Guided Meditation
for Midwinter Apollo Ritual

This meditation is for inclusion in ritual and is intended to help the participants make a stronger connection with Apollo. You may choose to have music playing in the background, especially calming music with stringed instruments such as harp or guitar. Total silence is all right too, if music would be too distracting.

You may begin by focussing on the candle flame or closing your eyes. Apollo's light surrounds us and protects us during this meditation. Allow your mind to become calm by focussing on your breathing. Breathe in and out, in and out as you become calmer and calmer.

As you look around, you become aware that you are in a forest of evergreens and naked trees. A thin coat of snow sticks to them. The air you breathe is cool and crisp, but not too cold. As you exhale, you notice a cloud of your breath in front of you, and the snow crunches under your boots whenever you move your feet slightly. Cheerful winter birds twitter in the branches of the trees above you, and as you look up, you notice some rays of sunlight slanting through the trees. At this time of year, sunshine is like liquid gold.
You notice a snow-packed pathway in front of you, and start to walk on this path, noticing the snow-covered logs in the forest and a few animal tracks in the snow. You walk at a leisurely pace. As you walk, you notice that the light appears to be getting brighter.

Eventually, you arrive at a clearing where a few brown stalks of grass poke up from the snow. You take a deep breath, savoring the freshness of the air. Everything is quiet and peaceful, and you feel completely safe and warm in your parka, boots and tooque. No harm can enter here.
As you gaze at the forest on the other side of the clearing, you wonder what might be there, or whether the path may continue there. Then, you notice a tiny, brilliant white light emerging from between the evergreens. It begins to get larger and brighter, the longer you watch it, and it slowly comes toward you. You are puzzled about what it is, but it does not approach any closer, and you realize that it does not want to intrude on your space.

Nevertheless, you are not afraid, and you mentally ask it to come closer. The ball of light responds and moves closer to you very slowly until it is only a few feet away from you, and you realize that there is a Being of Light inside this ball of light.

You encourage this being to leave the bubble and stand near you in the snow. Then the bubble dissipates, and you realize that the being who is left standing in the snow is Apollo. He has come to meet you, and you invite him to come closer to you so you can talk to him and get a better look at him. His eyes are bright blue, and his golden curls brush against his shoulders as he walks or moves. His nylon snowsuit is sky-blue. As he smiles at you, he radiates warmth to you, and suddenly you become aware that the snow around him is melting.

You reach out to welcome him and encourage him to come even closer. His warmth melts your heart, and at this point, it is entirely your choice what you would like to do with him -- shake his hand, give him a warm hug, talk with him, or simply hold him close to you in your arms. Is there something he would like to tell you, or that you would like to tell him? Does he have a gift for you, or is there something you would like to give to him? Take a few minutes now to spend some time with Apollo while he fills you with his warmth and light.
***
Apollo has been filling you with his light and energy all this time. Now, the sun is starting to set, and you realize that it's time to let Apollo be on his way, as much as you'd like to keep him there with you. You thank him for spending this time with you and ask him to guide you and keep you healthy as you go through life. You squeeze his hand and allow him to back up a few steps. The ball of light forms around him, completely enfolding him, and the ball slowly recedes across the clearing and into the forest. You notice that the ball of light has merged with the sun, and you turn around and start walking back along the path in the direction from which you had originally come.

You walk briskly and rhythmically, and become aware of your breath on the crisp air, yet you don't feel the cold, since the warmth of Apollo is still with you. The forest recedes and fades away, and you now find yourself at home again, and completely relaxed. Slowly, you become more aware of your surroundings, and when you open your eyes, you take some deep breaths as you become re-oriented to the physical world once more. The dazzling brightness of Apollo's light begins to tone down as it becomes integrated into your mind and body, giving you energy, relaxation and balance.