This is the Keeper of the Healing Cave meditation.
Take a moment or two to settle in and get comfortable.
As you do,
I'd like you to take three breaths in slowly,
Hold them a moment,
Then exhale.
Now imagine yourself standing at the bottom of a very tall mountain in a range of ancient mountains.
The top of the mountain vanishes into a veil of silvery mist.
The air around you is fresh and cool and is filled with the scent of pine and cedar.
In front of you,
There's a narrow path that winds up the side of the mountain through the trees.
Begin to walk up that path.
With every step taken,
Something is changing.
You start to feel physically and emotionally lighter as though the mountain itself is lifting burdens from your shoulders.
The forest is quiet,
Except for the soft crunch of earth beneath your feet and the whisper of the breeze that's moving through branches.
As you arrive halfway up the mountain,
A bearded old man is standing on the path holding the bridle of a donkey.
He nods and he tells you to follow him.
So you continue up the path with him leading the way.
After a long but steep climb,
You arrive at a natural stone arch.
Its curve is etched with the ancient markings of a lost civilization.
Some of the carvings faintly shimmer as though some type of light is alive inside the stone.
The elder points for you to go through the arch.
As you pass under it,
You see the mouth of a cave that's partially hidden in the rocks.
It's a dark opening,
But not frightening.
The entrance is quiet,
But you feel a gentle vibration in the atmosphere around you that's pulling you inside the cave.
You have the sense you're welcome here and being drawn inside.
You carefully step across the cave threshold and go inside.
Immediately,
The air changes.
It's much cooler and it's filled with the scent of wet earth and something faintly sweet like flowers are blooming in the dark.
The pathway narrows and gradually descends as you move deeper inside.
Towering rock formations appear on both sides,
Close enough for you to touch them.
A faint glow of soft green light emerges from the walls.
You notice crystals are embedded in the stone walls,
Casting shimmering patterns across the chamber.
Their glow calls you to walk on deeper inside.
As you reach the heart of the cave,
A circular chamber opens in front of you.
The cave is silent,
And yet it feels vibrant and alive.
At the center of the chamber,
Towards the back,
Lies a pool filled with luminous green water.
Its surface glimmers as though hundreds of stars are resting upon it.
The air hums,
And it sounds like there's a sacred chant being sung by the cave itself.
Staring at the water,
You feel as if you're standing in the earth's heart,
Which is open just for you.
Without any sound,
A figure appears as though it's coming out of the walls of the cave.
The figure is tall and graceful and is wrapped in a long gray robe.
It walks over and stands by the pool.
At first,
You're unable to tell if it's a man or a woman because the figure is hooded like a monk.
But as the hooded figure stands there silently,
You have a sense it might be a woman.
The hooded robe and the long sleeves cover her body,
But you can see a bit of her profile and her praying hands.
The skin on her hands glow,
And you see soft blue-green beams of light shining out from her eyes.
You have come to the healing cave and are now in the presence of the healer and keeper of the cave.
She moves from the edge of the pool towards where you're standing.
When she reaches you,
She extends her hand in greeting,
And she points for you to sit at a stone bench near the pool.
The healer walks around and stands behind you where you feel a wave of water and warmth moving from her through your whole body.
You hear her voice echoing inside your head.
It sounds like tinkling crystal chimes.
She says,
Welcome,
Beloved one.
You are safe here.
Tell me why you have come to the healing cave.
And you silently reply to her request,
And you tell her the reason why you have come.
Now that she knows why you've come to the cave,
She touches your shoulder,
And she guides you to the edge of the healing pool.
As you approach the water,
A deep green light illuminates the flowing current.
The keeper beckons you to step closer to the pool,
And she motions for you to sit on the flat stone on the edge.
Your feet hang over into the water.
She takes a silver gourd from her robe and scoops green water from the pool into the gourd.
You can hear her saying a blessing over the gourd in a melodic language that you've never heard before.
She pours the green water over your head.
The water is warm,
And you can feel energy currents running through the molecules.
The water from the gourd is healing,
And it flows through every cell in your body.
The healer moves her hands over the pool.
An emerald light rises from the water in visible spirals that weave into healing patterns over your body.
The patterns coalesce in the area that you told her needed to be healed.
She instructs you to take a slow,
Deep breath in and to draw in the emerald light.
As you exhale,
She tells you to release all the sorrows,
All the pain,
All the disappointments,
The illness and hurts that have caused this need for healing.
With each breath,
You can feel the heaviness you've been carrying lifting away from your shoulders.
The tightness that engulfed you is loosening,
And a quiet spaciousness is now opening in your heart area.
The healer now steps closer,
Placing her hand on your back.
From her palm,
Emerald and gold light streams into you.
It flows into your body,
Filling every space inside that longs for ease and comfort.
Your heart glows,
Expanding with the peace that she's brought you,
And a deep stillness surrounds you.
You feel as if the mountain itself is breathing with you.
Allow yourself to rest here,
Embraced by the cave,
The waters of the pool,
And the blessings of the keeper of the cave.
The healer lowers her hand from your back,
Signaling that the healing is now complete.
You're filled with a sense of gratitude and lightness inside,
And you thank her silently.
She bows to you and points towards the path out of the cave.
Then she slowly moves back towards the edges of the cave.
In a moment,
She disappears into the walls in just the same way as when she arrived.
You get up,
And you step away from the pool.
The water shimmers gently,
Offering a final blessing as ripples spread across the glowing surface.
It is now time to leave the healing cave and its keeper.
The green light lingers around you,
As a living ember that you will carry.
You turn away from the water and walk back towards the mouth of the cave.
Outside,
The mountain greets you with fresh,
Cool air.
The breeze wraps around you,
Carrying the scent of pine and cedar.
The elder is still there,
Waiting to escort you down the mountain.
Step by step,
You descend with him.
And as you reach the lower forest floor,
He nods,
Takes leave,
And moves off into the woods.
You have now arrived back into this time frame and this place.
Take a long,
Deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Feel yourself fully present again.
Your body feels healed and grounded.
Your mind is calm,
And your spirit is renewed.
Carry the memory of the healing cave,
The keeper,
And the emerald healing light within you.
And remember that you can always return to this cave and the healer whenever you need to.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
