So if it's safe to do so I'm going to invite you to get really really present,
Get comfortable wherever you're sitting or standing or leaning or lying.
Just move around a little bit and get even more comfortable.
I'm going to be here for a few minutes.
If it feels good to do so close your eyes or lower your gaze and take deeper breath.
Notice how you're breathing right now and see if you can just deepen that breathing a little.
With each out breath relax into the moment.
Letting go of any tensions or distractions.
You have nowhere to go,
Nowhere to be.
There are no expectations on you right now.
You can just be in this moment.
You are safe and you are surrounded by the love and friendship of your fellow listeners as we hold hands around the world in this quiet reflection time together.
Let's embrace this gift together.
While we're in this quiet space I'm going to share a story with you about a gardener.
This gardener was a feisty little redhead and she wanted to plant seeds in her garden in the spring to have amazing flowers.
Flowers arise in the summer.
She loved doing this.
She really,
Really enjoyed it and every spring she took great care and love to plant those seeds.
She would think about the best place where there would be the right amount of sun and the right amount of moisture.
She would protect them from winds and and frost.
One year she planted the seeds and there was a random weather condition.
She noticed dark clouds,
The air got really cold.
She went into her hut that evening,
Put away her gardening gloves and her spades and her little fork and all her pots and she started to worry.
She worried that her seeds would die and that she wouldn't get the flowers she wanted this year.
She hoped and prayed for sunshine instead of rain.
She railed against the weather.
Why wasn't the weather doing what she wanted it to do?
She went to bed that evening,
Worried and thinking her brow was furrowed and as she started to do her nighttime routine,
Cleaning her teeth,
Gently easing into her evening,
She remembered what her grandmother had told her.
She said,
Said,
Hope is not about wishing for perfect weather.
It's about trusting that nature knows what it needs.
This redhead decided to embrace whatever weather came her way with gratitude,
Knowing that nature knows what it needs and in time her garden flourished beyond her wildest expectations.
Not always in the way that she wanted it to,
But in the way that nature could allow it to.
As we sit in this reflective space,
I'm going to give you a little guided visualization,
So stay comfortable,
Stay with your eyes closed.
If you need to move a little bit then do that.
So bring your attention back to your heart center once again.
If you would like to do so then lay your hands on your heart,
Maybe one hand on your heart and maybe one hand on your solar plexus.
And as you feel your breathing,
Visualize that spark of light,
The one that we found yesterday.
Visualize it there,
That beautiful spark.
That spark of light represents hope as trust rather than desire.
With each breath in,
See that light growing brighter and more radiant.
And as you exhale,
Release any attachment to specific outcomes or desires.
For me during this time,
I release any attachment to how these lives will go.
I release any ideas about what the outcomes might be.
Now,
Imagine the light expanding through your body and filling every cell with warmth and assurance that everything will work out as it's meant to be.
Allow yourself to rest in this feeling of trust.
Know that hope is not about controlling external circumstances,
But about embracing life's natural flow with open arms.
Bring your awareness back to that small spark of light in your chest.
Notice if it flickers with each gentle breath.
The spark represents your capacity for new thought.
New thought is available even in challenging times.
As you breathe in,
Imagine the light growing steadily brighter.
In a moment,
I will bring you back to the room.
As you bring your awareness back into the room,
Wriggle a little bit in your seat or your bed,
Or your car.
Wriggle your toes,
Wriggle your fingers,
Move your head on your neck.
Take a deep breath in and feel that light within you growing and glowing softly.
Trust that this light of hope will guide you through your days and when you're ready,
Gently flicker open your eyes.
As you go through your day today or your evening,
I encourage you to carry this idea with you.
That hope doesn't come from changing your circumstances,
It comes from recognizing that new thoughts are always available to you.
Namaste.
