Gathering of Stones

A Walking Meditation

Take a quiet walk toward an outdoor place you enjoy such as a park, beach, or woods. As you walk, pick up any small stones that catch your eye. Stop long enough to examine each stone as you find it and give it a name based on what you are carrying right now. For example:

~Name each stone after qualities of the people or pets whose loss you are grieving

~Name them after feelings or beliefs you hold about yourself right now, good or bad

~If a relationship is ending, assign each stone a memory or quality of that relationship

Carry these stones with you. When you arrive at your destination, arrange the stones into a design. Spend time sketching what you made or write a poem or a kind note to yourself on a scrap of paper to leave behind with your stones, with the intention that some other person might be needing to read these words, too.