Listen to the beautiful quiet that is not wholly silent.
Let the stillness descend like a blanket.
Let go of what was,
Its ancient history,
And let go of tomorrow,
Too far ahead to plan.
Be here,
Right now,
In your resting spot,
Slowing down,
Becoming more at ease and relaxed,
Letting the earth gently rock you,
In your bed or couch or chair.
Fall deeper in to the world's gravity and the embrace of our planet,
Holding you steady and still,
Embedded,
Embraced.
Yawn and stretch.
Breathe deep,
Let it out.
At this point,
You can just do whatever your body and mind crave.
Settle in.
Shake,
Shimmy,
Fidget.
Adjust.
Wiggle your toes.
Stretch your wrists.
Is there any remaining tension in your body or discomfort?
Identify it kindly.
Direct your attention and breath there and invite it to relax and release.
Isn't it nice to be here?
Just to exist.
You've come through another day with its stresses and celebrations.
Letting all of it go.
You can't hold on and you don't need to grieve.
You can just transcend and move on into the renewal of sleep,
Letting go.
Revenge is fruitless.
You wouldn't bite a dog that bit you.
So let go of any slights,
Any misdeeds from the day.
Anyone who's bumped into you or cursed at you,
Made you feel less.
May no one be punished on your account.
And holding on to that resentment won't help you to sleep.
Maybe you could a bit forgive.
And just like they made mistakes,
Trampled on people's feelings,
We do it too.
We are made of flesh and blood.
In our full humanness,
Make mistakes and make amends.
The first part is just asking for forgiveness.
Or maybe just asking that one day you will want to be forgiven,
Without even knowing why.
You're breathing.
You're getting heavy.
Your eyes are getting watery.
Your face is soft.
Letting the light dim and your perceptions start to close down for the night,
Becoming small like the pupil of your eye,
Protected in the comfort of your bed and home,
Undisturbed.
Take a moment to see and understand and know that you and everything else came from a single origin,
A unity that is unfathomable,
Isn't that grand?
And it all comes together.
Offer up love to that supreme universe and its depth and grandeur at every moment.
Sinking deep,
Breathing in more deeply,
Out slowly.
Maybe you exhale with the ancient breath word,
Selah.
You're protected.
Protected in health,
Protected in security,
Safety.
Deeply,
Wholly,
Loved,
Embraced and known by the universe.
Guarded and gathered and sheltered.
All the torments can wait and you can rest.
You're lying down in completeness,
Wholeness and harmony.
Sleep in peace and awaken untroubled,
Sheltered in peace,
Protected by peace.
As you go out of the day and when you will come back into consciousness when the time is right.
Great and good forces have watched those who came before us.
Great and good forces watch you,
Guard you now.
And great and good forces will guard what comes next.
Breathe it all in,
That sense of security and safety.
The universe is sending you blessing and the universe is guarding you.
The universe,
The sun,
The moon,
The stars are shining down upon you with their grace.
Get in.
The universe is looking upon you expectantly to give you peace.
And great and good forces wait by your side as you will sleep.
In the day,
We are each and all troubled with questions.
At night,
On our right side,
A presence that can gather and hold all the mystery.
In the day,
We struggle,
Fight and play sports,
Gather,
Reap.
And at night,
A great force responsible for vigor at our left side can hold all of that.
An element of mystery,
A head holding a lamp,
A nightlight.
And behind us,
The force of healing support our bodies in the restorative experience of sleep.
And above us,
Vast and unending mystery holding us in faith or delight.
Flip into it all,
Let yourself depart into sleep when you're ready.
Do you still have any fidgets?
Purr.
And you are held in a universe without end.
A universe that was and is and will be.
No beginning,
No drifting,
No cease,
No eternity.
Held in a loving hand with no fear.
