It can also be deeply therapeutic. Seeing your own problems in the light of the totality of Being shapes them into perspective, reminding you that the most central facet of your existence is simply being and perceiving. People often find it difficult to find places on a daily basis where they can experience union with nature or with the universe in a clear night sky. Yet it is possible to experience these feelings indoors, even in the middle of cities. The sun rises everywhere.
Objects can be helpful for meditation.
I use beach pebbles, beautiful speckled granites and smooth black basalts and greenstones. Pebbles are beautiful in themselves, and they embody the interactions of reality, shaped by the endless pounding of waves and the friction with other pebbles. Other objects that can be used are fossils, large tree seeds, pieces of bark, shells, sand roses, geodes, crystals - any object that has been crafted and shaped by natural forces. We can ride the ocean of Being indoors, too. The most effective way is with flame, the flame of a wood fire, or of a candle.