In this meditation,
We're going to explore the use of symbols.
Symbols are important to understand because they can have powerful meanings for us,
Particularly when it comes to intuition and understanding if something's a good idea,
A bad idea.
They can be helpful in providing some information.
Now symbols may show up in many different ways in our lives.
For example,
You may see a religious symbol,
Somebody wearing a cross or a Star of David.
You might notice in dreams flowing water or missing a train or something else.
You may notice in meditation little flashes of insight in your mind's eye or even when you're walking down the street,
If you see an animal or something that you didn't expect to see in it maybe already has meaning for you.
So we're going to explore this a little further and I would invite you to do this meditation twice.
One time just listening,
Staying with the meditation,
Breathing,
Seeing what comes up and then going through it a second time,
Perhaps with a notepad handy,
Pausing after each one and writing down what you see.
Now keep in mind those symbols may show up as a visual representation,
But they can also show up in other ways such as a smell,
A sound,
A taste.
So simply notice how it shows up for you.
Try to look at it without judgment and don't dismiss it as silly if you don't understand it right away,
That's okay.
So go ahead and get comfortable.
You might choose to lay down or stay seated with your feet on the floor or cross-legged.
Your hands can be resting at your side or in your lap.
Your eyes may be open or closed and we begin by taking a few breaths in and out through our nose,
Noticing the air as it flows up through the back of the throat,
Down into the belly and slowly exhale out,
Keeping the breath relaxed.
Inhale and exhale.
Relax a little deeper into your seat.
Exhale and exhale,
Relaxing a little deeper with each exhale.
So as you're here with your relaxed breath,
I'm going to ask a series of questions and there'll be a pause after each one.
In those pauses,
You're not trying to guide in any way,
You're simply allowing whatever comes up to come up.
It may show up as a sound,
A sight,
A taste,
A touch,
A feeling,
A smell or a combination of things.
So just be aware.
So as I go through each question,
I will repeat them twice and then in those pauses,
Simply notice what comes up.
And remember they may show up as an actual sight,
Sound,
A taste,
A smell,
A touch or just a feeling or a combination of things.
So just take it all in,
Trying not to control in any way,
Just observe.
So breathing in and out through our nose,
Taking relaxed breaths,
With each exhale relaxing a little deeper,
We start to take a look at symbols.
What does a good idea look like?
What does a good idea look like?
What does a bad idea look like?
What does a bad idea look like?
What does a failed attempt look like?
What does a failed attempt look like?
What is the symbol for financial gain?
What is the symbol for financial loss?
What is the symbol for financial loss?
What is the symbol for personal power?
What is the symbol for personal power?
What is the symbol for fear?
What is the symbol for fear?
What is the symbol for acceptance?
What is the symbol for acceptance?
What is the symbol of resistance?
What is the symbol of resistance?
What does yes look like?
What does yes look like?
What does no look like?
What does no look like?
So we'll pause here and take a few breaths before I ask you just a couple more questions.
Because now we're going to explore your own personal symbol.
This could be related to your purpose in life or who you are as a person,
How you define yourself.
So for a moment,
Simply watching the breath,
Noticing the inhalation and the exhalation.
What do you notice when I ask the question,
What is the world asking of you right now?
What is the world asking of you right now?
What is my personal symbol?
What is my personal symbol?
Relaxing the mind and taking a moment to just reflect on the question,
What does my personal symbol mean to me?
And notice if it comes back as a symbol,
Perhaps some thoughts or feelings,
Just take a moment to sit with that.
What does my personal symbol mean to me?
Return to watching your breath,
Gently relax your mind and when you're ready,
Go ahead and open your eyes.
