We recently participated in a guided meditation. The topic was the “fear of our future”.

After three deep breaths I found myself walking along a sidewalk, it was narrow and long. To my left, there was a very high stone wall, rough and heated by the sun. I walked slowly. I was alone.

The voice guided me to follow this road knowing that at a certain point I would find myself at the end of the wall and, having turned the corner, I could look at my future.

The closer I got to the corner, the slower my walking speed was. I felt like a blocking power.

In order to keep walking, I felt the need to touch this solid, massive, warm wall with both hands. It gave me security.

When I reached the end of the wall I didn’t find the courage to turn the corner. Therefore, I leaned my back against the wall and with the palm of my hand I started to feel the wall that was perpendicular. Unlike the stone wall, what I was touching was incredibly smooth, cold.

I don’t know how but in the end I found the courage to turn the corner with my whole body.

Immediately I had the sensation of having a strong frontal wind, similar to the Mistral. Only later I noticed that I was on top of a hill covered with a very green turf.

Looking better at the horizon, I saw in the distance a lonely house facing the sea. It was pretty, made of stone and wood. I decided to come closer.

Suddenly I found myself inside this little house to observe a very sweet scene. There was an elderly couple, both sitting in a rocking chair, surrounded by many children. They sat on the ground and listened with curiosity to the stories told by these elders. Then I discovered that those elders were just me and Andrea!

The scene made me move so much that I started to cry for the rest of the meditation time.

At first I was external to this scene. I looked like I was a hidden camera. Nobody noticed my presence.

Then, without knowing how, I was no longer the young girl who had had the courage to turn the corner, and I found myself sitting on that chair. It was me, the old lady.

Subsequently, the meditation continued with the image of me, an elderly woman, holding Andrea, an elderly man, and together we walked towards the terrace of that little house. It overlooked the sea.

I knew that landscape well…It was the sea of ​​the north of Sardinia…it was sunset time.

Andrea and I were silently observing the sun slowly descending on the sea. We were aware that that sunset was our sunset.

This awareness did not frighten me but, on the contrary, it made me moved by the happiness of what was lived during the whole life. It was a feeling of immense gratitude.

I was curious to see what would happen once evening came but the voice that guided us in meditation called us back. We had to get back where we came from…to the present.

The next moment I was again the girl who was watching what had turned the corner.

This time, however, I was not the one walking towards a place. I was raised a few centimeters off the ground and, continuing to observe the little house which was gradually moving away, I came as gently moved by the wind towards the direction of my stone wall, going up the hill.

After three more deep breaths and three bell’s chimes I opened my eyes. The meditation was over. I was with a wet face from tears…

The post-meditation sharing part was very interesting as for some of us the experience has been pleasant while for others it has been terrible.

What did we see during meditation?

Certainly not our future since it has not yet been written. We have most likely seen the projection of our current choices and fears. The awareness of living a present closer to our desires can help us perceive a positive future for us. While the awareness of being in a present that does not satisfy us increases dramatically the fear and uncertainty of our future.

I don’t want to know my future in advance, because I would lose the beauty of surprise.

Life for me is a succession of events, sometimes pleasant sometimes less, but unique and unrepeatable like the seconds that mark the present.

Just like when on the tatami we try to focus on the “here and now” in order to be ready to act and not react to an attack.

If we are afraid of our future then it may be useful to scan our present. Having the courage to mirror ourselves and highlight what we like and what we would like to change. It is not necessary to change everything, sometimes a small change of direction is enough to, over time, find ourselves in places that we never thought we could reach.

Life is a unique and wonderful journey. Each of us can choose who to do it with. We often meet travel companions who work alongside us only for a few short sections and others with whom we share longer periods. No experience, no meeting must be in vain.

The ticket for this trip was given to us with birth. Now it’s up to us to choose how to continue it.

So…have a good trip!

Disclaimer Photo by Manikandan Annamalai on Unsplash