Thursday, January 27, 2011

Meeting Aesclepius

This contemplative practice is an effective tool for fostering loving-kindness, compassion, peace, love, and joy. As I settled down to visualize the image of a wise person, I recalled that the purpose of contemplative practices is not about relaxation but to establish inner freedom. The image of a dear friend was my wise and loving person; who helped to purify my mind, speech, and heart. I envisioned my friend sitting with me in communion as she shared her loving-kindness, wisdom, compassion, and love with me. I felt the warmth of her presence as a healing beam of light entered the crown of my head, my throat, and finally to my heart. Becoming this person was not difficult as I have been fortunate and blessed to spend three wonderful years with her before cancer carried her away in 2005. As I reflected on our friendship and memorable times together, I was able to find peace and joy knowing that she is still with me… and for that, I am truly thankful!

In a similar manner, meditative practices have allowed me to find stillness and peace within myself as I continue to learn how to tame and control my restless mind. I have to admit; it is not easy, as some days can be very stressful; but I am accepting this truth as I realize that anything worth obtaining takes time, effort, daily practice, and of course, faith! Step-by-step, I am progressing toward taming my mind to observe the stillness and peace and to facilitate an inner calm that will help me develop my psychological and spiritual growth.

As such, I believe that if I continue with daily practices, I will be able to improve to the next level of witnessing mind, calm-abiding; then eventually to unity consciousness. Indeed, the process takes time, preparation, effort, and so forth; but I am also learning to cultivate healthy characteristics, such as patience, discipline, awareness, and forgiveness in the process. In addition, I am discovering some difficult truths that need to be change or neglected in order for me to grow and develop mentally and spiritually. With that in mind, daily practices along with my commitment, perseverance, and fortitude will guide me along the path to achieving greater health and wellness.

1 comment:

Wafiyyah Alaji said...

What a great post Allana. I'm glad that you were able to complete this exercise with relative ease. It's wonderful that you were able to spend time with your friend in her time of need, I'm sure it meant a lot to her as well. You sound like you are on the road to wellness and have a firm grasp on what it takes to get there. When I tried this exercise I tried to think of a deeply spiritual person, like Mother Teresa, unstead of someone a little closer to home. I think I will try again with someone more practical. As a health care professional I would definitely recommend these exercises to my clients/patients, it takes the focus away from yourself and puts it on someone you hope to emulate one day. Thanks for sharing, it's always nice to see other viewpoints.