This brief meditation takes you on a peaceful mystical walk through a forest, connecting with the plants, the birds and animals, and the divine presence.
Sit or lie comfortably. Close your eyes, and take several slow deep breaths, taking 4-5 seconds on the inhale, and the same on the exhale. Feel the air passing through your nostrils, your throat, and in and out of your lungs. Soon you will start to feel peaceful and can let your breathing return to normal.
Imagine yourself at the start of a beautiful thickly forested trail. It can be any kind of forest you enjoy most—oak, maple, pine, cedar, fir. As you start on the trail, feel the softness of the dirt and mulch under your feet, notice the slightly damp smell of the soil, the cool shade of the forest enveloping you like a blanket or a hug. You feel very much at home here, starting to feel already at peace as any tension or worry slips away.
The trees and plants in the forest feel familiar like old friends, their greenness and the fresh oxygen they emit for you feel like a gift. As you breathe in the scent, the mild air smells vaguely sweet like flowers and vegetation. Your body moves easily and smoothly along the path, you feel comfortable, and relaxed. Small birds twitter in the trees, and you hear the occasional swoosh of wings as larger birds fly overhead.
Walking on, you notice the intermittent shade and sunshine as the sun peeks through the forest, rays filtering through the trees, lighting up parts of the path while other parts remain in cool shade. You notice the plants, ferns, and flowers of all kinds with their different colors of intense yellow, blue, purple, pink, and red.
You see movement up ahead and glimpse a fox, a rabbit, or a squirrel, running along the trail and then diverting into the woods. Looking up into the trees and sky, you catch sight of a hawk or an owl gliding from one treetop to another, and you feel for a second as though you’ve been touched by divine presence. There is an enchantment in this forest; it’s a special place that feels like your village; you feel kinship with the wildlife and the trees and plants as you walk among them.
Soon you come to a clearing and feel more rays of warm sunshine on your skin. You start to climb gently up a hill. Nearing the hill’s summit, you enter a cloud; its mistiness is a cool refreshment on your face and makes you feel as though you’ve entered a mystical kingdom. You walk for a few minutes through the cloud, and as you crest the hill, there’s an outcropping of rocks, a place for you to sit down. The cloud begins to drift away, and the sun shining strongly on your face feels warm and relaxing. You close your eyes as you sit on a rock that seems perfectly sculpted for your body. You lean back, supported by the rock and let the sun soak into your skin.
Resting there with your eyes closed, you feel that you’re in a sacred place and you begin to feel the sacred presence of the divine. As you listen to the gentleness of your own breathing, waiting for the words of the divine, you begin to hear a quiet, gentle inward message that is just for you. It’s exactly what you need to hear in this moment, whether it’s the comforting feeling of being loved, renewed energy for the work ahead, or insights into something important to you. Whatever it is that you need, the divine speaks to you and fills you to overflowing with wisdom, comfort, joy, and well-being. You know that you are cared for, safe and protected, and that all will be well.
The feeling of timelessness in that place fades away, and you look out over the landscape, seeing everything in a new way! Your soul is refreshed and you feel like a new person! Around you, you see ranges of mountains going off into the distance, and in the valley below, a beautiful sparkling lake. The sun glints off the surface, alternating blue of the reflected sky, gold and silver of the reflected sunlight.
You feel that you could stay in this place forever, like it’s your home. But life goes on and you are refreshed and ready to return, having experienced your divine soul, and a connection with the plants the animals. You rise and take one last glance around you at the beauty below and off in the distance. You turn and start to walk back through the cloud, slowly descending back into the thick and comforting blanket of forest. You walk back slowly, but joyfully, knowing you’ve received the refreshment you need, and a message from the divine helping you to know your next steps. Perhaps it’s even a bigger message, one that shows you a new path, or wise answers to previously difficult questions. The wisdom you’ve received takes away any fears and reassures you that you know the way; you’re going where your soul leads.
Walking back through the trees, you hear again the twittering of birds, noticing the cool green of everything around you, and the luscious colors and smells of the flowers and plants. Soon you find yourself again at the entrance to the path.
Now you’re ready to return to your life, feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. Take some slow deep breaths, and feel the sensations of your body in this moment—the air on your skin, your weight on the surface where you sit, your breathing. Feel a sense of calm and gently open your eyes. Take a moment to let your mind reenter the world. Then rise feeling renewed and ready to move forward in your life.
Check back soon for a podcast of this guided meditation read in my own voice.
What a beautiful guided meditation. Definitely bookmarking this for future use. Thank you for creating this resource!
Thank you for that very encouraging comment, Kandi. I'm glad you enjoyed it! This morning I recorded it as a podcast, so you can listen to it also. :)