Lake Meditation

Rivers and streams are always going somewhere. A lake stays put. Most of the time our mind may run along like a babbling brook. In meditation we still the mind so that consciousness is like the still waters of a lake.

One may approach a state of meditative mind through relaxing into a passive, reflective condition. Lake imagery can help you get there.

Imagine a late summer day at a beautiful mountain lake. There are no people around. You find yourself at the shore of this deep, clear and peaceful body of water.  You are comfortable and safe and you experience a great feeling of well-being as you appreciate the beauty of the place. Looking into the depths of the water you find peace and calm. You see the lake as reflecting the mountain and trees and sky and all the world, but also reflecting your own mind.

Imagine your mind taking on the attributes of the lake.
The chatter of civilization seems far away and of no great urgency.
You are where you belong right now.
Nature has placed you here and grants you permission to stay.
Thoughts may ripple the surface like a breeze upon the lake, but deeper down they have no effect.
For this brief time, those thoughts are of no importance.
Your mind becomes still and clear.
Your conscious mind becomes passive.
Your mind is quiet and deep, but peaceful.
It has nothing it must do and no place it has to go. 
You are content to rest here in this peaceful deep calm.
Your mind is cool, clear, and at rest. 
Sounds may punctuate the stillness, but they require nothing of you, and they pass away. Allow your mind to sink into the still water.
Allow consciousness to sink into the depths.
Rest there as long as you want, and then rise up to the surface again.
As you return to your daily round, carry the peaceful spirit of lake consciousness with you.

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