This morning the sun was out, veiled by clouds, but bright enough to cause the rain droplets on the flowers to glisten. I couldn’t wait to take photos, so I skipped my nature meditation and walked around the front yard taking photos before the clouds moved in.

I noticed  that I shifted in and out of a state where I was aware of myself as part of the picture (no pun intended). When I was not aware of myself I was not witnessing my own actions. I would say this is a shifting in and out of the Witness state. I only knew I had been “asleep” after I woke up– just as when one wakes up from a dream.

An analogy is that of the clouds obscuring the sun, an opening in the clouds occurring, and then back to the veiled situation. There is a cycle of “waking” and “sleeping” that happens in our daily lives, perhaps more frequently when we meditate (participate in practices that still the mind). This experience gives me additional incentive to meditate, because being awake feels so much better. It feels like true freedom.