Hi everyone.
Today we are going to do a guided meditation to find our animal totem.
We can learn a lot from nature and from quieting down and listening to our own wise inner voice.
So this is a meditation to help us with that.
I'd like you to find a comfortable position in your chair and begin to connect with your breath.
Try to breathe deeply from your belly.
And when you release your breath,
Release the tension that you have with it like a sigh.
With every breath,
You let more go.
As you breathe in,
Notice that your breath going in is cooler than the breath coming out.
With every breath,
You sink deeper into relaxation and calm.
Imagine that you are in a large candlelit cave.
There are rugs and pillows covering the floor.
Take a seat and relax.
Notice that there are paintings decorating the walls.
There are shelves with various books and instruments and pots and many other items that you can look at.
You feel that this is a safe place.
You relax into the serenity of it.
Breathing deeply,
You notice the smell of herbs and flowers drying.
You notice that they're hanging from the ceiling and their aromatic scents fill the air.
Behind you,
You notice the rushing of water.
And soon,
You notice that there's a stream running through the cave.
And you notice that there's an exit behind you.
You get up and you walk towards it,
Seeing the stream.
And noticing that the stream and exit have created a waterfall.
As you get closer,
You notice the sunlight streaming into the cave.
And as you approach,
You're bathed in its warm light.
As you go closer to the edge,
You see at the side a path curving downwards through the rock.
You begin to walk down the path.
And you notice the serene pool created by the waterfall.
You notice that rainbows dance in the fine mists created by the waterfall.
The spray is cool and fine against your skin.
As you become more aware of your surroundings,
You notice that behind you is a forest of old oak trees.
And the ground is blanketed in flowers and wild herbs.
The colors are so beautiful.
You approach the forest and the sounds of the waterfall fade into the background.
And as you approach the forest,
You notice that there's a path.
You enter the forest and feel more relaxed as the shade is cool and welcoming.
You follow the quiet winding path and enjoy the sunlight streaming through the trees above.
You continue your way down the path.
And soon you come to a clearing.
And in the center is a huge enormous old tree.
It is the biggest tree that you have ever seen.
And it towers over the other trees.
Its massive roots make a path across the forest floor,
Guiding you to the gorgeous old tree.
And when you come to the tree,
You touch your hand to the bark and feel its roughness beneath your hand.
As you're touching the tree,
You notice that there's a horn hanging on the tree.
It is exquisitely crafted with the images of all kinds of animals and looks as old as the tree.
You touch it lovingly and as you do,
You're filled with the knowledge that if you blow it,
Your animal totem will appear.
You carefully take it down from where it's hanging and gently put it to your lips.
As you blow it,
It makes the most beautiful sound that you have ever heard.
And you wait quietly.
And soon out of the cool shadows next to the tree,
Your animal totem appears.
It approaches you slowly and you know that you have nothing to fear.
You thank it for coming and tell it you would welcome its wisdom.
You sit by the tree together and talk together.
You ask it what is in your heart and it responds wisely and kindly with whatch wisdom.
And you slip into quiet contemplation as you listen to its wisdom for a while.
After a while,
Your animal totem rises and beckons you to follow.
You stand and follow.
You walk together back on the path through the woods towards the waterfall.
You walk very close together and you put your hand out and touch your animal.
It nuzzles closer and gives you much comfort.
As you reach the other side of the path,
You can hear the rushing of the waterfall.
And you see the dancing rainbows in the mist.
You know it is time for you and your totem animal to part ways.
You thank it and share a few last words.
You wave goodbye as it heads back into the forest.
While you feel a little sad to say goodbye,
You are filled with gratitude for this meeting.
And know your totem's wisdom will always guard you as long as you wish it to.
You begin walking back up the path to the cave.
You let your hand trace the side of the studying rock on your way up.
And you enjoy the sunlight on your face.
And you enjoy the sound of the waterfall.
You come to the top and re-enter the cave.
It takes a few moments for your eyes to readjust to the candlelit cave.
You notice the smell of the dried flowers and herbs.
You notice the beautiful paintings on the walls.
You sit on one of the cushions and look around and smile.
You know that this is your safe place.
And you can visit here anytime you like.
But you know that it's time to wake up now.
And so you slowly bring your attention back to your breath.
Your in-breath and your out-breath.
Slowly you bring your attention back to the room.
Any sounds you may hear around you.
You notice the temperature of the air on your skin.
And you can wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch.
And open your eyes when you're ready.
Sending you love and light.
Namaste.
