Bathe

Bathe reminds us to bathe in our own light. It reminds us that we are rich with our own internal resources; that we can embrace all parts of ourselves, including our own fear, and come out as one.

Written and narrated by Ana Johnson, Ph.D.

Music by Chris Collins (indie music box)

Photo by Mark McGregor, Unsplash

Transcript

Bathe.

Find yourself moving along a path.

Beautiful verdant grassy area.

On your way back home,

You feel the sun on your skin.

Clear sunny sky.

All of a sudden,

The path meets a river.

It is deep,

Cold,

And scary.

Your body feels numb.

On the banks of the river,

You spot your fear wanting to go across.

Your fear cannot swim.

Anything but this,

You say to yourself.

Your body trembles.

Feel your heart pounding.

Sweat dripping onto your eyebrows.

You're reticent.

She's too fearful.

You cannot abandon her,

For she's a part of you.

If you don't take her across the river,

You'll be torn in two.

Can you truly leave a part of yourself behind?

Tears flooding.

You don't know what to do.

Your body tenses.

Muscles cramp.

In the panic,

You pause and remember your resourcefulness.

How to bathe in your own light.

You remember the breath.

How to be aware of your breath.

Taking in some deep breaths.

Breath seeping down your neck and into your chest.

Your lungs.

Your inner wings.

With millions of alveoli exchanging oxygen,

Carbon dioxide.

As you take another breath in,

You remember.

For awareness.

You become aware of a beam of sunlight reflecting on the river water.

You realize the absolute hold of Earth's sustenance,

Nurturing you at all times.

You remember tea for thinking.

You realize that the fear has helped you in the past.

When you allow the Earth fully support you,

You remember H,

Heart,

Your chest rising and falling and sink with your breath.

In this moment,

You're not judging yourself or trying to control the situation.

You're accepting all parts of yourself just as you are,

Including the fear.

And you remember E,

Recognizing why you're here in this Earth.

You visualize the embrace of your loved one.

You imagine the twinkling of affection in their eye.

Slowly,

You find the strength to take the fear over your shoulders and carry her across the river water.