I had a bit of a thought whilst meditating today – I suppose you could call it a vision in fact, since it was visual in nature, tho that conjures up all sorts of weird connotations.

I was imagining peeling off rusty plates of armour from a figure that had been buried a long time in the ground, gradually peeling off layer after layer and revealing what was underneath.

Im seeing the “self” as an encrustation of responses that have turned into defense mechanisms, perceptions that have ossified into beliefs and tendencies that have petrified into habits.

Coated in this fixed layer of solidified self, the being inside the armour has become mired in the morass of the society around it. Elements of the dense atmosphere has adhered to the surface of the armour, reinforcing its strength and further separating the being inside from the reality that surrounds it.

Sinking further into the turgid ground beneath it, the figure has become embedded and trapped, its movements gradually decreasing until it has become entombed and motionless, its potential for growth lying dormant inside.

Now the figure has been discovered and exhumed, the process begins of peeling off the surface to find what lies beneath – a simple being of infinite light, an indefinable process of energy and becoming.

Im looking forward to heading off tomorrow lunchtime on my first week long retreat.

Ive been on several weekend retreats now and whilst I greatly enjoy them and get quite a lot out of them, there’s a bit of a feeling thats its almost over by the time Im settling in. A week should really give me some time to get deep into my meditation practice without distraction (maybe it should be called an Advance, not a Retreat!).

The venue is the Vajraloka Meditation Centre in Wales and as you can see from the pic, it looks like a beautiful spot – Ive bought some new walking boots for the occasion.

Im a tiny bit apprehensive about committing to such an immersive experience, not least because of the amount of meditation thats likely to be involved, but Ive been meditating a lot more this year (an hour every weekday morning, three hours on saturday morning, plus shorter sits as part of my wednesday and thursday evenings) so it should feel like a natural progression.

Im not taking a mobile phone and theres no internet, so this is me logging out for a week – see you on the other side!
Xx