Graham's Journeys

If you want to start from the beginning of the Pathways Meditation read this.
Or if you want to learn more about meditation start here.

PATHWAYS – MEDITATION PART 2

You are on the summit of a hill, which you have spent the last few hours climbing. It affords a breathtaking view of the surrounding country side. There is a picnic area before you and there are benches and tables to sit at. Also there are small rock outcrops, fallen logs and shady trees where you can sit and admire the view. After choosing a place to relax, take off the backpack you’ve been carrying all morning and settle down to eat. Pigeons come for crumbs, butterflies flit about you and the breeze brings all the delicious smells of the country side.

From where you sit you can see all the way back to where you started from early this morning. It is quite a surprise. You never realised that you had travelled so far in such a short time. some of the detours to get around obstacles were further than you thought. For that matter you didn’t really appreciate how large some of those barriers were. You smile, congratulating yourself on doing so well.

Whilst you look back over your morning’s journey, you can also see all the other paths you could have travelled. Some you realise now may have been easier. Whilst you see now why others you almost turned to would have been too difficult. Take a few moments whilst you are enjoying your picnic to study the paths on which you travelled. Did they have something in common? Was it the scenery that attracted you? Was it the way the path was laid or signposted? Or was it the twists and turns that interested you. The delight of seeing what was around the next corner.

You begin to see a pattern. You begin to realise what mistakes you made, and how you overcame them. From studying these paths you begin to think how you can apply the lessons learned to continue your journey. You might decide to try a new path, or you might be more certain of the path you want to follow. The sun has passed its zenith and it is time to get back on the trail. Throwing the last remaining crumbs to the birds, shrug into your backpack and begin to walk around the summit.

Section 2 – Questions:

1. How did you feel looking back at your journey?
2. Did some obstacles and detours make more sense?
3. What was the best thing about your journey so far? Continue reading →

PATHWAYS MEDITATION – PART 1

Let us begin with a meditation. Make yourself comfortable, in your favourite place, relax and visualise the following. There are five parts to this meditation, you can do them each separately or if you prefer in one go. Do it several times and note the thoughts and ideas you may have. It is not meant for relaxation or quietening the mind and emotions and relieving stress. Rather it is meant to help you with reflecting on your Life thus far, assessing where you are at the moment and hopefully giving you some future directions. If you need relaxation and stress relief then I recommend any of Petria King’s meditation cds which are available at QuestforLife.com.au. Or those taught by Yoga, Ti Chi, and Qi Gong teachers. Enjoy and may the path you follow lead you to your dreams. Continue reading →

SEE WHAT’S WITHIN

© GrahamTrevor.com
1010 Words – Reading time 5-6 minutes.

Before we get into the nitty gritty about meditation, there is one subject left to cover. Creative visualisation.

In previous articles on meditation, I’ve talked about What is meditation, three things to do before beginning meditation, relaxation techniques, and mantras. Now we get into the marvellous mysterious world of creative visualisation.

Unbeknownst to me, I’ve been creatively visualising ever since I lost my sight in 1970. It was only when I got into the mad cap world of the New Age junkie, when I discovered this was an ancient Eastern tradition.

We all do it. Some call it daydreaming, some call it reverie, Some call it flashbacks. Others call it over active imagination, seeing in your mind’s eye, or picturing something in your head. Whilst others call it mumbo jumbo.

So by now you’ve probably guessed what creative visualisation is. But how can we use it in meditation? Ah grasshopper, it is the beginning and the end of everything. All human endeavours have started with creative visualisation. Most call it dreams. But creative visualisation is actively controlling the dream. Painting your own dream on the infinite canvas of your mind. (Where did that come from!) Continue reading →