Living Spiritually
Rumi - The Guest House
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary
awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently
sweep your house empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because
each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
Teaching of the Trees
My friend Diane created that meditation and shared it with me. I was deeply touched. She is kindly sharing it with all of us.
Loving kindness meditation/visualization is a practice where one
repeats phrases adding a felt sense of love to those phrases and
wishing well being, protection, happiness, good physical and mental
health, and easiness of living to oneself and gradually extend those
wishes to others….
While I was on a meditation retreat a few
weeks back, I couldn’t find a deep connection with my heart and was
lost in my meditation. It was only when I began to practice outdoor walking meditation that a slight breach began too open.
Today, I want to share with you the connection I found with the trees, as if those trees wanted to teach me loving kindness….
Imagine
yourself outside; a fresh breeze caresses your cheeks, inhaling clean
oxygen. Taking a few deep breaths, pure fresh air fills your lungs.
You’re
walking on a little pathway, a light drizzle is coming down on you …
not something disturbing but rather refreshing; you’re being washed,
cleansed by nature … small leaves and little buds gently sticking out,
sipping and nourishing themselves on those little drops of life.
You’re
surrounded by wonderful scenery, big huge trees of all kinds and
smaller ones too, from majestic pines and Douglas firs to small
huckleberries, maples and Japanese trees. Multiple variety of ferns, a
nice smooth carpet of pine needles covering the earth. Drops of rain
sparkle everywhere under a sudden ray of sunshine.
As you walk
slowly and continue to observe Mother Nature a little more closely, a
felt sense of deep connection arises. As if each tree, with their own
uniqueness, were talking to you.
You continue to walk slowly,
you notice on the left of the trail a medium size Cedar hedge. One
after the other, you’re struck by a display of frail and weak trees,
bare at the bottom with a few branches sticking out at the top.
Inspired from these trees, your heart opens. An image of human beings
in poor health appears into your mind. Magically a felt sense of love
and compassion emerge into your heart. Your only desire is to send
wishes of good health and well being to those ill or unwell individuals.
Connected to nature you don’t have to look for answers, they come directly to you …
As
you look at the bark on a huge tree, its thickness amazes you.
Automatically an image of someone comes into your mind. Someone with
layers upon layers, you have a sense feeling that this human being is
hiding from his own self. Your only desire is to send wishes of safety
and protection to that person, no further need to hide under this thick
armor, gently wishing them for that armor to peel away.
Just a
little further down the path, a huge Douglas fir … at its foot, three
big solid roots that could be taken as big feet with toes… This
character comes into your mind; strong individual with integrity, a
role leader in your community. You feel grateful towards this
individual for his/her accomplishments. In your heart you thankfully
embrace that individual and make sure his/her actions will not be
forgotten. Arising directly from your heart, your only desire is to
wish for yourself and others a great deal of creativity and pleasures
as future projects are envisioned; wishing even more… surpassing
yourselves and exceeding all expectations.
Continuing on your
journey into this nice setting, you walk a little further. Looking
around appreciating each moment, being totally present, you come across
three entangled trees; enmeshed together at their roots, those trees
seem to be inseparable. Dear friends and beloved family members
materialize into your mind, priceless relationships. Your only desire
is to wish for each and everyone a long and harmonious life fulfilled
with joy, laughter and happiness, even in challenging moments.
You’re
almost at the end of the path, you glimpse at a lonely trunk full of
lichen; bare trunk with no branches. This trunk does not look alive, or
if it is, it looks vulnerable and exposed to the temper of Mother
Nature. Suddenly, an image of elderly persons appears; precious,
knowledgeable, sensitive, and wise beings on the verge of completing
their circle of lives. You realize how special and how important those
mature beings could be…If we would only make room for them a little
more… sharing laughter, stories and experiences. Your only desire is
to send them wishes of appreciation and acceptance, admiring them for
their simplicity.
Having a last glance at the forest
encircling you, a last thought appears into your mind … May all beings
grow each day in compassion, understanding and wisdom.
You make
a promise to yourself … you will remember these dearly moments that
awakens your heart. And as often as you can, you will practice loving
kindness and well being towards yourself and others.
-Diane Roy
Diane is a yoga teacher with 500 hours of certification from Yogaroots Mindfulness Centre in Fort Langley and teaches at Yogaroots in the Cloverdale (Surrey) area in British Columbia
You can reach Diane at Breath after Breath: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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