Meditations for Self-Discovery: Guided Journeys for Communicating With Your Inner Self [Anglais] [Broché]

"Envision yourself as you might be seen by an angel," writes Shepherd Hoodwin in his superb new book. Or imagine how you would feel sitting in a chair made of clouds, or standing under a waterfall of light. Contained within this beautifully written volume are 45 guided meditations, most only a page in length. Those who normally have trouble meditating will especially appreciate the vivid imagery. This is a perfect book to have by your bed at night to read before you drift off to sleep. Meditations for Self-Discovery is also indispensable for personal growth group leaders, healers, and teachers, and makes a treasured gift.

Exquisite meditations that capture the symmetry of existence. The journeys resound in our minds and transport us. A fine collection.

A wonderful resource. What I particularly like is the page for notes following each meditation.

I found Meditations for Self-Discovery to be refreshing, calming, pure - a very positive experience....I had an incredible journey into the universe. Who would have thought that visualizing movement could be so powerful?

Meditations for Self-Discovery - Guided Journeys for Communicating with Your Inner Self is one of the first collections of guided meditations in book form. It is perfect for group facilitators who would rather lead meditations themselves than play tapes. For individuals, these "journeys" can be read silently as meditations or poetry, or be read aloud and recorded. These meditations are designed take readers and listeners to new places within themselves, helping them feel uplifted and energized. Afterward, the meditation experience can be interpreted like dreams, providing insight into where one is mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Meditations for Self-Discovery provides space for journaling after each meditation. There are 45 meditations in this book. Titles include "Journey Through Your Mind," "The Crystal Cave," "Visiting Venus," "The Angel's Gift," "A Friend Across the Universe," and "The Great Mother." With its gorgeous cover and beautiful design elements, Meditations makes a treasured gift.

Filled with poetic language and vivid pastoral images, the meditations in these pages are perfect for communicating with your own inner self. These meditations are an important contribution to any therapy group or an inspirational moment to share with your congregation or a centering exercise to do all by yourself. Because they come in this handy book format, you can use the meditations anywhere, any time. You can read them silently to yourself or out loud, in solitude, or with friends.

These meditations are very visual and expansive and there is lots of love and wonder in them.

GROWTH AND IMAGINATION EXERCISES FOR BOTH ADULTS AND CHILDREN FOR INDIVIDUALS, GROUP LEADERS, TEACHERS, HEALERS, CLERGY, CONSULTANTS and THERAPISTS AN EXCELLENT GIFT! MAKES IT EASY TO MEDITATE!

Shepherd Hoodwin is a Laguna Beach, California Michael channel, workshop leader, and teacher. He does counseling, past-life therapy, and channeling coaching, in addition to both individual and group channeling sessions. He is the author of several articles on the Michael teachings and six books of channeled material, including The Journey of Your Soul - A Channel Explores Channeling and the Michael Teachings and Loving from Your Soul - Creating Powerful Relationships, as well as an upcoming children's book, Sabina and the Angels' Golden Crystals. He has been channeling Michael since 1986. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon in Music Education, and is a songwriter, singer, and actor. He is currently writing a musical.

INTRODUCTION

These meditations were channeled from my essence (higher self) as part of the "Michael Speaks" lecture series in New York City to help draw the group together. Originally, they lasted about fifteen minutes each, including pauses and the concluding open-ended exploration, but they can be shorter or longer depending on the pacing. (The unguided segment allowed me to concentrate on bringing in the Michael entity, whom I channeled for the rest of the evening.) You can use these meditations individually or in a group; many are suitable for discussion afterward. You can read them or play them on a cassette, with or without music - it can be valuable to record them in your own voice, and prerecorded cassettes may also become available (write the publisher for information). I have omitted instructions about posture, closing and opening your eyes, etc. It is recommended that you keep both feet flat on the floor when you are sitting on a chair, or sit cross-legged, yoga-style. Keep your palms up, your back straight, and your head buoyantly elevated as if a string attached to your crown were drawing it upward. It is helpful to begin with a few moments of silence, consciously releasing any tension in your body, and stilling your mind. Listening to your breathing can help focus your concentration. These meditations can provide vehicles for new experiences of energy and communication from your inner self. Let your imagination be free. Your imagination can operate through any of your senses, not just visually. Some people's imaginations are not particularly visual. Whatever ways in which you experience these meditations are valid. In this book, "to see" refers to the inner sight, however it operates in you, whether through vision, sensation, sound, or abstract thoughts and feelings. If no images or sensations come to you, you don't need to "try," but you can make up something or "pretend" you're having the experience of the guided meditation until images and/or sensations come freely. Once they do, take your hand off the wheel, so to speak: let the experience come from within, without thinking. Let yourself be surprised by what comes up. There is space after each meditation to record your experience. As with dreams, examining what your imagination brings you is a potent way of learning about yourself. Some people are afraid to meditate because they do not wish to face what might come up from their subconscious. These meditations are designed to promote a positive experience; if something disturbing does come up, no doubt it is something that needs your attention. The best approach is to objectively observe it, as if it were a movie, write it down afterward, and when you are ready, explore it, perhaps with a professional counselor of some kind. If you read these meditations aloud, let your voice be warm and colorful, as if you were telling stories. May they guide you into many wondrous adventures!

