Gift From the Goddess

Creative Visualization

Celtic Traditions, pp 66-69 By Sirona Knight

This visualization is intended to help you connect with deity.  It is very powerful when tape-recorded and played back just before going to sleep and upon waking.  If you tape record this visualization and want to use if before going to sleep, merely alter the ending by saying, “I will now go to sleep and dream peacefully and awaken feeling completely refreshed.�?SPAN>  You can also alter the visualization, making it “Gift From the God Creative Visualization,�?by using the word “God�?in place of “Goddess,�?and “he�?instead of “her,�?and so forth, to coincide with the gender change.

Begin by closing your eyes, breathing deeply, and relaxing.  Allow yourself to get as comfortable as you can.  Breathe in to the count of three, hold your breath for three counts and then exhale completely.  Do this three times or more, deeply breathing in and out and relaxing more and more, allowing all of the tensions, stress, and worries of the day to flow out of you every time you exhale.  Each sound you hear in the room helps you to relax further and to become more peaceful.

Breathe white light into your body from all around you.  Feel yourself breathing in the light through your skin, through the tips of your toes and the top of your head, softly and completely.  As you breathe in the white light, feel it flowing through your body and warming you from your head to your toes.

Now very slowly visualize yourself walking down a garden path on a warm summer’s day, the sun shining bright.  The air is warm and a gentle breeze touches your face.  You come to a garden gate.  The gate is very ornate, and faces of animals and shapes of flowers and trees are fashioned in the intricate ironwork.  Their eyes seem to come alive in the sunlight.

Slowly you open the gate, and as you do so, you notice the warmth of the metal on your hands.  You walk unhurriedly through the gate into the garden, leaving the gat open behind you.  As you enter through the threshold to the lush garden, the smell of roses, lavender, and jasmine fills your senses.

You can hear bees buzzing in the garden as you walk on, and the smell of water greets you as you approach a small pool of water fed by a natural spring.  The spring bubbles softly over several large milky white quartz stones as it flows into the pool.

You sit down comfortably on the grassy bank next to the pool and look into the water.  You can see the reflection of the trees circling the pool and yourself mirrored in the brightly lit water.  You dip your hand into the water and feel the cool sensation, perhaps even drinking form the pool yourself.

Noticing some very small white quartz stones on the edge of the pool, you pick up three stones in your hand and begin to throw them into the pool, one at a time.  Watch the ripples from each stone move outward and finally disappear before you toss in the next stone.  With each stone you toss softly into the water, you feel more relaxed, peaceful, and warm.

Suddenly, you have the sensation and realization that you are not alone.  As you look to your left, the image and form of the Goddess appears.  Study her image for a few moments, using your breath to get an even clearer image of her.  Taking a deep breath, you can see her clearly now.  Communicate with her.  If you know her name, call her by her name.  If you don’t know her name, ask her and she will tell you.  Merge with her and become one with the Goddess.  With each breath you take, her image becomes more defined and her face even more clear.  She seems surrounded by a golden-white luminosity that spreads out form her being and melts into yours.

In her right hand, she holds a gift for you, perhaps a symbol, a flower, a sphere of light, a sensation, a name.  Whatever the gift is, take it willingly and thank the Goddess.  This gift is your divine gift.

In her left hand, she holds a stone.  Notice what kind of stone it is and how it feels in your hand as you take it form the Lady.  It may feel cool or hot, alive with energy or soothing and calm.  These are magical gifts that you can use to communicate directly with the Goddess.

Now it is your turn to give the Goddess something in return, a song, perhaps, or a promise, whatever you choose.  Give this gift to her now.  Breathing slowly and completely, say whatever you need to say to her, silently.  Visualize the experience even more clearly now, sensing every feeling and thought between you and the Goddess.

Suddenly, the Goddess stands up and beckons you to follow her.  You carry your gifts with you as she leads you through the garden, showing you the many trees, plants, roses and other flowers, animals, and magical beings that live there.  The bright sun shines upon everything �?the leaves of the plants, the branches of the trees, and the path in front of you, lighting everything up with its pure rays.  The Goddess reminds you that you can return to this magical garden whenever you choose, and then she takes your hand and guides you through the intricate iron gate, closing the gate behind you.

As you move through the gate, the Goddess becomes invisible, but she is still very much with you.  You can sense her hand on yours.  She is always with you.  The gifts she has given you are eternal.

Slowly, you begin to move back into your body, remembering your gifts and what you have given the Goddess, knowing that these gifts are signs of your connection with the Goddess and the divine.  Moving your hands, toes, and head, come back to the present moment completely, opining your eyes and breathing deeply.

Be sure to make a note of the gifts the Goddess gave you and what you gave her in return.