What Is Water? Is It Alive?
Is Water Alive? What Science Says About Water and Life
Is water alive? The scientific answer is no. Water is a chemical compound made of hydrogen and oxygen (H₂O). It does not reproduce, metabolize, or independently perform the biological processes associated with living organisms.
However, water is essential to nearly every known form of life. It helps transport nutrients, supports chemical reactions, regulates temperature, and provides the environment in which many biological processes occur.
Why Do Some People Describe Water as Living?
Water has remarkable physical and chemical properties. Its molecules form constantly changing hydrogen-bond networks, and its behavior is influenced by temperature, pressure, dissolved substances, and surrounding surfaces.
These characteristics have inspired researchers, philosophers, and water enthusiasts to explore broader questions about water's relationship with living systems.
Some people use terms such as living water or structured water to describe particular ideas about water's movement, organization, or natural environments. These terms do not mean that water is scientifically classified as a living organism.
Jonathan Butts' Perspective on Living Water
Natural Action's founder, Jonathan Butts, explored these questions in an interview about the nature of water and its relationship with life.
In the conversation below, Jonathan shares his personal interpretation of water as a medium for biological communication and discusses why he believed water deserved a broader definition than its chemical formula alone.
The following interview represents Jonathan's perspective. Some of the ideas discussed are philosophical or speculative and should not be interpreted as established scientific conclusions.
Original interview transcript follows.
Jonathan Butts was asked in an interview to define water and if it is alive, here is his reply.
I think there's layers to the definition. So obviously, if we're in a certain art like chemistry, the definition is h20, which means when we break this into the smallest pieces we can, we come out with a group of h20s that have a weight. And nobody's ever seen an H20 molecule or any of the particles that science ever talks about in isolation. Which is interesting to note. You see light fragments coming from it. But in the end, the chemistry definition is H20. I would say that's like calling a home a box. It's too oversimplified and too mechanical.
What we see as the definition of water, when we look in depth, is a biological communication system that receives information, alters information and puts that information back out in a lightly modified way, almost like molding clay. You got the general shape, but now you're going to articulate it.
So when we watch water communicate within a cell and out to the outer cell, we see modulations in the vibrations. And that's what communication is, essentially, is a vibration, whether it's sound, whether it's eyesight and light and all these different forms, really the whole universe is just communicating to each other. And when we get down to our likeness, mother Earth and ourselves, we're made of water. That's the medium where all this biological communication incurs and where this new understanding of water comes from, is that we can change the water so it communicates differently.
Obviously the goal is to make it communicate better, just like a human being would want to communicate better to another human being, to build a better relationship or achieve higher quality goals.
So in the end, I would say the simplest definition is H20 as defined by chemistry, maybe a sacred element as defined by more indigenous and religious cultures. And then in the truest sense communication system, incoming and outgoing for all biological life to form in.
Is it alive?
100%. Like the source in a simple way. Not like life as a human being tries to consciously figure it all out in many parts and facets of their journey or their life, but a very foundational. We don't understand the simplicity because we're so complex in our creation. Things like it's not common sense to walk anymore. That may change the water in your body. That may be why we like it or it's so healthy and there is some evidence to support that. But definitely, a communication system that's alive and you have to look at it like a gateway, a doorway to beyond our perception. Maybe a connection to our subconscious. Some people would say a higher mind. I don't really agree with higher I think broader bandwidth, more diverse intelligence and awareness are the same thing. The more we're aware of, the more intelligent we are that the simple grounding factor that binds all that intelligence and the simple energy of life. Some people call it life force, some people call it qi or prana. Some people divide it into polarities or the ether. That really doesn't matter. It's beyond our perception is what matters. And we communicate with what's beyond our perception.
