In Chinese thought, jade is very highly regarded,
since it is said to embody the five cardinal
virtues: charity, modesty, courage, justice and
wisdom. For this reason, it can be used as an aid
to meditation and a tool for self-development. At
its simplest you might use a piece of jade simply
to consider these virtues in a somewhat objective
fashion, to enhance your understanding. A
slightly more complex way of working with its
deeper meaning is given below.
YOU WILL NEED
A piece of jade, preferably polished
Paper
Pen
METHOD
✤ Sit quietly and contemplate your piece of
jade.
✤ Bring to mind each of the cardinal virtues in
turn, deciding what part each plays in your life.
✤ Write down those aspects that you consider
might need further consideration.
✤ For the next five days consider a single virtue
each day in meditation, remembering to write
down your insights or conclusions so that
they may be considered at a later date.
✤ As you do this, be conscious that the jade is
gradually becoming infused with your
awareness and therefore becoming a
powerful tool.
✤ When you feel ready to move onto the next
stage of development, be aware that the
Chinese also believe that the nine qualities of
jade reflect the best attributes of humanity:
Its smoothness suggests benevolence.
Its polish, knowledge.
Its firmness, righteousness.
Its harmlessness, virtuous action.
Its spotlessness, purity.
Its imperishability, endurance.
Visible flaws, ingenuousness
Its tactile quality, morality.
Its sound on being struck, music.
✤ In the same way as above, contemplate each
of the stone’s features and its corresponding
attributes and resolve to develop more of
these within your life.
Your piece of jade can now be carried as an aide
memoire to help you focus on those qualities which
you feel you need to develop. The fact that you have
spent quite a long time in drawing the inherent
knowledge from the stone means that you can now
have easy access to that knowledge when you are not
able to do a full meditation.
