Clouds Of Thoughts

Let me take you on a journey of pure observation.

Let us focus on the movement of thought,

Exploring its dance and its frolicsome nature.

Cloud of thoughts simply refers to those thoughts that are intense and sometimes difficult to express or release.

Those thoughts that swim around our minds over and over again.

So let us begin to release them.

You may wish to lie down for this practice and may even have access to a view of the sky as you join me on the exploration of the realm of thought.

Be comfortable,

Still and ensure you are in a quiet place away from all annoyances.

Close down your eyes or if you can see clouds in the sky,

Just allow your eyes to softly gaze at them as they pass in front of you.

Drop your jaw again and again to soften your cheeks,

Eyes,

Temples and forehead.

Allow all tension to leave your face.

Release all stress from your shoulders and just listen to my voice,

Paying attention to it and the gentility of the music.

Nothing else at this very moment.

Breathing in and out softly and gently as you release all weariness from your bones,

Joints and the mind.

Breath by breath by breath and now allow the breath and the flowing air that embraces you to lull you into a state of deep rest.

I shall remain quiet as you do this for a little while.

Can you watch or imagine the sky,

A sky full of voluptuous clouds?

Just watch them as you would watch the dance of a candle flame.

Then if your eyes are not closed,

Close them down now and see these cloud shapes in your imagination.

Imagine them as soft and white and gently crossing the skies,

Slowly,

Slowly,

Slowly.

Sometimes they cross,

Sometimes they flurry,

Moved by sudden gusts of wind and sometimes they simply look as though they are captured in time and are almost completely still.

Sometimes they merge and then sometimes they separate.

Let these clouds,

These wisps of nature represent the dance of your thoughts and the thoughts themselves.

Notice how each one forms,

Each cloud being a separate thought.

Observe each cloud thought as it passes by.

Do not attach to it.

You do not even need to recognize the thought and you certainly do not need to dwell upon its content.

You are just watching,

Just seeing,

Just observing.

Watching,

Seeing,

Observing how these thoughts flow and move and merge and then appear to have stilled.

As they cease at this moment,

You'll see a bright blue sky is exposed,

A sky that is clear and vast and deep and bright.

Can you focus upon these gaps for just a little while as the clouds separate again and again,

Exposing tiny glimpses of nothing but blueness and vastness.

This sheer vastness taking your breath away.

These clouds or wisps are now closing in towards each other and closing the gaps as the sun gently sheds its hue of dusk through them,

Infusing the clouds with soft shades of muted reds,

Pinks and ochre.

Thoughts turning in and over themselves,

Leaving no story or narrative.

Just pretty soft shapes like dabs of cotton wool settling into the breeze and then they diminish into the glow,

Leaving nothing behind but stillness and vastness and a sense of peace.

And now in your imagination,

See cloud shapes appear before you,

Expanding and expanding as you become enmeshed in their being.

But let them pass.

They are simply thoughts,

Nothing to absorb yourself into,

Nothing to cling on to.

Or if you reached out to touch them,

You would see they are simply nebulous,

Not of any substance at all.

And again,

As your fingers pass right through them,

You can imagine they are your thoughts and there is no point in trying to corral them or capture them or to make them into any particular shape or to hold onto them for that would be like trying to catch the wind.

Let them go.

And now,

What can you see?

These clouds change shape constantly and from second to second,

Here's another shape and another and another.

And sometimes these clouds will become dense just as our thoughts can become murky and soupy and confused.

What can you see in your imagination now?

And then sometimes the clouds form recognizable shapes and creations just as our thoughts may do.

A picture is formed of a new idea or a painting or an answer to a question you have been pondering.

And sometimes the clouds softly fall as though they are about to land upon the earth,

Drifting down,

Down and then diminish altogether,

Leaving a clear,

Unaltered,

Infinite sky.

And sometimes the clouds are gray and black and threatening.

The quiet colors before the storm.

Perhaps these thoughts could be recognized as depressive,

Dark or angry,

But they will pass as will the storm.

Watch,

Just watch.

Reflect upon the beautiful words by Marianne Williamson,

Behind every dark cloud,

There is an ever shining sun.

Just wait.

In time,

The cloud will pass.

And then the clouds release the rain that they have been holding onto,

Cleansing drops,

Falling,

Falling.

Now just imagine the clouds join to form a hazy mist to cover the sky and the horizon.

This sometimes happens in our mind when the thoughts take over and we cannot see what is behind them.

Recently,

I was on an island and entered the beautiful woods of the North,

Overlooking a noble mountain,

But the clouds shrouded the mountain.

I knew that behind the clouds,

There was this majesty and strength overlooking the valley.

All I had to do was to be patient,

Not to get caught up in the thought of not seeing the view that I wanted,

Relishing the beauty of the cover and being patient for the clarity to come.

Is this not what happens with our thoughts?

So what are you imagining now?

What are you seeing?

Imagine a moonlit sky now and envisage the gentle,

Mellow,

Whimsical rays of the moon and then observe the clouds as they camouflage these rays,

Gently waltzing to and fro.

We know that behind these clouds,

The moon is still there,

Exuding its deep,

Deep sense of tranquility.

This is in your mind's eye.

Watch,

Just be.

There's also glittering behind the clouds.

These are your sparkling,

Creative ideas.

And now and again,

A star rides through the clouds,

Shooting through the skies.

The tail,

Its creative flow,

Now disappearing from sight,

But you know it is there.

Its gift has seeded.

Tomorrow,

You will recognize it.

Just come back to the patterns of the clouds,

The ones in your imagination,

Or as you look up into the skies with open eyes.

Watch their dance,

And then perhaps ask,

Who is doing the watching?

Who is doing the watching?

And now,

What can you see as the clouds separate?

What is this quiet,

Still space beckoning you to observe?

Now gently open your outer eyes to what surrounds you.

Come back to your breath.

Perhaps stretch your arms over your head to greet the next moment,

And then draw your hands to your heart and let them rest there.

Rest,

Rest,

Rest.

I honor the spirit within you with love and peace.