Fountain Hills is a small, scenic desert community located east of Scottsdale and about 45 minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport. The town is surrounded by mountains with sweeping mountain views including Four Peaks, the Superstition Mountains and the McDowell Mountains, and boasts a natural desert landscape. There is plenty to do in Fountain Hills.
Fountain Hills just wouldn’t be fountain hills without–The Fountain!
Fountains Filled with Dreams and Potential
Fountains have long been the source for helping people to attain their goals, dreams and desires. The lore and poetry of fountains continues to thrive in Fountain Hills today. Fountain Hills has its own folklore with its own man made the tallest fountain that sends water up to 562 feet into the air.
The Fountain is a place for relaxation and contemplation, inviting to the casual and superficial glance of a passer-by, but also serving as sources for deeper meditation and inspiration. A place where we can send our prayers to heaven and meditate to hear the answers as the sound of the water falling back to earth inspires us with renewed vision.
There is no escaping that we need water to live. Living in the desert, water is a blessing. While the Fountain water is reclaimed water, and we are not allowed to bath in it for rejuvenation or throw coins into it for our wishes, The Fountain is a symbol of moving forward as the flowing water moves chi or energy, the lake is symbolic for a place of relaxation, and we can still contemplate at the lake about our dreams for the future and see our prayers and wishes shoot up to the sky in the fountain every hour of the day.
The Indian Meaning of Water
The meaning of the Water symbols were very important as water in every form as one of the most vital elements for the sustenance of life. The meaning of the Water symbol was to signify life, fertility and purity. Some American Indian tribes believe that the waters of lakes, rivers, and oceans are inhabited by a mysterious people called the “Water Indians.”
Wishes and Water
People have been throwing coins into fountains seemingly as long as there have been coins and fountains. The tradition all started with water. Water, of course, is vital to sustain human life. Potable drinking holes in many regions weren’t the easiest things to find. Thus, where clean water was available, many early European tribes believed that such areas were a gift from the gods.
The idea that drinkable water was sent from the heavens remained even as wells and fountains were built. Often, a small statue of a god could be found next to early wells and fountains, turning them into a type of shrine. As you probably already know, presenting gifts to gods is an ancient practice that was usually meant to appease angry gods, or to act as a payment for a request or prayer. In the case of fountains and wells, people would toss in a coin while sending up a prayer—an early version of making a wish.
These days, believing in gods watching over the wells or the thought that water has healing powers has largely lost favor, but people still practice this ancient tradition. However, sending up your wishes at fountains is still practiced today.
Fountains of Fortunes
Fountains are one of the most effective and popular feng shui cures, water fountains bring good luck, prosperity and abundance to those who believe. The flowing water of the tallest fountain helps to reactivate stagnant chi, restores balance to the area and produces beneficial yang energy.
Get Inspired
During Greek times, Pirene was the place for poets to go to drink the water from the fountain to receive inspiration.
Water of Life
Many explorers searched the world for the Fountain of Youth, a place where youth could be restored.
The Fountain of Youth myth is certainly a venerable one with many offshoots. The written references to it go back more than 2,000 years. Herodutus wrote about a legend that Alexander the Great, after conquering much of the known world of his time, was interested in finding a river with magical waters that could reverse the aging process.
Apparently the tale of such a miraculous fountain persisted because much later on, in the 12th Century in Europe, there were popular romances telling tales of a king named “Prester John”, who reportedly ruled over a kingdom wherein there was a river of gold and a Fountain of Youth. There still exist some art objects from the medieval period that display the theme, indicating that it continued to spark the imagination of artists and artisans for several hundred years more.
While the pursuit of unending youthfulness is still of primary interest for humans, most of us look to cosmetics, exercise and diet these days. Still, a trip to Life in Balance Wellness Center and Spa, is a temporarily rejuvenating experience all in its own.
