Meditation - Exercise 4 For this exercise, we're going to examine one of the Rock People, and learn about a meditative practice called "divination". Don't be put off by the word. It only means "to see". Get your favorite crystal, piece of gem stone, jasper, agate, whatever is special to you. If you don't have one of these, go into your yard and look around. Examine the small rocks, stones and pebbles. If one of them especially catches your eye, pick it up, leave a small bit of tobacco for Mother Earth, and remember exactly where you got it so that you can take it back "home" when you're finished. Wash the stone thoroughly with warm, soapy water to get all the dirt and grime off, and dry it. Take your crystal or stone into the bright sunshine, or if there is no sunshine, hold it under a bright light. If you use sage or smudge, pass it through the smoke to cleanse it. Then settle yourself; do the breathing exercise from Exercise 2, and enter the Safe Place you built in Exercise 3. Take your stone into your Safe Place with you. Look carefully INTO the stone - not AT it, but INTO it. Can you see its layers? Are there little pockets where air, or maybe even water has been trapped? Can you see the rainbows? See the prisms of light flash? See the many colors? If you're looking at a crystal, can you see the many different images it holds? Are there canyons and tunnels there? If you have a rock, look very closely at its surface. There are stories and images carved on its face as well. There is no such thing as an ugly rock, for they all have messages to share. If your eyes go out of focus, let them. If you find yourself traveling with the stone, go ahead. Be with it. Truly see it. Feel its texture. Turn it slowly in your hands examining very carefully all angles and all sides. You've never seen a stone before. Can you describe it? Do you see its battle scars? Is it a new baby, smooth as can be, or an old warrior that has fought to survive? You're holding a symbol of the ages in your hands. How long do you suppose it took to form? How did it get to the surface of the earth? What miracles of life has it witnessed on its way into your hands? When you're ready, bid your Safe Place good-bye for now. Come out of the sunshine or turn off the light, and sit quietly with your stone for a few minutes. Can you feel its warmth and energy? What does all this have to do with meditation? Well, how much time has passed? Did you learn that it's not necessary to sit straight as an arrow in a chair with your eyes closed in order to "journey"? Was your mind quiet? Were you totally focused outside of your own being into another world? Were you calm and at peace? Is that not what meditation truly is? This is an excellent exercise for children, no matter how young. It makes them look at the world around them with new eyes, and develops a respect and appreciation of nature. You can use anything: a leaf, a twig, a pine cone, a sea shell, an acorn —— anything at all. Make it a game; perfect for trips in the car or a rainy day. Oh..........don't forget to put your stone back in the yard — unless you have a new friend you want to keep with you, that is. :) Re-Creating You Main Page Innerspace Main Page Modifications and Maintenance by Wicked Imaging E-Mail to Julia
Take your crystal or stone into the bright sunshine, or if there is no sunshine, hold it under a bright light. If you use sage or smudge, pass it through the smoke to cleanse it. Then settle yourself; do the breathing exercise from Exercise 2, and enter the Safe Place you built in Exercise 3. Take your stone into your Safe Place with you.
Look carefully INTO the stone - not AT it, but INTO it. Can you see its layers? Are there little pockets where air, or maybe even water has been trapped? Can you see the rainbows? See the prisms of light flash? See the many colors? If you're looking at a crystal, can you see the many different images it holds? Are there canyons and tunnels there? If you have a rock, look very closely at its surface. There are stories and images carved on its face as well. There is no such thing as an ugly rock, for they all have messages to share.
If your eyes go out of focus, let them. If you find yourself traveling with the stone, go ahead. Be with it. Truly see it. Feel its texture. Turn it slowly in your hands examining very carefully all angles and all sides. You've never seen a stone before. Can you describe it? Do you see its battle scars? Is it a new baby, smooth as can be, or an old warrior that has fought to survive? You're holding a symbol of the ages in your hands. How long do you suppose it took to form? How did it get to the surface of the earth? What miracles of life has it witnessed on its way into your hands?
When you're ready, bid your Safe Place good-bye for now. Come out of the sunshine or turn off the light, and sit quietly with your stone for a few minutes. Can you feel its warmth and energy?
What does all this have to do with meditation? Well, how much time has passed? Did you learn that it's not necessary to sit straight as an arrow in a chair with your eyes closed in order to "journey"? Was your mind quiet? Were you totally focused outside of your own being into another world? Were you calm and at peace? Is that not what meditation truly is?
This is an excellent exercise for children, no matter how young. It makes them look at the world around them with new eyes, and develops a respect and appreciation of nature. You can use anything: a leaf, a twig, a pine cone, a sea shell, an acorn —— anything at all. Make it a game; perfect for trips in the car or a rainy day.
Oh..........don't forget to put your stone back in the yard — unless you have a new friend you want to keep with you, that is. :)
Re-Creating You Main Page