Sunrise Ceremony: Gulp and Water

sunrise ceremony: The spirit of the lake is already calling us, according to NOW Magazine. Bleary eyed, about 100 of us shuffle onto the misty grounds of the Scarboro Mission on the edge of the bluffs on September 24 for a sunrise ceremony to show a little love for the lake that gives and gives to millions of us everyday. We rise in the dark before the sun comes up. This is Toronto's inaugural Great Lakes Water Walk. Water is life, says Indigenous elder and Trent University professor Shirley Williams, encouraging the gathering to start every morning with a water drinking ritual first gulp to cleanse the mind for the day's journey; second gulp to cleanse the body; third gulp to cleanse the heart and give thanks for the journey ahead. Indigenous grandmothers have led similar walks around these lakes, but never one dedicated to shaking off the concrete brain fog on Toronto's shores and re-connecting this city's residents to the water source that keeps us alive. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.