Take a few breaths just to steady yourself.
Come into the place where you will be resting,
Perhaps even sleeping.
Make yourself a little more cozy.
Wiggle a bit.
Maybe adjust your body a little bit more just to get settled in right where you want to be.
Not too hot,
Not too cold.
Start to notice the day coming to an end.
As the light around you dims,
Come to the conclusion of your activity and productivity for the day.
Settling in.
Falling into a quiet space.
A darker,
Even deeper place.
And a restfulness where the weight of your body pulls you into sleepiness.
Falling down and settling in.
Stay touchingly,
Carefully,
Letting go of any resentments.
You won't need them where you're going to sleep.
You can always pick them up tomorrow if you must.
Absolving anyone else of any wrong they may have done to you today or in the past.
Coming into a spirit of forgiveness.
A tranquility of letting go of any self-righteousness or certainty.
Breathing deeply into your bed,
Letting your weight just do the work of pulling you down and out of full consciousness,
Beginning to drift.
Likewise forgive yourself.
Put aside,
For the time being,
All the places you may have missed the mark.
All the ways in which we inevitably fall short.
Surrender them.
You don't need to do anything about them right now as you get ready for bed.
Your breathing,
Settling into stillness,
Absorbing the quiet.
Letting your mind drift and unspool.
Feeling the light dim,
Closing your eyes when you're ready.
Reducing the ambient light if you can.
Preparing eventually to dream.
Dreams of delight and joy.
Feeling the light fade all around you and the sun going around the far side of the world.
Recognize that this is all a great unity,
A oneness that transcends the visions of sleep and waking,
East and west,
Light and dark.
All of creation is connected intimately and you are held in its web and embrace.
Coming to terms with the sacredness of all life and its unending continuity and your beloved and fragile place in it all.
So delicate.
Let it fill you with reverence and awe and a faithful loving.
Your breathing,
You're just settling into your lying place.
Letting your muscles unclench,
Your thoughts unwind,
And your physical processes just become haphazard and uncontrolled,
Going at their own will and pace.
You are beloved by a great and unending love.
Pluried with security by vast wings and canopies,
Nestled in the bosom of a loving world.
Let your breathing reflect that security,
In and out,
With less and less effort each time.
You don't need to control it anymore.
Your body will do the work without your conscious control.
Let it slide and drift away.
There's a wholeness and a completeness waiting for you as you sleep.
You will lie down,
You will drift,
You will sleep,
And when the process is complete you will wake up safely.
You can know this,
That your life is safeguarded as you sleep.
All of your possessions and needs attended to,
Both awake and asleep.
And so it has been for generations.
The forces that guard and shepherd you have protected your ancestors and will look over your descendants.
And the world is watching out for you with emissaries and well-wishers,
Powerful forces sheltering you.
Helping you to do the right thing at all times.
Your breathing just flutters off.
Your thoughts just fall out of your head,
And your body gets heavier and heavier,
And you're blessed and guarded more than you could know.
Then a gentle light shines on you at all times with grace.
And the world looks to you to give you wholeness and mercy and welfare.
You are secure.
Light and awesome forces will guard you as you sleep.
As you rest on your right side rests the spirit of wonder and mystery,
Holding for you while you sleep all the questions and doubts,
Even concerns gathered up and held for you on your right side.
On your left as you rest,
An awesome and mighty spirit of strength and conviction,
Holding for you all the heroism and vigor you don't need to express right now.
On your left is all of that power that you can let go of while you sleep.
And before you,
All the light of creation held so that you can sleep in a sheltered darkness.
The spirit of great light rests in front of you,
Guarding you,
And behind you a spirit of healing,
A spirit to which you can surrender all of your pains and illnesses or infirmities.
And as you sleep,
Be whole.
And above you,
While you rest,
A great and nurturing presence hovers,
Looking after you as you will sleep.
And as your conscious mind begins to depart,
Perhaps one or even two last,
Unsettling thoughts will cross you,
Shiver and shake them loose,
And settle back into your resting place,
Breathing out,
Sela.
And you continue in your space of rest,
Held by a deep and abiding and fearless hand,
Caressing you,
Supporting you as you begin to drift and lose yourself in the restful embrace of sleep.
