This series of Guided Meditations have been prepared by our CoChair Leonora Wassell for you to use:
Guided Meditation on Psalm 1:3
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in season and
whose leaf does not wither,
whatever they do prospers.
Find a comfortable position, with your feet firmly placed on the ground and your hands placed on your knees. Relax, breath in and out slowly, being aware of your breath. Breath in God’s peace and breath out any tension or anxiety. Relax your body, releasing the tension in your body. Tense the muscles of your feet and relax; move to your legs and tense your muscles and relax; tense the muscles of your hips and relax; tense the muscles of your back and relax; tense the muscles in your shoulders and relax, finally tense the muscles in your face and relax.
Close your eyes and imagine a tree close to a stream. What sort of tree is it? Notice the greenness of the leaves. Feel the bark. Is it smooth or rough? Sit down with your back to the tree. Feel the solidness of the trunk against your back. Be aware of a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves. Listen to the gentle flowing of the river.
As you sit in this peaceful, safe space call to mind any negative feelings that you may be experiencing. They may be concerning a relationship, a loss, a conflict you find yourself in. You may be experiencing guilt, resentment, anger, frustration. Whatever they are, let them gently rise into your consciousness. Speak to God about these feelings you have. Share your needs concerning these feelings.
When you are ready, drop each one of these feelings into the stream, and watch them dissolve in the purifying waters of God’s love. As they dissolve noxious fumes are given off. Watch as the fumes are blown away by the Holy Spirit’s gentle breeze, leaving the stream pure and nourishing. Feel God’s peace wash over you as you release all the negative feelings you have shared and watched disappear.
Now drink in the nourishment of the pure water which has washed away your negativity. Feel the coolness of the water as it enters your body, quenching your soul’s thirst. Share with God your intentions in response to his love.
Guided Meditation – The Cave
Find a comfortable position and relax your body. Be aware of your breath. As you breath in in, take in God’s peace and as you breath out, expel any tension or anxiety you have. Just be aware of your breathing without thinking. As thoughts surface lay them aside and come back to the awareness of your breathing.
In your imagination you are walking towards the entrance of a cave. Be aware of the surrounding area….the path…is it stone or grass…..hear the noises surrounding you…are there trees or rocks….. Was it difficult to get to the cave…. What does the entrance look like…. you enter the cave on your own… it is dark… How do you feel as you enter the cave …. Jesus appears to you and says, “do not be afraid, come and follow me.”
As you move further into the cave your eyesight adjusts to the light…..you see a glow to one side and go to investigate…..this alcove holds all your happy memories….spend some time remembering a few… recall the feelings you experienced…..speak to Jesus about these experiences……
Jesus invites you now to go further into the cave to explore the deeper recesses….how do you feel as you go deeper and deeper into the unknown interior…..suddenly you find your path blocked ahead of you. Jesus tells you that these are your sins and all the pain you have experienced. Sit down with him and share with him those which are uppermost in your mind…. Tell him about how you feel …… as you sit with your eyes closed he takes your hands…..listen to his voice as he tells you again, ”Do not be afraid. I have redeemed you.” ……… you open your eyes and see that all the stones have been removed…. there is now no obstacle to your inward journey……. a pool with a beautiful waterfall is now revealed… picture the scene…. Listen to the water as it cascades down into the pool….. Smell the freshness of the air…Jesus invites you to walk into the pool and stand under the waterfall….. as you stand under the crystal clear water feel all your sins and pain wash away….. Jesus tells you “I came to take away your sin. Go now in my peace.” Tell him what that means to you…. Walk back through the cave in companiable silence. As you leave the cave Jesus invites you “Come follow me and walk in the light of life.”
Guided Meditation – Mud
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. Psalm 40:1-2
Our pain/guilt/anger/loneliness and many more negative feelings can trap us as if we are stuck in mud. Sometimes we cannot function because of the intensity of these feelings. With great effort we can function a little, but it takes so much out of us leaving us drained and unable to function any further until we regain our strength. As we draw on the Water of Life and allow it flow into us, we find ourselves able to function more easily. As we begin the process of healing the strong emotions we have are easily stirred up. They rise to the surface obscuring our vision. The more we allow God to water us the easier it becomes to swim above the intensity. The emotions are still there but are diluted until they lay well below the surface.
We come to the visualisation in which we bring all our negative emotions( the mud which traps us) and allow them to be washed away.
