Many religious traditions will have this concept of God as the Beloved.
This idea that God isn't some punishing God,
Something to fear,
But somewhere to dissolve your love,
Dissolve yourself in that love.
So you'll hear from four different religious traditions,
And we'll sit with each passage twice.
So at the end,
I'll pull all four of the passages together so you can sit in the entirety of those passages,
Seeing if that Beloved envelops you,
Dissolves you in that love.
So make sure you're comfortable.
Maybe sit with your spine straight,
Sitting tall.
Maybe moving your neck back and forth,
Twisting your torso.
Maybe taking a long inhale through the nose,
Filling the belly,
And then exhaling through the mouth.
See if you can make that exhale a little bit longer as we ground ourself into this moment.
So let's listen to our first passage,
And if there's any word or phrase that sits with you,
That resonates with you,
Let that be a way to anchor you into the moment.
Remove me from myself so that all that remains is you,
Beloved.
Take my life so that I can stand in your presence.
Let all that remains be you.
So let's hear those words again.
Remove me from myself so that all that remains is you,
Beloved.
Take my life so that I can stand in your presence.
Let all that remains be you.
So if a word or phrase or an image or a feeling bubbled up,
Just sit with that.
So let's hear from another tradition.
So listen first.
I would like an entire lifetime to praise you,
Not just a holiday now and then.
My offerings to you and my adoration are small gifts,
Hardly noticeable.
I wish I could wander here and there and do nothing else but be a witness to you.
Still,
That would be nothing more than a witness to my devotion.
Let's listen a little bit more closely.
I would like an entire lifetime to praise you,
Not just a holiday now and then.
My offerings to you and my adoration are small gifts,
Hardly noticeable.
I wish I could wander here and there and do nothing else but be a witness to you.
Still,
That would be nothing more than a witness to my devotion.
So again,
Sit with a word or a phrase or an image or feeling.
Let's hear our third passage.
This fortune,
The Beloved,
Cannot be spent and no one can steal it.
Each day it increases in value.
As I came across the ocean of existence,
The Boatman was my true teacher.
Let's listen to that third passage again.
This fortune,
The Beloved,
Cannot be spent and no one can steal it.
Each day it increases in value.
As I came across the ocean of existence,
The Boatman was my true teacher.
Let those words echo within you.
And here's our fourth tradition.
I have forgotten all of creation.
Only the Creator remains.
I have turned my attention to that which is within me.
It is there where I am in love with the Beloved.
Let's hear it again.
Listening for a word,
Image,
Or phrase.
I have forgotten all of creation.
Only the Creator remains.
I have turned my attention to that which is within me.
It is there where I am in love with the Beloved.
So let's listen to the four passages together so we can feel the entirety of their message.
Remove me from myself so that all that remains is you,
Beloved.
Take my life so that I can stand in your presence.
Let all that remains be you.
I would like an entire lifetime to praise you,
Not just a holiday now and then.
My offerings to you and my adoration are small gifts,
Hardly noticeable.
I wish I could wander here and there and do nothing else but be a witness to you.
Still,
That would be nothing more than a witness to my devotion.
This fortune,
The Beloved,
Cannot be spent and no one can steal it.
Each day it increases in value.
As I came across the ocean of existence,
The boatman was my true teacher.
I have forgotten all of creation.
Only the Creator remains.
I have turned my attention to that which is within me.
It is there where I am in love with the Beloved.
So you can sit with those words for as long as you have.
