Loving Your Child Within

Within each of us lives a child of innocence—a tender, wise presence that quietly holds our earliest feelings, memories, and truths. This guided meditation invites you to meet that inner child with compassion and love, to listen deeply to what they wish to share, and to gently welcome their presence back into your heart.

Transcript

Well,

Welcome here.

I'm happy to have this time together with you.

Within each of us lies a magnificent void,

A vast and sacred inner space,

A reservoir of childlike purity and innocence,

Alive with emotional memory and rich with the essential echoes of both our present and past lives.

Our inner void is holy ground,

A realm where wisdom of the soul resides.

Yet over time,

We've learned to evade it.

Our ego self mistrusts what it cannot control or understand.

It guards us from the unknown.

Ever cautious for threats to our survival,

It has been conditioned to believe that entering our innermost depths is dangerous territory.

But to turn toward the richness,

The emotions,

The experiences,

And the wisdom within our void is our first steps to integrating what has long been trapped by fear.

We humans possess a remarkable gift of self-renewal,

The ability to open,

To integrate what's new,

And by that,

To heal and free ourselves.

By scarcity of trust in our emotions in the day-to-day tawny landscape of living detached from our feelings makes connecting to our soul's intelligence ever more vital and precious.

Emotions are the language of the soul.

They are our instinctual compass,

Guiding us home and leading us toward the truth we most need to know for the sake of our well-being and evolution.

Whether they arise from the immediacy of the present or as distant echoes of the past,

Each emotion carries an indelible felt sense meant to bring us into presence with ourselves and through that presence,

Into our heart.

Emotions precede thought.

They come in an infinite variety,

Endless shades,

Textures,

And intensities.

We easily welcome the feelings that lift us,

Awe,

Delight,

Enchantment,

Freedom,

Joy,

Radiance,

Renewal.

Yet,

With courage and practice,

We can also learn to welcome those that unsettle us,

Grief,

Panic,

Desperation,

Anger,

Loneliness,

Helplessness,

Fear.

Each one,

Alone or entangled with its opposites,

Is a messenger of the soul,

Guiding us along in our unique winding path to feel divine love,

To be embraced by its light,

And to know our own wisdom.

Following is a gentle guided experience to help you connect with the child of your memory and to greet them with compassion and love.

Find a comfortable position where you can remain both relaxed and alert for the next 15 or so minutes.

Place your hands upon your heart space,

Located at the center of your chest,

One palm gently resting atop the other,

And take a few slow,

Deep breaths,

Allowing your eyes to close or soften into a gaze.

Begin by recalling a time of childhood innocence in your life.

Go as far back as your memory will take you.

Invite a version of yourself to come to mind as a young child that you once were,

At whatever age they appear to you.

Allow your imagination to provide you with an image and invite a felt sense of the presence of that child.

With kindness and curiosity,

Look upon your child.

About what age are they?

What's the color and texture of their hair?

What do you notice about their appearance?

About their body?

How tall are they?

How are they standing?

What clothes might they be wearing?

Now take a closer look.

Look into their eyes.

What is the shape and the color of their eyes?

What is the expression in their eyes?

Now offer your child a safe and quiet place close beside you,

A sanctuary of stillness where you can rest together.

Invite your child to join you there in your safe place.

They welcome your invitation as they come to sit or stand beside you.

You and your child,

Together.

You're feeling their soft presence,

Their innocence.

Perhaps you can even hear the gentle rhythm of their breath.

Being together this way feels natural to both of you.

Each of you softening to the other.

Any distance between you becomes less and less.

Each moment you are reawakening a peaceful,

Familiar tenderness within your heart.

You feel so much compassion,

So much affection for your child.

You know that you belong together,

Connecting in this loving way.

Take a few softening breaths together as you and your child share one gentle rhythm.

Feel the ease and warmth growing between you.

Let any edges of separation fade away.

In its place,

Welcome whatever feelings arise.

You might feel affection or adoration.

You might also have feelings of confusion or resistance.

Simply allow any feelings you're having.

And allow whatever feelings you might be sensing from your child.

And there's no need to change or fix anything.

Be present to whatever's arising in this moment.

If there's something your child wishes to show or to tell you,

Simply listen,

Notice.

Your presence is enough.

