I’ve been working with the Deepak/Oprah meditation series called Desire and Destiny. One lesson encouraged me to get a new plant, nurture it and watch it grow, as a metaphor for supporting and witnessing my own grown. In today’s meditation, Winslow gallops down the beach, veering left onto the waters north of Orcas Island. He quickly takes flight, leading us up and into the clouds above Canada. We fly through a chamber of white cumulous clouds until we reach a white clearing. Winslow lands near Jesus who’s wearing a white gauze robe. As I dismount Winslow, I am in a similar robe. It’s calming that everything is white; and I wonder if this might be an important meeting.
JC and I begin to walk side by side, leaving Winslow behind.
JC: What would you like to talk about today?
Sally: I’m return to Orcas today, to Gentlewood, and I’d like to talk about my financial situa---
Jesus, closes his eyes, shaking his head no and in my consciousness I hear him say, “You don’t have to worry about the financial piece.” Ok! Next topic. But this topic feels really relevant right now, because I’ve been here in Seattle, working with a financial planner, trying to put my life in order.
Sally: Then I’d like to talk about picking up my roots, my spiritual roots, and…I need a little help focusing.
He’s looking down on the cloud-path, nodding a bit, affirming my choice and assuming the role of professor.
JC: You’ve planted your seeds on this trip to Seattle. Now, you need to water and feed those seeds so they can begin to grow for you.
In my mind’s eye, I see the green plant that I just potted in a small white container, its shiny leaves growing slowly and steadily. Then JC places a second image in my mind, so on the left, is the new potted plant and on the right, is my lawn at Gentlewood, where I walk out to meet Winslow in my daily meditation.
JC: You need to plant your roots at Gentlewood.
He pauses. I can sense something big is coming.
JC: I’m beginning to think you don’t want to fully move-in there! Wow. I can feel my face flush. Which is a bit odd, since I don’t have any idea of what my face actually looks like up there in the clouds. Man! Even in “heaven” I’m ashamed! My warrior self quickly takes charge. I venture out onto the branch. I know when there’s juicy fruit to be picked.
As my eyes still cast down on the cloud path, I confess: “No, I’m just afraid.”
JC: Fear is about EXPECTATIONS. Expectations are about the future. You don’t need to think about the future. You need to think about today. Plant your roots [the implication being work roots] and then begin to focus on the roots.
Two visualizations grow in my mind…
The first is the small white file cabinet in my den. The top drawer pulls out and I sense that it is filled with work files; the bottom drawer pulls out to reveal personal files. In the second vision, I’m sitting at my work desk, beginning to organize the files the way JC is suggested.
With my cognitive issues, paper remains the anchor that helps me make sense of my world. If it doesn’t live on paper, somewhere, it essentially doesn’t really exist for me. Just seeing these images helps me feel rooted; they are healing for me.
Now the potted plant returns to my vision. JC is completing the metaphor, showing me that by taking action to root myself in Gentlewood, my new home, I’m nourished.
The chime on the Deepak/Oprah meditation rings and I am pulled up and out of cloud-land. He’s right, of course. Time to plan my day and feed my new plant.
What I Learned:
Money is a trigger for me, but the metaphor of planting and watering new seeds made a loaded topic feel safe.
Taking decisive action to get rooted is grounding.
Reflection Questions:
Are there seeds you’ve recently planted in your life? If so, are you giving them what they need to grow?
Are there new seeds you’d like to plant and care for?
Do any of your new plantings address your triggers or unmet needs?
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