This will take you to a wholesome place of beauty for the heart. Good for heart sickness (lack of love for self and others).
Take a deep breath, take that breath as if it were reaching down, deep to your soul. Breathe in – you have begun your search for the soul, breathe out and you are chasing it. Continue to breathe in this fashion as you follow the meditation. Do not force the breath but do focus on its vitality.
Your breath is alive and searching. Where is the soul you ask yourself? That breath is now going there, it is chasing something intangible – that from whence you have come – out beyond the physical realm and into the heavenly sky.
Picture a postcard sunset and see your breath wending its way between the slats of red, orange and yellow colours. Your breath now shoots further away into the pastel blue sky streaked with baby pink, away into the golden realms of heaven whereupon it reaches the depths of your soul.
This is your soul.
The breath and the soul have become one. Breathe into your soul. Send it the breath of life. The purity of your breath. Each breath that sustains us physically, sends a shiver of the joy of life to your soul.
So what is my soul like, you ask yourself? It is home. It is safety, joy and the love of your mother. You may picture it as you will and this picture may change the more you learn about your soul. As you search within your soul you happen upon something surprising. Your soul houses other souls. You find the souls of your father, your sister, your lover, your friend. These people share your soul and you share theirs – it is, in fact, not your soul but a common soul. This doesn’t surprise you as you’ve always known this truth – we are all connected.
Within your soul you also find the soul of your tormentor and your abuser. But how could I share the samesoul with them, you ask yourself? By observing the play of love and hate or the joy and anger in our lives we experience life. We see who we are and what we are. We come to know ourselves in all our depth. We come to know our soul. And that soul is one that belongs to us all.
How all encompassing is your soul? Does it only incorporate the souls of those you know as family, colleagues and friends or also those you like to pet – your beloved animals. Or also those we stare at through bars as they resignedly pace up and down to the hum-drum pace of caged life? Do they belong in with your soul too? Breathe into your soul and send them your joy of life that they may feel it.
Is there a place for a plant, a tree, a weed in your soul? For that which feeds you with breath? With each breath you draw you are inhaling that which was produced for you by our planet – with each breath that you exhale you are producing that which provides sustenance for our planet. Each breath is a miracle. Each breath connects you to the world in which you live. You are here to live and in your living you promote life to that which surrounds you. Together we are one. One common soul.
Meditate on these thoughts.
When you feel ready, return your focus to your breath and slowly become conscious of your surroundings. Make a commitment to yourself to integrate these thoughts of compassion and joy into your daily life.
Slowly open your eyes and begin your day anew.
Bronwen and Frans Stiene are the co-founders of the International House of Reiki and co-authors of The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki, Your Reiki Treatment, The A-Z of Reiki Pocketbook and the Reiki Techniques Card Deck. Bronwen and Frans teach in the USA, Europe and Australia. Visit the Courses page to find a course near you.