Put it all away.
Close the book.
Turn off the light.
Pull the shades.
Drop down.
Draw in from the material world and let it all settle.
Fall into quiet.
Become absorbed by your chair,
Couch,
Or bed.
Let gravity do the work.
You're done for now.
No need to lift,
Strain,
Or even hold yourself upright.
Thinking down physically and mentally.
Lowering the volume.
All that was is past and all that will be is not yet.
And all the things we worry about rarely are as big in the end as we imagine them from a distance.
And we can stop or at least slow down just to be in tranquility.
It's a wonderful thing.
Give yourself some love,
A hug,
A kiss,
A kind word.
Praise yourself.
You did your best.
You put forth every effort today.
You were just as you were made to be today.
Thank you.
Show yourself some grace and kindness.
Even gratitude.
Even for your mistakes that they might teach you something in the end.
Close your eyes if they're not closed already.
When you are ready,
Close your eyes.
Find a few places to make your body even softer,
To release or just breathe into tight spots and invite them to let go.
Forgive yourself for all your missteps because we all do it and you'll do it again.
If you're lucky,
You won't make the same mistakes again but you will make errors.
Maybe you'll make fewer.
Can you forgive people who have done you wrong today or in the past?
Not just once but again and again.
Letting go of the wounds,
The injuries,
The slights,
The bruises.
We can be cruel to each other,
Most often unintentionally but sometimes on purpose.
Sometimes all we can do is forgive.
Give people the space to get better.
Breathe into that,
Letting them know that you forgive or want to forgive someday.
And because other people made mistakes with us,
We can be sure that we've made mistakes to them.
Ask for repair and repentance.
Ask to be forgiven and let go of all the guilt.
Letting go.
Feel your bed and the light in the room and through your eye.
Notice your pupil dimming,
The day and light receding,
Drifting away.
Perhaps edges of dreams start interrupting your consciousness,
Weird,
Silly fantasies drift,
Rational thought unspools and deeper reality sets in,
Containing the knowledge that all of this,
Sleeping and waking,
Self and other,
Moon and stars all come from one and share a unity that is almost inexpressible.
And in awareness of the universe's universality and awesome complexity coming from a unique source,
Give off love again and again.
Breathe in and give love,
Inhale and send out love.
And you are protected,
Covered in eagle's wings,
Guarded behind a great shield,
Held up,
Lifted,
Held up,
Lifted by each foot into safety,
Saved,
Protected from distress,
Sated and fulfilled.
You have it all.
Accept that protection.
Breathe it in deeply.
Let go of all the worry and complexity.
Let the healing of sleep come.
You might breathe in and then breathe out with the ancient word of breath,
Sela.
You lie down,
It's peaceful.
When you get up,
It will still be peaceful.
Go to bed protected and wake up whole,
Finding peace as you depart.
Consciousness and peace when you return to conscious living,
Giving your spirit away and letting it roam.
There are great and good forces that preceded you,
Looked over your ancestors.
Great and good forces are supporting you now.
And such great and good forces will look over those who come after.
The world continues loving you,
Knowing you,
Caring for your fate.
The universe blesses you and protects you.
Take that in.
Universe looks towards you and grants you abundant grace.
Take that in.
Universe looks upon you expectantly to deliver to you peace.
All there for you.
You may sleep,
But there are forces that do not rest so that they can care for you even while you sleep.
In the daytime,
You worry,
You ponder.
And in the evening,
You can place your concerns to your right with the great good force responsible for all questions.
In your waking moments,
You might struggle or grapple,
Use force or energy.
When you go to sleep,
You can deposit all of that strength on your left with the great good force responsible for vigor.
And a great and good force shines a light past your toes,
Holding out hope through the night.
And behind you,
A great and good force healing your body with the balm of sleep.
Above you,
The universe looking over you all through the night.
Shake out any remaining tension,
Wiggle any last toes,
Scratch any last itches,
Shiver.
Breathe in and out with the word sela.
And you are floating in the ether of the universe in the sea of the unending journey,
A universe eternal and complete held in the hand of a loving universe with nothing to fear.
