Welcome to this vegetable chopping meditation and reflection.
A chance to contemplate and connect with the element of earth.
The element of density,
Solidity.
The element of form.
So making sure you've got everything you need for chopping,
Preparing vegetables.
That they're washed and ready with a board,
A knife or greater.
And whether you're sitting or standing,
Taking some time to feel into the contact between feet and floor.
And feeling the solidity and the resistance of the floor.
Feeling the sensations in the feet as they meet the floor.
Meet that resistance,
That solidity.
And now having a look at the vegetables you're going to chop.
Taking in their colour,
Their shape and aware that they've come from the earth.
Maybe they actually grew in the earth and had to be dug up.
Maybe some of them grew up out of the earth.
Their roots in the earth.
Maybe when you washed them there were still traces of earth on them.
And taking a moment to feel them,
Feel their texture.
Feel their weight,
Their solidity,
Their density.
And aware that they're soon to be transformed.
And as you pick up your chopping knife or grater or peeler,
Feeling its weight and its density.
And aware that this metal came from the earth.
Transformed by a process involving the elements of water and fire to form that steel.
And if the handle is wood just fully taking in that this was once a tree growing tall,
Its roots in the earth.
And as metal meets vegetable,
Feeling the sensations in hands and arms as you chop,
Slice,
Peel or grate.
And aware of the sounds of chopping,
Slicing,
Peeling,
Grating.
And watching the vegetables change form.
Aware that they're going to carry on changing.
Maybe soon they'll be cooked.
And then they'll be eaten.
And become part of your body.
Maybe other bodies.
So aware of the body,
Part of the cycle of earth.
Taking from the earth,
Giving back to the earth.
And as we bring the meditation to a close,
Again feeling the feet on the floor.
Earth element in the body meeting earth element below us.
And perhaps recalling during the day that this body is part of the cycle of earth.
Not separate from it.
