Book Reviews for Meditations on Everything Under the Sun (New Society Publishers, 2001)

Working Titles, Association of Transpersonal Psychology web journal
Reviewed by Barbra Telynor

     Meditation can calm and sooth the mind, and in doing so, allow fresh perspectives and possibilities to come forward. Margo Adair has written a splendid resource, based on the perspective of Applied Meditation. In the first part of the book, she explains applied meditation, and how one might use it either in an individual or group setting. And then she tackles the impossible: she has created a number of meditations, which cover everything under the sun! Such topics as allowing a relaxing atmosphere to develop, gathering the forces one seeks (love, compassion, personal power, the Elders etc.), centering holding your own, getting unstuck, balancing amidst too much, relationships and community and creating wellness. She uses the places we ALL know about - deadlines, speaking with eloquence, life cycles, body care, forgiveness - and creates a meditation around that particular issue, allowing for a spaciousness and new breath to come in and heal or support.
      This is not a book to be read from cover to cover in one sitting, but is more of a resource when one needs to take a break, sit with a cup of tea, hold one's tongue before harsh words are spoken; something to return to as one rises in the morning or before one settles in at night. I deeply appreciate the gentle guidance back to my own center. You may find it one of those books you return to again and again, for its beauty, simplicity and clarity.

The Perspective, the Journal of Association of Humanistic Psychology
  Reviewed by Patricia Perrine

     In this volume, Margo Adair demonstrates with quiet brilliance the intelligence of intuition, imagination and emotion. Not only does she teach her readers about Active and Receptive imagination, and the observing Witness, she does so in a voice that comes from her own deep intuitive knowledge. In this excerpt, notice how she presents information in an almost poetic prose style: “The imagination is the language of the soul and speaks in poetry, story, art, music, metaphor, feeling, and visceral experience. It is the meeting ground of heart and spirit. Holistic and multidimensional, it is where the dance of probabilities takes place. The imagination makes patterns out of particulars, and it communes with healing energies.
      Adair's approach to meditation synthesizes three strands of consciousness: visualization, intuition and mindfulness: “I call them the Witness (pure awareness) - as in mindfulness of Eastern forms of meditation; the Active Imagination - as in visualization, guided imagery and self-hypnosis; and the Receptive Imagination - as in intuition, psychic awareness, and creativity.”
      The elucidation of Receptive Imagination is an important contribution. Being receptive, or open, can be mistaken for being passive; however, there is a subtle but crucial difference between receptivity and passivity. To be receptive means to deliberately be ready and willing to receive, whereas passive is withholding from participating. Paradoxically, receptivity is an active willingness to receive. This concept is so important that it tends to be transparent, and therefore overlooked. However, it is an essential component of inner and interpersonal work.
      Another important insight is that the wisdom that arises from the Receptive Imagination can take the form of "making it up." Learning the intimate closeness of imagination and intuition was a pivotal moment in my spiritual growth. Suddenly, hints and hunches, feelings and sensation became knowledge. Adair carefully draws out the links between imagination, intuition and psychic ability. She shows how to contact, learn to trust, and work with this knowledge.
      The heart of this book lies in the 157 meditations. Many of these meditations consist of multiple parts, to address different aspects of a topic. These parts can be mixed with openings, deepenings, particular topics, and endings, to create a full meditation that fully meets the needs of the moment of an individual or a group. Each meditation is carefully considered, and exhibits a deep respect for those who work with them. She uses timing, repetition, and metaphoric language skillfully to lead the meditator inward. This leads into an altered state of consciousness useful for the introspection needed to access intuitive knowledge. Her words are warm and comforting, even when dark or painful material is being pursued, as might be the case in using "Death: Coming to Terms With Yours" or "Emotional Metamorphosis." The language in these meditations is the language of symbol and metaphor, which speaks to our non-rational wisdom. It is the language of poetry, and the language of prayer. Without ever moving into a particular religious pathway, the tone and feeling is of entering sacred space.
      Many of the meditations are particularly appropriate for groups: The act of meditating together invites authenticity, heart and spirit to inform group process. It establishes a respectful atmosphere in which genuine listening can occur. As a result care, patience, innovation, vision, and intuition all become part of group culture.
      As a longtime Quaker, I can attest to the power of group meditation in carrying out business; in fact, Quaker issues are addressed through "Meeting for Worship with a concern for business." The meditations that Adair provides can assist groups to find vision and inspiration, to deal with conflict, to optimize a meeting or to consider the long-term effects of group decisions.
      Whether being used for yourself, with clients or with a group, the meditations provided in this invaluable volume are a terrific resource - to be used as written, or as Adair suggests, to be intuitively altered as needed.

Patricia Perrine, Ph.D. is a longtime practitioner of the use of gentle altered states of consciousness to bring about individual and group change. She specializes in Transpersonal and Expressive Arts Psychology and is in private practice in Seattle.