Monks do it, dogs do it, maybe even you and I can do it

Meditation.....ah, yes. A word used far more often these days than a few decades ago.

Some people pray and meditate. Some people pray, but don't meditate, maybe because its too "New Age" or they tried it once and it "didn't work." Some people meditate but don't pray because prayer has not "worked" for them, or somehow meditating has more appeal.

But what is meditation? There are a lot of ways of defining it and doing it. And why might meditation (whatever it is) be a good idea for you or me or anyone?

Answers to these questions abound in books readily available online or in bookstores.

People who know much more than I do about it have written these books. There is a lot to be said about meditation, and they say it. A couple of books I have most enjoyed recently on the subject are:

Meditation Secrets for Women (by Camille Maureen) and Passage Meditation (by Eknath Easwaran)

But for my money, Maizey the dog is a presently my favorite teacher of meditation.

In the picture of her face looking at me(and the camera) she is doing what any form of meditation demands: focusing her attention. Nowadays, we far too often let our attention be divided, and so lose our focus, and life becomes more and more fragmented and hectic. Not good. Meditation is a good cure for this condition.

Notice that as Maizey sits in front of the fireplace, she gazes steadily into the flames as she relaxes her body. I have never before seen a dog do this for a significant length of time, as this dog does. She is quiet, calm, peaceful, and seems to be enjoying herself. That seems like a good example of how to meditate, doesn't it? Do it because you want to, because you enjoy it, in a relaxed, peaceful way that is perfectly suited to who/what/where/when you are. No rules here, no effort, no striving for a mystical breakthrough (enlightenment, or whatever) or anything else. Just sheer being and enjoying.

Watching her made me want to meditate in her way, at least as closely as I could, having the disadvantage of being a human with a busy mind.

Maizey is meditating in my brother and sister-in-law's peaceful, pleasant home, and she is gazing into flames. A peaceful atmosphere and a choice of focus as attractive as flickering fire do tend to help quiet the mind and relax the body, both of which are essential for meditation.

After I took this picture, I spent some moments meditating in front of the fire with Maizey, and her wonderful dog energy helped me enjoy the experience even more. When our meditation ended, I went out renewed and refreshed into the cold Michigan air for an afternoon walk.

Now I am back in Sedona, sitting in front of our fireplace here. Leo is sleeping on the rug, so its up to me to meditate by myself this evening. Remembering Maizey's example will help.

And I will keep up the daily practice of meditating because it always brings me back to basics

and centers me in the Fire of Divine Love and the Presence of Peace. And what's more, it is enjoyable, however I do it. Would you care to join me?