A Solstice Meditation Story
By: Tom Nickel
Tags: Zoom, Meditation, Virtual Reality

The two hour interval between meditation blocks flew by. It was easy not doing habitual behaviors because I had decided today was Solstice Meditation Day.

Then a little dose of joy kicked off the second block, seeing friends again on Zoom as we prepared to begin. Knowing I had company on a private journey was a subtle force that gave the overall event a life of its own, not depending on my discipline or will power.

The social effect, the presence of other people, in meditation is well-known. Certainly the set and setting of the space is part of the experience too, although I can meditate anywhere, and have. I think usually the power and beauty of the space comes from the loving effort people put into creating and maintaining it. I feel myself as part of the meditation space I use because my efforts help make it what it is.

Meditating in the virtual worlds all day long on the Solstice felt like more of a freebie. The power of the place certainly came from people’s loving efforts, but not mine. These worlds were created to be explored and enjoyed; maybe meditation was imagined, probably not.

The first time I visited the Kapitelbergen site, I just felt like sitting quietly. The low stone walls of the excavation, the soft grassy floor, remains of the walkways — it all felt perfectly safe and peaceful.

It was the opposite of Mesa Verde, replacing awesome with quietly serene.

I wanted my Solstice meditation to be mostly silent, so we did not check in at the end. I will meditate at Kapitelbergen again. Maybe I will lead meditations here, and make sure to check in after.

The VR Meditation became something special to look forward to throughout the day. I have written before about Skye’s Museum of Inspirational Thoughts, our third block, which is what it says it is and much more. Skye’s life was also celebrated here in a beautiful and inspiring funeral, which has made the space sacred.

The Moon was in the clean-up spot, the fourth block for those not tuned to baseball metaphors. There are several moon options. I went with the Sea of Tranquility. Several familiar avatars were already there and several more newcomers showed up for the chance to do a lunar group sit.

The fourth block of a daylong isn’t like the first block. That’s the point. All those hours of doing something much more than usual and other usual things not at all activates different networks, with some of them asking wtf is going on and others just wanting to rest.

For me, the two-hour intervals become less a time for light activity and more like a light nap. I felt the other people in the fourth block Zoom, but not much. I felt I had somehow gotten myself to the Moon, but I just noticed it and got into the breathing.

I wasn’t sure if I’d make the fifth block. I usually meditate for minutes and it had already been hours. The idea that others could be there, although unlikely, helped me see it through.

You don’t always get rewarded for perseverance, but when my son-in-law appeared in the Zoom window just before 10 pm pst, the little surge of love helped me sit up alertly, drop my shoulders and start off with a smile, until I dropped that too.

Others were there as well next at the familiar Zen Garden World. Unlike the others, it was created for the EvolVR community to use exactly this way.

I also use the Zen Garden for the weekly Saying Goodbye event that has happened here since March. So much feeling expressed, so much active listening. All those echoes a low frequency murmur in my internal background. Just notice them and go back to the breathing.

My timer makes its harp sound, ending the social part of the day. I thank my companions. I take off my headset and sit one last time.