From June’s Notes

Meditation is one of the greatest arts in life — perhaps THE greatest, and one cannot possibly learn it from anybody. That is the beauty of it. It has no technique and therefore no authority.

When you learn about yourself, watch yourself, watch the way you walk, how you eat, what you say, the gossip, the hate, the jealousy — if you are aware of all that is in yourself, without any judgement, that is part of meditation.

So meditation can take place when you are sitting in a bus, walking, or looking at the face of a friend.

Church of the Communion of Souls

June and Jim’s continuing studies in philosophy, comparative religions and counseling led to each being ordained within the interfaith, non-denominational, Church of the Communion of Souls. While the church has ten lines of apostolic succession in the Christian faith, it embraces the teaching of all faiths. June and Jim have incorporated teachings from Buddha, Jesus, the Tao and other sources in their work.

Communion of Souls Affirmation – Open Eyed Meditation

We are each of us a soul, a mind, a consciousness, a body of glowing incandescent light. Both male and female, complete and within ourselves, yet joined in the most deeply intimate communion with every other soul in the universe.

The one soul became the many and is now becoming one again, just as we are becoming one again. We are just where we need to be to take the next step on our path, and we have just what we need to have to take that step. The universe is constantly providing us with the experiences we need along the way.

It’s all part of an unfolding plan, and we are willing partners in that unfolding.

Anapanasati

Anapanasati was the Buddha’s first teaching on meditation. Anapanasati is a core meditation practice in Buddhism and is largely centered on attention to the unregulated breath, rather than controlling the breath. Anapanasati means mindfulness of breathing. Ana refers to inhaling and exhaling, and sati refers to mindfulness.

Anapanasati is not, however, the only breathing-based type of Buddhist meditation. To the Buddhist meditation practices of Tibet, Mongolia and Japanese Zen meditation, control of the breathing is an important element.

The practice of anapanasati varies. Typically, one begins by sitting in a comfortable position, with the back and neck straight and in a comfortable and peaceful environment.

If the breath is short, the meditator should simply observe that the breath is short. If the breath is long, the meditator should simply observe that the breath is long.

Jim and June explained that, in an untrained mind, thoughts constantly arise, disturbing the focus. They arise and fall away, like waves in an ocean. If one simply watches them, they slowly wither and disappear. On the other hand, if one pays them attention, one is soon lost in a web of thoughts.

Practitioners are tutored to nudge themselves into concentrating on their breathing instead of their passing thoughts. By concentrating on the breath and mantras their practice remains undisrupted.

Anapanasati was part of Jim and June’s daily meditation practice.

Anapanasati Meditation

Sensitive to the body, I breathe in
Sensitive to the body, I breathe out
(repeat 3 times)

Sensitive to the mind, I breathe in
Sensitive to the mind, I breathe out
(repeat 3 times)

Calming the whole body, I breathe in
Calming the mind, I breathe out
(repeat 3 times)

Focusing on Impermanence, I breathe in, I breathe out
(repeat 3 times)

Focusing on Emptiness, I breathe in, I breathe out
(repeat 3 times)

Focusing on Letting Go, I breathe in, I breathe out
(repeat 3 times)

Then repeat, breathing gently

May I dwell in an open heart
(repeat 3 times)

May I attend to what clouds my heart
(repeat 3 times)

May I be awake to the moment just as it is
(repeat 3 times)

Then gently repeat it again for three people (they can be people you love, or people that push your buttons, people in need etc.)

Then sit quietly for 3 minutes and follow your breath.

Garden Meditation

Take a deep breath… BE STILL AND TRUST I AM…

As you breathe slowly and deeply. your sensitivities increase… you feel all your senses like waves of radar reaching out… you are more aware of your surroundings and able to use this awareness to flow more easily… you relax and allow each moment to be vital to your very being… your senses extend out past the boundaries of time and space and allow you to function more easily within those boundaries… you sense what lies ahead and are aware of what has passed, so that each event clearly fits into your time spectrum… You can taste, smell and hear the entire cycle of growth…

