A MEDITITATIVE VISIT
TO THE HEALING TEMPLE

Sit comfortably, let your eyes close. Bring your attention to your breath. Feel your breath and your body as you sit, without trying to change them. Notice what’s comfortable and what’s uncomfortable. Notice if you are sleepy or awake. Notice if there is lots of clutter in the mind or if it is quiet. Just be aware of what is. Notice the state of your heart. Does it feel contracted? Does it feel soft and open? Or is it somewhere in the middle? Is it tired, is it joyful? Notice and receive what is present.

Then imagine you are magically transported to a beautiful healing temple or power spot, a place of great wisdom and love. Take as much time as you need to sense it, feel it, picture it, in any way that feels good to you. Sense yourself sitting there, restfully and attentively meditating in this place. As you sit at this temple, this place of great wisdom, begin to reflect on your own spiritual journey more deeply. Gradually let yourself be aware of the wounds you carry that will require healing in the course of your journey. Breathe softly, and gently feel whatever arises.

As you sit, a wonderful and wise being from this healing temple will gently approach you. When this being comes quite near, you can picture or imagine or sense who or what they are. They will bow lightly and then come over and put the gentlest hand on a part of your body where you are deeply wounded. With their most loving care, let them touch the part of your body that holds one of your sorrows. Let them teach you their healing touch. If you cant feel their touch then take your own hand as you sit at the temple and imagine that you bring it to the place of your deepest wound, the place of sorrow or difficulty, touching it with your hand as if you yourself were that beautiful being. Know that no matter how many times you have buried or resisted your sorrow, no matter how many times you have greeted it with your hatred, you can finally open to it.

Let your own attention become like the hand of this wonderful wise being. Touch this place of sorrow with softness and tenderness. As you touch it, explore what is there. Is it warm or cool there? Is it hard, tight or is it soft? Is it vibrating, moving or is it still? Let your awareness be like the loving touch of the Buddha or the Goddess of Compassion, of Mother Mary or Jesus. What is the temperature and texture of this sorrow? What colour is there to be felt? Let yourself become aware of all your feelings with a very loving and receptive heart. Let them be anything they need to be. Then very gently and softly, as if you were the Goddess of Compassion herself, touch it with pure sweetness. Open yourself to the pain. What is the core of this place that has been wrapped up and held inside you for so long? As you look at it, let yourself see how much you have closed of to it, how much you have suppressed it or rejected it, wished that it would go away, wished that you didn’t have to feel it, and treated it with fear and aversion. Let yourself sit peacefully, opening your heart to this pain at last.

Rest in this temple, allowing your healing and compassionate attention to suffuse every part of it. Stay as long as you wish. When you are ready to leave, imagine yourself bowing with gratitude.

AS YOU LEAVE,

REMEMBER THIS TEMPLE IS INSIDE OF YOU.

YOU CAN ALWAYS GO THERE.