try spending time by the ocean

Many of these things to try have involved water: rivers, lakes, or the sea. And this is no coincidence: water is cleansing. And part of this spiritual journey is about becoming clean, feeling clean within ourself. In fact, we have always been clean, innocent. But we have lost the feel of it. We have lost touch with that innocence. And spending time in water can help that feeling of being clean to return.

Different environments carry a different energy. I've already talked in another episode about going into the mountains and the energy that the mountains have for us. In this episode, we are focussing on the ocean, the energy of the ocean. Like all water, it has this cleaning aspect. But also, the ocean is symbolic of the infinite. When we are standing on a shore, looking out at the ocean, we see no end to it. It appears to be infinite.

And the other great symbology of the ocean is to do with the surface and the depths. We see the surface: the waves, the ripples. But there's much more to the ocean than the surface. The ocean depths may not be visible to us, but there, there is the real expanse of the ocean. And in those depths, the water is still; or timeless currents are flowing, slowly, steadily. And it is the ocean depths that are symbolic of our true essence. We also have hidden depths: depths which are not visible in the same way as our surface personality. But our depth, our essence, is still there within us. And getting in touch with that is what the spiritual journey is all about.

And strangely, just spending time near the ocean can help us get in touch with our own depth. It is a natural meditation. Just to be near that vast expense and depth of water. So try it: try spending time by the ocean.

Either find a quiet place on the shore, where you can sit and gaze at the ocean, and just be there. If you like boats, you can spend time on a yacht. Although this, like all the other meditations, is strongest if we try it alone. So perhaps the best is to find a small island somewhere, a little desert island which you can have to yourself. For a few hours or a few days, just be there, surrounded by the ocean; immersed in the ocean; immersed in the depths of your own being.