A mystical experience in the form of a vision shared by Lola Georg.
This vision was revealed during silent meditation in a group setting.
In my mind’s eye, I see the woods on a bright, sunny day. I walk to the edge of a stream; a babbling brook that makes the sweetest music. Suddenly, I am under the water, swimming like a fish. The light from above streaks through the water and bounces off the rocks on the bottom of the steam, making them twinkle. All is clear and bright as I swim gracefully and easily through the water.
Up ahead, I spot a bottom feeder swimming over the silky mud nestled between the rocks. A catfish-like creature that skims the bottom of the stream; stirring up the muck. The bottom feeder notices me and becomes very agitated, so much so, that the silt on the bottom of the stream begins to rise and muddies the waters. The more agitated the bottom feeder becomes, the more muck there is and the more opaque the water becomes. I can’t see any longer as I am surrounded by muck and mud.
My first instinct is to swim away, to get away from the bottom feeder and find a clearer part of the stream. Instead, I find myself having compassion for the bottom feeder. After all, the bottom feeder eats the muck as part of the ecosystem. It needs to move to breathe and to stir up the silt to eat. With my compassion for accepting it as it is, the bottom feeder becomes less agitated and settles down, and in doing so, the muck also settles until the clarity of the stream is restored, and the sun illuminates the water once again.
Lola’s Reflection:
As I sat with this vision, I realized that the sun shines the same brightness no mater how murky the waters. It is the bottom feeder, or my own ego, that brings murkiness to the water, particularly when I get upset or agitated. When I have compassion for myself and others, then the murkiness can settle back to the bottom, enabling the light to shine clearly. I wonder, in what ways do I muddy the waters, and perhaps deliberately? Sometimes it is appropriate to agitate things, to challenge the status quo. However, in doing so, do I remain compassionate so that the silt settles? Or do I continue to agitate?
On the other hand, regardless of how muddy things may seem at any given point in time, the light is still shining. It is interesting to note in this vision that the light is steady, strong, and unwavering, regardless of the murky environment. I am reminded of a trip on an airplane. It was storming outside, dark and cloudy. But as the plane ascended above the clouds, the sun was shining clear and bright. Just because it seemed dark and stormy did not mean that the sun was not shining. In rising above the storm clouds, above the turmoil, I can witness the light, pure and strong.
Photo by Yosuke Ota on Unsplash
mystical friend 