I have been more than aware of patterns and habits while attending a series of workshops on higher states and stages of consciousness. The second day of the second workshop was about meditating on the four elements of nature. We were instructed to do this while floating in the water, or sitting with feet in the water, or while looking out at the water. We braced for the cool wind and each chose our space and settled in.
I did have some thought of getting into trouble as I got pulled out of my meditation practice because I saw a snake sliding its way along the edge of the bank of the lake, weaving in and out the legs of the chairs and the legs of the participants sitting in the chairs in the shallow water. Many were wrapped up against the chill.
I knew one other participant saw the snake, and I was deep in delight as I waited almost breathlessly to see if any others of those sitting on the chair or along the bank would feel a close encounter or see our slithering friend. None did—or at least no one reacted.
No one else seemed to notice at all, so I easily tucked my memory into my open heart and returned to pure awareness of the wind and the earth and the water and the sun. It is amazing to notice how everything really is a blend of the elements, and those are both in the world and inside us.
The sand at the bottom of the lake is made up of air, water, and earth, and the wind was blowing ripples across the surface of the water. My face got a bit sunburned, even in the low temperatures. I was aware of choosing to experience the blessing of the elements as I remembered the teacher had previously mentioned the story of a meditation student who had complained about construction noise nearby his meditation hall, to which the master simply replied, “Did you note it?”
As we were wrapping up the weekend with questions and answers, an interesting exchange occurred. Our teacher had responded to an email question someone not at the workshop had asked me, and as she began addressing the question, a participant in the workshop raised a hand and expressed discomfort and confusion as to why our teacher was addressing the question. Our teacher did her best to reply kindly that she was addressing the question because I had asked it.
I felt a familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach—and I noted “awkward…”
Early the previous morning, on the way to the location of the workshop, the morning mist had cast a spell of delight on the forest floor. It was as though the fairies were holding a gala! The entire length of the lane leading from the house is hugged by tall tree people. Slender trunks and upward reaching branches guard the way with as much poise as the soldiers at Buckingham Palace.
Just as we pulled onto the lane, the sun broke through an opening in the trees and we were greeted with an almost endless row of rays! Totally stunned by the view, I stopped the van, put it into park, got out and snapped this photo:
As I sit in meditation now that I am home, my intention is to be moving on into awareness of those higher states of consciousness. I noted I had had a fleeting wondering what the energy would have been like in the workshop if the teacher had said to the person who expressed confusion with an annoyed tone of voice, “Did you note it?”
For a while, maybe for a long while, I will appreciate the moment that mist greeted the morning sun. Amazing where you can find true and lasting beauty, isn’t it….
