Solala blog 5/28

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Daoist Nature Meditation

 

bamboo

There was something formed in chaos,

coming before heaven and earth,

existing in the silent and tranquil void.

it stands alone and unchanging,

It pervades everywhere without becoming exhausted,

it is the mother of heaven and earth.

I do not know its name

and so call it Dao.

For want of a better word

I call it great.

Being great it is far reaching.

It is far reaching

yet it returns to its source.

Therefore I say that Dao is great,

heaven is great,

earth is great,

and humankind is great.

In the universe there are four greats

and humankind is one of them.

People follow the way of earth;

earth follows the way of heaven;

heaven follows the way of Dao;

Dao follows its own natural way.

Daode Jing  Chapter 25

 

 

Wood (Liver)

We begin with the season of spring, the time of year when the new growth of trees, plants, flowers and people begin to reach out towards the life-giving sun. The color associated with spring is green. The totem animal is the Green Dragon. The element is wood, the wood of newly growing grasses, plants, trees and flowers. The direction is east, the direction of the sunrise, of new beginnings, new ventures and adventures. The organ associated with spring is the liver. The positive emotion is free-flowingness, our ability to flow freely through the challenges of our lives. It is also associated with flexibility, the flexibility of the young plant to bend with the wind and not be broken.

Laozi says:

 

When we are born we are supple and tender

like a young plant.

When we die we become rigid and unyielding.

The ten thousand beings,

including plants and grasses,

when young are soft and pliable.

At their death they are dry and brittle.

Therefore we say that the stiff and unyielding

are the companions of death.

The soft and yielding are the followers of life.

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In the morning sit, stand or lie upon the earth in an area of trees, bushes, flowers or grass. Open your eyes wide and let the good, deep, green color fill your vision. Allow the color green to fill your being with the energy of new growth. Feel your ability to flow freely throughout the challenges of your life as well as your day-to-day life. Feel the excitement of the new sunrise, the new day, the new opportunities each day brings. Allow your inner being to soften and become as flexible as a newly sprouted blade of grass.

 

 

Fire (Summer)

Stand facing the warm light of the sun, eyes closed lightly. Feel the love and gentle warmth of the sun flower inside you, filling you up with the fire of joy and expansiveness.

The color associated with summer is red. The totem animal is the Red Phoenix. The element is fire, the fire of joy and creativity. The direction is south. The organ associated with summer is the heart.

You can also swallow the yang fire of the sun down into your dan tian, though usually not more than nine times (so that you do not overload your system with the fiery yang energy of the sun). Feel the energy of the sun, the supporter of all life on our beloved planet as it shines down upon you and within you, filling you up with light and joy.

 

Earth (the time between each season)

Stand, sit or better yet, lie down upon the good rich earth. Feel it holding you up, supporting you, caressing you. Move your hands along her ground, your fingers caressing the earth. Feel how, when we lie upon the earth we are connected to everyone lese upon the world as they also live their lives upon it.

The color associated with this time is a rich earthy yellow. The totem animal is the Yellow Dragon. The element is earth. The direction is towards the center of the circle. The organ associated with spring is the spleen. The positive emotion is empathy, a sense of groundedness and a deep connection with all other live forms (the ten thousand beings).

 

 

Gold (Autumn)

Stand, sit or lie down, paying close attention to your breath. Breathe deeply, allowing your lungs to fill all the way up, your abdomen expanding as you inhale. Hold it for a few seconds, then breathe out again, emptying your lungs completely. Imagine your lungs as the precious substance that they are. See them as shining gold. (Usually this element is listed as metal but in the alchemical tradition it is seen as gold, a much warmer and more precious element indeed).

The color associated with autumn is white. The totem animal is the White Tiger. The direction is west, the direction of gathering in for the harvest. The organ associated with autumn is the lungs. The positive emotion is courage.

 

Water (Winter)

Sit, stand or lie down by a body of water – a stream, a pond, a lake, a river, the sea. Listen to the sounds that the water makes. Feel it moving through you as the water of your blood moves through you. Feel yourself dissolve into the water and then be reborn again, over and over.

The color associated with winter is a deep blue/black. The totem animal is the Black Turtle (sometimes in combination with a serpent). The element is water, the deep mysterious water from which all life is born. The direction is north and the energy is that of Returning to the Root. The organ associated with winter is the kidney/adrenals. The positive emotion is that of will and concentration.