Earth Healing Meditation

The meditation described below, is a healing meditation for the Earth and its inhabitants, to assist break it free from the tendrils of oppressive controls and thought forms that have formed across time. These energies have metastasized to limit and constrain the potentials of health, happiness and prosperity for the majority of people in this world and this meditation is focused on dislodging those energies to allow the re-emergence of spontaneity, joy and freedom. In forming the intent to participate in this meditation, we are offering our assistance to the emancipation of life on Earth, through our energies of love and compassion.

This meditation is derived from a meditation that was adopted many years ago when I was maintaining a focus on cultivating loving kindness. At its essence it is a form of Tonglen, breathing in  suffering and exhaling love and joy. It was a time of profound experience in my spiritual practice, and I hope you find it easy to follow and enlightening.

Introduction

This is a visualisation meditation and is in four sequential parts. The first stage is to focus and activate your energy centres and establish our psychic protections. Next we project our awareness. Thirdly we cultivate our sense of love and compassion, applying those energies to healing the Earth. Lastly, we safely return our awareness back to the here and now.

Find a quite comfortable position. If seated in a chair, sit straight up with your feet flat on the floor. Otherwise, arrange yourself as is comfortable while upright. Begin by relaxing and releasing any stress from your body. A little roll of the shoulders, or a turn of the head can help prepare your entry into meditation. Once relaxed, close your eyes and draw your attention inward to your energy centres.

Starting at the root chakra located at the perineum (red), and then moving successively to the sacral chakra located in the lower abdomen (orange), the solar plexus chakra located below the sternum (yellow), then the  heart chakra located between the breasts (green), throat chakra (blue), brow chakra (indigo), to finally the crown/violet chakra, we will repeat the following breathing technique:

• Breathe in for a count of 5 and focus attention on the chakra centre, visualising the colour;
• Hold the breath for a count of 5 and see the colour enhancing and energy being received;
• Breath out for a count of 5 and see the energy spreading out into your auric field.

Centered, charged and protected

As we commence, bring your attention inward. Focus on your root chakra. Try to visualise or see the colour red in your mind's eye and apply the breathing technique. Move your attention to your sacral chakra, visualising the colour orange, and apply the breathing technique.Next, move your attention to your solar plexus chakra, visualising the colour yellow and apply the breathing technique. Again, move your attention to your heart chakra, visualising the colour green, and apply the breathing technique. Move your attention to your throat chakra, visualising the a deep sky blue, and apply the breathing technique. Move your attention to your brow chakra, visualising the colour indigo, and apply the breathing technique. Finally, move your attention to your crown chakra, visualising the colour violet, and apply the breathing technique for the last time.

With each energy centre now activated, visualise a column of white light coming down through your crown chakra. At the same time, drawing up a spiral of red energy through the ground. The upward flowing energy twists upward like a screw, rising to meet the column of white light at a point in your chest. Where the two lines of energy meet, see a bright diamond like spot forms and starts radiating out protective energy into your auric field, creating a sparkling cocoon of white energy that surrounds you and protects you within it. See that energy field complete around you.

Projecting Consciousness

Calling on your Spirit Guides and Guardians, ask them to watch over your body then from your position of protection within your field of light, project your awareness back up through the top of your head, floating upwards within the column of light. Rise up through the top of your head, through all obstacles above you, rising continuously and calmly up, through the atmosphere, you might even notice the ground moving further and further away, but continue rising at a gentle pace without pause. After a time, the sky above you transforms into a bright field of stars as you break free of the atmosphere, rising up toward a comfortable position in space, directly above your position on the ground. Rotate around to turn your gaze back towards the Earth. Large below you, you see a beautiful blue sphere floating in the vastness of the void.

Generating Compassion and Intent

Pause to reflect on how precious she is, a floating oasis in the vastness of space, supporting the life of myriads of beings as they pass through their existence, oblivious to the life giving qualities of their Earth mother. Reach out with your heart and feel the pulse of life occurring below you. You sense many existences; the love of a mother for their children, the confidence of young adults, the electricity of love’s first kiss, the gratitude for assistance in a time of need, and you realise that you are one with the Earth. Then you notice that there is also deep suffering across the world. You feel the hunger of the starving, the terror of the abused, the anguish of a family destroyed by war, the confusion of being betrayed, and the unrelenting torment of perpetual oppression, with people forever working for a life that is continually denied to them. Feeling the compassion for those myriad souls below you, open your heart to the suffering below by focusing on the suffering one who you know dearly. Perhaps it is a loving parent struggling to maintain relevance in the lives of loved ones, or your beautiful and happy child yet to face the challenges of the world, or your caring and supportive partner who you might take for granted. Feel your love for them create a great pressure in your chest and then with a directional push, let that love shine forth from your chest in a beam of golden light that shines down upon the Earth. 

