Lawren Leo's Blog - Posts Tagged "creative-visualization"
A Meditation on the Element of Water
Standing on the shore, half the sun was gone as I watched evening segue into night. A regal presence filled the waters as the sun slowly dropped his head below the surface, leaving behind a crown of foam in its wake. With envy, I imagined the sun relieved of His duties, finally settling into the comfort of the sea’s bed.
I looked out over a liquid expanse of glossy dark hues, a childhood world of mermaids, titans, and jeweled encrusted shells. A warm, salty breeze passed over my skin and I became aware of Mother Ocean’s sentience.
The crest of a wave seemed to pause at its crescendo, the whites of its foam giving a moment’s glance before falling on my feet and retreating backwards, pulling me with a fingerless grip. The soles of my feet molded into wet sand. I could feel the ocean’s heart pumping, circulating wave after saline wave, out from its center onto the shore, and then dragged back to its secret heart. A flow, a rhythmic beat, lulling me into trance.
In a dream-like state I began wading through the shallows, out into the pulsating deep. Wind and water mingled, baptizing me with smoky wisps of spray. At chest level I could feel the pull of the tides, undulating waters calling me to leave the world of form behind. Relinquishing, I pushed up from the sand below and dove into a warm, thick swell. All became silent.
I am liquid. My point of consciousness is one with the ocean. My physical body left behind; problems are foreign matter here, forced out, like air bubbles to the surface.
A sudden realization that I could do anything I wanted floods my senses with freedom. I am one with the ocean’s mysteries; I sense Her motion, Her receptivity.
With a magical thought, my back transforms into the entire surface of the ocean and I am looking downward through the depths of my waters. There are starfish all around me, manta rays are moving in slow motion, and a giant seahorse floats suspended in time. They all speak to me, a poetic illumination, translated through the undines: water, like love, connects us without an embrace.
A slender ray of light catches my attention. It is the sun again, about to rise. Soon, He will lift from the waters, bringing my consciousness with Him. I will be awakened from this reverie and united with my physical body to once again fulfill another day’s duties.
But until then, it is still night, and I am still water. So I join the angelic hum of a passing current, and slowly, ever so slowly, disappear into its sweet oblivion.
Magical associations of the element of water:
~ Some properties are serenity, purification, universal love, psychic ability, the unconscious mind, dream and altered states, and healing.
~ It is symbolized by the cups in the tarot and represents the emotions.
~ Water elementals are known as undines and their ruler's name is Nicksa.
~ The archangel Gabriel presides over the element of water.
~ The colors blue and orange are associated with water.
Lawren Leo
Suggested reading:
Deepak Chopra. Peace is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End, (Harmony Books, 2005)
Brian Cotnoir. The Weiser Concise Guide to Alchemy, (Weiser, 2005)
Scott Cunningham. Earth, Air, Fire & Water, (Llewellyn, 2002)
Masaru Emoto. The Hidden Messages in Water, translated by David A. Thayne (Beyond Worlds, 2005)
Sandra Kynes. Sea Magic: Connecting with the Ocean's Energy, (Llewellyn, 2008)
Gede Parma. By Land, Sky & Sea: Three Realms of Shamanic Witchcraft, (Llewellyn, 2010)
I looked out over a liquid expanse of glossy dark hues, a childhood world of mermaids, titans, and jeweled encrusted shells. A warm, salty breeze passed over my skin and I became aware of Mother Ocean’s sentience.
The crest of a wave seemed to pause at its crescendo, the whites of its foam giving a moment’s glance before falling on my feet and retreating backwards, pulling me with a fingerless grip. The soles of my feet molded into wet sand. I could feel the ocean’s heart pumping, circulating wave after saline wave, out from its center onto the shore, and then dragged back to its secret heart. A flow, a rhythmic beat, lulling me into trance.
In a dream-like state I began wading through the shallows, out into the pulsating deep. Wind and water mingled, baptizing me with smoky wisps of spray. At chest level I could feel the pull of the tides, undulating waters calling me to leave the world of form behind. Relinquishing, I pushed up from the sand below and dove into a warm, thick swell. All became silent.
I am liquid. My point of consciousness is one with the ocean. My physical body left behind; problems are foreign matter here, forced out, like air bubbles to the surface.
A sudden realization that I could do anything I wanted floods my senses with freedom. I am one with the ocean’s mysteries; I sense Her motion, Her receptivity.
With a magical thought, my back transforms into the entire surface of the ocean and I am looking downward through the depths of my waters. There are starfish all around me, manta rays are moving in slow motion, and a giant seahorse floats suspended in time. They all speak to me, a poetic illumination, translated through the undines: water, like love, connects us without an embrace.
A slender ray of light catches my attention. It is the sun again, about to rise. Soon, He will lift from the waters, bringing my consciousness with Him. I will be awakened from this reverie and united with my physical body to once again fulfill another day’s duties.
But until then, it is still night, and I am still water. So I join the angelic hum of a passing current, and slowly, ever so slowly, disappear into its sweet oblivion.
Magical associations of the element of water:
~ Some properties are serenity, purification, universal love, psychic ability, the unconscious mind, dream and altered states, and healing.
~ It is symbolized by the cups in the tarot and represents the emotions.
~ Water elementals are known as undines and their ruler's name is Nicksa.
