This is a simple exercise in contemplation. It can give rise to deeper mysteries or it can be used to develop awareness. It's best suited to the times when you are restful rather than outgoing.

Choose a leaf that has fallen and bring it home to a quiet corner.

Really look at this leaf. Notice all the aspects you can about it - its colour, its texture. Touch it gently with your fingers and notice along the edges, along the underside, along the top, along the stem, all of the different textures that are included in that leaf. Smell it. Is there a scent that you can discern? And if so, what is it like? As you move it in your hand, what are the sounds associated with that leaf? Feel it thoroughly.

Now close your eyes and imagine that you are bringing the essence of that leaf into your body - that somehow it could pass through your skin and sit in the centre of your body - affecting the way that your body works, the ways that your body feels, the emotions that your body evokes. Is this just a fallen leaf, or does it hold a certain life of its own?

Rest for a while in this and allow the connection to open. You don't need to sense its energy or aliveness to make a connection. The connection already exists.

It doesn't have to be a leaf, it can be a pebble or a shell, a petal, a feather, or a starry night sky.

There are no right or wrong ways to do a meditation. The instructions are guidelines; adapt them to who you are and to your needs at that particular time. Be curious about the process itself.

Remember most meditations become richer the more you practice them. They reveal more of themselves. It can take practice to remember to do a meditation when you need to, and it can take practice to go through the steps. But that's why it is called practice, and for most of us, we practice for the rest of our lives.

Meditations like these are a regular feature of my free monthly Ezine, Starry Night. Subscribe today!

All content Copyright © Janet Dane unless otherwise stated.