Anandakanda Meditation

"Just below the heart chakra is a tiny lotus of eight petals, the Anandakanda Lotus, within which is the "celestial wishing tree" from the Heaven of Indra, the Kalpataru. The magic tree is said to hold the deepest wishes of the heart - not what we think we want, but the deeper cries of the soul within."~ Anodea Judith

The text above provides a great visualization for a heart-opening meditation based in "trust" - a character trait to help develop a sense of security, a feeling of purpose and non-attachment.

When we attach to an idea and it fails, then we suffer. With an understanding of the bigger picture, (the deeper cries of the soul within), we can trust that failure does not always mean we are out of alignment with our soul's purpose.

Example for children:

"We planned a day at the park, but could not go because it started to rain. Instead of the park, we stayed inside and played board games and made crafts!"

This is a simple example in which a child can relate to - being attached to the idea of playing at the park may have caused the child to be upset when it started to rain. By the end of the day, they may realize how much fun they had when they let go of that attachment and allowed themselves to move on to something different than originally planned.

For this meditation, it may be active or silent. Children can provide an example of a time when this happened to them or quietly sit or lie down, visualizing the magic tree and reflecting on the moment within.

Enjoy,

Lindsay Love

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