Imagery Meditation in the Scriptures

This weekend I got certified in Angels.

That means that I am a certified Therapeutic Imagery Facilitator in Angel Imagery. Which means that if my clients believe in angels or emissaries or anything like unto them, I can take them on imagery journeys using these powerful guides. Imagery is an amazing therapeutic tool for helping people move through changes, move through fear, connect with inner wisdom, take a step forward, etc. I loved the whole certification day because I got to hang out with angels, other people who love angels, and hear and share all the cool experiences we have had.

Of course, since we are at an accredited college of hypnosis, and everyone has their own unique beliefs, we don't get into specifics about God or angels. But no matter how many names you call them, it is still evidence to me that Heavenly Father is sending love to each and every one of his children in the ways that they are most prepared to understand at that moment. For some people it is a feather appearing in their hand or at their feet in an unlikely place, or a butterfly landing on their nose, dimes appearing on the ground every time you need reassurance. Others feel hands on their shoulders or see the same person who never ages appearing oddly out of nowhere at different times in their lives.

When you are in a state of hypnosis and on a semi-guided imagery journey, all the images and people and wise and loving somethings that come to a person and give them information or love are really images that come from the subconscious mind--or are they? In D&C 8:2, God says, "Behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost...."

After having several very spiritual experiences in the hypnosis, I realized that it is an ideal time for God to communicate with us, and that it can be a very powerful form of meditation. Right after the Angels certification, I was reading the "Effective Study" chapter of the Preach My Gospel manual under the subheading "Search, Ponder and Remember," and this practically levitated off the page at me:

"Visualize what you are studying. For example, imagine what it was like for Ammon to stand before the Lamanite king."

Visualize. It seems so obvious, but I don't usually read my scriptures this way. So I opened my scriptures and it happened to fall open to the Tree of Life vision. I read one verse at a time, guiding my self through an imagery journey, saturating all my senses. I imagined myself being guided through the forest till I saw the tree with the fruit that was whiter than anything earthly. Biting into that fruit I let my sense of taste and smell open up. It was indeed desirable to make one happy. Then I saw my family not far off, and I felt the feeling of longing for them to taste it....

Time warped in this state and 30 minutes felt like 5.

I don't think it was a coincidence that I opened to the Tree of Life vision, as the name of my hypnotherapy practice is Tree of Life Hypnosis.

The difference between guided imagery and semi-guided imagery, is that the latter allows clients to fill in the blanks with their own subconscious images and symbols that will be most powerful to them. While guided imagery can be powerful, it doesn't work for everyone. Not everyone wants to be told what this or that represents or how everything looks, because maybe in their imagination a peaceful place is not a beach, but a river or a mountain. So, for example, in a semi-guided imagery journey a person can ask an angel or inner guide to communicate exactly what they need to know in a way that they understand. Or perhaps 3 creatures (from any place or time, fantasy or reality) appear to them and give them an object of great significance. In this way, each person can have their own experience, which is much more powerful.

Only recently, did I realize that the scriptures are the like this. They don't read like a novel partially because brevity went well with engraving on metal plates, but maybe also because Heavenly Father knew that it would better allow each person to liken the scriptures unto themselves.

As a result of all this, I have decided to host several group semi-guided Angel journeys and Tree of Life imagery journeys in Los Angeles (City of the Angels) and in the Salt Lake area. I am also planning a very cool Re-birthing Workshop. Stay tuned for details on that.

Incidentally, since this is a blog about pregnancy, I have to mention that imagery is the most powerful hypnoanesthesia in the world. So when you go into labor, ask you husband or partner to tell you stories about the day he fell in love with you, or about your favorite place in nature--making sure to saturate all five your senses. Have him put his creative remembering cap on and describe for you how things looked, the colors, the details, the smells. Every woman knows the smell of her mate from 5 sweaty t-shirts. Have him talk about the taste in the air or the food, the sounds that were around--either from nature or the radio or the refrigerator. Have him help you imagine the feeling of his first touch against your skin, the feeling in your body, as you looked out over the sunset--or whatever.

This kind of hypnosis is transportive. As I said, time warps and it the most powerful hypnoanesthesea in the world. It will also revert you back to the honeymoon stage of your relationship, which is a great place to be when you welcome your new life.