The following meditation allows you to immerse yourself in the qualities of the earth element when you have endured challenges and supports you in retrieving your strength and determination to move forward.
Take some time to reflect on any recent challenges you have had.
You may even wish to write them down on paper before you start the meditation.
Write down how you have been feeling or are currently feeling due to these challenges.
When you are ready to experience this guided practice,
Get yourself comfortable in any way you wish.
Start to let go of any tension in your body and focus on your breath.
Let go of tension,
Pain,
Fear,
Worry,
Anger,
Sadness,
In fact anything that is taking your mind away from being relaxed and in the moment.
In your relaxed state,
You see yourself in a lush and verdant valley edged by a dark green forest.
The season is autumn and mother earth expresses her beauty in such a way that you are surrounded by aromatic flowers and plants.
As you slowly walk,
Soaking up the energy of the natural world,
Being in nature calms you.
You reflect on some of the challenges you have recently experienced.
Some have left the energetic mark and some may have left you depleted,
But as you walk through the natural landscape,
You feel the healing effects of nature and any worries start to disappear as you feel grounded and held by the great mother.
You start to approach a high mountain with a pathway winding around it.
You are currently on the lower slopes,
Which again are lush,
But you can see that the climb is steep and you will need to have faith and be persistent to climb to the top.
This feels very much like your waking life.
Recent challenges may have taken up your time and energy and you know there is much more in your life to focus on.
Your climb looks symbolic.
As you climb,
You consider what is important to you at this time.
What do you need to bring into form?
What is the foundation of your next life experience?
Is it your ambition that drives you forward or something else?
Security,
Prosperity,
Practical reasons,
Responsibility,
Life purpose?
Reflect on your why as you climb.
The slopes are getting steeper.
Green pastures have been replaced with more sparse vegetation and rocky outcrops.
You walk in solitude.
Your only companions are the occasional rabbit that darts across your path.
They represent your fears which are fleeting and can be replaced with faith if you concentrate your efforts.
You pass a small light brown snake on the path,
Which is quite beautiful and slender in appearance.
You remember snake signal rebirth and you feel heartened by the sight of this creature.
The higher you climb,
The more mountain goats start to appear on your path.
They are watching you,
But run away when you get close.
They signal your strength and perseverance to continue your climb,
Steadfastly and sure-footedly,
Despite the many trials you have experienced.
The path becomes steep and you start to feel weary.
You push your legs and feet to carry you forward,
But it is through your sheer will and determination as your physical body is tired from the ascent and you are slightly bruised and battered where you have slipped and fallen along the way.
As you climb,
The views become even more beautiful.
You can see so much more at this height.
You watch as down in the valleys,
Farmers plough their fields,
Gathering the harvest for their communities,
And you send out a thought of gratitude to them for their labour and toil,
And decide to stop,
Rest and take some sustenance to keep you going.
You find some food in your pockets and eat it slowly and mindfully,
Allowing it to nourish you so you can recover your strengths.
You look up,
And it seems you still have a long way to go before reaching the summit,
But you know that patience and tenacity will allow you to reach the top.
As you walk,
You feel you are being watched.
You sense the nature spirits on this mountain watching you climb.
If you are quiet for a moment,
You may receive a message from them to inspire your journey forward.
Pause and listen carefully.
Express your gratitude for these ethereal messages from the spirits of nature to encourage you to persevere and continue putting one foot in front of the other.
You have been climbing for a while,
And night is drawing in.
You feel that fortune has graced you as you spy a cave on the mountainside.
This will be a safe spot to rest for the night.
The cave is dry,
And as your eyes get used to the darkness,
You see some animal fur on the cave floor.
You are not frightened.
You feel comfortable staying with the animals you have witnessed so far.
However,
As you enter deeper into the cave,
You see a sleeping wolf.
It is a lone wolf,
And as you enter,
It opens one eye.
It slowly rises to its legs and looks at you with love and peace in its eyes.
You again feel safe and go and lie down.
He lies down with you,
And your bodies keep each other warm.
What an amazing experience this is.
He shares the gifts of determination,
Courage,
Resilience,
And wisdom with you.
All gifts you will need on your forward path.
As you lie next to him,
You hear a distant drumbeat which takes you into an altered state,
Receptive to retrieving all soul parts that you may have lost in connection with these qualities which may have been lost on your life's journey.
You feel fully rested and revitalized after the experience,
And realize the night is ending with the dawn sunrays gently caressing the mouth of the cave.
You rise and set off again up the mountain,
Waving goodbye to your wolf companion.
You notice how he follows you,
However,
He always keeps a slight distance,
As if he is ensuring you are safe and protected as you climb,
But can do so freely and unencumbered by any other being's presence.
You are getting closer to the summit,
Just take a few more steps and you will get there.
Be proud of your journey so far,
Look at how far you have come,
What dedication,
Strength,
And endurance.
In fact,
Despite your slow ascent,
You will feel you have accomplished much when you arrive.
Just a few more steps.
You drag yourself up these last few feet and realize you are at the summit,
No animals are here,
You have left them on the lower slopes,
Only an eagle soaring on the air currents in this high place,
Calling in what seems like a celebration of your achievements.
Despite the trials,
The lessons,
The challenges,
The doubt and pessimism at times,
The anxiety and melancholy when things seem to have conspired against you,
And when fate has played a cruel hand,
The worry that you would not achieve your goal,
Your faith kept you going.
And you have arrived and are at the top of your mountain,
You can rest and feel the peace and calm serenity of this place.
Well done on your successful ascent,
Here is a place where the ancestors reside.
Stay a while now and listen for a revelatory message from your own ancestors,
They have been cheering you on,
On your epic journey to these lofty heights.
Embrace the wisdom shared,
You can rest now.
It will be time soon to return to the valleys,
But stay here a while and enjoy your achievements.
When you feel ready,
You can descend and return to ordinary reality in your own way.
If you wrote down your challenges on a piece of paper,
It is nice to be able to release them in some way.
When we work with fire,
We can have a fire ceremony.
With water,
We can release it into a flowing body of water,
Such as a river.
With earth,
We can bury it.
With air,
First burn the paper,
And then allow the ashes to blow in the wind.
