Religious Education Connections

Meditations

In the summer, I describe my spirituality more as a butterfly, open to the sun and the breezes, connecting with others in many different ways (such as flowers), wanting to be outside. This is different from my winter sigh of spirituality, which is a snail, that signifies my desire to look inward, and take things slowly. But getting back to summer spirituality, I’d like to share several ways that I enjoy meditations. You may already do some of these things, and can do these intentionally during yourself or with others this summer.

Meditating on the flame of the chalice. Chalices can be made out of so many things – clay flower pots turned upside down, and the bottoms turned up. Put a small candle in the bottom of the upside down pot. Or take a small glass dish that can be set on top of a turned-over glass, or……..what can you find that you can use to make a chalice? Challenge your family and friends to create chalices. And have a chalice ceremony by setting some time aside as ‘sacred’ or special. This can be at a definite time each day, like before a meal or before going to bed. When you light the candle, watch it burn, watch the flame dance in the breezes.

The chalice is the symbol of our faith tradition, calling us to set aside this time together in this space as sacred. The flame is the visible part, the way we live out our affirmations/principles for living. The fuel for the flame is the many sources from which we draw inspiration and wisdom. The cup or chalice is the holy container that sanctifies our search for truth and meaning. Let us draw energy, inspiration, hope and the warmth of love from the flame for summer spirituality.

Here are some of my favorite summer meditations that you might want to use by yourself, or with others. The idea of meditation is to think of something very carefully, concentrate on it and become ‘super aware’ of it. This really makes us more aware of things in the very moment. If we are worried about something, we can feel more relaxed. If we feel like making lots of noise but that would upset people who might be sleeping, it can help us be quiet while we wait for others to wake up.

Meditation of the eyes: Each day pick up something that you can take with you for the day as your ‘special treasure.’ This can be a stone a piece of sea glass, a special carving. At least once during the day, take time to put the special treasure in front of you on your lap or on a table or on an altar. Keep looking at the treasure until it seems as if time is standing still. Think about how the treasure is made, or how you got it, or the person who may have given it to you. What makes that treasure so special to you? If someone is with you when you are doing this, tell him or her what you are thinking about.

Meditation of the ears. Last night my son and I slept in the tent in our back yard, about 100 feet from the stream. I kept hearing voices faintly, like people talking in a boat on the stream. But the dogs were not barking – something that they usually do when they hear anything on ‘their’ stream. When we talked about it this morning, we realized that my husband had been watching television that was in a room above the level of the tent, that the sound had actually bounced off the water and trees, and seemed to be coming from the stream when we heard it in the tent. Now you can try a meditation of the ears. Sit very quietly, and listen for every sound. Where is a sound coming from? What are the sounds of the summer around you? Whether you are in a city or in the country, there are sounds that are different. Can you hear sounds from farther away? How do sounds differ because people have windows open and are doing more things outside?

A reading that would go along with a meditation of the ears is "Quiet Time," by Nancy Wood. It is found in the hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, #481.

It is our quiet time. We do not speak, because the voices are within us.
It is our quiet time. We do not walk, the earth is all within us.
It is our quiet time. We do not dance, because the music has lifted us to a place where the spirit is.
It is our quiet time. We rest with all nature.
It is our quiet time.

Meditation of the touch. Have you walked in grass that was web from dew in the early morning? How about in the sand on a beach? Have you felt the sun, or rain, or breezes on your arms today? What have you felt on your face today? You can include things that felt good, or things that startled you, or things that did not feel as good.

Meditation of movement. This also includes not moving. In fact, lie still in a comfortable position. Can you lie so still that the only part of you that seems to be moving is your breathing? Now stretch an arm, then the other arm, then one leg and the other leg. Stretch to see just how long you are, then try to stretch some more. Then relax and feel your muscles relax. And when you are swimming or walking, be very aware of the motion of your arms and legs. We don’t always have to be running around, and sometimes it is good to just go slowly. In fact, from the Buddhist tradition, we have ‘walking meditation.’ This can be done be walking slowly, looking down and possibly closing your eyes if you are in a safe place. As you walk, you can become aware of what you hear, how your body moves, and what touches your skin.

Religious Education Connections Summer 2004 Contents