Welcome to Meditation with Social Justice.
My name is Jerry.
I'm on the big north coast of New South Wales in Australia.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Meditation for social justice is a different type of meditation.
Normally in the practice of meditation a person would meditate for themselves.
They'd go into their body connecting with either their heart or their soul and would move out of their thinking mind.
In meditation with social justice we do that but we dedicate our meditation to other people especially those people who are finding it difficult at the moment.
We know through the ancient wisdom practices that when meditating and using an intention we can send out a message to the universe which can then have very positive effects for either the person or other people involved.
And so we will do this in our practice of meditation with social justice.
We will learn about a particular topic that we're dedicating this meditation to.
We use a Sanskrit mantra in the practice of the meditation and at the end we'll set an intention that will hopefully be sent to the people who are experiencing the difficulty at the moment.
And so that's how our practice will commence and continue.
So before we start I'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians on the land on which we gather today.
I pay my respects to the Gambania peoples of the mid-north coast of New South Wales in Australia whose deep connection to land,
Waters and culture has endured for countless generations.
I extend my respect to all indigenous peoples,
Elders past and present.
So let's begin.
Let's find a position that feels comfortable for you.
Comfort is absolutely crucial in meditation.
Relax into that position.
Place your hands into your lap or on your knees.
Let your shoulders soften and make sure that your spine is upright.
Let your breath come and go.
Notice your breath as you gently breathe in and out.
So let's close our eyes and let's take a nice long slow deep breath in.
Now let that go.
Let's do that again.
Let's take a nice long slow deep breath in and hold it.
Homelessness is a widespread and serious issue all over the world.
We know that there are over 150 million people living homeless at the moment.
The risk of homelessness is highest for those who have experienced family and domestic violence.
Young people,
Children on care and protection orders,
Indigenous Australians,
People leaving health or social care arrangements and people age 55 or older,
Particularly women.
People experiencing homelessness are amongst the most socially and economically disadvantaged in our society.
Homelessness leads to increased impact and complexity of existing trauma,
Substance use and mental ill health.
Homelessness is a result of systemic and structural issues such as poverty,
Low income and a lack of safe affordable housing.
The lack of affordable housing is one of the main factors for increasing homelessness across the world.
So now in our meditation we're going to use a Sanskrit mantra Om Prema Ratam.
Om Prema Ratam.
This is sending love to all people who are homeless at the moment.
So let's practice that mantra together.
Om Prema Ratam.
Now practice it quietly to yourself.
Now say it to yourself.
In our practice today you'll hear three bells.
The first bell tells us that we've started.
The second bell will be at the halfway mark and the third bell will be right near the end.
When you hear the third bell just continue to sit comfortably with your eyes closed and I'll come in and guide us through to the end.
Just continue saying the mantra.
Om Prema Ratam.
Just continue to keep saying your mantra.
Just continue to sit comfortably with your eyes closed.
Let's take a nice long slow deep breath in and let that go.
So now we're going to make an intention.
Intention is a sentence or a short statement that we want to send the people who are homeless at the moment.
My intention is I send love to all homeless people throughout the world.
What's yours going to be?
So when you're ready place your hands on your heart and we're going to breathe that intention into our heart.
So let's take a nice long slow deep breath in and bring that intention into our heart.
Feel that intention in our heart.
Feel it moving in our heart.
And let it just continue to move.
And now let's breathe that intention out into the universe.
So let that go.
And we know that the universe will pick up those intentions and send them to all parts of the planet.
So my challenge for you this week is what is something that you can do in the next few days and can help homeless people in your area,
In your district,
In your state,
In your country.
So this is Jerry in a short and a small seaside hamlet in New South Wales Australia.
Thank you so much for joining me today and I hope you have a great week ahead.
