A Visual Meditation: The Higher Consciousness

Fig. 1 - A visual prayer to promote a feeling of safety

One of the core tools in my practice is a visualisation exercise I learnt in the nineteen seventies from Jungian analyst Phyllis Krystal (Krystal 1995). It is a visual prayer that can communicate a profound sense of safety flowing from a spiritual core that remains undefined or as you like to imagine it. I apply the exercise consistently as a visual aide to picture the client-therapist relationship and how both relate to what she called the ‘Higher Consciousness’. I introduce it to almost all groups I facilitate, and frequently meditate like this on my own.

On my own I will put an imaginary circle of light around myself on the ground at arm’s length. If you like, picture this light of an intense blue. Then sit down inside this circle, become aware of the contact of your feet on the ground, or the contact of your sitting bones with the cushion, and deeply exhale into your pelvis as if you were sitting down inside yourself. Really connect with the unconditional support of the earth underneath you and your inner base. Take some time to focus on settling down and exhaling.

Gradually become aware of your uprightness and your spine. When you are ready, visualise a beam of light rising up your spine and beyond your head until it connects with the Higher Consciousness above you as the source of unconditional love and universal wisdom. You can imagine the Higher Consciousness in whichever way this source feels familiar to you, or picture it as white liquid light. Ask the Higher Consciousness for the insights and guidance you are ready to receive. Then allow light to flow from the Higher Consciousness around you and through you, as if you were taking a shower of light. You can do this exercise several times per day. You can visualize it lying in bed. You can park your car underneath this tepee of light. You can walk through a crowd with this protection around you.

The light has five core qualities:

It energises you

It cleanses you

It heals you

It protects you

It loves you unconditionally

In a therapy session I will picture myself and my client each sitting inside a circle of light. Both circles are placed on the ground surrounding each individual at arm’s length, the two circles connect and form a figure eight. Both, therapist and client then visualize a beam of light rising up the spine beyond the head, until both beams connect in a triangular formation at the Higher Consciousness. Light with the five core qualities then flows as previously mentioned around each individual.

In groups all group participant pictures themselves sitting inside a tepee of light with the Higher Consciousness at the top. They then visualize their individual circle of light around themselves at arm’s length on the ground and each with a beam of light connecting them to the Higher Consciousness above the entire group.

The maypole image (Fig. 3) is a great way of introducing children to this exercise, each holding a ribbon connected to the top. The ribbon can be a telephone line, which connects them to their magical star, guardian angel or any other image for their source of higher wisdom and love.

Of course, there are clients with whom I will never mention this exercise. For many clients, however, this visualization is an important spiritual resource, which they need as a session ritual. For the rest of the session, they can visualize themselves sitting inside this lightfilled triangular cone.

I learned this meditation during my many years of training with Phyllis Krystal and have found it a valuable tool. It helps to defer transference and to set the scene for the influence of inner guidance. Also, during a session, I may refer back to the peak of the triangle, if the client has a question about how to proceed. The Higher Consciousness in this exercise is a projection of what C. G. Jung (Jung 1990) calls the Self. It is off course ultimately an internal experience. Hopefully connecting with the Higher Consciousness will be able to support you in these difficult times.

Allow the light to flow around you and through you as long as you need it. Allow it to purify, heal and protect you. Allow it to energize you, to wash your fear and stress away. Bathe in the light of unconditional love. Continue as long as you can stay focused.