Oh, the watering hole… Where we used to gather, talk, share stories, pass information and meet new people… Well, this is before the invention of water lines and faucets and boundaries that individualized. The other day, I got a little sip of what it might be like to go to the watering hole again. It all started when I remembered a website a friend passed on to me called Find-A-Spring which locates publicly accessible spring water.
This website is a well of knowledge that you can dip into from any region of the US (and some abroad). I’m currently in Mississippi visiting my mother, so we looked there. And, it just so happens that the ONLY posted site in Mississippi is about 20 miles from our front door — Hamil Springs.
So, one sunny day, we loaded up our car with empty bottles and went out to find this spring. Luckily, there was an historical marker on the highway, so the turn-off was easy to spot. We turned off the highway, onto a short paved road that turned into gravel within a quarter mile.
When we pulled up an elderly couple was filling their bottles. The best thing I could think to say when walking up is, “how’s the water?” They both looked at each other and smiled…and then the man said, “good — real good — ninety-nine-point-nine-percent pure.”
I found out that they lived in the Louisville area and drove out here four times a year to get their drinking water. They said that they found out about it 10 years ago from neighbors. They also mentioned that Mississippi State University (MSU) regularly tests the water.
While we waited for them to finish (they had an entire truck bed worth of bottles to fill), we walked to the information kiosk just down the trail. The Hamil family had lived there back in the mid-1800s. The water was used to power the local saw mill which was disassembled to provide materials for WWII. A descendant of the Hamil family decided to revive the spring for use by the local community and partnered with MSU to reconstruct the spring. The spring pours a constant stream of water at 500 gallons an hour.
We have been the spring twice already. And, the water is delicious-o!
So, why spring water? For me, personally I drink spring water from the source when I can because of its mineral composition and its lack of chemicals (namely, fluoride and chlorine). For more information on the benefits of spring water check out this link. I think that drinking water from the source also gets us closer and more intimate with our surroundings. Because this water is pure, I enjoy health. If it becomes contaminated, my health declines — simple as that. So, being tuned into a water source in a specific place, provides me information on whether my community is becoming contaminated. If so, I can stand up for clean water by making sure it becomes or stays a priority.
Unfortunately, right now, the priorities in the USA have not been focused on clean water, clean air, and healthy soil. We have a long way to go to reestablish what was once here only 250 years ago. As film-maker/environmentalist John Liu says, “ecosystem function is vastly more important than the production and consumption of goods and services.” When we begin to shift to the value system of people/planet over profit — we will be truly profitable and rich in ways we could have never imagined. Some people are scared to embrace this new value system because they are so embedded in the previous one — I am not.
Lastly, I would like to talk a little about the Hunza people of northern Pakistan. A lot of stories have been swirling around about these people, as they are home to many centurions. They are a vegetarian culture that lives high in very rugged mountains. How is it that their life is so good? One of the main reasons is their water. Here is a picture of their glacial water:
MMMMmmmmm — right? Well, in this foggy liquid swims our dear colloidal mineral friends from the great seasonal melting of the glacier of northern Pakistan. Colloidal minerals are minerals that are in a simple form and easy to assimilate into the body for nourishment. In Hunza water, one of the main minerals is silica which is used throughout the body to make collagen. (I actually found this article on how you can make your on Hunza water, although good for you, I would say that it’s definitely not the same as what is available in the Hunza region).
I think it is especially important to introduce trace minerals and colloidal minerals into your diet the best way you can. Many of us have forgotten the importance of these nutrients. Even though needed in small quantities, they are still a key player in the building blocks of our overall health. Considering that the soil that grows our food is becoming more and more depleted by the agro-industrial complex and its poor ecosystem management, it is good to both resupply your own body and find ways to put minerals back into the Earth when and where you can.
Spring water is a great way to introduce more trace minerals into your body. Going to soak in hot springs is another way. However, it is said that the best way to ingest minerals and trace minerals is through plants. However, conversations are rolling around in the doctor/nutritionist world about whether our depleted soils provide plants enough trace minerals for their health and growth and therefore, for our health and growth.
Another traditional source is through clay — here is a small biz in Mississippi that sells mineral clay. And, here is a small biz out of Oregon that sells a kind of clay-like soil in capsule form — read more about it here. However, I have read about how clays, soils, and ground up rock provide us metallic colloidal minerals which are harder for the body to assimilate than plant-derived colloidal minerals. Here is an example of a plant-derived colloidal mineral product that is being marketed.
When I asked my nutritionist friend, Holly, about colloidal minerals, here is what she had to say:
“I read your blog article…….and certainly a great topic. Collodial minerals is a VERY controversial topic……many people for and against it. I simply recommend food first….greens & broth for minerals & alkalinized filtered water/ spring water/well water & a traditional foods diet in general……and if someone needs more than I recommend trace minerals from ocean water. Collodial minerals that are extracted in any isolated fashion then suspended in a solution is not ideal. Nora Gedgaudes speaks of this in her book Primal Body, Primal Mind.”
I would love to hear any feedback or insight into this! Please feel free to leave comments on your research on this topic. Thanks!
Enjoy your water. Protect your water. Share your water.
Lindsay Kolasa 