“You will often hear of the symbol of the water lily being used in spiritual unfoldment.  The lily shown on the surface of the water is an ancient symbol of the unfolding spiritual gifts.  If you would cultivate gift of the spirit, first close your eyes and ears to all that is physical, then create a vision, or a mental picture, of a harmonious beautiful garden.  Walk through your garden to the innermost sanctuary, passing through the wide-open gate; and within the inner garden, see the silent pool, pure and still and so clear… still water of the spirit is clear as crystal.  You may look into that water, and see the true reflection of yourself, for the waters of the spirit never lie.  One the surface of the water you will see the lily, pure white, with a centre of gold ~ white and gold, symbolical of purity and divine intelligence.  Rest quietly in contemplation of this perfect flower.” ~ White Eagle.

There are many of you who tell me that your minds are too busy to meditate, too many thoughts coming through.  You must remember that meditation is not necessarily sitting in the lotus position slipping into a deep trance like state.  Many of us meditate without even realising that we are doing it.  Have you ever just sat and watched a scene and allowed your mind to drift?  You find yourself deep in thought and often something startles you to bring you back into your present surroundings.  This is meditation.  Busy people sometimes experience something similar when they are performing mundane task that take little or no concentration, like washing the dishes for example, ironing their clothes, gardening or mowing the lawn, or when fishing.  Many of you will find that if you think about it you have actually meditated often without realising that this is what you are doing.  While this may not be the deep meditation that you would like to experience, it is a good place to start.

The secret to meditation is don’t try to force it.  I find that if I concentrate on my breath I am able to relax quite rapidly, however that was not always the case.  When I first started to meditate I was told to concentrate on my breath and allow it to relax me ~ of course, that is what I did but in doing so I kept my conscious mind so in tune with my breath that I had no hope of relaxing.  It was only once I moved my focus from the mechanical process of breathing to the actual flow of breath in and out of my body that I started to appreciate the method.  What many fail to explain to our ever attentive students is that to meditate we need to not focus on the act of breathing it is the breath which is important!

One little trick which works for me when my minds is particularly busy is to sit with my eyes closed, imaging in my mind’s eye a single candle burning brightly in an otherwise totally dark room.  I focus on the candle and I breathe in relaxation and breathe out stress and tension.  Allow whatever thoughts you have to be attracted to the flame and then be consumed by it.  Once you have dispersed of the thoughts extinguish the flame.  You are left with a beautiful black void, indicative of a thought free mind.  Just sit within this void allowing images and emotions to come to you.  You will know the difference between messages through meditation and your regular thoughts quite easily.  Messages usually come in a much gentler and more flowing manner whereas thoughts come in far more static manner and with more urgency.  Allow yourself to sit in the comfort of the darkness for as long as you feel you need, soaking up whatever comes to you and enjoying your connection with your inner wisdom.

Another method I find works well for me is to picture a pond in your mind’s eye.  Allow your thoughts to ride across the ripples on the pond, breathing in peace and relaxation and breathing out stress and tension.  When you feel you are starting to relax visualise your hands appearing over the pond.  Ever so carefully use the palms of your hands to smooth the waters of the pond taking with them all thoughts until you have a perfectly flat surface and no thoughts.  Use your mind’s eye to gaze on the water allowing your inner wisdom to rise to the surface of the pond.  Take in all that is presented to you and enjoy the experience.

It is important to realise that you may not receive precise messages, you may not feel that you are ‘getting’ anything.  Allow any colours, symbols or emotions to register.  In many cases these are the messages.  People often expect light bulb moments with messages that are so profound that their lives will be changed forever.  If this were the case we would all spend far too much time in meditation and no where near enough time in the ‘real world’.  If you get nothing else from the process you will have spent some quiet time and will have relaxed for a spell.

Do not be too despondent and disappointed if you ‘get’ nothing.  Meditation takes practice as do most things.  Stick with it and know that each moment that you spend in meditation is a moment spent in your heart.

Obviously there are far more profound methods of meditation.  What I am sharing with you here are just the simple starting points for those of you who would like to give it a try.  You may wish to meditate on something in particular.  If this is the case allow your mind to clear of all but the matter in question.  Once you have ‘placed’ it into your meditation, let it go also as you did your other thoughts, then just relax and enjoy going within to find your answers.

Don’t forget to make sure that you are in an environment where you will not be disturbed by your telephone or others walking in on you.  If you hear noises around you don’t let them interrupt what you are doing, just gently brush them aside and let them float away from you.

Peaceful journeys