~ The archangel Gabriel presides over the element of water.
~ The colors blue and orange are associated with water.
Lawren LeoSuggested reading:
Deepak Chopra. Peace is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End, (Harmony Books, 2005)
Brian Cotnoir. The Weiser Concise Guide to Alchemy, (Weiser, 2005)
Scott Cunningham. Earth, Air, Fire & Water, (Llewellyn, 2002)
Masaru Emoto. The Hidden Messages in Water, translated by David A. Thayne (Beyond Worlds, 2005)
Sandra Kynes. Sea Magic: Connecting with the Ocean's Energy, (Llewellyn, 2008)
Gede Parma. By Land, Sky & Sea: Three Realms of Shamanic Witchcraft, (Llewellyn, 2010)
Dark Moon's Courage
Last night I had a dream:
At first, I was the night, as if emerging from a bottle of black ink. My arms, a dark blanket cradling a forest of tall trees. They seemed naked and vulnerable, perhaps stripped of their leaves by a dishonorable fall wind. Dutifully, I stretched my arms wide to help keep them hidden within my darkness. How fierce a protectress the night is, I thought as I stared at a sickle-shaped moon. And then, I started to change form.
Dead twigs cracked beneath my knees as my body became solid and took human shape. I was kneeling now, alone, in the forest among the trees. I looked up at the beauty of a deep purple sky punctured through with starlight. While all the time feeling gravity’s cruel pressure burdening my shoulders. Was I kneeling in wonderment or supplication? Oh brother trees, have pity on me, if only my knees could take root and join you in such sublime solitude -
A flash of unexpected light accompanied by a sharp pain in my forehead cut my woe mid-sentence. Was it a hunter’s arrow? Maybe the goddess Diana? Or, had the gods slung the sickle moon at me in a moment of myth-making drama? Then, I heard these words:
Courage. That is all I have ever taught you.
The voice conjured an image in my mind. If only you could have heard it - commanding and melodious, admonishing and accepting, a youthful woman yet a mature warrior. How close I felt to this voice whose mystery was hidden in self-contradiction.
I can’t entirely explain what happened next; except that all my emotions, good and bad, were soaked up by something otherworldly. It was as if a black hole had opened before me, sucking my soul clean of all debris, leaving an immaculate vacuum for Her words to germinate. Courage. That is all I have ever taught you. And then, I changed form, one last time.
A desire to locate something was my first sensation, then thirst. I was moving at a fast trot, snapping my way through indignant branches with a shake of antlers. Direction came easily. The smell of moist soil and bark made the wind a detailed map. A wild energy heated my body. This is what it feels like to be untamed, I thought with a joyous burst of freedom.
Slowing pace, I reached a pool of water where the river came to a stand-still. At its edge I leaned forward to drink, but stopped just short. The face of a white stag stared back with searching eyes. Courage. That is all I have ever taught you. This time the words were mine, spoke in unison with my proud, shadowy reflection. Our lips met in the water as I quenched my thirst.
At first, I was the night, as if emerging from a bottle of black ink. My arms, a dark blanket cradling a forest of tall trees. They seemed naked and vulnerable, perhaps stripped of their leaves by a dishonorable fall wind. Dutifully, I stretched my arms wide to help keep them hidden within my darkness. How fierce a protectress the night is, I thought as I stared at a sickle-shaped moon. And then, I started to change form.
Dead twigs cracked beneath my knees as my body became solid and took human shape. I was kneeling now, alone, in the forest among the trees. I looked up at the beauty of a deep purple sky punctured through with starlight. While all the time feeling gravity’s cruel pressure burdening my shoulders. Was I kneeling in wonderment or supplication? Oh brother trees, have pity on me, if only my knees could take root and join you in such sublime solitude -
A flash of unexpected light accompanied by a sharp pain in my forehead cut my woe mid-sentence. Was it a hunter’s arrow? Maybe the goddess Diana? Or, had the gods slung the sickle moon at me in a moment of myth-making drama? Then, I heard these words:
Courage. That is all I have ever taught you.
The voice conjured an image in my mind. If only you could have heard it - commanding and melodious, admonishing and accepting, a youthful woman yet a mature warrior. How close I felt to this voice whose mystery was hidden in self-contradiction.
I can’t entirely explain what happened next; except that all my emotions, good and bad, were soaked up by something otherworldly. It was as if a black hole had opened before me, sucking my soul clean of all debris, leaving an immaculate vacuum for Her words to germinate. Courage. That is all I have ever taught you. And then, I changed form, one last time.
A desire to locate something was my first sensation, then thirst. I was moving at a fast trot, snapping my way through indignant branches with a shake of antlers. Direction came easily. The smell of moist soil and bark made the wind a detailed map. A wild energy heated my body. This is what it feels like to be untamed, I thought with a joyous burst of freedom.
Slowing pace, I reached a pool of water where the river came to a stand-still. At its edge I leaned forward to drink, but stopped just short. The face of a white stag stared back with searching eyes. Courage. That is all I have ever taught you. This time the words were mine, spoke in unison with my proud, shadowy reflection. Our lips met in the water as I quenched my thirst.
Lawren Leo
For more creative visualizations and short stories read my books:
Love's Shadow: Nine Crooked Paths
Dragonflame: Tap Into Your Reservoir of Power Using Talismans, Manifestation, and Visualization
