Just falling in to being peaceful.
Letting go of everything that was good,
Bad,
Indifferent.
It's gone.
And everything that might be next or later or tomorrow is not realized.
It's not present,
It's not physical.
You can't do anything about it now.
Let it all fall away like snowfall on sides of a mountain and you're in the peak,
Just in one place.
Neither before nor after.
Still.
Quiet and slow.
And just enjoying this moment and then the next moment.
Each of them precious.
Gulp up,
Swallow up each moment.
Savor it.
Hold on to it and then let it go.
Take a moment to be proud that you made it through a day with all of its vagaries and challenges and joys and strife.
And take a moment to be grateful that you have time to meditate and to rest.
To be unhurried and unharried.
Letting yourself be unperturbed.
All the things that could bother you are very small and very distant and fade.
Just draw in a good breath and let it out.
Maybe you're yawning,
Maybe you're stretching,
Maybe you exhale on the ancient word selah.
Selah.
Letting the stillness,
The darkness,
Quiet wrap around you like a comfortable blanket.
And let your body sink down.
Being heavy as your muscles relax.
Not resisting gravity,
But letting gravity take over.
Pulling you down and into the earth.
Sinking.
And even as you feel heavy,
Maybe there's a piece of you that feels light.
You might think of it as your spirit or just a different sensation.
And counterpoint to the heaviness,
You feel floating,
Rocking as if on a boat,
Just drifting.
Enjoying just being.
You don't have to fall asleep.
You don't have to rest.
You can't control those things.
You're just giving yourself time to be calm and still.
And space out a little.
Let your mind unspool with no particular direction.
Try yawning again or exhaling on the word selah.
Stretching,
Wiggling,
Becoming more still when you're ready.
Whatever appeals to you.
There's no right choice about how to fall asleep.
No right way to relax.
At certain points in this meditation,
Your mind will take over and cause a sharp left turn or a detour.
And you'll worry about something undone or something you could do tomorrow.
You can stay there if you want to,
Or you can just come back,
As you probably can't do anything about it right now anyway and it would be better for you to sleep.
Worrying can only take you so far.
And fear is useful if it guides you to be appropriately safe.
But you have nothing to shield yourself from right now.
Drifting,
Dropping in,
More deeply still,
Greater quiet,
Slowing down.
Letting gravity do the work.
Letting your breath do the work of releasing muscles.
Letting tiredness do its work of bringing you towards sleep where you can be healed and whole and have amusing dreams.
And again,
You'll get distracted as we meditate and you could stay in the distraction or you can come back to my voice or you can take a deep breath to still the distraction.
Just roll over,
Whatever you need.
And every day has frustrations and resentments.
Things that tick you off.
Injuries to your body or your spirit or your wallet or your honor.
Accidentally,
On purpose,
People will hurt us.
We could hold a grudge.
You could let it go and go to sleep.
Or you could hold a grudge and stay awake.
You're gonna have to make that decision.
Breathing,
Just relaxing,
Doing less,
Doing almost nothing.
Letting your blood flow and your breath enter deeply and exit slowly,
Just being.
And since you've been jostled or insulted or robbed,
You know you've insulted other people.
You know you've done harm to other people.
You know you've done harm to others.
You probably didn't want to.
You're probably a good person who made mistakes.
But maybe you can ask forgiveness and try not to repeat mistakes,
Not too often at least.
May that all be acceptable.
And the bonds of sleep come around you,
Wrap you up.
And your eye dilates and dark descends.
And you lie down with wisdom,
Protected from wickedness or bad dreams.
And as the light fades from your eyes,
A high,
The beginning of sweet or funny or weird or silly dreams might come in to entertain you.
Fascinating,
Always fascinating.
Taking a deep breath to recognize that it all comes from one place.
That all that is,
All that is created,
All that exists started together and goes together and fits.
There is a unity underlying all creation and a possibility there.
Take a moment to love that and embrace that and be embraced by the oneness of the created world.
Feel it in your heart,
In your spirit and in everything you have.
Feel that loving kindness with your family,
In your home,
On the road,
When you go and when you stay.
May it be established for you.
Breathing,
Just taking it all in.
Appreciating all that is and all that could be and just being steady and still at the center of it.
And you are sheltered and protected.
Safeguarded by sheltering wings and a great shield.
No need to be afraid of any scary things at night or any difficulties in the day.
You are safeguarded.
Great and good forces follow you around,
Guarding you.
Carrying you,
Lifting you up,
Protecting your feet.
Nothing will harm you.
You'll be strong.
You'll be supported,
Free and sated,
Delivered,
Wrapped up and cared for.
Breathe in and exhale,
Salah.
You lie down with peace.
When the time comes,
You'll get up to a good life and a peaceful life.
You're sheltered and shielded.
And shaded,
Protected,
Even rescued.
You can go out from this day to come into a new day when the time comes.
Always secure in wholeness and peace.
Just breathe into it all,
Take it all in.
Absorb that goodness.
Be embraced by that love and caring.
And the unity of all that is and all that was and will be forever and ever.
And great and good forces look over you.
They looked over your ancestors.
They look over our descendants.
Greater and greater.
Surrounding your bed like a king's guard.
And the universe blesses you and guards you.
Breathe into that.
And the universe shines down on you with grace.
Breathe into it.
And the universe turns itself toward you to give you peace.
Neither slumbering nor sleeping,
But watching over you as a guardian.
Neither slumbering nor sleeping,
But watching over you as a guardian.
And great and good forces assemble around you as you rest.
During the day,
Thoughts arrive like questions and doubts and wonderments.
And at night,
We can put that to our right side.
Depositing it with a great and good force responsible for questions.
All through the day,
We struggle,
We walk,
We run,
We wrestle physically,
Emotionally,
Spiritually.
Using energy.
At night,
We can be replenished.
We can put all of that vigor down at our left side.
With a great good force responsible for strength and valiance.
And before you,
A great and good force holds a lamp,
A light to shine you through the night.
Behind you,
A great and good force offers you healing.
Massaging,
Healing into every bone and sinew and muscle.
And above it all,
The mystery.
The glory,
The deepest reality.
The deepest reality.
Just take all of that support in.
You may wanna shift and shimmy,
Adjust,
Relax in whatever further way you need.
Breathe in and exhale.
Selah.
And it all continues.
It all goes on and on.
No end,
No beginning.
Always continuing,
Always eternal.
Always yours.
And always supporting you.
And the universe holds you and cares for you and lifts you up,
Body and spirit.
You have nothing to fear.
