I did some work whilst living in London many years ago, with a wonderful Indian spiritual teacher. He taught about Chakra Psychology and keeping the chakras aligned and balanced, as in Ayurveda and Yoga, included staying aligned with not only our own inner rhythms but the outer rhythms affecting them – sun rise, sun set, season, moon.
And so, his guidance included rising before sunrise….not a problem in the Winter, not something I managed in the summer! Hmmm…4.30am starts. :))
At this time of year, we might find ourselves quite effortlessly rising at the prescribed time of day, just before the sun starts to rise in the sky. It is said to be the most Sattvic time of day, before most of the world starts to stir. It is called brahma mahurta.
As the light turns away from us, and the days become increasingly short and the nights longer over the coming weeks, there is talk of a thinning of the veil between ourselves and our ancestors, ourselves and the world of spirit. This is the origin of Hallowe’en. It’s peak is the sacred time of Samhain, the old pagan festival on the 31st October.
The vibration of the cosmos therefore invites us to slow down and turn inwards, and maybe that can mean putting more time aside for daily meditation and silent reflection. As we connect with our own Essence and spirit in this way, we will connect with the infinite world of spirit of which we are a part, will always be a part and in which our departed loved ones and ancestors now dwell.
We might find it difficult to grasp this concept, with our rational, mostly logic-biased minds. I hope this meditation on a morning star can help you to understand experientially. In any case, it is a beautiful practice to do.
In Yoga, we are taught that the first stages of meditation come from narrowing the rays of the mind to a single object of meditation. This is challenging enough for most of us in the beginning and we can practice for years, and we will find the mind still wondering. Nevertheless, the object can be an outer or inner object, and it is often recommended that it is an outer object of light, and an inner light that we meditate upon.
In this meditation, we meditate on the brightest morning star in the sky.
Please read through the guidelines below and next time you wake to a star shining brightly through your bedroom window, or are walking in the early morning perhaps, pause and take yourself through the steps of this mediation.
You will feel its support and nurturance through your day.
And if you are missing a loved one, it is a beautiful practice to do as part of the healing process. Not when grief is in its rawest stages perhaps: that might be too difficult, but in later times. After all, I am sure we never stop missing the ones we have loved and who have loved us dearly. This meditation will show us that they are always here in spirit and take us to the part of ourselves where they dwell.
THE MEDITATION:
This practice is based on the concentration technique of tratak, which involves gazing with soft eyes, without blinking as far as possible on an object of light. It is often practiced on a candle flame, here we take the practice to the brightest morning star in the sky.
The best time to practice this meditation is as the dawn is breaking.
Their form is no longer with us, but they are still here. It cannot be any other way.
Just as the star appears to have left the morning sky because we can no longer see it’s form, so it is with our departed loved ones.
Their form may have dissolved back into the elements that created it, but their light and the light of their love will always be with us. Just as the star still shines brightly in the sky, even though we cannot see it.
The light and intelligence that gave form to our loved ones, cannot just disappear, it is always there because it has always been borne from and never separate from that one great light and intelligence that is the source of this whole manifest existence.
The form has gone, and the light of their being is dissolved into the infinte light, the one light of which they were always a part, of which we are all always a part, to which we will all one day return, to which they have returned.
The imprint of their unique manifestation of this light through their personal form and being, remains in our heart, just as the imprint of the brightest star in the sky will remain in your heart throughout this day.
Practice this meditation and nurture your awareness and connection to the spirit of your departed loved ones, in your heart, in the Essence of your being.
It is against the laws of the Universe, of the deeper truths of how things work to believe that they can ever truly depart from us. In our Essence, we are always one, and remain so in spite of the seeming divide between life and death.
You can take this meditation and reflection out to the whole of nature and feel the spirit of your ancestors in the land you walk, where they walked, in the trees, the rivers, the sun and the moon, and all the stars in the sky.
By the way, “ancestors” does not necessarily just mean those in our family line, it can mean all those who have gone before us, as part of our tribe, our culture: those who have toiled the land for future generations, fought for our liberties, explored, enquired and done so much to give us the world and life we enjoy today.
Look out for the audio recording of this meditation, coming soon to my YouTube Channel.
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As I come to the end of this writing for today, I begin to hear the words of the lovely song, “I’ll be Seeing You”, moving around in my head: so nostalgic, and after such a reflection perhaps the lyrics will bring a different resonance to you too. 😊
I’ll Be Seeing You, by Sammy Fain/Irving Kahal:
I’ll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through
In that small cafe
The park across the way
The children’s carousel
The chestnut trees
The wishing well
I’ll be seeing you
In every lovely summer’s day
In everything that’s light and gay
I’ll always think of you that way
I’ll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I’ll be looking at the moon
But I’ll be seeing you
I’ll be seeing you
In every lovely summer’s day
In everything that’s light and gay
I’ll always think of you that way
I’ll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I’ll be looking at the moon
But I’ll be seeing you