Coming into your bedtime.
Whether this might lead immediately to sleep,
Or perhaps restore you to sleep you had,
Or just prepare you with a little relaxing so that when it's time for bed,
You're ready to go.
Slowing down.
Letting go of the hot or cold of the day,
Retreating into your body and your lying place.
Letting yourself get still in preparation for sleep.
Don't force anything.
When you can't make yourself fall asleep,
You can only open the door for it to come in.
That's all we're going to do,
Create optimal conditions such that when the sleep arrives,
You are ready.
Maybe you want to yawn,
Take a deep breath,
Exhale with the ancient breathing word selah.
Selah.
Slowing down.
Chilling out.
Becoming heavy,
Sluggish,
And simultaneously light and even distant.
Drifting.
Taking deeper inhales,
Longer exhales as you go.
Maybe even imagining slowing down the fluid of your blood flow.
Cooling it off.
Slowing down like a snail.
Letting the rhythms get slower.
More spread out.
Your digestion finishing.
Your heart's getting heavy.
Your breathing extending almost indefinitely.
If you were angry today or insulted or bruised,
As is the nature in the course of a life well-lived,
Maybe you can contemplate forgiveness or perhaps just a letting go of the injury for now.
Not seeking revenge.
Letting it get cold.
Letting it go.
And with the same awareness that you have to know that people have hurt you,
You can guess with that awareness that you have hurt others.
Maybe they waved to you,
You didn't see it and didn't wave back.
Something simple,
Maybe something profound.
We hurt each other.
It would be great to do less wrong things,
Fewer mistakes,
Little by little.
Maybe you can forgive yourself in the meantime.
Let it be acceptable.
And the bonds of sleep start to encircle you.
Drowsiness and the edges of dream.
The departure of logic,
Consciousness,
And conscientiousness.
Drifting into the weird,
Irrational,
And fun.
Letting your pupils dilate in the dark.
Going to bed peacefully to wake up peacefully and refreshed.
With only good dreams.
And lights fade.
Let me take a moment just to acknowledge the unity of all creation.
That everything comes from a shared energy,
A common history,
And a common destiny.
From stars to fish,
From you to me,
All one.
And in some ways,
All eternal.
Breathe into that,
Feel the gratitude and the love that comes up,
If you think about it.
This world made for us.
You can notice that continuity at any moment of the day or night.
And settle in.
Getting deeper,
Heavier,
Letting parts of you drift.
Mind open to dreams and the subconscious without fear.
And letting go of all thoughts and feelings.
Mind open to dreams and the subconscious without fear.
You are protected and sheltered.
You can trust in the world to be there when you get back.
Covered with mighty wings and a strong shield.
Not afraid of anything,
Day or night,
But faithful.
The world is caring for you.
And there are great and good forces lifting you up,
Guarding you,
Protecting every step you take.
You will see a good end.
Ever supported,
Falling into your resting place,
Physically and emotionally.
Settling down.
Breathing deeply and slowly.
Letting go.
All the way into gravity.
You lie down in peace and you can get up peacefully.
Restored through the night.
Covered and protected.
Saved and rescued from all damage.
Going out of the day safely and coming into the new day when the time is right in peace.
And the world is eternal and united.
Listening,
Just noticing the space around you,
Comfortable and serene,
Small,
Delicate noises.
Quiet.
You're protected by great and good forces.
Awesome forces that looked over those who preceded you and will care for those who come next.
Swirling about you in grace.
You are protected by the great and good forces.
In grace.
You are blessed and protected.
Breathe it in.
The universe is shining down upon you with grace.
Breathe it in.
The world looks upon you to offer you peace and wholeness.
See if you can accept it.
Falling deeper.
Slow,
Steady,
Heavy,
Quiet,
Right into your sleeping space.
As you begin to lose consciousness,
Know that you are protected.
There are great and good forces all around.
All day,
You wonder and ask questions,
Are driven by curiosity and perplexity.
And in the evening,
When you sleep at your right side,
There is a great and good force attending to your every wonder,
All the questions.
By day,
You grapple,
Exert,
Make strong,
Use muscles.
Exert,
Make strong,
Use muscles.
Battle.
You can lay that all down at your left side.
With the great and good force responsible for vigor and valiance.
Before you,
A great force holds the light to illumine your night.
And behind you,
A force offers you peace and healing.
Comforting and massaging wounds and strife.
And above you,
A cloud of mysterious presence radiating glory all over you as you sleep.
Preparing you for whatever comes next without you worrying about it.
Take any last movements,
Shift,
Shimmy,
Scratch,
Stretch.
Say any last prayers,
Express any gratitude,
Pride in something you've done.
Take a deep breath in.
Say,
Salah.
The universe is held together in a great weave.
Eternal and consistent.
Altogether,
Endless.
And you are strengthened and nourished.
You can rest in the palm of a loving universe with nothing,
Absolutely nothing to fear.