Breathe deeply and feel yourself as this quiet center of universal energy… a glowing source of light and love… radiating as the sun… shining golden-white energy in all directions… there is a giant rainbow glistening through the sky… caused by your energy reflected and refracted by jewels of moisture in the sky… breathe deeply… and as you exhale, feel yourself gliding out along that rainbow of colored light… soar and glide through the many layers of color… wrapped in the brilliant cloak of this color spectrum… feel each color cleansing and revitalizing your being… sparking creativity and well-being in every cell of your body and being…

Now… slide down this banister of color… sliding freely and effortlessly… as you approach the end of the rainbow, there is a glistening pool of golden-white liquid… allow yourself to go splashing into it and frolic in this pool of energy… each time you dive down into the pool you float right back up to the top… it supports and maintains you… for it is pure energy that you can use for any purpose you desire…

Climb out of the pool and walk to the edge… off to the distance you begin to see a wooded area… in this wooden area you see beautiful green, lush trees… you begin to smell the sweet fragrance of wildflowers… you sense the breeze… which starts to create a symphony through the leaves and pine needles… in the distance you begin to see a well-worn path through the trees, follow it… breathing in all the magnificent beauty along the way… as you follow this path, you see a clearing… in the clearing you begin to make out a section of ground that is freshly spaded…

The time has come to create your own very special garden… smell the earth and see the deep rich color of it… fertile for whatever will be planted… this is going to be your private place to grow and nurture yourself and others on your path to letting go… begin to create your garden… What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What kinds of flowers are there? What are the colors of this landscape that you are creating? Is there a bench to sit on? Maybe a special chair… or a big glorious rock… it’s all up to you… whatever your heart’s desire… take the next few moments to finish creating your garden and when you are ready, nod your head…

Remember, this garden will always be waiting for you… it is your magical place to work on an inner level to grow… nurture and learn to let go…

Slowly, a mist begins to develop… walk to the center of this mist and allow it to swirl around you… it begins to form a cloud that lifts you up and carries you through the blue sky of your mind… it carries you gently back into this room and deposits you right were you are sitting…

Bring all your senses and awareness into this room and into this physical body… in a moment you will open your eyes and you will be fully alive alert and aware. You will bring back with you the memory of a very special garden… your garden will always be there and ready to support you as you begin to let go…

BE STILL AND TRUST I AM… when you are ready, open your eyes.

Be This Moment Meditation

Relax… take three deep breaths and feel yourself relaxing every time you exhale… now, let’s go to a field of daisies… this is an enchanted place… a garden of life where everything is present and in bloom… take a moment to savor the beauty, security and, yet, endless possibilities…

Feel yourself enveloped in the magic of being “in this moment.” Everything here emits a golden white light… you can see and feel the energy all around you… golden white is created by the presence of all energies or colors in perfect balance… the air is so thick with the light that you are surrounded by nothing but light… now… imagine it becoming so concentrated that it’s like a warm, soothing liquid…

Breathe in this healing golden white liquid… feel it caressing… soothing… healing as it slowly flows into your mouth… throughout your head… now… it flows into your throat and neck… shoulders… arms… and hands… melting… stretching… enlivening… feel it flowing easily through your torso… abdomen… pelvis… swirling… soothing and hugging you… through your hips… buttocks… thighs… calves and feet… massaging… opening… lightening… as it moves through you…

Now, bring your focus up to your heart… feel it pulsing with the heartbeat of life… imagine it pumping this healing liquid light throughout your body and soul… you are open… alive and “turned on” to life in this moment…

Now… as you breathe out… feel the liquid light pulse out like an aura around you… as you inhale… let it flow back in… waves of energy flowing out… giving… extending… then flowing in… receiving…

As this being of radiance… walk through your garden… you’re almost floating just above the ground… maybe you are floating off the ground… take this time to be at one with everything here in your garden of life…

CONNECT with the trees… flowers… rocks… stream… sky… wild mushrooms…

HAVE the fulfillment… then empty it right out to fill back up with joy… inspiration…everything…

BE fully present… your presence nurtures everything around you… be strong and, yet, receptive… be focused and, yet, be the process of melting into everything… BE THIS MOMENT!

DO the only thing you ever need to do… live each moment… each aspect of yourself to the fullest…

Now… open your eyes and allow your energies to nurture everyone here… be nurtured in this garden… this here and now.