Before we begin the seven homecomings practice,
I'd like to invite you to come into whatever posture is supportive of this practice.
You can sit in a chair or on a couch or the floor.
You can stand or you can lie down.
You can shift between postures during the meditation.
You can also keep your eyes open or closed.
If at any point during the practice you start to feel overwhelmed or anxious,
You can turn your awareness towards an anchor,
Which is something that feels pleasant or neutral to you.
Some invitations would be to come back to the anchor of the breath,
The anchor of naming objects in your environment,
Or the anchor of touch by giving yourself a gentle hug.
Before we begin the practice,
Sharing our gratitude for being able to practice today and offering this practice so that all beings may be free from suffering.
You may also want to take a moment to reflect on any additional intentions for practicing today.
And as we move into this practice,
Know that you are welcome to stay with whatever homecoming might feel most nourishing for you.
And now begin by contemplating the first homecoming of a guide,
Teacher,
Or mentor,
Bringing to mind any being who has been a source of wisdom,
Guidance,
Or care for you during your life.
This could be a teacher,
A friend,
A family member,
It could be an animal or a place in nature,
A river,
A tree,
A mountain,
A garden,
Any place or being from whom you have experienced care.
Imagine these beings coming into this space with you and surrounding you with their energy of care.
The next homecoming is inviting the care of wisdom texts.
These are texts that have a strong resonance of care for you.
What has helped you connect with feelings of compassion,
Love,
Or clarity?
These might be novels,
Poems,
Sacred texts,
It might be art,
Songs,
Or quotes.
Welcome the energy of care and love of these wisdom texts into your circle of care.
The third homecoming is communities of care,
Bringing to mind any community,
Group,
Or space you are a part of where you feel belonging,
Love,
And acceptance.
This could be a physical community or online community,
It could be with animals or in nature.
If you feel as if you are not a part of a community like this,
You can invite the aspiration to be a part of this kind of space where you can give and receive love.
Invite the feeling of belonging and care from these communities into this space with you.
Here you might also take a moment to remember your anchors of the breath,
Objects or self-touch,
And returning to those if needed.
The fourth homecoming is care from your ancestors.
Here you can take a moment to get clear that only benevolent ancestors are welcome into your circle of care.
Ancestors can include your bloodline from your family of origin,
Chosen or adopted family,
The lineage of your chosen spiritual path,
Or anybody who's paved the way for you to be able to show up as yourself today.
Feel the energy of your ancestors care at your back and lean into that care.
The fifth homecoming is returning to the care of the earth.
The invitation is for you to feel the energy of the earth which is always caring for and supporting you.
You might feel the earth rising to support you in this moment.
The earth nourishes,
Holds,
And supports all life.
Sensing into the energy of care radiating from the earth upwards to meet your body and inviting that energy into the circle of care.
Now turning to the homecoming of silence.
Allowing silence and stillness to hold you,
To be a place of refuge and support for you.
Bringing the care of silence into your circle and allowing it to touch the places that need holding and healing.
The final homecoming is coming home to yourself.
Touching into the part of yourself that trusts yourself completely,
That welcomes your entire self to be here exactly how you are.
All the parts of yourself and letting that energy of self-care hold you and if that feels inaccessible to you in this moment,
Letting the care from your other homecomings support you.
Feel the energy of these homecomings radiating care towards you,
Supporting you.
Take a few breaths to breathe in this energy of care into your heart space.
Imagine as you breathe in this energy of care,
Your homecoming circle dissolves into white light as it enters your heart.
And on the next out breath,
Returning to your body,
Returning your attention to the space in which you are.
Touching the earth to ground yourself,
Taking a few moments to feel your gratitude for this practice and reminding yourself that you can access this energy of care at any moment simply by intending to do so.
Remembering that this care is already here and tending to you in this moment.
Thank you for practicing today.
