Ooh, first [official] post! <fangirl-isms stop at this point. all further fangirl-isms should proceed to their designated fanlisting>
Alike the Druid Way, I am also relatively new to the practice of meditating. Before today, the only meditative practice I have engaged in was Jeff Lilly’s wonderful Guide Meditation , which was always very successful (although that is a story I intend to cover in my next post). The reason for this is, in part, the fact I find it rather difficult to successfuly set aside the time or even just managing to find a proper relaxing atmosphere. I am hoping that as winter well and truly hits us and the nights become darker creating a peaceful environment will be much easier.
Today however, I was presented with a rare chance. I was walking along a gravel path, which was surrounded by green belts (and, far to the south/my left, a series of huge fields). It wasn’t especially quiet, nor was it especially noisy. As I was walking along, I came across a large greenbelt with a series of young trees. There was a cool and gentle breeze in the air, which worked well with the somewhat hotter weather to make for a nice day. On the edge of the belt, there was a wooden bench (which I believe to have been made using evironmentally friendly methods like reforestation judging by a plaque on it’s ‘legs’). Not needing to go anywhere in a hurry, I elected to sit on the bench. From my bag I took a little food to eat as I sat there, admiring the simple yet brilliant beauty of nature around me.
Once I was done, a thought entered into my mind: this would make for an ideal place to try my hand at a simple unguided meditation for the first time. So, rising from the bench, I made my way into the trees. Their leaves overlapped in such a manner that they created a shaded area between them. There were four in all, each positioned in such a way that they appeared to make a circle around that area of ground. I walked slowly to the centre of this circle, and there I sat down. I crossed my legs in a typical fashion and allowed my arms to settle at the first comfortable position. Then, closing my eyes, I slowed my breathing ever so slightly to make it easier to focus. Gradually, I relaxed my body as best I could and slipped slowly into a peaceful state. I listened to the sounds of nature around me: the trees rustling in the wind, the birds chirping cheerfuly away to one another as they delivered a message in their own tongue, insects humming and buzzing in nearby. At the same time, I found myself suddenly stripping away all of the noises I did not desire to hear: people talking, nearby traffic and the like. I did not stop hearing them, rather I stopped understanding them. Those sounds were no longer important, they were merely unimportant background noise from a world so far away from the one I was in at that moment. After ten or so minutes, I brought myself back to the world, opening my eyes and slowly coming to my feet. I took a deep breath and found myself completely refreshed emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally.
It is truly amazing how powerful such a truly simple practice can make you feel. There was no circle casting involved, no prayer, no chant, nothing but sitting down and opening myself to the world around me. No grand philosphical or spiritual idea was pulled from it. Instead, it just rejuvenated me and made me feel much more appreciative of the world around me. After I had risen, I took an apple from my bag and left it in the circle as an expression of thanks to nature, the God and the Goddess for the experience. I hope now, even if I cannot repeat it outside regularly, to perform this simple meditation daily.
