Theodor Schwenk was an anthroposophist, an engineer and a pioneering water researcher. He founded the Institute for Flow. Science. His book Sensitive Chaos has been cited by Ralph Abraham, the California mathematician and Chaos theorist, as an influence on his thinking.

Schwenk talks about the need for "water consciousness", maintaining that the movement of water, by its very essence, signifies change. Cosmic consciousness is symbolized by water, where all particles merge into a single, transcendental entity. Man, according to Schwenk, will come closer to the secret of life by studying the cyclicality of movement opened from above. Schwenk further notes myths and tales pertaining to the treasure hidden under water, introducing the quandary-assumption that the treasure is, in fact, the water itself!