In that moment, you realise you are not alone in your love, and as you shine your love upon the Earth, so too are many other being joined with you, shining their love upon the Earth in a great circle surrounding the entire planet. Taking your place amongst them you complete a circuit of love that now flows through you, linking you each together, amplifying the loving energies you each generate, sustaining your golden projection upon the Earth. As you feel this energy flow through you, you witness a golden grid of light spread out across the Earth. This grid is dislodging old patterns of stagnant energies, shining through and disintegrating the darkest energies that have collected over the planet, and filling the Earth with loving kindness. Allow that energy to flow for as long as you can sustain it, and watch the intensity of the grid increase.

Returning to Temporal Awareness

As you feel the flow of energy reduce, bid your colleagues goodbye and begin to retrace your path back from your position in their company. Floating down you again see the Earth fill your field of view, with ever increasing detail coming into focus. Re-entering the atmosphere, you continue floating back towards your body, through the clouds, back your region, the area you live in, all the way back down until you face your body, exactly where you had left it. Relax and allow your awareness to return to your body and take a few moments to become resettled in, and familiar with your material form. With eyes still closed, thank your spirit guides and guardians for protecting your body and assisting you on your journey. Feeling comfortable and relaxed, slowly open your eyes. As temporal awareness reasserts itself, know that you have shared your love with the Earth mother and helped release her from the stagnating energies that formed an oppressive layer around her through time. 

Thank you for adding your energies to healing the Earth. May the Earth be recovered and restored to full health, such that her peoples may surge forth and realise their fullest potential. May we reflect our compassion and wisdom in perfect awareness and equanimity.

(24) His disciples said to him, "Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it."
He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness."

Spirit Guided Meditation

Its been an interesting year so far. From kicking off with a strong commitment to my spiritual practices, to commencing a building project, to some how becoming drawn into crypto currencies, to developing a relationship with a spirit guide, all the while holding down a job and trying to develop a new business. There has certainly been some challenges that, without an enhanced spiritual awareness and ability to take refuge within in it, might have become overwhelming.

I was not able to maintain a daily regimen of meditation beyond the first 3 or 4 months of the year, but I have been able to keep up a semi-regular practice, of perhaps 2 or so times a week. As mentioned, this has been quite consoling at times, and has kept my awareness/vibration at a relatively high level. Not as clear and vibrant as that period from 2011 where I commenced this blog, but still lucid enough to keep on the path (I think!).

Anyway, in meditation this morning I asked whether there was an optimal meditation process for me to follow at this time, and my guide responded with a guided meditation to demonstrate the process. So I thought I should record it to ensure I can repeat it and figured it was good material for sharing here. It was a 3 step process, built on my recently modified meditation entry. The entire process goes like this:

Step 1 - Breath counting and Chakra charging
In a modification to the breath counting method taught at the Monastery, I have combined it with energising my chakra centres. Starting form the base/root/red chakra located at the perineum, and then moving successively to the lower abdomen/sacral/orange chakra, solar plexus/yellow chakra, then the  heart/green chakra, throat/blue chakra, brow/indigo chakra, to finally the crown/violet chakra, repeat the following:

• Breath in for a count of 5 and focus attention of the chakra centre, visualising the colour;
• Hold the breath for a count of 5 and see the colour enhancing and energy being received;
• Breath out for a count of 5 and see the energy spreading out into your auric field.

With energy centres activated, visualise drawing down a column of white light through your crown chakra, while drawing up a spiral of red energy up through the ground. The upward flowing energy wraps around your lower body in a tightening twist like a screw, rising to meet the column of white in your chest. Where the two lines of energy meet, see a bright diamond like spot form and start radiating out protective energy into your auric field, creating a sparkling cocoon of white energy that surrounds you and protects you within it. 

