Natural (Buddhist) Meditation

[Kima]

I've been a druid for almost two years now and it's been a time of exploration and discovery. As I come to the end of my bardic training I think I am finally discovering what my path within druidry might be. I guess it should have been obvious since I made a foray into Buddhism when I left Christianism. My interest, especially, in Green Meditation is what prepared me for Druidry: http://www.tricycle.com/feature/turn-out-lights Then I was also trained in MBCT and Insight Meditation. Now I have come across Mark Coleman and his work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPfBsrenNls I have also ordered the book recommended on druidry.org in the meditation section: http://www.druidry.org/druid-way/teachi ... meditation and am looking forward to reading it.

I think that this is what I have to do this year as spring comes. Do all I can to take my meditation outside. I want a simple but deep druid practice and bringing it together with meditation makes perfect sense. I would love to train myself in "Wild Meditation" and learn to lead meditation for others as well. Druidry encourages a lot of visualization and not so much "just sitting" to cultivate awareness, but I was wondering: do any of you meditate out in the woods, the fields, or under the stars?

[Explorer]

but I was wondering: do any of you meditate out in the woods, the fields, or under the stars?

I never meditate inside anymore, only in the woods. I liked the Sacred Grove meditation, also indoors, but I prefer to do it in a real grove.
In a very simple way, I just sit and let the sounds, smells and sensations drift in, and try to sink into that with as much awareness as possible. But in a light free drifting way to allow some sense of flow, if you know what I mean.

I don't use visualisations, chakra, aura, karma, energy bodies or balls of light. I find that too complicated and distracting (and a bit silly).
Except when I do a ritual, then I do all that OBOD hocus pocus to focus. (try saying that 10 times really fast ).

[Lily]

OBOD hocus pocus to focus. (try saying that 10 times really fast ).

[Heddwen]

I try to meditate outside as much as possible, weather permitting of course and even then I try a walking meditation in the pouring rain! If the weathers too bad then its indoors for me, but I do try to meditate every day and I do use the Ovate course material for this. I also practise mindfulness meditation which I find useful for anxiety and stressful situations which helps to reduce tension a great deal.

[Heddwen]

I try to meditate outside as much as possible, weather permitting of course and even then I try a walking meditation in the pouring rain! If the weathers too bad then its indoors for me, but I do try to meditate every day and I do use the Ovate course material for this. I also practise mindfulness meditation which I find useful for anxiety and stressful situations which helps to reduce tension a great deal.

[Kima]

I agree with Explorer. In fact, the further into the course I progress, the less convinced I am that I should let the exercises described define my practice, although I incorporate some of them into more formal rituals. I was expecting the gwers to be more nature-driven, not only in the mind but in practice, and more focused on the senses. That is my druidry! I prefer to be taught by nature itself rather than by my idea of it, if that makes sense. Most of the time anyway.

[Explorer]

I agree with Explorer. In fact, the further into the course I progress, the less convinced I am that I should let the exercises described define my practice, although I incorporate some of them into more formal rituals. I was expecting the gwers to be more nature-driven, not only in the mind but in practice, and more focused on the senses. That is my druidry! I prefer to be taught by nature itself rather than by my idea of it, if that makes sense. Most of the time anyway.

Exactly. I like the course as a whole, but some oriental spiritual paths and new age hippy stuff made its way into the course also. I found that slightly disappointing, because I also expected the course to be nature-driven and more shamanic. But in the end it doesn't matter much, somehow it was also interesting to learn about those point of views.
In the end I dropped all that though, and I now happily practise a more nature-driven form of druidry. There is hope

[ShadowCat]

try saying that 10 times really fast

thatthatthatthatthatthatthatthatthatthat

Back to the seriousness:

I love the eastern approach of just "sitting" and have learned that that is for myself the best form of meditation. Sitting, observing, being, letting go, just breathing. I love to be outside, often watching nature or animals do their things. There's deep meaning to be found in watching chickens go about their day, or following horses. There's a book on natural horsemanship that states that if you quitly follow a herd wild horses for a whole year, watching them day and night, you will learn all there is to know about the meaning of life.

Especially now I'm going through a rough patch in my life, where I don't have a lot of mental energy to expend on shamanic journeying, visualisation etc, I like to just go out and watch, listen, feel.

[GreenOak51]

As it's been a while since I've been here, I've been catching up on threads. And I've come across this one.

Explorer said:

I also expected the course to be nature-driven and more shamanic.

Can I ask why you expected it to be more shamanic? And which practice of shamanism?

I'm asking the question not to be ornery but I have found that depending on who you are reading/speaking to/listening to/whose course you're taking all lends a different flavour to "shamanism". What I have read of shamanism as practiced in indigenous cultures in say Peru, is different in practice than what I've learned from shaman practices that orignate in a western mind -- which is trying to interpret/teach a way of spiritual or universal communication -- (breath) -- that is the traditional way of life of another culture and which is completely alien to those of us in developed countries. So, when you say expected ... more shamanic ... how do you mean that?

In my experience, the course is designed to guide us, gently leading us. But our own experiences, morals, belief systems guide us more strongly. IMO, nature-driven is a stereotype of druidry, not necessarily a truth for all druids. I certainly had my challenges with some of the 'nature' parts of the bardic and ovate course materials.

Peace,
T
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