The Journey

Objective: To experience the ebb and flow of your life’s journey; to show how your personal resolve to move forward on a spirtual path is so critically important.

Close your eyes and breathe comfortably.
Imagine that you are undertaking a long and arduous spiritual journey.
The journey requires you to take a long walk without any companion.
You are wearing a long robe for protection against the heat and walking shoes.
You have a stick in your hand for self-protection.
You know the general direction of where you would like to go but you are unaware of the specific pathway that would take you there.
You are in search of the source of sacred water and nourishment for your soul that would make you gain new energy, an energy that makes you do extraordinary things in life.
You sit down on a large stone to relax and to drink a few drops of water from the flask you are carrying.

Suddenly, you see that the color of the sky has changed.
The sky has become dark and the sun has disappeared behind thick black clouds.
There is thunder and lightening.
Wind becomes fast and ferocious.
For a moment, you don’t know what to do.
You see a cave on the side of the hill.
You rush into the cave.
It looks like an old cave.
Over time, it may have given shelter to many animals and human beings.
Outside, the weather looks like a hurricane.
Trees are uprooted.
Streams, which were dry only a few minutes ago, now are flooded with water.
You sit in a meditative posture and reach deep within yourself.
You ask for spiritual guidance.

When you open your eyes, the hurricane is gone.
The sun has come out.
The wind is cool but non-threatening.
You decide to resume your walk.
You walk a few miles.
Suddenly, you are overcome by thirst and hunger.
You have only a few drops of water and no food.
You decide to meditate once again.
When you open your eyes, you hear the sound of falling water.
You decide to follow the sound.
You see a waterfall.
Very close to the waterfall there is an orchard.
You smell ripe apples ready to be picked.
You take your pick of the fruit and sit down by the water to have your meal.
You feel you have come to the end of your journey.
A new energy flows through your veins.

Open your eyes when you are ready.

The Choices We Make

Objective: To emphasize the importance of combining our work life with a life dedicated to love of nature and community service.


Close your eyes and breathe comfortably.
You are walking on a lonely road.
There is nothing much to be seen along the road.
You ask a passerby, “Where does this road end?”
He answers, “You will know when you reach the fork.”
You go on walking at a slow and measured pace.

Soon you reach the fork.
You see the sign that says: “This path ends here. Take the road left or right.”
The road on which you were walking was the road of innocence, where you were not called upon to make any big decisions.
Everything seemed to fall easily into place.
Now is your time to make a big decision.
The path on the right leads to the Fun City and you can see its bright lights in the distance; Manhattan-style skyscrapers, Vegas-style places for fun and amusement, stores and shopping plazas, apartment buildings.
The path to the left goes to a small town, a place in the hills, peaceful and serene, with clean air and water.
In a difficult choice like this, what do you choose?

You say to yourself:
I need the big city because I need to do my work.
I need the small town community because I want to nurture my spirit.
I need balance in my life.

You take the path on the left, with the hope that you will build your own connection with the material life, a bridge that connects the small community life to the business opportunities offered by a metropolis.
Imagine what kind of bridges will you need to build between the spiritual and the material parts of your life.
Who will help you build those bridges?
What material and spiritual resources you will need to connect these two cities?
Think about it and visualize these connections.

Imagine yourself commuting between these two worlds.
Imagine yourself bringing the fruits of one world to the other.
Imagine yourself living closer to sights and sounds of nature.
Imagine yourself doing work for a self-managed community.
Imagine yourself leading a spiritual life that is not disconnected with material needs of life.
Imagine yourself experiencing the joy that proper balance has brought into your life.

Open your eyes when you are ready.