Begin this meditation in a position that's comfortable for you.
Close your eyes.
Take several deep breaths.
As you focus on your breath,
Feel your sit bones rooting into the earth and drawing up energy from the earth.
The energy moves up from the core of the earth and into your core,
Following each chakra until it arrives at your crown chakra.
Relax and release any tension you might be storing in your muscles.
Stay focused on your breath.
As you do so,
Sense a circular white light surrounding you,
Protecting you.
No harm can come through this light.
You are completely safe.
We call upon the elements of earth,
Air,
Fire,
Water,
And spirit.
We call upon the sun and the moon.
May they be present with you right now,
Protecting and nourishing you.
As you continue into a deeper state of relaxation,
Picture in your mind's eye a large group of evergreen trees.
You pause for a moment to absorb the beauty of nature before you.
Upon seeing the trees,
A path begins to take form before you.
You decide to begin walking along the path towards the trees.
Whatever sounds of nature you experience,
Acknowledge them briefly and allow them to just be there.
Amidst the lure and magic of the forest,
You notice a dusting of snow upon the land and also on some of the branches of the trees.
You feel uplifted and peaceful by this,
And your senses sharpen with each step you take.
You are instinctively drawn to one of the trees,
So you walk closer to it.
As you walk up to this evergreen,
You sense that it has infinite wisdom and strength.
This particular tree calls to you as if you have been chosen by it.
As if this tree has a message it would like to share with you.
Standing beneath it,
With your feet between its mighty roots,
You pause for a moment and absorb this tree's splendor.
The Yule tree conveys to you that you are an example of endurance,
Strength,
And resilience.
The tree's message to you is that no matter what the conditions are like around us,
We too can stand tall as long as we remain grounded and our roots are firm.
The tree invites you to pause for a moment to take inventory of and give thanks for those things that make you strong.
Just like the Yule tree,
Staying grounded will replenish your strength,
Enabling you to be a source of resilience for yourself as well as to others.
The tree's final message to you for now is this,
Stay grounded as you keep reaching.
You pause for a moment and consider ways you might wish to choose to incorporate this into your daily practice.
You smile your thanks to the Yule tree and,
When you are ready,
You begin walking home down the trail that brought you into the forest.
At your own pace,
You begin to feel the energy you gathered slowly returning to the earth.
You've taken what you needed for this practice,
So you are just returning the surplus.
It will be there for you whenever you need it again.
Invite subtle movements into your fingers and toes.
When you are ready,
Begin to slowly open your eyes and take another deep breath.
Blessed Be.
