Subterra - Planetary Meditation

This meditation invites you to travel through the different layers of the Earth, to connect with the planet from the inside, and perceive it as a whole. After meditative exercises that focus on the breath and body, we bring awareness to the elements outside the body. From there, we will use the imagination to safely guide you into the Earth, where you’ll experience subterranean wonders. After completing the journey, we return safely to where we began.

Transcript

In this meditation you will be invited to travel through the different layers of the earth.

You will begin with a mindfulness practice to connect to your breath and body and to the planet as a whole.

After this you will imagine creating a protective sphere to encapsulate you as you are guided downwards into the earth.

You will journey through different parts of the planet all the way down to the core before returning safely to where you began.

Find yourself an easeful position in which you can rest undisturbed for a while.

This could be sitting on the ground or in a chair or lying down with your knees bent or legs extended.

Your eyes can be open or closed.

When you're comfortable gather your attention into the form of your body.

Sense it as a whole in full length,

Width,

And depth.

Sense its shape and how it inhabits the space that surrounds you.

Notice the weight of your body and how it is receiving the stable support of the surface below.

Can you sense the places of contact where your body meets the ground?

The support meeting your body is part of planet Earth.

If you're sitting or lying directly on the ground,

Can you sense this physical connection?

And if you're high up in a building,

Can you imagine the layers of the building between your body and the surface of the earth?

Also register the architecture and its details constructed on top of the earth and made from materials of the earth.

Now zoom out for a moment and envision the uppermost layer of the earth in its totality.

Consider how it hosts cities and villages,

Forests,

Oceans,

Mountains,

Mesas,

Deserts,

Deep canyons,

And vast grasslands.

Imagine traveling across the surface of the earth and observing how these different landscapes cycle through seasons and weather changes.

Envision how rain and wind touch city streets,

Coastal rocks,

And oceans.

How trees in the forest absorb the sunlight.

How their leaves change color before they fall.

See how grass carries light drops of morning dew and how a cool desert night transforms with the first rays of sun at dawn.

Now return your attention to the movements of your breath.

Recognize how the currents of the earth are like the flow of your breath moving rhythmically in a continuous cycle.

If you notice areas in your body that are holding tension,

Gently deepen your breath.

Inhaling,

Imagine the breath surrounding and permeating these areas.

Exhaling,

Invite the tension to dissolve.

Allow your breath to continue now undisturbed as an intuitive cycle of nature.

Begin to acknowledge the space surrounding you up to one arm's length away from your body.

Imagine this three-dimensional space as a sphere,

A spacious cocoon all around you,

In front of you,

To your sides,

Behind you,

Above you,

Even below you.

Visualize this space as a big protective bubble with the diameter of your outstretched arms.

Now,

As you have a good image of the sphere,

Imagine how it becomes your personal sphere,

An indestructible yet translucent cocoon with light waves reflecting on the outer shell,

Showing diluted rainbow colors like on a soap bubble.

This personal shell will be your comfortable,

Safe,

And sturdy home as we'll be traveling into the earth.

Now,

Take a deep breath in,

And as you breathe out,

Imagine how you,

Inside your personal sphere,

Descend toward the surface of the earth.

As your bubble touches the surface,

You slowly sink into cool,

Dark soil or perhaps warm,

Yellow- red sands.

Imagine your protective bubble now completely submerged underground.

As you smoothly sink deeper into the earth,

You pass subterranean creatures and cool streams of ancient groundwater.

Sinking even deeper,

You come across a part of the earth that contains tightly packed rocks in many different colors,

From deep blues and muted grays to metallic greens and shades of ochre.

Note the density,

The solidity of this part of the earth,

And how these compact rock formations help carry all the life on the surface as it is constantly unfolding,

Adapting,

And renewing.

These upper layers of the earth make up the tectonic plates,

Which slowly move across the surface,

Shaping the continents and oceans.

Imagine sinking farther down,

Below these tectonic plates made of rocks and soil that carry the landscapes,

Oceans,

Animals,

And cities.

You gradually leave the earth's surface behind.

Now imagine traveling downwards farther,

Sinking deeper into the earth,

Deeper down where you meet a magnificent layer of silicate minerals.

This type of rock comes in the most astonishing of colors,

Like warm reds and bright yellows mixed with deep turquoise and coral reef blue.

Feel the presence of your bubble here and how it functions as a strong protective shield against the elements.

Imagine how certain parts of this layer are molten,

Liquid,

And red-hot like lava.

