Recently, on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, a woman in Providence RI brought in a carved "rock" on a pedestal. The appraiser explained that the artifact was known as a Chinese scholar's stone or scholar's mountain, and was created sometime in the 18th century. These jade stones were made for Chinese scholars who were constantly cooped up in small study spaces. The scholar would place the stone on his desk to help envision himself in nature. The carvings in this particular stone depict a scholar attended by two figures, picnicking and heading towards a pagoda retreat. The other side of the stone features an ox, which stands for enlightenment, and pine trees, which represents long life. These stones were normally carved out of jade, but this one is made of malachite, especially rare. In fact, around $50,000 for this carving!!!

You could make an envisioning "scene" from natural objects, too. You can make or buy miniature people, animals, trees, etc, and build a scene in a shoebox or on papier-mache!

Picture is from the Antiques Roadshow website.
VISUALIZING TOOLS:
SWOOSHING  THE UNIVERSE

"Every action, every word has an effect on everything around us."

I once had a profound experience which so demonstrated the truth of this statement.

One summer day in Redmond I was playing with our two dogs Nikki and Sasha, one all black, one all white (a Bouvier and a Samoyed)
and they started to go up our outside staircase, which had open "see through" steps and was not enclosed.
I was right behind them, facing the setting sun over the Three Sisters mountains.
The edges of their fur, especially Sasha's fluffy white tail, were glowing from the setting sun's backlighting.
I felt so happy following behind these wonderful dogs...and feeling the golden setting sun.
I was two steps below the dogs, but I took my arm and swooshed it around in front of me to fluff Sasha's (the Samoyed's) beautiful white tail,
and the "air" seemed to thicken to an invisible density so great that my "swoosh" was affecting the whole world, indeed...the
whole Universe. It was like swooshing my arm through water, only thicker. I was swooshing the Universe!

It was a thrilling moment, and one I will never forget.
It left me exhilarated for hours.

I have always thought this happened to me because I was so "in the present moment"
and not thinking of any of life's problems, just loving watching the dog's tails as they went up the stairs.
It was a rare moment indeed.