Meditation for soul nourishment... releasing grief and letting go

Below is an example of a meditation that has been written and recorded on the Seasons of the Soul CD by Jennifer Harper-Deacon.

Before beginning this meditation exercise, familiarize yourself with the diagrams of the relevant meridians (i.e. for the lungs and large intestine) in the Nine Ways to Body Wisdom book.

Visualize yourself sitting beneath the boughs of a mighty oak tree in Autumn. Notice the leaves on the different trees in the wood and see the rich variations in colour from red to russet and gold set against the early evening sky. This time of year represents the drawing in and bringing to a close the earlier seasons of growth and abundance. Just as nature has to let go of her fruits and leaves, so we can begin to let go of ideas and thoughts that no longer have relevance in our life. Focus more closely on a branch of a tree with its leaves about to fall. As you watch, a yellow leaf falls gently to the earth.

Imagine that this falling leaf represents a feeling, an event or a relationship that you need to let go of. Do not be scared of experiencing loss - try and understand that loss is a necessary part of our life's cycle. Give yourself permission to feel any sorrow or grief as you release the memory. Continue this process of attaching emotions or events to various leaves on the branch until you feel that you have let go of negative thoughts and feelings which are no longer necessary in your life. Follow each leaf as it falls from the tree on the ground and give thanks that you have been able to let go of these attachments.

View the pile of leaves that have been released from the tree lying on the ground. Allow time to speed up and see the leaves decomposing and rotting into the earth, providing nourishment for new growth. For the cycle of life, it is necessary to release what is no longer needed, to allow for the process of re-birth and regeneration to begin. See little tiny green shoots appearing where the leaves once lay reflecting new openings and new beginnings. Fill your body with light and hope of a brighter future where new doors will open and take you on rich, life-enhancing journeys where you will experience many fascinating and wonderful things.

Now visualize a beautiful white light entering the top of your head. Feel this healing white light as it gently cleanses your mind, and know deep within that by releasing the old, you have created room for new, fresh and positive thoughts and feelings. Feel the sense of peace, clarity and calmness that this realization brings. In your own time, allow the white light to flow down into your neck and shoulders, releasing any stiffness held in this area of your body. Notice if you are carrying a heavy burden - do you still need to carry this and is it really yours to carry? Mentally picture this as a back pack that has been pulling heavily on your shoulders and back. Ease the straps and slip it off your shoulders. Set it down and view the contents. Is it really necessary to be carrying all of those things around with you every moment of the day? Probably not, so leave the bag on the ground and focus on your shoulders - feel the sense of relief and release as you no longer carry those burdens on your back.

Now concentrate and intensify the white light and allow it to flow to your chest and into your lungs. Allow your breath to deepen - inhale the clear white light and exhale any remaining stresses and strains that are still being processed. Now visualize the qi flowing towards the lung meridian beginning on the front of your shoulder. Build the qi here at the acupressure point lung 1 and allow it to help dissolve any further grief that you may be feeling emotionally or physically. Allow this grief and sorrow to leave your body through your exhalation and allow the new air on your in-breath to heal and cleanse. Send the white light down the meridian along the outside of your arm until it reaches the inside of your thumb.

Next, allow the qi to flow up your index finger where the large intestine meridian begins and intensify the qi at the webbed area of your hand between your thumb and index finger. This acupressure point is called large intestine 4 and is a key point on this meridian. Build the energy here and feel it detoxifying your body and improving the function of your large intestine. Then let the white light travel along your forearm and over to your shoulder and neck to its finishing point near the outer part of your nose. Take another deep breath through your nose and allow air to fill your lower abdomen and so stimulate your intestines. Slowly release the air ensuring that any stale residues are properly expelled.

Feeling more relaxed and refreshed, with your breathing becoming deeper and steadier with every inhalation, allow the white light to flow down to your large intestine. Intensify the light and feel it cleansing your body of all the mental and physical toxins stored in your colon. Allow these to be dissolved by the white light and imagine that this then flows down your legs and out through your toes where it is transmuted by the Earth. Give thanks for this. See your body bathed in the white light. Feel peace and at one with yourself and the world.

If you wish to sleep now, stay in this deeply relaxed state of being and know that you will wake in the morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. If however, you want to wake, then in your own time, sense your energy becoming stronger and begin to move your fingers and toes. Take a deep breath in and feel new life and energy enter your body. Open your eyes and stretch your body out feeling yourself rejuvenated and regenerated.