Step 11.
Meditation.
I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscience,
Contact with God as I understand God,
Praying only for knowledge of God's will for me and the power to carry that out.
Step 11 is part of your spiritual fitness regimen,
And along with steps 10 and 12,
Something you'll want to practice on a regular,
Perhaps daily basis.
It has been said that prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God,
And the 11th step is about both listening for God's guidance about how to live and asking for the strength to follow directions.
The meditation for step 11 makes it easy to ask,
Listen,
And receive.
Take a deep breath,
And let go of any tension in your body as you feel yourself sinking into the surface you're resting on,
Becoming still,
More comfortable,
And relaxed.
Take another slow,
Deep breath,
And feel a sense of calm and peace begin to fill you as you relax further.
And take another slow,
Deep breath,
And let your thinking begin to wind down and smooth out as you become still,
Comfortable,
And relaxed.
Imagine you've been sleeping a deep,
Sound sleep for many hours,
And you're just beginning to stir awake.
And the first thing you notice is that you're waking up on a soft bed of pine needles on the ground,
Surrounded by ancient fir trees.
It's just before dawn,
And the air is quite cool,
The light is dim,
And there's a foggy mist in the air.
You can smell the scent of pine and the damp coolness of the earth.
It's quiet,
And any sound is blanketed by the mist.
Everything is a palette of soft greens,
Browns,
And grays.
Standing up,
You begin to walk along the path through the trees,
And you can feel the spongy ground beneath your feet.
Perhaps you still feel a bit foggy from your sleep,
But soon you come to a little spring.
Cup your hands to get a drink,
And splash some of the cool,
Clear water on your face.
Now you're beginning to wake up a bit,
And see the trees and plants that surround you more clearly.
Walking along further,
You find yourself once again on the familiar path to the beach you visited earlier.
Soon the ground becomes sandy,
And the air more humid.
Now you can smell the sea and hear the sound of seagulls and ocean waves breaking along the shore.
Finally you emerge from the forest into the beach,
Where you made a decision to turn over your will and your life to God.
Find a comfortable spot to sit and rest on the boulders nearby.
You can feel the mist and the sea breeze on your face,
And the warmth of the sun as you contemplate the beach,
The sea,
And the sky before you.
Drop down from your thinking self and bring your focus into your heart.
Begin to take a series of slow,
Deep breaths.
As you breathe in,
Breathe in God,
And as you breathe out,
Breathe out love.
Feel God's presence all around you and within your heart,
Or simply know that God is with you now,
As always.
Consider any question you may have about your life today.
If this is a question that comes more from your head than your heart,
Then let it go for now.
Look,
Listen,
And feel for a deeper question within you.
If you don't have a question today,
That's perfectly fine.
Turn any question you may have over to God and come into stillness.
Breathe in God,
And breathe out love.
As you sit quietly,
Allow any answer or information for God to come to you,
However God wants it to appear.
You may hear,
See,
Feel,
Or simply know what God has for you today.
And it may be that the best answer for now is to simply be at peace.
Take some time to relax.
Focus in your heart and be with God now.
It's almost time to bring this inner journey to a close.
So gather together anything you have learned that you would like to bring with you.
Gradually bring your awareness back into your body and your physical surroundings.
Take a slow,
Deep breath,
And on the exhalation,
Begin to gently wiggle your fingertips,
Bringing new life and energy back into your body.
Take your time,
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes and feel awake,
Alert,
And refreshed.
Pick up your pen and paper and write about your experience now while it's still fresh in your mind.
Later on,
Revisit this meditation and learn more.
God Bless.