These streams provide movement and give the earth its dynamic,

Shape-shifting quality.

Now imagine moving farther down,

Deeper down,

Until you come across another layer composed of intricately packed rocks.

These highly compressed magnesium-rich rocks have more muted colors,

Like pale greens and soft blues,

And grays in various shades.

This layer gives a sense of protection,

Like a solid coating to the warmer,

Fluid center of the earth that lies below.

Before moving further,

Return to your breath.

Gently breathe in and out.

Sense your body responding.

Then once again,

Imagine your protective sphere,

Which keeps you safe from all the temperature changes and movements.

A sheltered space where you can breathe with ease and simply observe the earth as you travel onwards.

Imagine slowly descending again,

Deep down into the earth.

Now you encounter the outer core,

A dynamic layer of the planet.

This layer is made of silvery gray iron and shiny white nickel mixed with light yellow sulfur and pale blue oxygen.

As the earth rotates,

The metals melt,

Creating a liquid substance with very low viscosity.

Imagine these liquefied metals like currents in the ocean,

But slower and more dense with a metallic quality.

For a moment,

Envision these rhythms,

Feeling the currents circulate around the planet's core.

The metallic movements in this outer core are responsible for the planet's magnetic field.

You may envision the outer core as an electromagnetic dynamo,

A generator of magnetic energy powered by the Earth's rotation.

Many birds rely on this magnetic field to guide them in their yearly long-distance migrations.

Their sense of navigation is informed by the subterranean currents in the outer core of the earth.

Once again,

Return to your breath.

Feel the flow of air effortlessly running through you,

An internal continuous current.

Breathe and note how the inner currents of the earth are like the flow of your breath,

Moving,

Flowing,

Traveling.

Now we will be moving down one final time before we make our journey up.

This time we will descend into the Earth's inner core.

Imagine sinking into a rich,

Deep,

Red field of molten metals while you are protected from the heat by your own personal sphere.

See how as you move deeper down,

The metals are so densely compressed that they've become radiant crystals.

Can you imagine resting in the presence of this shining core,

Its immense crystals radiating silver beams of heat and energy?

For a moment,

Imagine all the life on the planet's surface and how it is carried and sustained by the layers through which you've traveled and this radiant core below.

Now return your attention to your breath and to your protective sphere which carried you safely all the way down here.

Before you begin the journey back,

Take a moment to reflect on your connection with the earth and its various characteristics.

Then imagine gently but steadily making your way back up.

You move upwards from the planet's core,

Away from the radiant crystals,

Back through the flowing metallic currents.

Envision moving up past the pale green rocks through the dynamic molten streams before passing the minerals in bright yellows and coral reef blue.

As you continue to ascend,

See how you reach the tectonic plates with their metallic green and muted gray rocks.

The subterranean creatures and streams of ancient groundwater.

See how the plates support the oceans,

Landscapes,

And vast diversity of plant and animal life.

Now you slowly but steadily reach the planet's crust,

Returning to the place where your journey began.

Again return your attention to your breath and feel the flowing sensation of air moving in and out.

Imagine your protective bubble slowly dissolving around you.

One final time connect with the currents of the earth,

The ones below and the ones on the surface.

Imagine trees swaying in the wind,

Oceanic currents moving,

A summer storm blowing clouds across the sky.

Envision how this earthly biosphere depends on the atmosphere surrounding it.

Imagine the atmosphere as a soft,

Tender blanket offering shelter and care.

A shield from the cosmic rays and solar radiation.

For a moment,

Imagine the earth as a precious marble protected by this soft and delicate atmospheric layer.

Envision the earth alive.

As you come to the end of this meditation,

Gather your attention again into the form of your body.

Sense the boundaries of your skin,

The shape of your body,

Its weight.

Notice the physical support of the ground.

Remember the vast layers of the earth's body below you.

Can you sense your own body breathing again,

Allowing it to happen without interference?

Take your time transitioning into the rest of your day.

You might experiment with bringing this earth contemplation into movement.

What is it like to remember the deep layers of support below you as you move and continuing to be present within your body,

To remember the expansive space above and around you,

The planet and biosphere radiating with life?

Reviews

Brilliant

Wow...this was an amazing visualisation! I totally loved it! Perfect use of music too.
Nice voice.
It is a very grounding meditation and I really felt connected to and full of awe and love for Mother Earth.
Wonderful...just wonder-ful 💜💙💚