The Lighthouse of Alexandria Make sure you are sitting comfortably, that you are relaxed.// Close your eyes and become aware of the sounds around you.// Note your body sitting on the seat.// Become aware of your bones pressing against the chair, and relax.// Note the watery element in your body, the saliva in your mouth, the blood coursing through your veins, and relax.// Note the airy element in your body, the breath passing through your nostrils, down into your lungs, as your chest rises and falls, and relax.// Note the fiery element in your body, the heat of your blood, the light as it falls on your closed eyelids, and relax.// You find yourself walking along a path under a warm sun.// As you walk, you become aware of the landscape around you. What is it like?/// You walk on and notice that you are approaching a small town. You find a cafe and stop for lunch. What does the cafe look like? What does the owner look like?/// You finish and pay for your meal. Then you walk on, out of the town.// You note the landscape around you and gradually become aware that you are nearing the sea.// Do the surroundings change as you walk, or not?/// Note what is around you.// You come to a small harbour where some boats are moored.// One of them is yours. What does it look like?//What state is it in?// Over the sea, you can just make out the shape of land.// It is where you are heading.// You climb into the boat and set sail.// What is the journey like?/// As you near the shore, you see that you are approaching a large and busy harbour.// At the edge of the harbour is a huge square tower. You know you are heading towards it./// You land the boat and tie it up. You start to walk towards the tower.// It gets bigger. What is it made of? How does it look and feel?/// You approach a door at its base. What is it made of?// You enter and see a staircase leading up to the roof./// Climb up to the flat roof. Note what happens as you climb. How do you feel?// From the top you can see far over the sea to the land where you have come from.// Then you notice wood lying in the centre of the roof and woodstacks line the walls.// Now you know that this is a lighthouse. You know that it is your job to light and keep the fire going for one night/// How do you feel?/// You wait until the sun starts to go down and light the fire before night falls.// You feed the fire all night.// How do you feel?// What is the fire like?// Is it difficult or easy to keep it going?/// What do you see from the tower walls?// What do you see above you?//Do you give yourself rest periods//// You keep working until you see the sun beginning to rise.// Now you can let the fire die down.// You may need to put it out./// Then for a few minutes, you bathe in the warmth of the rising sun.///// You know it is time to go.// You clean the hearth of ashes and relay the fire for the next night's watcher.// After you have seen that all is well, you turn and go downstairs.// You walk down the stairs. Has anything changed?//You walk down to the harbour and climb into your boat./// As you cast off, you look back at the harbour and tower? Has anthing changed?// How is your journey back? Does anything look different?// On landing, you tie up the boatand walk back through the countryside. What do you feel?// Is anything different here?/// You see the town in front of you getting larger and you find the same cafe so that you can stop and have a meal. Has it changed? Are the people still the same, or not?/// You finish our meal, pay for it and resume your walk back through the landscape. How does it feel now?/// Slowly, you realize that you have to return.The sun is warm overhead. You feel its heat and note its radiance striking your eyes.// The landscape around you dissolves slowly into this place as you become aware of your slow, quiet breathing.// Become aware of the watery element in your body, your blood flowing, the mucus in your nostrils.// Become aware of the solidity of your bones and of the seat beneath you.// Become aware of the sounds and movements around you in the place where you are sitting, and, when you are ready, slowly open your eyes, entering this reality before you.