A Meditation

Here is a meditation to help you relax and become more aware of the inner you.

Begin by sitting in a comfortable chair but not one so comfortable that you will fall asleep. Close your eyes and breathe deeply three times, pausing between the incoming and outgoing breaths. Now breathe normally but concentrate on your breathing, notice its rhythm and become lost in it so that you begin to feel slightly disconnected with your surroundings. Do not focus on your thoughts only on your breathing, allow thoughts to appear and pass on, you cannot stop your thoughts but you can become free of their control. Gradually you will feel relaxation spreading from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. Help it along by consciously relaxing each muscle in turn from the top of your body. Once you feel fully relaxed I want you to use your imagination.

Imagine you are on a plateau in the high hills; it is a glorious summer day but because you are high up, it is just pleasantly warm, not hot. The sky is a perfect blue, with just a scattering of small, fluffy clouds lazily drifting along. The view on all sides is spectacular – the air is so clear you can see for miles. Just pause for a while and look around and see what is revealed to you. You are struck by how much detail you can see and the different shades and tints of green and brown. In the distance a column of smoke drifts upwards from a heath fire. You feel completely free and as you draw the pure, clear air into your lungs, you feel full of vitality and strong enough that you could walk for miles and not feel tired. The turf is springy beneath your feet and somehow this adds zest to your steps.

As you walk along taking in the changing scene and enjoying total freedom, you become conscious of a deep, inner peace enveloping you. It feels good and natural and as the sense of peace deepens, you become more and more aware of everything around you. There are animals and they are no longer nervous in your presence. Sit down for a while and allow them to draw close – get to know them and see if you recognise the different species. Feel their energy as they relax around you and know beyond doubt, you and they are one – children of the same Father. Feel the interchange of love and energy that passes between you and realise you have never been so relaxed or so happy and peaceful before. You are aware that in the presence of His animals, you are made fully conscious of the presence of God.

Allow yourself to relax further, so that you enter a state of day-dreaming. Give yourself over to that feeling and see what you experience there in the pure, clear air of the high hills and in the presence of your loving, animal companions. Allow your spirit to flow with the experience, knowing you are perfectly safe and totally protected. Maybe you will meet people in your day-dream, perhaps some mighty truth will be revealed to you, or you may visit secret places that are normally hidden from human beings. Whatever it is, enjoy it and know that you will return safely and invigorated by the experience. Take your time; there is no need to hurry. Time is only important in the material world and for a while, you have been moved outside that constriction.

When eventually you awake and find yourself on the plateau again, look around and you will notice far more than you did at first. Your awareness has been sharpened; all your senses are more alive and vibrant. Enjoy being there for a few more minutes and then slowly return to the room where you began your meditation and open you eyes. Once you have re-adjusted, try to write down your experience. See how many of the details you can remember and keep that account, for you will find it helpful to read it from time to time.

I do hope you enjoy this meditation. Go with God.