetic carrier waves.

The narrative then moves to the vibrational nature of the universe. Emotions, objects, locations & individuals all emit frequencies. This means that everything emits sound too. Then follows a fascinating section on music, Hertzian waves and the concept of 42 octaves plus an explanation of resonance. Like attracts like and fundamentally incompatible frequencies cannot resonate but there may be resonance between non-identical frequencies, e.g. when the difference is two-, four-, eightfold or one half, one quarter etc. More detailed information on this subject is available in Sacred Sounds: Magic & Healing Through Words & Music by Ted Andrews and Jonathan Goldman's book Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics.

The author revisits the miraculous properties of water, explaining its remarkable differences from other substances & its unique abilities to sustain life, to heal and to purify. The research of Joan S Davis of Zurich Technical University is thought-provoking; several quotes are provided. She distinguishes between `juvenile' & `wise water.' The baby water is that which has just fallen, whilst the wise is that which has spent time underground and gathered minerals, `memorizing' their vibrations. Correspondences exist between the vibrations of emotions and elements amongst others. The effect of consciousness on the physical world and quantum mechanics are discussed next, as well as Quantum Theorist David Bohm's theory of the Explicate Order observed by the senses and the Implicate Order experienced within the mind. The work of Rupert Sheldrake & his theory of morphic fields & morphic resonance are highly relevant here. Dr Emoto provides a simple explanation and some quotes by Sheldrake.

The second series of plates, titled Water Shown Photographs of Natural Scenery, offers 65 photographs of crystal forms influenced by natural features like Mount Fuji.

Much of the author's thoughts on vibrations & the influence of the observer on the observed will already be familiar to those interested in quantum science & metaphysics; what is new is the way that this phenomenon takes physical shape in water. Eldon Taylor's book Subliminal Communication explains how wave patterns created by sound can be displayed visually. Powders, liquids & metal fillings scattered on a disc formed geometric patterns as the disc resonated to music, even taking on organic shapes. This book includes visual configurations of the mantra OM and the concluding chord of Händel's Messiah by means of a tonophone. Works of related interest include Cymatics: A Study of Wave Phenomena & Vibration by Hans Jenny and Harmonograph: A Visual Guide to the Mathematics of Music by Anthony Ashton.

Dr Emoto believes the two emotions love & gratitude combined form the most potent healing force and a powerful immune shield. Gratitude appears to have the greater influence in the blend. He argues that they are fundamental principles of nature. In the epilogue he mentions the destructive side of water in the worldwide legend of a great flood and speculates about the possible future applications of his discoveries, for example the ability to predict earthquakes The book concludes with a short biography of the author. As a work on consciousness it is valuable for discussing the factors that influence water and how the substance responds to these influences; those working in or appreciative of the visual arts will find the beautiful photo's reason enough to read the book.