Hi all…I want to share with you a vision I have when I want to shut down and meditate. I really don’t know why I want to share this. Maybe it is because I want to share happiness. In any event I invite your thoughts with an open heart…

I found myself in a very old-growth forest, a forest primeval. I call it My Forest. The well worn path reminds me that I have been here many times before. Walking through this forest primeval I can clearly smell the life here. It smells undisturbed. It is a forest with huge, old, unmolested majestic redwood trees perhaps 3oo feet tall. The ferns hanging off the tree trunks on the first couple of branches have an Emerald like green color like I have never seen before. The forest floor is covered with very soft clover grass with an occasional butterfly dancing flower to flower. As I walk through my forest I notice a breeze that flows gently through the branches. It was as though the wind was saying to me, shhhhhh. The swaying branches seemed to gently embrace me although I am not touched by them, as if they were ushering me to a specific destination. As I continue on my path I come to a large field covered in clover and variety of flowers, the kind you would only find in undisturbed fields and dreams. Continuing on my path I leave the forest and find myself on a beach of warm soothing sand, surrounded by boulders with small openings in them that are home to mystical birds. As I look ahead toward the beach I notice a hot air balloon. Seeing this huge hot air balloon gave me happiness as I knew I was reuniting with an old friend. The hot air balloon was massive in size. It was made of aged leather and canvas. On the side of my hot air balloon was a name carved in wood. The name of my hot air balloon is My Life. As always, when I visit my hot air balloon I am invited to go anywhere I want to go. As I climbed into the basket  and closed the door, I released the ropes that kept it grounded for me. My balloon gently lifted off with an occasional ever so gentle sway of the basket. As I continued to rise over the ocean, I noticed my balloon was held at a low altitude, perhaps 500 feet. I thought this to be odd since my hot air ballon named My Life always took me to where I wanted to go. As I looked over the side of the basket to see what was holding me back, I noticed 4 ropes attached to each corner. Attached to the ropes were sandbags, one for each rope. When I looked at the sand bags, I noticed each had a name to them. They were names of what was holding me down. For My Life to take me to where I want to go I must release those sand bags. As I searched for a way to release them, I turned and noticed a small wooden box in the center of the basket. It was a very ancient box carved with an ancient design that reminded me of Celtic carvings, but much, much older. When I opened the box I noticed a knife. This too was very ancient. It was something I knew that could release the hindrance of those useless sandbags. This knife was like a miniature sword perhaps 14 inches long with two edges capable of cutting anything. The handle was made of solid gold. The blade was a very bright, shiny silver. The edges of the blade were lined with what appears to be a solid diamond. On each side of this knife was a word carved into it. It was the name of the knife and the name was Liberation. As I picked up the knife I went to the first corner of the balloon to release the first sandbag. The first sandbag had a name on it. The name was impatience. Knowing  that there was no value in my hanging on to impatience I began to cut the first rope. As the knife cut through the rope it was as though a powerful laser was cutting through butter. When the first bag, impatience, was cut away from my balloon, I saw it falling farther and farther away only to fall into the sea. When the bag impatience fell into these, I see that impatience was broken up and dissolved never to return again. When this bag was released I noticed a gentle jerking motion from my balloon. It was a gentle motion of desire of My Life wanting to go farther. To do this I must confront the next bag and release it. I noticed the next bag had a name to it. It was called self doubt. Knowing I had no need for self doubt to be attached to My Life, I began cutting the rope that held this bag. As I began cutting the rope, I noticed a very bright light coming from the edges of my knife. Instantly the rope separated and the sandbag called self doubt fell rapidly into the ocean. Like the bag before it, self doubt also dissolved  never to be returned again. I noticed yet another slight jerking of My Life. I know that this tells me that My Life is has a strong desire to go higher. When I noticed the 3rd rope holding a sandbag, I noticed that it too had a name. The name of this sandbag that was holding My Life down was called anger. Knowing that I had no use for anger, I took my ancient knife and began cutting away at the rope holding the sandbag. Like the other sandbags before, it too fell away toward the sea only to ultimately be dissolved forever. And like before, cutting away the sandbag made My Life rise a little more with the desire to go higher than before. I came upon the last rope. This too held a sand bag that was holding My Life down. This sandbag, like the others, had a name. The name of this sandbag is low self-esteem. Knowing that I have no reason to hold on to something that does not serve me well at all, I proceeded to use Liberation to free this sandbag from My Life. As the rope was completely severed, the sandbag called low self-esteem fell into the ocean, never again to be able to hold down My Life. As I thanked Liberation to free these sandbags from my life, I returned it to its ancient wooden box, knowing that it will always be available to me. When the final sandbag disappeared forever, My Life gently and effortlessly soared higher and higher as though it was soaring higher with intention and purpose, with a specific sense of direction. As My Life was soaring to exciting possibilities, I knew that where it was taking me was to endless possibilities in the universe. As My Life was taking me among the bright stars, it was as though a voice of the universe was asking me what it was that I wanted. Soaring farther among the stars I noticed I was gliding to a very bright light. It was as though I was observing a very bright disc on its edges with a slight elevation in the center. As I began to go closer to this white disc, what I saw was a disc of white light that was immeasurable in size. It was very captivating. I soon found My Life consumed by this light of endless possibilities. Within this bright, white disc were bright banners measured in light years in size. Each of these banners had names of what I could have because they are things I deserve. Being difficult to choose from the endless possibilities of what I could have simply by the asking, I chose a banner named Happiness. As My Life soared into the banner called Happiness I noticed My Life being consumed with Happiness. As I looked at myself riding in My Life I noticed that I I was consumed by happiness in such a way that it now became a permanent part of My Life. Being consumed with happiness, I knew that it was forever and that was more for me that I deserved. As I soared to another bright, white banner, I noticed it too has a name. The name of this banner is Love. Knowing what happened when I soared into the banner called Happiness, My Life took me into this banner. Like the banner before, soaring into this banner consumed the very core of my heart and soul only to remain there forever. The things that I knew I deserved were always available to me if only I would reach for them. Knowing this, My Life took me to yet another banner. This has a name as well. The name of this banner is Peace. I now know what happens to me when My Life soars into a bright, white banner called Peace. As I once again soared into this bright, white banner, Peace became a permanent attachment to my heart and soul only to remain there forever. As I noticed that My Life was consumed with Peace, Love, and Happiness, I decided that these gifts were not only for me, but for My Life to share with others as well. As My Life felt it was time to return home, I knew that I was finally blessed with these things to share with others. As My Life approached my beach, it finally settled on the warm sand ever so gently. As I exited the basket I looked up to this enormous hot air balloon, I looked at it towering over me. I felt as though My Life was telling me it is ok for me to return as I wish and it shall take me to wherever it was I wanted to go. When I returned to the old-growth forest, the forest primeval, I had a sensation that all the life in the forest embraced me with the comfort and reassurance that it will always be there to guide me to my balloon called My Life.

This is a visual I have when I want to shut down, go “away” and meditate. Just a vision that I want to share…