Nostalgia

The colored lights pulse to the rhythm of the music as I stand face-to-face with the one who was my greatest love. We dance slowly, and each flash of the lights reveals some detail of my love’s face or body. (*)
What went wrong between us? Perhaps it was money. (*)
Perhaps it was those other relationships. (*)
Perhaps it was having different goals. (*)
Perhaps it was destiny, or something impossible to grasp then. (*)
Again I dance slowly, but now with another great love. Each flash of the lights reveals some detail of my love’s face or body. (*)
What went wrong between us? Perhaps it was money. (*)
Perhaps it was those other relationships. (*)
Perhaps it was having different goals. (*)
Perhaps it was destiny, or something impossible to grasp then. (*)
I forgive you and I forgive myself, for if we dance and the world dances around us, what can we do with those rock-solid promises that turned out to be butterflies of changing colors?
I rescue what is good and beautiful from my yesterdays with you. (*)
And from my yesterdays with you, also. (*)
And from my yesterdays with all of you who have dazzled my eyes. (*)
Ah—the pain, the suspicion, the parting, and then the wounded pride and endless sadness—these are the excuses. But how small they seem beside those beguiling eyes.
Because the great wrongs I remember are errors made in dancing, and not the dance itself.
I’m thankful to you for your tender smile.
And I’m thankful to you for your softly whispered words.
And to all of you, I’m thankful for the hope of an everlasting love.
At peace with yesterday, my heart is open to the memories of those beautiful moments. (*)

Guided Experiences

Guided Experience "Nostalgia"

My Greatest Mistake

An exercise that helps understand and overcome the suffering from the feeling of having committed "Great mistake/s".

Guided Experience "My Greatest Mistake"

Resentment

This guided experience helps explore the resentment feelings one has and to overcome these through reconciliation.

Guided Experiences Mstr

Guided Experience "Resentment"

The Protector of Life
I’m floating on my back in a lagoon. The water feels very pleasant, and effortlessly looking on either side I discover that I can see the bottom through the crystalline water.
The sky is a brilliant blue. Close by, washed by the waters of the sea, is a beach of soft, almost white sand that forms a quiet inlet without waves.
I feel my body floating gently, becoming more and more relaxed, filling me with an extraordinary sensation of well-being.
I decide to turn over, and begin to swim with smooth strokes until I reach the beach, where I slowly emerge from the water.
The landscape is tropical. I see date and coconut palms, and feel the warmth of the sun and the soft breeze on my skin.
To my surprise, on my right I discover the entrance to a grotto with a stream of clear water flowing nearby. As I approach the grotto, I see a woman standing inside. A crown of flowers adorns her head and I can see her beautiful eyes, but I cannot tell her age. Yet behind her face, which radiates kindness and understanding, I sense there lies a great wisdom. As I gaze at her, all of nature falls silent.
“I am the Protector of Life,” she says. Hesitantly I answer that I do not understand what she means. At this moment a fawn approaches and licks her hand.
She invites me to enter the grotto and has me sit on the sand facing a smooth rock wall. I cannot see her now, but I hear her say, “Breathe gently, and tell me what you see.” I begin to breathe slowly and deeply, and immediately a clear image of the ocean appears before me on the rock. As I breathe in, the waves roll onto the beach. As I breathe out, the waves recede.
Then she tells me, “Everything in your body is rhythm and beauty. So many times you have despised your body, without comprehending this marvelous instrument you have for expressing yourself in the world.” At this moment many scenes from my life begin to appear on the rock wall—I see myself feeling shame, fear, and horror about certain aspects of my body. These images follow one after another. (*)
I feel uncomfortable when I realize that she is watching these scenes, but immediately calm myself. Then she adds, “Even in sickness and old age, your body will be like a faithful dog that accompanies you until the final moment. Do not despise your body when it cannot fulfill all your whims. Meanwhile make it strong and healthy. Take care of your body so that it can serve you well, and be guided in this only by the opinions of the wise. I who have passed through all the ages know well that the idea of beauty is ever-changing. If you do not regard your body as your closest friend, it will become sad and ill—therefore you must accept it completely. It is your instrument for expressing yourself in the world.
“I want you to see now the part of your body that is weakest and least healthy.” At once the image of this part of my body appears. (*)
The Protector of Life rests her hand on this area, and I feel a life-giving warmth. I sense waves of energy expanding in this area, and I experience a profound acceptance of my body, just as it is. (*)
“Take care of your body, following only the opinions of those who are wise, and do not harm it with illnesses that exist only in your imagination. Now go, filled with vitality and at peace with yourself.”
Upon emerging from the grotto, strengthened and healthy, I drink the crystalline water of the stream and feel completely renewed.
The sun and the wind kiss my body as I cross the white sand toward the lagoon. When I reach the water, for an instant I glimpse in the depths the kind reflection of the Protector of Life.
As I enter the water, I give thanks within myself for my body, this marvelous instrument I have received from nature. (*)

