There are a myriad of ways that we can mess with reality,
That we can change the course of our own life by charting a different way through.
Most of those ways live inside our own mind,
Within our own way of seeing ourselves and the world around us.
Our own orientation and energy might just be the thing that makes the most difference of all.
Our own choice of the ways that we see has an immense impact.
What we choose to cultivate,
Or just let ourselves slide into,
Will compound over time.
Our habits get embedded and embodied.
More and more as I move through the journey of my life,
It seems that reality is relative.
That we can cultivate our own sense of self in ways that serve us.
We can build ourselves up and believe in ourselves,
Or criticise and knock ourselves down.
I'm not saying that it isn't wise to look at ourselves sometimes.
But also,
I think it really serves us to try on some new beliefs,
To take on new ways of moving through the world,
Of expecting miracles,
Of calling in being chosen,
Of being willing to let it be good.
There's a word here that I love,
Pronoia.
It's the opposite of Paranoia.
Pronoia is the notion that the universe is conspiring to help us,
To let things go our way,
And to let it be good.
I can't say whether Pronoia is real,
Whether the universe is on our side or against us.
I know that certainly we have some days where it seems to go one way or other.
Sometimes we get empty parking spaces,
Get the job,
Things flow.
Other days we get every single red light on earth,
It seems.
But I do know that the way we orientate,
And what we look for,
And what we look at does seem to make a difference.
So in this session today,
We're going to choose to be chosen,
To let go of lack,
To let life be good,
And to let some sweetness in.
There's no shame in having been stuck in a rut or a funk for a while.
Our past traumas can add dark glasses to our reality.
We walk around bracing for impact,
For harsh words,
For rejection,
And for the world to refuse us.
Our history has a hold on us.
We can get tangled in threads from the past and pulled down by them.
We may have internalized other people's view of us that was harsh or not fair,
And that may get stuck as our own self-concept.
These are the places we want to knowingly mess with our own vision.
Where we want to course correct.
Where we want to take off our dark glasses that make the world seem hard and harsh,
And add on some rose-tinted spectacles.
To look out and see what is lovely.
To expect for things to work out well,
And to see how that settles our nervous system,
Opens our heart,
And uplifts the road ahead of us.
So as you listen now,
Take a breath.
Let your shoulders drop.
Let your hands open.
See if you can relax 10% more.
Not force your practice.
Do it right.
Meditate very seriously.
Just open a little.
Soften some.
Rather than closing your eyes,
Literally lift your gaze up.
Tilt your chin up a little.
Open your chest.
You might find that that makes you breathe a little deeper.
Makes you soften and makes you sigh.
I want to invite you to belong yourself to the world.
To sit here like you are such an important part of this place.
Like the world really wants you here.
I want you to put down your stick of self-doubt,
And your inner voice of criticism.
And to simply sit here and allow yourself to be.
To rest and to receive the possibility that perhaps it will all work out okay.
Perhaps you do not have to try so hard.
Perhaps it can all be good and gracious.
I want to invite you into a sense that today can be your lucky day.
That life can be really lovely.
That you can be lit up and inspired.
As much good as we get to see in ourselves,
We get to see in the others around us.
If we're hard on ourselves,
We're hard on others.
And we brace as we walk through the world.
By taking this time in this practice to see the good in us,
It ripples out.
We see the loveliness in those around us.
We see possibility in the world.
And when we see possibility,
We dare to do it differently.
We come into interactions a little softer.
We take on trying new things.
Maybe we let in a little more love.
So I invite you to look at yourself with eyes of wonder.
And no,
I'm not talking about putting ourselves in a state of narcissism.
But wow,
You're here.
A human breathing.
You've lived through everything that you've lived through.
Look down at your palms,
The veins on your hands.
Think about everything you have touched and grown.
Those you have reached out to.
All the ta that you have done.
The miracle that you are.
Think about everything that you've overcome.
About all the people you've spoken to with kindness.
All you've given.
All you've endured.
Bring a little wonder to yourself.
Wow.
I came from an egg and a sperm.
And I'm now alive and breathing and listening.
And meditating and practicing and refining my life and daring to do it differently.
I have wisdom within me and courage.
And I'm daring to turn towards letting life be good.
Towards pranaya,
Towards belonging myself to this place.
Towards knowing that my life matters here.
As you look at yourself with wonder.
And this life,
This ordinary life you're sitting amidst.
Choose to see yourself with kindness.
We're all human.
But wow,
We're all human.
What a thing it is to be human.
To live this life.
To get to be here.
And invite in a sense of letting yourself be blessed today.
Of perhaps the world is conspiring to back you up.
Perhaps you do not have to feel so alone.
That you can let it be good.
Invite in a willingness to let life love you up today.
To let go of lack and to let in abundance.
To feel the sun on your skin.
Or the rain if that's how it's going.
To taste the food.
To feel the feels.
To have a human heart.
To dare to be alive.
And to let life around you love you and nurture you.
And care for you and contribute to you.
We do not have to do it alone.
We can wonder at ourselves and wonder at life around us.
And discover that that drops the barriers between the teeth.
That that brings us to a sense of belonging.
And that when we drop the barriers,
Just perhaps life can help us out a little more.
Perhaps it gets a little easier when we're woven into the web of all the things that we do.
Perhaps it goes better when we come home to the heart.
Because we can receive ourselves and give and receive to others.
So drink deep of this moment of practice.
Feel the goodness of you and the goodness of your life.
Even if it feels a little tough and rough at times.
Belong yourself here and let life contribute to you.
And sip this harvest of the heart from this 10-minute practice session.
Drink in the fruits of it.
Feel yourself getting filled up.
So that you're resourced for your day.
So that you have it to give.
So that you dare to let it be lovely.
So that you dare to let go of all the things that you don't want to let go of.
And let it be lovely.
And take that sense of loveliness and paranoia that perhaps life is indeed conspiring to help you.
And see how messing with those settings and reality influences your day.
See how it shapes things.
And if it works for you,
Come back and try it again.
When we change our mind,
We change our life.
When we change our heart,
We change our life.
And when we practice,
We create conditions for positive change.
You're doing a great journey.
Keep going,
Keep messing with the settings and seeing what arises.
Proud of you for doing this work.
You have a great day.
Be well.