Water seems to be the bridge or the gateway for biological life as we understand it. For mammals, for fungi, for single cell all the way on up to complex creatures like human beings on up to the Earth is alive. It gives birth to everything. We have this definition of life for us as human beings and how we interpret other animals and other things. But in the end, there's this simple energy that wants to manifest and it seems to be terrain model, some people haven't heard of this. And playomorphic which means everything is always in transition of evolution. Epigenetic, quicker, more long range evolution, more what we would call DNA and genetics.
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But there's a huge body of hardcore evidence that NASA is seeking similarities to Earth and understanding that somehow there's information stored in the water that is like DNA to construct life. But it has to read the terrain or the environment first because it doesn't want to give birth to something that is dissonant with the environment. Right away the water is reading the environment before it gives birth. And you could really take a human analogy with this as some of the hardcore evidence on human pregnancy.
So when the human pregnancy first occurs they're what you call non nucleus cells, which is identical to cancer and how cancer is staged out or diagnosed. The interesting thing is the beginning of life and the end of life cycles are kind of the same. That's what you see in water. There's microscopic evidence that water forms single cell, almost like fungi, but it's just made out of water. And that's the closing case as far as water first making circles with water that's different on the inside than on the outside and the definition of a cell. Arranging those in geometric configurations that represent the beginnings of life. Tie that to what occurs in the human pregnancy for the first nine weeks, what goes on there and what you see, is the same thing. The womb, the water, the water in the womb is different from the water in the blood and the body and then the zygote or seed or egg, basically metastasizes to the womb. And then there's a whole pathology there that helps us understand the beginnings of life and the end of life a lot better. And that's all predominantly created by water. So, it's a huge leap right now.
Read The Definitive Guide to Structured Water
We're in this window of the last 10 to 20 years and we don't understand all and there's more to learn about this. It's like discovering a new universe. But I think the correlation between human pregnancy, the single cells and water forming single cells out of itself really defines the what is living water. It seems like the more you disconnect water from that cycle, there's a natural propensity for it to want to bring life forward even more. So the more oppression there is to life, the more evolution and charge you get from the water in cases to grow life, whether that's good or bad, is subject to what the terrain already is, in my opinion. So it's a very deep look.
But again, the correlation between human life and water in the beginnings and the end and what the water does in those beginnings and ends is mirrored throughout the planet. This is another very simple but very holistic view, there's a pattern here that teaches us how to integrate with the planet through water. Water being the blood for trees and plants and soil and the whole earth and our blood being very similar to ocean water. A lot of similarities there that are very simple and I think those bring the foundation forward where the deeper science of it can get somewhat confusing and you can get lost down a rabbit hole with it.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Water and Life
Is water considered a living thing?
No. Water is a chemical compound, H₂O, and does not meet the biological criteria for life. It does not reproduce, metabolize, or function as an independent living organism. However, water is essential for nearly all known living organisms.
Why is water essential for life?
Water acts as a solvent, helps transport nutrients and waste, supports biochemical reactions, and helps regulate temperature. Its unique chemical properties make it especially important to living cells.
Can water store information or have memory?
Water molecules interact through hydrogen bonds that continually form and break. Although scientists study water's molecular organization, there is no established scientific evidence that ordinary water retains lasting memories of substances or experiences after those influences are removed.
What is the difference between living water and structured water?
Living water is an informal expression often associated with natural springs, flowing water, or philosophical ideas about water and life.
Structured water is a term used in several different contexts. In chemistry, water molecules can exhibit local organization through hydrogen bonding. In consumer products, the term is often used to describe water treated through vortex-inspired or other conditioning methods. Claims of lasting molecular restructuring or improved health outcomes from these devices are not established by strong clinical evidence.
Does structured water replace filtration?
No. Structured water devices do not remove contaminants. Filtration systems are designed to reduce specific substances, depending on their technology and certifications.
Natural Action recommends a simple approach: Filter First. Structure Last.
Where can I learn more about structured water?
Explore Natural Action's educational resources to understand vortex-inspired water conditioning, how it differs from filtration, and the types of devices available.
