15th April 2020

Making a Meditation Jar

If, like me, you meditate on a daily basis, or if you are looking at increasing your meditation practice, here is an idea for how to pick a daily theme to meditate on.

The themes of gratitude and connecting to the Earth can be daily themes but sometimes we want something a little bit different, and we don’t want to necessarily have to think about what topic or idea to pick.

The easiest thing to do is to make a meditation jar.

You just need an empty jar, if you don’t have a jar, use an empty box; you just need something that will be a suitable container.

Write down ideas on pieces of paper that you then fold up and put in the jar. Every time you are looking for an idea for a meditation simply take a slip of paper out of the jar.

Remember that if any of the slips of paper contain something that is a personal issue for you at this moment you are not trying to think of how to solve it, the idea of meditation is to either sit with the issue or to visualise the issue being resolved.

You can use coloured paper or simply write ideas on plain paper. These pieces of paper can be used repeatedly as each time you pick them you could use them is a different way.

You can also use them as mantras, simply sitting and repeating the phrase as many times as feels comfortable for you

For example you might pull out a slip of paper saying

I see peace where there is conflict

This can be repeated as a mantra or it could be the basis for a meditation

This could be inner conflict that you are currently experiencing. Allow yourself to sit with this, to feel it, if it is safe enough for you to do so, or visualise the conflict being over, and see yourself living a life of peace. Remember this is not about trying to figure out how to solve the issue.

Or you could focus on conflict with family, friends or at work that you are experiencing that directly involves you and visualising a peaceful outcome.

Or conflict within your family or with friends that may not directly involve you but that you wish could be brought to a peaceful ending

Or you could focus on there being an ending to conflict in all areas of the world or in a specific region or country of the World.

Another example could be

I see beauty in all things

You could simply repeat that phrase as a mantra

or the meditation could focus on being about accepting that there is beauty in you

or meditate on not being judgemental about how other people look and outward appearances

or you could look at seeing beauty in nature and in the world

Other ideas for your jar could be

 

I am able to see love everywhere

 

I accept change is a necessary part of life

 

I honour emotions

 

I appreciate equality

 

I practice forgiveness

 

I can see talents in many areas

 

I can move forward without reliving past challenges

 

I accept that everyone has a voice

 

I honour growth in every area

 

I can appreciate abundance

 

See what other ideas you can come up with for your jar and give it a go.