16     WELLSPRING           

KEY CONCEPTS:  go with the flow, fluidity, nature, innate tendencies, bloom where you’re planted, spontaneity, self-acceptance, journey by water.

MESSAGE: At first glance they look dangerously out of place, but these lively goldfish took a journey by water to frolic in Shaffer Fishbowl Spring.  This Wellspring lies on a remote mountain in the daunting Arizona desert.  A hidden delight along the Route, the pool provides a surprising home for these lovely, scaly foreigners.  Backstory spills that an eponymous WPA worker created the secluded oasis in the 1930’s, after noticing moisture cascading down a cliff.  He built a rock basin to contain the precious resource, derived from a year-round, steady seep between Kingman and Oatman.  Domestic goldfish stocked by locals now freely flutter fins in this unlikely spot, sought out by curious travelers globe-trotting off the beaten path.  Wellspring is the fountainhead of a stream; as such, it relates to your native fluidity. 

You’d waste your breath trying to explain water to a fish…but if you removed the fish from water it would perish.  Attempting to find happiness beyond the shores of your own nature is as crazy as a carp trying to caper on a sandy beach.  Gently soaking in their fishbowl sanctuary, these big fish in a small pond go with the flow. All creatures must remain faithful to their innate tendencies; water creatures excel at spontaneity.  When you swim in harmony with your nature, you’re catching the drift; learn to steer clear of aberrant currents that could pull you out of your stream. 

If you find yourself in choppy waters, syphon off your affectations.  Goldfish sail past public opinion when they leave their nets to follow Spirit; do the same and abide in your inner springs.  Have you relinquished authenticity to please someone?  Practice steady self-acceptance; watch it accumulate beauty like coral building into a massive reef.  Bloom where you’re planted:  celebrate your true nature and flourish where you float.  While you’re drinking the water, remember the Wellspring: Divine Truth held within our consciousness provides a fountainhead of everlasting joy. 

RELATED SITES: SHAFFER FISHBOWL SPRING, GOLDEN VALLEY, AZ; BLUE HOLE OF SANTA ROSA, SANTA ROSA, NM; LAUGHLIN PARK & ROUBIDOUX SPRING, WAYNESVILLE, MO; BAXTER SPRINGS, KS; PEACH SPRINGS, AZ.