‘Compassionate light’ meditation
Similar to the ‘Taking and Sending meditation’, the ‘’Compassionate Light’ meditation is a guided meditation that focuses on the transformation of our internal experience into compassion, which we then visualise travelling out and alleviating suffering in ourselves &/or others. We can utilise this meditation at any time, whatever nature of experience we are having (positive, negative or neutral), either as a sitting practice, or in brief form in daily life. Again, it can bring a sense of comfort and nourishment as we imagine ourselves helping transform difficult situations.
See meditation guide
1. Start by bringing your attention to your breathing, taking three elongated outbreaths, to help your body let go of tension…
2. Become aware of your current experience… emotions, thoughts, body sensations… …they may be difficult or uncomfortable…or perhaps calm or enjoyable … whatever they are…just be aware…
3. Now imagine the wide open deep blue sky in front of you … spacious…infinite… and in the sky in front of you is a gate… this is no ordinary gate…it has extraordinary properties…
4. Imagine that whatever you are experiencing flows out on your outbreath…and travels unaided to the sky and through the gate….and as it passes through the gate it is immediately transformed…into wonderful compassionate golden light… imbued with warmth… caring... healing…
5. Sense/visualise this compassionate golden light then travelling out to the world…to wherever it is needed…including yourself……immediately transforming struggle and suffering into something more peaceful and at ease…
6. You may rest your focus on the compassionate golden light being received… either by yourself or another individual or group…human &/or animal… but the light will do its transformational work without any effort from you … you don’t need to do anything…it is fine to just ‘be’…
7. Know that your initial intention to engage with the meditation is in itself enough…in this way whatever is in your experience becomes the raw material for the compassionate golden light … which flows out and helps alleviate difficulties in yourself and others.