[Meditations are intended to be read sequentially, from 1 to 33.]

Let us travel into the Wilderness …

Ahead, through the blinding, haze, nothing appears. All is naught, all is night.

To our left is a garden, an oasis of calm tranquility. It is a beautiful garden. In the middle of the garden stands a tree. It is the most beautiful tree — tall and strong with abundant fruit.

Ahead is the Wilderness. To our left, the Garden.

When we look opposite the Garden, to the right of the Wilderness, we see a hill, a dark vision of gloom and death. It is ugly and skull shaped. On the top stands a tree. It is the most terrifying tree. Bloody, cross shaped.

Our eyes cannot continue to look upon the hill of doom. For a moment, we again look straight ahead into nothing. Then we find our eyes, slowly at first — then in a flash — returning to the beautiful garden. It looks like heaven. For this vision, we are thankful. For the Hill looks like Hell.