Honoring Ice Wisdom on World Water Day
By Rev. Sandra Sheridan and Catherine Dyer
On World Water Day, we honor the sacredness of water in all its forms. Today we recognize the gifts of the glaciers. Ice holds memory, patience, and clarity, reminding us of the deep interconnectedness between nature and our own consciousness. According to the World Meteorological Association, Glacier mass loss has doubled in the past 20 years and the glaciers of the Himalayas could disappear by 2100 if current trends continue. Nearly 2 billion people rely on water from glaciers, snowmelt and mountain run-off for drinking, agriculture, and energy production.
Indigenous wisdom keepers, including Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq, a Kalaallit Shaman (https://icewisdom.com/) teach us that we need to melt the ice in our hearts. We know from Venerable Dhyani Ywahoo’s teachings at Sunray that water is a sacred being, carrying the songs of creation. The crystalline structures of ice mirror the intricate patterns of thought, guiding us toward harmony and balance.
Sunray’s work at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) continues. We have been active there since 2000. The Forum addresses Indigenous economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health, and human rights. Climate change threatens Indigenous ways of life in the Arctic and beyond. At the UNPFII we amplify the voices of indigenous peoples and advocate for their rights.
At Sunray, we walk these teachings through our own land-based initiatives, such as maintaining the Peace Village in Lincoln, Vermont. Through land stewardship, ceremonial gatherings, and sacred fires, we cultivate a living relationship with the land and water. These efforts not only honor our Tsalagi and Buddhist traditions but also create spaces for healing and renewal in service to future generations.
Ways to take action beyond prayer:
- Support Indigenous-led initiatives for land and water protection.
- Advocate for policies that uphold Indigenous sovereignty and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
- Reduce carbon footprints to slow ice melt.
- Support Indigenous language revitalization, recognizing that language carries traditional ecological knowledge and strengthens cultural continuity.
- Share photos from your activities using #WorldWaterDay.
- Make an artwork, installation, song or film about World Water Day.
- Host a photo contest or local exhibition.
- Organize a walking trip into local mountains or highlands to see glaciers or rivers, discover the mountain region and get a view of downstream water ecosystems.
- Give a talk in your school, university, community, office or organization.
- Host a concert, play or sports event.
- If you are a teacher or student, organize a lesson/do an activity/visit a natural science
- museum (see the World Water Day 2025 Activation Kit: un.org/en/observances/water-day/resources).
- Organize a community clean-up of local streams, rivers, lakes, springs and beaches.
- Contribute to or launch citizen science participatory projects aimed at promoting knowledge of local water bodies, and collecting data and information.
Water represents the clarity of mind—a purifying force aligned with interdependence and harmony. This World Water Day, we invite both reflection and action. May we listen to the wisdom of ice and stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples protecting it. May we honor water within and around us.