1 - THE GREAT MOTHER

Imagine that you are in the midst of a magnificent, ancient forest. The air is so alive that it almost intoxicates you. Take a deep breath. Feel the oxygen enliven every part of your body. Imagine yourself now lying down on a soft bed of leaves and pine needles. Notice the rich scent in the air and hear the awesome stillness. The earth cradles you in her arms. You feel totally loved and protected by her. You feel her heart beating beneath you in her crystalline core. As your body rests and is rejuvenated by her healing powers, your spirit takes wing and soars above the treetops. As far as the eye can see are beautiful trees of all kinds, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and a magnificent, brilliantly clear sky. The sun energizes your spirit and gives you a gift to take back with you to the Great Mother. Spend a moment becoming aware of what that gift is. You are now ready to visit the Mother in her most secret place. You find yourself over a lovely, green hilltop that beckons you into it. You easily pass through its surface and float down until you find yourself in the very core of the earth. You have never seen such beautiful, crystalline formations, in shades of green, yellow, blue, and white that you had not before even imagined. This is the most beautiful place that you have ever seen. Take a moment and become fully comfortable there. You are approached by another spirit. She is the Most High Priestess of the Great Mother. Her word is the word of the Mother herself. You embrace, and as you do, you feel totally one. You present her with the gift you have brought from the sun. The Most High Priestess invites you to enjoy this gift as it is given to the Great Mother. The gift is placed upon an incandescent silver plate. It rises from the place you are and disappears, but becomes an integral part of this place. Continue to enjoy the gift and your entire experience being in the heart of the Mother.

2 - THE PRESENCE

Imagine the presence of a great warmth that feels utterly nurturing, good, and peaceful. See it as the most beautiful color or colors that you can imagine. If it is multicolored, notice its design. Feel it as having the texture or sensation of something incredibly soft, like a favorite blanket or article of clothing, the skin of a baby, or the fur of an animal. Imagine that you can smell this presence. Perhaps it is like lilacs, a forest after it has rained, or cookies baking. You are utterly surrounded by the color, softness, and scent of this presence. It permeates every cell of your body, enlivening it. It is healing everything that is not well in your body. It is causing every muscle to release old, static energies. The energies of your body are now flowing beautifully. This presence is calming your mind. The "bumps" are being smoothed as if by a gentle breeze blowing over them. You know that there is an answer to every question troubling you and that you are capable of knowing it. Feel your mind unwind, becoming still. This presence is filling your emotions with balance and richness. Every troubled feeling is embraced in this presence and made whole. This presence now pervades your entire spirit. Everything that moves out from you and comes in to you is full of the lovely color, softness, and scent of this presence. Something deep inside of you breathes a deep sigh of relief. You are home again. This presence is you.

3 - GOOD RELATIONSHIP

See everything as being white, as if you were in the midst of the fluffiest, whitest clouds imaginable. Ask within to be in good relationship with everyone in your life. Think of a few people individually and feel yourself being in good relationship with them. Feel these relationships growing and deepening. Ask to be in good relationship with the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth. Feel these relationships growing and deepening. Ask to be in good relationship with yourself. Feel this relationship growing and deepening, including all aspects of yourself. Ask to be in good relationship with the whole. Feel this ultimate relationship growing and deepening. Ask that you remain in good relationship with the whole as you return your awareness to the room.

4 - THE CRYSTAL CAVE

See yourself in a magnificent cave high in the Himalayan Mountains. This is no ordinary cave, but a cave whose walls are made of crystals of all kinds and colors. Facing you is a wall of clear quartz studded with diamonds and rubies. Behind you, the wall is rich aquamarine, yellow citrine, and tourmalines of all kinds around the border. This cave is light and dark at the same time. There is no sunlight but there is so much radiant energy coming from these beautiful minerals that it feels bright. These energies enfold and envelop you. They are healing all your sadness, pain, and grief. Your anger, rage, and resentment are being transmuted into pure power, assurance, and strength. All your worries, heaviness, and difficulties fade away. You begin to know that whatever happens, you can handle it with ease and wisdom. All distorted energies in your body are being drawn out through your feet into the floor of the cave and neutralized. You feel washed clean in its light. You feel completely one with all life in the universe. Take a moment now and let yourself experience whatever you wish in this cave.

5 - JOURNEY THROUGH YOUR MIND

Check out your body. Be for a moment with any part of it that is tense or blocked. Feel the barriers to freedom in that part of your body dissolving. Notice your breathing. Deliberately let it relax, so that it does what it naturally does without interference. You are going to take a journey, a journey through your mind. You are comfortably seated on a flying carpet. It gently lifts you off the ground. You have perfect control. You can stop, move slowly or quickly, and otherwise go however you wish. As you enter the chamber of your conscious awareness, first take a look at its landscape. Notice the colors, shapes, and overall impression. Ask that the carpet carry you to the thought form that most needs to be seen by you in clarity. Be there now. Look at it. Do not analyze it. Just see it for what it is. Feel welling up in you a great compassion for this form, whether it is ugly or beautiful, misshapen or symmetrical, full of strife or peace. Know that it is there for a good reason, and that as you see it and work with it, it serves your growth perfectly. As if with x-ray eyes, see the inside of this thought form. Feel a great sense of peace. Let the love from the depth of your being pour out and totally surround it. Watch how it changes as you do this. When you are ready, move your carpet forward until you come back around in a circle to where you entered. Exit the chamber and have the carpet put you down safely on the ground.