#1

FORGIVENESS -  MEDITATION FOR        EVERYONE

While reading Anneli Twan’s booklet, I came across the part about forgiveness. Barbara Brown during her interview was telling how important is to live life without resentments, hatred, blame. How actually opening our hearts to love and forgiveness can really heal us, turn around our lives completely. So I decided to share this beautiful and very simple meditation about loving kindness and forgiveness.

It’s an ancient practice – opening our heart and wishing well to ourselves, our loved ones and to everyonein the world. This is coming from the awareness that we are all effecting each other, the world and that others effect us. We all actively participate in this world – the way we think, eat, talk, act…Some says that if one person gains spirituality – whole world gain it too.

Forgiveness needs to be practiced as we all know. Day after day we need to remember ourselves how important is for our own sake to keep our hearts, our body and minds clear from that negative and destructive emotion. Sometimes it can be a long process though as you might first deal with pain and hatred to be able to go to forgiveness. But it’s worthy every step along the way as if you hate someone, blame or can not forgive – that person keeps you all that time in prison. In a very emotionally painful and poisoning from inside prison.

The practice may take only couple of minutes. Any time of the day is good.  

• Sit quietly and open your heart for forgiveness, healing, love. You might say now and keep repeating during the meditation: ‘Hatred never ceases by hatred but by love alone is healed.’
• Now gently bring people you love to your heart – imaging them coming to your heart one after the other and feel your heart getting bigger and bigger. Stay with this beautiful feeling for some time wishing those people well.
• And now bring people who don’t mean that much to you – And make the place in your heart for them also wishing them well.
• And when you are ready and your big heart is full of love for all those you keep inside –
• Bring now people you can not forgive, people who hurt you or you hurt them, people who brought so much pain that you still can feel it…you don’t need to forget things and change the past, but you do need to forgive without sometimes even understanding the situation and motives of that person.
• If it hurts too much stop and come back next day or whenever you would feel stronger.
• If you can carry on – do so. Bring that person/people to your heart and share with them your love and wish them well.
• Bring also yourself to your own heart (you might want to do this as the first thing in this meditation),
  Let yourself feel your own love flowing over you and wish yourself well.
• If there is anything you need to forgive yourself – do so, gently, without judgment.
• You might also do it with the whole world – bring it to yourself, to your heart and wish Everyone well sharing your loving kindness, love and healing.

May all you be well. May all you be healthy. May all you be happy.

#2     

Mandala / Yantra Meditation

Medititation can use many symbols to help you think deeply about abstract concepts and ideas such as love, wisdom, clarity, time, joy etc.

Mandala / Yantra Meditation can be a great change from focusing on the mantra or breath meditation. A mediator travels through the world of mandala as if it were a real place. Mandalas are circular designs that can be used as a point of focus during meditation. They have many symbols inside them - they own world and they are very important part of the sacred rituals of many cultures. Usually consist of seven or more concentric circles in quadrants aligned with the four directions, contain a square center, often with representation of God or other symbol of purity or perfection.
Yantra is a linear symbol similar to a mandala, often with a symbol or written words in the center. Or it could be just a symbol - such as Reiki Symbols.

Nature also gives as plenty of symbols we can focus on. Different aspects of nature may have different attributes to you. 

The sun represents the source of life;
the moon, growth and cycles of time;
the waterfall symbolizes a place of creation, power, and cleansing;
a river represents the flow of life;
mountains mean strength and endurance;
a lighted candle is a symbol of peace and hope...

Let's try…..

1. Make sure the mandala/yantra/symbol is easily viewed from your meditation position (few feet away from you at eye level if it's large, or directly in from of you on the ground if it's small).
2. Gaze at the mandala/yantra/symbol center - slowly in the relaxing pose.
3. Look at the edges and let the symbol naturally draw your eyes toward the center.
4. Contemplate on what does that represents for you and your growth, your spiritual search or simply contemplate the beauty of the mandala/yantra/symbol.

You may design your own personal mandala to use in your meditation practice. If you are Reiki Practitioner you might like to use Reiki symbols to focus on them and get their beautiful energy and feel very empowering by them.
You might also use some yantra and symbols used in that website.

* To meditate on a beautiful Heart Yantra created by Tim Shullberg please click here
The mantra reads:

"When I go out, let me go out with sweetness
When I return, let me return with sweetness
Let my speech be full of sweetness
Let all that I do be full of sweetness"

PS - This beautiful artwork on the top of this page was done by Elfriede de Rooster. Elfriede's web - http://web.mac.com/eldero

Tim's artwork you may view on

http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii178/Timminananda/Tantra%20Art/?albumview=slideshow