You're bearing witness to the innocence of your child that has and always will live within you.

As you continue to breathe softly,

Feel the love that flows between you,

Your adult self,

And your child self.

It is expanding and seamlessly moving through your heart to your child's heart.

Your shared love is flowing and filling the space around both of you with its gentle warmth,

Acceptance,

And its light.

Your light has a healing intelligence of its own.

Let your light move to whatever healing is needed to your child and to you.

There's no need to guide it.

Your light knows where and how to bring the healing power of love to your child and you.

Breathe in that healing love.

And now,

You notice that you are becoming curious about this child.

Here together in this moment,

What do you notice about their true nature?

Once again,

Look into their eyes.

What do their eyes tell you about who this child is?

What do their eyes tell you about what they're feeling in this moment?

How does it feel to be with them?

This child has been with you your entire life.

At many levels,

You know them well.

In this moment,

Notice them as the whole being that they have always been.

Becoming even more curious about this little one,

What sense do you have about what this child needs from you?

Lean in closer to this child.

Close enough so that you can hear them whisper to you.

Ask them whatever you'd like to know about them.

It might be something like this.

What are you feeling in this moment?

You might also ask,

What do you most need from me?

Listen closely and wait patiently.

What are you learning about this child of yours?

Allow yourself to understand,

To see clearly,

And to feel their presence in your heart.

Notice if you're experiencing any indifference.

If you might want to ignore or move away from this child out of your own discomfort for who this child was.

Often,

We blame our child inside in the same way that our child learned to blame themselves.

Are you doing that now?

And if so,

Simply notice that you are.

There's no judgment to be made,

No right or wrong way to be with your child.

Now in this moment,

Open yourself to feeling even more compassion for this version of your own younger self.

However you feel is okay.

Now take a deep,

Long,

Full breath and release it with a sigh.

Then with open arms,

Reach out and invite your child into your warm,

Assuring embrace.

Feel how it is for them and for you to be close,

To reconnect,

And to simply be in each other's presence.

You know and appreciate better than anyone the gift of their innocence,

Their curiosity,

The beauty of their being.

Take a moment now to be present to that.

As you deepen your connection with your child,

Notice how your heart softens and becomes more open.

And take a moment to again reflect.

What are some of their qualities that you truly admire?

Perhaps it's their joy,

Curiosity,

Playfulness,

Their cleverness,

Spontaneity,

Or their vibrant energy.

This child is so innocent.

Allow yourself to clearly feel their innocence.

As you do so,

Feel your heart expanding with gratitude for who this child is.

You might begin to know and feel this child's pain of not being seen or perhaps not fully appreciated for who they were,

For how and who they had to become in order to be loved and to belong.

Take a moment to be with whatever comes to you.

By your open heart you understand who this child is and you're seeking to understand them even more.

Before ending this time together with your child,

For now,

Make a commitment to your child to check in on them from time to time.

Remember that your child is an essential part of who you are today and they're always available to share insights and express their feelings.

They are important to your well-being.

They are an important resource to you and your child is ready always to receive your love and your appreciation of who they are.

In this moment,

You're generously giving your child what it needs most,

Your unconditional acceptance and love simply for being.

They and you together are ready to become free of old beliefs and restricting ways of the past.

They want to enjoy the rest of the time that you have together in this lifetime,

Exploring,

Learning,

Changing,

Playing,

Creating and growing.

You've been in quiet companionship with this tender part of you.

When this feels complete,

Imagine gently placing your hand upon your child's heart and whispering,

Whispering your gratitude for their courage,

For their beauty and for their trust in returning to you.

For now,

Send your child off to a place within the safe void of yourself.

And know that your child now rests safely within your heart,

Never lost,

Never forgotten,

Always wanting to be remembered.

Slowly bring your attention back to your breath.

Take a deep breath in and exhale fully.

Feel your body supported by the earth,

And when you're ready,

Allow your eyes to open.

And for your further integration,

I'm going to offer you four reflective questions.

The first,

What feelings or sensations stirred as you first welcomed your child self into your awareness?

Second,

In what ways does this child still long for your love,

Your attention or gentle guidance?

Third,

What wisdom or forgotten memory or truth might your child have brought forward to you?

And last,

How might you continue to honor and nurture this part of yourself in your daily life?

Thank you for this time together.