Welcome to active meditation.
Perception is an illusion.
In this meditation we explore the notion that everything we see,
Everything we judge and experience through the body's senses,
Is a false representation of reality.
The world we perceive is a projection of our own mind,
Not ultimate truth.
Prepare for meditation.
Close your eyes.
Take three deep breaths,
The out-breaths slower than the in-breaths.
With each exhale,
Reduce the tension in your entire body.
You can help relax by removing all expression from your face.
Put all distractions aside for now.
Allow your awareness to gently turn inward.
Nothing you see means anything.
Imagine yourself standing before a grand doorway.
As you move through the entrance,
You enter a vast,
Silent gallery of mirrors.
The floor beneath you is smooth and cool.
The air is filled with a sacred scent.
The gallery is illuminated with a subtle,
Shimmering light.
All around you,
The walls are lined with tall,
Elegant mirrors.
Each mirror is perfectly polished.
Each mirror reflects not only your image,
But also scenes,
Colors,
And shapes from your life and from this world.
Perception is a mirror,
Not is my state of mind reflected outward.
Walk slowly through the gallery.
As you pass each mirror,
A different scene appears.
One mirror shows a joyful childhood memory.
Another mirror reflects a challenging moment from your past.
Some mirrors display beautiful landscapes.
Some show city streets.
Some mirrors present faces,
People you know.
Spend a few moments strolling through this gallery.
One mirror shows a joyful childhood memory.
Another mirror reflects a challenging moment from your past.
Notice how your own image blends into each scene.
Sometimes prominent,
Sometimes fading into the background.
Some mirrors display beautiful landscapes.
Some show city streets.
Sometimes the reflections in the mirrors are bright,
Clear.
Other times the images are shadowy,
Distorted.
Illusions arise from the ego's belief in separation.
Separation from the one who created us.
Observe how the images in the mirrors shift and change as you move through the gallery.
Some mirrors present faces,
People you know.
One that particularly catches your attention.
Look closely at the image it presents.
Notice how real.
Notice how detailed it seems.
But as you reach out to touch this mirror,
Your hand meets only cool,
Smooth glass.
You comprehend that what you see is not the object itself.
It is a mere reflection,
A play of light,
A play,
A form.
What you see appears on the surface of the mirror.
The objects in the mirror have no substance of their own.
Error in perception.
A fantasy that we hold both about ourselves and the world we see is an illusion of a world.
God did not create the world.
What God creates must be eternal.
Step back.
Look at the gallery as a whole.
All the mirrors are simply reflecting images,
Memories,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Perceptions.
None of these reflections are you.
They are appearances,
Shifting,
Ephemeral,
Transitory.
You are the conscious presence,
The observer,
The one who is aware.
Aware of all these reflections.
Aware of all the objects in the reflections.
Aware that you are not contained by any of them.
Consider that when you give meaning to everything you see,
Nothing new can enter your awareness.
Perception is seeing what is not really there and mistaking it for truth.
A gentle golden light appears and is filling the gallery.
It is growing brighter and brighter.
As this golden light grows brighter,
The images in the mirrors start to fade.
All the images dissolve into pure,
Radiant light.
All of the mirrors vanish into the clear luminosity.
The world you see is an illusion of a world.
What God creates must be eternal.
The mirrors are gone now.
All that remains is the luminous space,
The quiet awareness.
The awareness that you are truly able to say in your mind,
I am.
I am as God created me.
Thank you for creating me.
Rest here in this spacious,
Peaceful presence.
Here we are free from all reflection and images.
Let's prepare to return to the regular waking state of thoughts,
Feelings,
And action.
We know that we have made progress in developing a working relationship with the Holy Spirit,
With our higher self,
The real I am.
Take a few deep breaths to help establish the waking state.
When we eventually open our eyes,
We will carry with us knowledge that perceptions are like reflections in a mirror.
Appearing.
Shifting.
