This is a very active mental
meditation. I am unsure of the source. I got this one
during my high school years, and have been doing it for
{cough} several years since.
This meditation is superb if you wish to find out what your
true thoughts and feelings are on any topic. Unless you are
a masochist who likes "bad trips", I would strongly
suggest that you use a word, concept, image, or person that
is pleasant for you to think on. For the beginner, some
concept like "love" or "happiness" or the name of your
beloved is the concept to use as a basis. But, use your own
judgment and what you, yourself, need or want.
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Choose Your Focus
What or who, precisely, do you want
to think about and know your true thoughts and feelings
regarding? If this meditation is needed this should
be an easy question. If you are learning it or want to just
"stay in practice of meditation", you can choose whatever
you want. Please do not choose something that will be
extremely upsetting. Even if you do, you are free to stop
this at any time. For the beginner or if you are just doing
it for whatever reason, I will repeat what I said above
about choosing a pleasant topic to meditate on. If there is
a particular need to "think about" something in particular,
choose what you need, but always be aware that you are free
to stop this at ANY time.
Photos from Lilypons Water Gardens
The Actual Meditation
Strictly speaking, this is a contemplation
rather than a meditation. It is in your mind, in the
cognitive senses. It interacts with the feelings though
too. Envision a lotus, as the pictures seen here, or any
other lotus you can think of. If you cannot see the
pictures, or cannot envision a lotus, a zinnia or daisy, or
any other flower with lots of petals will work fine.
Envision the word, concept, or person in the center of the
flower. Then, follow up one of the petals to the end, and
you will see or feel a word. Remember it, but do not think
about it or especially do not judge it. Follow the petal
back down to the center and repeat the word in the center
of this. Follow the next petal out to the end, and find the
word that next comes to mind. Again, remember it but do not
judge it. If you need help remembering, it might help to
turn on a tape recorder and say the words as they "appear"
to you. Otherwise, it might help to have a friend with you
who will write down the words so you can look at them after
you are finished. Repeat until you feel "done" with this
exercise, or you want to stop for any reason.
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Results
Do not worry about getting words
that repeat. Do not worry about getting words that do not
seem to make sense. Do not be at all surprised if you get a
color. Personally, I usually go through the rainbow several
times while doing this meditation, even when the word in
the middle has nothing to do with any color, so far as I
can understand.
When you are finished with this, spend a little time going
over the words you associated with the word in the middle.
These are YOUR associations. They are not anyone else's.
They are not "right" or "wrong". They are simply your
thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
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Example
I will do a short one as I am
writing this webpage. For this example, I am going to
choose the word "Beauty". I am envisioning a flower like
the one on the right. In place of the yellow center, I have
the word BEAUTY written. I look at that flower, and
think of the word "beauty". I follow out a petal and I get
the word "health". I go back to beauty. I follow out the
next petal, and find the word "flower". I return to the
center, think of "beauty", and find the word "inner".
Return to center, follow out the petal, and this time I
find "pink". Repeat, the next word is "blue". Then "green".
The next time I get "arrange". Okay, I'm done.
Analyzing this, my first association was health. I think of
beautiful things as healthy things or people. The next word
was "flower", so I evidently think flowers are beautiful.
No mystery. I went into a group of colors. That, I usually
think of as meaningless, but perhaps I was thinking of pink
and blue flowers with green leaves (indicating they are
healthy too!) The next word was "arrange". Perhaps I think
things are more beautiful if they are nicely arranged.
Clearly, I would have a better understanding of all of my
feelings on "beauty" if I had gone farther with this, and
no doubt if I were not thinking of writing this web page at
the same time. There is enough here for you to get an
example of how it works.
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