Hi darling,
There are parts of us we learn to hide,
The tender,
Reactive,
Emotional places inside.
This meditation invites you to enter a darkened cave,
Holding a warm lantern of glowing light,
Allowing the light to gently reveal your shadow,
Not to judge or fix,
But to meet it with compassion.
So whenever you're ready,
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Whether that be sitting or lying down,
Let your body settle in,
Let your shoulders soften,
Let your jaw loosen,
And let your breath fall in to a natural rhythm,
Take a slow breath in through the nose and release gently through the mouth,
Now imagine you are standing at the entrance of a darkened cave,
The doorway is open,
The inside feels still,
Untouched,
Like a pause in time,
In your hand you hold a lantern,
Its light is warm,
Steady and soft,
A golden light,
Not bright,
Not harsh,
Just enough to guide the way.
Take your first step inside,
The floor beneath you is solid,
Supportive and safe,
The air is calm and gentle,
Nothing rushing,
Nothing demanding,
As you lift the lantern just slightly,
Its glow begins to spread across the cave walls,
The warmth of the light touches your body bringing comfort and ease,
This is not a cold frightening darkness,
This is a space waiting for you,
Slowly you notice something beginning to appear on the cave wall ahead,
A shadow,
Notice your reaction,
Does it startle you,
Does it make you want to turn away,
Pause here,
The shadow is you,
Just be here,
This is part of you that holds the memories you didn't know had to speak,
The feelings you didn't have space for,
The moments that felt too tender,
Too complicated,
Too heavy to carry openly,
Notice your body's response now,
Do your shoulders tighten,
Does your breath shorten,
Do you feel yourself wanting to pull back,
There is no right or wrong here,
Everything you notice is welcome,
Place a hand over your heart and feel the warmth of your own touch,
And say softly to yourself,
Your darkness is not your enemy,
It is simply where the light has yet to go,
Take one slow steady step closer to your shadow,
The lantern glows a little more warmer,
Not by force but by presence,
By willingness,
By love,
And as the cave brightens you begin to see something clearly,
There is nothing here to fear,
Your shadow is not a monster,
Not a flaw,
Not a failure,
It is simply you,
A part of you asking to be acknowledged,
To be seen,
To be held,
The light is showing you exactly where light still needs to be let in,
Bono once wrote,
Wherever you see darkness,
There is an extraordinary opportunity for the light to burn brighter,
Breathe that truth in,
Let it move into the body,
The mind and the soul,
Now softly say in your mind or out loud if it feels right,
I see you,
I see your light,
I'm here now,
Notice how your body responds,
Maybe the breath deepens,
The chest loosens,
And maybe something unclenches inside,
Your shadow doesn't vanish,
It doesn't need to,
It simply stands beside you now,
No longer separate,
No longer abandoned,
This is wholeness,
Not perfection,
Not performance,
Just presence,
Take a slow breath in,
And exhale even slower,
You have brought light into a place you once avoided,
You have met yourself gently,
This is courage,
Quiet,
Real human courage,
Bask here now in the warmth of the lantern,
In the safety of the cave,
In the truth of your own presence,
Now begin to come back into your current space,
Feel your hand,
Feel your breath,
And feel the support beneath you,
Know this,
You can always return to this place because you are the one who carries the lantern,
You always have,
So take one more slow grounding breath,
And gently open your eyes when you feel ready.