Find a comfortable position on a chair or prayer stool. Relax your body and mind. Starting at your feet tense the muscles and relax them. Move to your legs, tense, and relax. Tense your hips and relax. Move to the muscles of your torso, tense and relax. Tense the muscles of your arms and hands and relax. Finally tense the muscles of your face and relax.
Now concentrate on your breathing. Be aware of your breath. As you breathe in slowly take in God’s peace and as you breathe out expel any anxiety or tension left in you. Try to just concentrate on your breathing without thinking. If thoughts arise, lay them aside and return to the awareness of your breathing. Breath in peace……. breath out anxiety……do this as long as you feel comfortable (up to 5 mins).
We now move to our visualisation. Imagine you have come to a small lagoon. Picture it in your mind… in the distance is a pier with steps going down into the water….. the water is so low that the steps do not reach the water….look at the foliage surrounding the lagoon… It’s a warm day without a cloud in the sky…feel the warmth on your face…you have come for a swim (don’t worry if you can’t swim in real life, this is only a visualisation, you are safe at all times)….. take off your outer clothes and step into the water… it is warm….. as you step in, your feet sink into the mud…. What does it feel like?……. feel the mud squelch between your toes…. You try to move but are held fast…. Bring to mind what is holding you back at the moment…. Water begins to pour into the lagoon and the mud begins to loosen its grip on you…. You can now begin to move but it is still difficult….. speak to God about your negative emotions….. name each one….. as the water rises you are able to float but your movement stirs up the sediment…… which emotions keep being stirred up in your life?……ask God to wash away your negative emotions…..the water continues to flood into the lagoon, and the water becomes clearer…… You are now able to swim without disturbing the sediment….. see your emotions settle to the bottom…. You are now able to swim in any direction… spend some time floating and tell God how you feel….. when you’re ready swim to the pier and climb out of the lagoon onto solid ground. As you dress imagine putting on God’s protection and walk away with the security of God’s promise to hear your cry and draw you out of the pit.
Guided Meditation – Walking the Way with Christ
I invite you on a journey along a path. Firstly, find a comfortable position, feel your body in contact with the chair. Relax and let go of any tension. Be aware of your breathing. Take a deep breath in and slowly let it out. As you centre yourself know that God is with you.
Close your eyes and now imagine yourself ready for a walk. What are you wearing?…. Are you prepared for all weathers and all terrains?…… you set off along a path.. what is it like?….. Visualise the surrounding area…. What are the sounds you hear?…. is it windy or calm?….as you walk along Jesus falls in step with you….how do you greet him?…. what is his reply?…he invites you to follow him on a journey…. The path ahead becomes difficult, there are obstacles in the way….. what are they?….. you concentrate as you try to negotiate them…..Jesus asks you what obstacles you are facing at the moment……tell him……listen to his response….the path is now clear but is getting steeper…it is becoming difficult to keep going…how does it feel as you struggle on? Now tell Jesus of the difficulties you are facing…..how does he respond?……..you have now reached a level path but have come to a crossroad…….you tell him of any dilemmas you may be facing and ask which path to take in your life……listen to his advice………..you have now reached a beach….. drink in the view… the smell of the sea… the noise of the waves…..walk in silence as you do so……. Jesus turns to you and asks “Do you love me?… give him your reply…. Do you really love?…..”Then follow me and do my work…. Do not be afraid for I will lead the way…..give him your answer……. Walk in silence before you part Amen
Guided Meditation – A heavenly encounter
Revelation 21:1-5
New International Version
A New Heaven and a New Earth
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
I invite you to join me on a journey. A journey in your imagination to heaven. Firstly, find a comfortable position and relax your body. Be aware of any tension in your muscles. Tense then relax each area of tension……. Now become aware of your breathing… Slowly breathe in and feel your chest expand as it takes in a breath…hold your breath for the count of three and then breathe out. Feel your chest contract as your breathe leaves your body. Breathe in God’s peace and breathe out any residual tension.
Now imagine what heaven is like for you…. what do you see?…. What do you hear?…. What does it feel like?…. you now encounter God, face to face….. how does that make you feel?….what do you want to say to God?…… speak of your concerns….. share your hopes and dreams….. share who you wish to bring to God’s love….talk about what you want changing in your life…. Listen to God’s response……. Sit in God’s loving presence and contemplate what God has to say to you….. make your own response…….what emotions are evoked by this encounter…. Now hear God say to you “You are my beloved child and I am making all things new. Go in my peace to love and serve in my name.”
Leonora Wassell
