Tree in Winter Guided Meditation
by L. Pontarelli

You are about to perform the Tree In Winter Meditation. It is a guided meditation which involves a deep level of relaxation. It is structured to gently guide your awareness through the process of relaxation, invoke a higher state of consciousness, and allow you to release all that no longer serves you and that which is in your highest good to move beyond. This meditation works best when lying down, but can be used in any position that is comfortable for you.

I want you to close your eyes, and begin to breathe slowly and deeply. Inhale for a silent count of four, hold your breath for as long as you comfortably can, and exhale slowly and completely.

Inhale slowly through the nose, holding your breath, and then exhale completely through slightly parted lips. Breathe in, taking in new and fresh ideas, and holding them in the heart area. And now breathe out, releasing all stress and anxiety.

And continue this deep breathing, so that your body begins to release and relax. And in the future prior to each meditation session, do three minutes of this meditative breathing before you begin the session.

Now, slow down your mind, and clear away all outside thoughts. If any distractions should appear, gently brush them aside.

And I want you to imagine standing in a large, fertile field. The field has been warmed by the golden rays of the sun. And this warmth begins to seep into the soles of both of your feet at the same time. Warming and relaxing your feet. And this relaxing power begins to slowly work its way into your ankles, relaxing the ankles. Feel it moving up the calves, relaxing and warming you as it travels to the knees and up the thighs.

And this relaxing power flows into your hips, and gently soothes and relaxes the hips. And now you begin to feel the warmth in the tips of your fingers, relaxing the fingers and hands, and moving into the wrists, gently soothing and relaxing. And it moves up your arms relaxing the forearms, elbows, and upper arms. Now feel the warmth in the base of your spine. And the relaxing power works its way up your spine, up your spine. And your arms, and legs, and spine feel warm and relaxed. And this relaxing feeling moves on up the spine to the neck and shoulder muscles, relaxing the neck and shoulder muscles. Begin to feel the relaxing power move up your neck into your scalp, relaxing your scalp and draining down into your facial muscles, relaxing your facial muscles, and your jaw is relaxed. Allow a little space between your teeth, and your throat is relaxed.

Now, I want you to imagine a point of light above that originates at the center of the universe. And from this point, I want you to imagine a ray of bright golden light that shines down upon you. Make it real with the power of your imagination. And this bright golden light enters your heart area, and you are filled to overflowing with the love and gentle energy of this bright golden light. And you feel  strong, and healthy, and safe. And as this light moves up your spine, you feel it begin to spout from the crown chakra at the top of your head. And as it spouts, it becomes a protective rainbow of light that surrounds and  protects you.

And you can see each color of the rainbow as it surrounds you. First, you see the red, then the orange, and yellow, and green, then the blue, and then violet and then you see indigo. And as these colors stream down around you, they begin to shimmer from the strands of gold interlaced within each color. And this protective rainbow can extend out as far as you wish. And I want you to imagine this rainbow becoming larger and stronger.

And from each foot, imagine roots growing out, branching and continuing to grow until they reach Mother Earth. Plant the roots firmly into Mother Earth and allow the roots to grow and  branch out. And as the roots go deeper and deeper, they begin to tap into the transformative energy of the Earth And you become fully and firmly grounded.

Now, I want you to begin to absorb the nutrients and the life-giving water and  transformative earth energy back up the roots into the navel where it builds. When this becomes completely full, let this energy find its way up the spine - healing and  transforming to perfection all that it touches. As it reaches the shoulders, it branches off in 3 directions- out each arm and out the top of the head. Healing, transforming, and continuing to grow.

And as it branches off and continues to grow, leaves begin forming. When you have extended as far out as you desire, leaves sprout and shoot off from the branches. Notice how green and full of  life the leaves have become. And each leaf represents a cherished memory that wishes to be released. Notice the leaves closest to you. And as you focus your attention on each individual leaf, an image that symbolizes the memory of each event or person or thing that you desire to release will become apparent. You will view these scenes as an observer, and you will have a detached perspective. You will see these images of what once was in your life which you no longer wish to remain as a part of your life as you live it fully in the present.

And as you watch the scenes unfolding before you, when the message of their memory is completed, the leaf will turn its autumn color and gently drop off and float to the ground to be transformed by the Earth. You will say goodbye to that memory and focus on the next one, and the ones after that, each in its own turn.

(Pause for the above to transpire)

And now that all the memories that you no longer need in your life have fallen to the ground, a gentle and light snowfall begins. The flakes are dainty and beautiful and they build up and create a beautiful blanket of soft snow which completely covers the fallen leaves so that they can no longer be seen. And the bright sun glistens on the top of the new fallen snow, and you feel happy to see the sun shine. And the sun grows brighter and brighter and begins to warm the snow. The snow slowly melts away and you can feel the water giving nourishment to the roots.

(Short pause)

And now that the snow has all melted, you look down and notice that the fallen leaves have also disappeared. They have been transformed by the Earth and the change of seasons. This is all a part of the circle of life. And you look now on the branches of the tree and notice new buds forming. These buds are the beginning of new memories and experiences that you are now asking to come into your life. And you feel the freshness of springtime. Now it is time to thank the Earth for her help in transforming the leaves. You will remember the messages and insight found on the leaves before they fell and understand their lessons. If you do not easily understand the purpose of an event or symbol, clarity will come to you in your nightly dreams.

And your branches pull back to become your arms and hands again. Thank Mother Earth for her nourishment and protection and slowly pull back the roots until they once again become feet and legs. And you feel the pulsing life force in your naval area. You will carry this gentle pulsing force to know that you are always connected to the Mother and are full of life, vibrancy and good health. You can call upon this inner peace any time. And as you recall the messages and lessons I want you to slowly and gently become aware of all that surrounds you.

When you are comfortable, open your eyes and record all that you have learned  from this journey. You will feel awake and refreshed.