Guided Experience "The Protector of Life"

My Ideal

A guided experience that helps reconcile with the past relationships, specially with those of the opposite sex

Guided Experience "My Ideal"

Guided Experience "False Hopes"

Helps understand the suffering coming from false hopes and reorganize the thinking to reconcile and be happier

Guided Experience "False Hopes"

Repetitions

It is night, and I’m walking down a dark, narrow alley. I don’t see anyone, but through the fog I can make out the faint glow of a distant streetlight. My footsteps resound with an ominous echo. I quicken my pace, intent on reaching the streetlight ahead.
As I approach the light, a few steps away I see a human silhouette. It is an old hag, her face half-covered. Abruptly, in a raspy voice she asks me the time. Peering at my watch, I answer, “It’s three in the morning.”
I walk away quickly, once more entering the fog and darkness, anxious to reach the next streetlight which I see in the distance.
But there, once again, is the old hag. Looking at my watch, I see it now says two-thirty. I begin running toward the next streetlight, looking back over my shoulder and making sure I’m leaving the old woman behind as she stands motionless in the distance. But when I rush up to the next streetlight, again I see her dark shape awaiting me. I look at my watch—it says two o’clock.
I begin running frantically, passing streetlights and old women until, exhausted, I can go no farther and stop midway between two glowing lights. Looking at my watch, I see in its crystal the face of the old woman. I realize that the end has come.
In spite of everything, I try to understand my predicament. I ask myself over and over again, “What am I running away from? What am I running away from?” The raspy voice answers me, “I am behind you and I am ahead of you. What has been, will be. But you are most fortunate, for you have been able to stop yourself and think for a moment. If you find the answer to this riddle, you will be able to escape from your own trap.” (*)
I feel dazed and weary. Still I think there must be a way out. Something makes me begin to remember various failures in my life. I recall the first disappointments of my childhood. (*)
Then I remember the failures of my youth. (*)
Now I recall my more recent failures. (*)
I realize that my defeats will keep repeating in the future, failure upon failure. (*)
All of my defeats have had something similar about them—there was no agreement among the things I wanted to do. They were confused desires that wound up at odds with each other. (*)
I discover that even now many of the things I desire to achieve in the future are contradictory. (*)
I don’t know what to do with my life, yet in my confusion I still want many things.
But I fear the future and worry that my previous failures will happen again.
Here in the fog of this narrow alley, my life is paralyzed between dying glimmers of light.
Suddenly a light goes on in a window and a voice calls out to me, “Is there something you need?”
“Yes!” I answer, “I need to get out of here!”
“Oh no—by yourself you cannot get out!”
“Then tell me, how do I get out of here?”
“I can’t tell you. Besides, if we keep on shouting we’re going to wake up all the neighbors. And we can’t take chances with the neighbors’ sleep! So good night.”
The light goes out, and then I’m filled with one overwhelming desire—I must get out of this trap. I realize that my life will change only if I find a way out of here. This narrow alley appears to have direction and meaning, but is really only a repetition from birth to death, a false meaning. I will end up running from streetlight to streetlight until, at some moment, my strength becomes exhausted forever.
To my left I see a signpost with three arrows. The arrow for this alley bears the name, “Repetitions in Life.” The second arrow points toward “Denial of Life,” and the third marks the direction of “Building Life.” For a moment I reflect on this choice. (*)
I choose the direction of the third arrow, “Building Life.” As I leave the dark alley and emerge onto a broad and brightly lit avenue, I have the strong sense that I’m about to discover something of decisive importance.

Guided Experience "Repetitions"

Guided Experience "The Rescue"

The Voyage

This guided experience takes you into a future that could give a glimpse of the meaning of life

Guided Experience "The Voyage"

Guided Experience "The Creature"

Helps understand and overcome fears related to animals.

Guided Experiences Mstr2

Guided Experience "The Creature"

Narhi Parks of Study & Reflection works for Social & Personal Transformation through non-violence and without any discrimination