Aesclepius was a Greek hero who became a god of medicines and healing. This Aesclepius meditation was okay. It asked for me to think of someone who I respected and admired. My mother was the first person I visualized. However, when it came to having a halo of light on her head, was a bit too much. I think of my Mom often. She passed away six years ago, and I still want to call her when there is good news. Anyway, focusing on my mental image of Mom was easy. It is just the rest of the sequence I did not care for; I don’t need the bright lights and ambience to meditate about my Mom.
As for the sentence: “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself". Well, I believe in it to a certain point. I think someone can be intuitive enough to be able to help without having had gone through the exact same pain. I do believe that a practitioner would have had to go through some type of self-improvement and dealt with their own ghosts. One, it makes it easier for one to understand when another is having a hard time with meditation and growth, if the person has gone though it themselves. For example, someone is trying to quit smoking,which has a physical withdrawal as well as an emotional. The practitioner would have an easier time to understand if they had gone though some sort of self-control struggle. It doesn’t necessarily have to be with an addiction to tobacco. Empathy is the key to be part of the solution.
Deb C
Deb,
ReplyDeleteI have the same opinion with your whole blog this week. The meditation, and the sentence. The meditation for me was a bit to "flashy" if that word makes sense. It was just to much for me to focus on and remain in a calm state. It was easy to visualize a person, but once the light and all that came into play I found myself changing people because the mediation made my feelings change a bit. I feel like I can focus on one person easier when it is a more still and silent meditation.
The sentence, like you said, is right to a degree. If you have experience whatever grief or pain someone may turn to you for help, but we all feel differently. It can also hinder us sometimes to feel too much and our passion come out in a way that isnt helpful for the other person. People sometimes need an "outside source" to provide insight into their situation or whatever they are trying to learn. Great post this week! Have a good day :)
I agree with your assessment of the sentence; as I was reading it I kept thinking “that is what I meant but didn’t say very well in my own post.” I would only add attitude to empathy. A person’s attitude can be a major influence on much weight you give their advice.
ReplyDeleteHi Deb,
ReplyDeleteI had a wonderful experience with this practice. I also imagined a passed parent. I felt the same with imaging the light and at first it was a bit difficult to do. I did have to focus a lot for that. Imagining the beams of light were much easier. I wonder why that is. Focusing on my father who passed was the easy part. My father passed 3 years ago and I totally know what you mean about calling them with news. I still feel that I need advise from him that my mother cannot give. I did feel that this practice made me feel better emotionally. I felt the beams of light gave me great energy.
I am glad that I am not the only one that has a hard time with these exercises. I have a hard time visualizing the various colors in each practice. I mean, I can think about the colors, but it just doesn't really do much for me.
ReplyDeleteJohn