Moon - Natural Meditation

Natural Meditation will be of interest to anyone who wants to experience a deep and life-changing communion with mother earth, and the freedom and joy of knowing and accepting their true selves. It promotes our right to be free as we truly are, and encourages respect and love for our beautiful bodies, our fellow beings and the planet.

This book is divided into three sections. The first looks at the all pervading space from which everything arises and our place in the universe. The next section is based on the Great Circle of the Tribe of the Phoenix: Individuals, Humanity and Gaia. This section is in three parts and explores the sacred body, creating harmony with our fellow humans and the elemental energies of the Earth. The final section provides guided meditations, or sensual journeys , that help us to tune into subtle energies. Each section opens with a poem followed by one or more articles, then an anecdote or story and finally some practical energy exercises.

For a YouTube playlist featuring the videos from this book, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH4w9aztpMAymqK0lezi6lcmhtxlR6vrr

Throughout this book you will find energy exercises and visualisations that bring you into closer communion with nature and balance your energy body. Working through these exercises and building them into your daily practice can deepen your connection with nature and your own depths of being.

Most of the exercises can be performed either indoors or outdoors, although being outdoors will bring you closer to nature and her subtle energies, so do them outdoors if you can. The best times for such activities are at dusk and dawn. This is when nature is at its most beautiful and mysterious.

Please make sure your clothing is comfortable and not tight or restricting in any way. Try doing them barefoot, as there is nothing quite like the feeling of connecting directly with the Earth. Wherever you choose to do the exercises, make sure you are in a place where you feel comfortable and are unlikely to be disturbed.

The exercises are wonderful tools for spiritual development and as such should be treated with respect. They are intended to be used by spiritually mature adults. If you have any physical or mental condition that may be affected by these exercises, please seek the advice of an appropriately qualified professional. After you have finished going on your journey or exercise please ground yourself, eating or drinking usually work well. If you are new to this type of work, do not overdo it. Use your own common sense and if you find yourself having any unwanted side effects, please stop. It is useful to have a friend, guide or mentor with which to check things out. Please do not use any of the meditations or exercises given in this book whilst driving or operating machinery . The author and publisher assume no responsibility for any actual or perceived harm or loss from following the exercises in this book.

Some of the exercises and all of the sensual journeys have links to related YouTube videos. My YouTube channel can be found by following the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Didgescape

Most of the exercises in this book are suitable for both beginners and those accustomed to energy work, and any special guidelines will be given before the exercise description. I have included here some guidelines for energy work. The first and most important guideline for energy work is that it should feel good to you. Never undertake any energy work that doesnt resonate with your heart and feel nourishing to your spirit. Two particularly important aspects of energy work are grounding/centring and bringing down light, so let us look at these briefly.

It is useful to get ready for this kind of work by preparing both mind and body. This also puts you in a psychological space of knowing you are stepping outside the hustle and bustle of daily life into a more subtle experience. It is important to only eat lightly as a full stomach causes drowsiness and lack of concentration. Drugs, smoking and alcohol should also be avoided as they cloud and dull the senses.

You can prepare your mind using an imagery journey, meditation, and grounding and centring exercises.

If you are tense and find it difficult to relax, try using active progressive relaxation, a simple, but effective technique. Work through your entire body from your toes to your crown, sequentially tensing and relaxing your muscles. This allows you to relax more deeply than simply trying to relax. The YouTube video below guides you through an entire relaxation cycle:

Active Progressive Relaxation

It is important before undertaking energy work of any sort that you are grounded and centred. This is what allows you to become fully present in your body, to use discernment in sorting out your experiences, to harmonise mind body and spirit, and to know intuitively what your experiences mean to you. Some methods of grounding include imagining roots from your heels going deep into the earth, or imagining that you have a long tail which is balancing you, or visualising a sphere of deep red, standing barefoot on the earth, or stamping your feet. Some methods of centring include any form of chakra clearing, focusing on your breath, becoming still and putting your attention on one symbol or mantra, or visualising an equilateral-armed golden cross over your solar plexus chakra. Experiment and find what works for you.

A very simple meditation exercise to help you develop concentration is Mindfulness of Breathing:

Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath. Do not try to control your breath, just breathe naturally. It may help to take a couple of deep breaths before you start.

On each out-breath count. Start at 1 and count up to 10.

breathe in .. and out ..1 in .. and out .. 2 10

Once you get to 10, start at 1 again. Do not worry if you lose count, just start at 1. This is a good technique to gauge how distracted you are, and to help you develop your concentration. It also helps you to relax and be more present in your body.

To bring down light means to align yourself with pure, loving energy, and with your own inner self. This practice protects you, cleanses you, and opens your energy channels to allow positive and relevant spiritual experiences. You can imagine white light entering the crown of your head and filling your whole body. Or you can see yourself in a sphere of white light, or you can breathe in white light and release tension on the outbreath. Sometimes you may find another soft coloured light is appropriate for you, for instance pink, light green, or turquoise. Work with what feels right. If you believe in angels, guides, God or the Goddess, you can ask them to clear the space around you and aid you in your work.