Step 2 - Kundalini raising and Awareness focusing
As I have described before, the next step is to raise ones awareness and focus consciousness at a higher level. This is done through visualisation of a double helix spiral starting at the base of the spine, wrapping around the spine in counter-rotating directions, rising up to the pineal gland in the brain. I focus on two counter-rotating points and visualise them spinning and rising around the outside of my spine, 21 times. I count 21 rotations on the rise from base of spine to finally penetrating my pineal gland, with a column of white light rising within my spine column to also penetrate my pineal gland in a coordination of rising energies. The best image of this I have seen is the Caduceus symbol, reproduced Below.

Caduceus - Kundalini rising (central column) to the Pineal Gland (knob on top) to free one's spirit (wings)

Following this process, and rising the energy up the spinal column, both locates and focuses my awareness along its motion, finally resting at my crown chakra. Arriving there within ones awareness, we move to step 3.

Step 3 - Release all temporal concerns
At this point my spirit guide provided the remainder of the meditation, starting with the instruction to release all of one’s temporal concerns. This I translated as analysing and emptying the mind of all thoughts that enter one's awareness unbidden. These include fears, worries, desires and fantasies that distract from the present moment to drags one's mind back into lower transcendental states. After clearing one’s mind of such temporal concerns, we move to the next step of sustaining it.

Step 4 - Calm abiding
This is the process of continuing to monitor the mind and to release all intrusive thoughts, while you fully immerse yourself within the current moment. Time does not pass while your awareness remains tethered in the ever present moment. Events my flow around you, but with a calmness of mind, one is unmoved, abiding in the now moment. And in true Zen style, the perfection of calm abiding is no calm abiding. That is, to lose the need for exerting any effort to maintain the state through perfecting the technique.

There are a number of methods to focus the mind in calm abiding, and the most common is to rest the mind on an object of concentration, such as an image of a Buddha, a Mandala, or some visualisation object. However, I have taken to focusing on the state of my mind, its excitability or tranquility. What ever the device employed, the objective is to keep the mind clear of intrusive thoughts and to simply observe for longer and longer periods of concentration.

Step 5 - Realise the Bohdi mind
With calm abiding mastered, the realisation that your awareness in the present moment is actually undifferentiated from the universal awareness begins to dawn, and one starts to embrace the Bohdi mind of  perfect wisdom. This is not so much an active mental process, but an expansion of awareness that grows while one is abiding in this state of timelessness. Indeed, one does not need to consciously add anything to this state, lest it all unravel and you find yourself back in the flow of past and future.

The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our
employment of it we must be on our guard against all fullness. How
deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of
all things!

We should blunt our sharp points, and unravel the complications of
things; we should attemper our brightness, and bring ourselves into
agreement with the obscurity of others. How pure and still the Tao
is, as if it would ever so continue!

I do not know whose son it is. It might appear to have been before
God.
    - Tao Te Ching, verse 4, translated 1891 by James Legge

So that’s it. A version of śamatha meditation to raise one's point of awareness and to train the mind for greater concentration and mindfulness. I guess that is what I need right now. I hope that you might find this process useful and it’s concepts helpful, but do not hesitate to discard it should you not feel that way. I hope not to be a hindrance to any.

May we all realise the Bohdi mind of perfect wisdom eventually.

A new year continues the change

 With the start of the new year I committed to a daily meditation practice & after the first 3 weeks I am becoming aware once again of the depth and fullness of spirit. It is with this regained awareness that, looking back on the past 18 months, I see quite clearly the mental fog that had decended over me while I let material matters preoccupy me. Matters that have amounted to nothing much and stand to be washed away by the flow of life, as words scratched into the sand are washed away by the waves breaking on the shore.

In a stream of consciousness fashion, with a  mind clear of pre-occupations I wrote the following as if an internal voice was speaking words of wisdom to me.

The changing nature of reality forces one to accept the impermanence  of all things, or grow increasingly insane trying to cling to things that no longer exist. Like the ephemeral mist floating upon the water that vanishes at the first rays of the sun, reality changes leaving nothing but memories of what once was.

I still have substantial challenges to face in the immediate future and undoubtedly ongoing, but I am once again realising that it is only through aligning one's actions with spirit (or nature) that anything enduring can be successfully achieved.

The application of one's will and energy can be wasted so easily in the ignorance of a material focus.