Our minds, our thinking,
and our feelings are all powerfully influenced by images. Writing
that we consider "dry and unreadable" is usually devoid of metaphor,
or images. The greatest entertainment media rely on the power of the
participants' imagination. Look at that word! The word "image" is
at the heart of it. Anyone who has ever heard the old radio serials
knows how his imagination, or his ability to generate mental images,
was the key to his enjoyment.
Where this all interfaces with meditation is once you have erased the blackboard of your everyday thinking, you can then, on your own, or with the assistance of a guide, choose an image of a place you have already visited or hope to visit where you experience joy, pleasure, safety and comfort and literally take yourself there. You do that by invoking the aid of all your senses, so that you not only see the place, you also begin to hear its sounds, sense its perfumes and aromas, feel the texture of the seat you are reclining on: You are in your personal oasis! And as you travel more frequently through your imagination, and visit these places of comfort and safety more and more often, you'll get there faster and your experience will be more intense.
Do not be afraid to practice during your workday. When you awake from your meditation and imagery, you will discover that a pervasive sense of well being continues to flow through you throughout your day. You will not feel sleepy. Quite the contrary, you will accomplish more because you are moving more fluidly, less encumbered by worries and repeating negative thoughts and judgements.
|
|
