Just settling in,
Coming down,
Coming in,
Becoming quiet,
Entering stillness.
Woe to the person who thinks that meditation has to be tricky,
And special,
And challenging.
It can be very easy if you let it.
Just put your phone away if you can,
Turn off the screens,
Close your eyes,
Let things drift.
It doesn't have to be esoteric or weird.
It can just be sitting,
Or lying down,
Or even just standing in one place.
Just doing one thing.
Maybe even until the one thing bores you a little.
We don't allow ourselves to be bored.
We don't allow ourselves to uni-task very often.
So you're giving yourself time to do it.
To be and not do,
To feel and not ruminate,
That's all this has to be.
It doesn't have to be mystical or magical.
It can just be about you for a few minutes.
Maybe even say a sweet thank you to yourself for making the time to do this,
Reflect.
Getting heavy,
Settling down,
Dropping in,
Falling into quiet rhythms and deeper stillness.
It will not be silent.
It will not be stony or still.
Just simple.
You don't have to do anything to make a meditation work.
It's already working.
The second you sat down,
The second you pressed play,
You were already meditating.
Just enjoy this.
Restful,
Quiet,
Calm,
Calming,
All of it.
That's all you have to do.
Maybe smile a little.
Maybe parts of your face or the rest of your body relax a little more.
Maybe get heavy.
Even lighter.
All good.
Just drifting a little bit.
A little bit loopy.
We're going to let our mind's eye do a lot of things today.
We'll start with the difficult ones and end with the more pleasant ones.
Bear with me and bear yourself through the challenge.
We're going to start thinking about a curse,
So-called.
A challenge,
A grief,
A setback you might have had.
Maybe something you were born with.
Reduced hearing at a certain frequency.
We're going to use the word curse,
But we don't mean accursed.
Just think of a particular challenge that occurred or that is.
And go there as much as you can without it being painful.
Just let your thoughts reside and rest on that difficulty.
If you're afraid,
We are together.
It will not be long.
To think about this challenge.
Let yourself go there as much as you can.
Into that difficulty.
What words or images or feelings come up as you think about this?
Quote,
Unquote curse.
If it's in the past,
Do you still hold on to it?
How so?
Where do you feel it in your body?
If it's present,
How strongly do you feel it?
Is it growing or fading?
Just notice.
I let go of any fear that comes up.
Try to let go of judgment.
Generous awareness.
That's all.
Wonder why?
Why is it there?
Why did it happen?
We'll return to that question.
Breathing deeply,
You might exhale on the ancient breath word selah.
Just breathing in deeply,
Out slowly.
Let's move into blessing.
Maybe something you've been blessed with your whole life could be a good singing voice.
Could be a facility with hammer and nails.
Maybe something that happened to you like your wedding.
Or your first pet.
A blessing,
However you understand that word.
Go into that feeling,
That awareness,
That sense.
What does blessing mean to you?
Where do you hold it?
How do you carry it?
Do you remember it?
Do you forget it often?
Maybe even too often.
Take it for granted,
As they say.
Or when I was a kid,
Take it for granite.
Flow into that blessing.
Breathe into it.
Deeply.
Exhale slowly.
Be cool with it.
Maybe you exhale on the word selah.
And last,
We're going to talk about learning and changing.
Especially in regards to blessing and curse.
What do these things you've thought of mean to you?
How have they helped,
Changed,
Steered the course of your life,
Giving you wisdom?
What have you learned?
How have you grown through challenge and blessing,
Setback and delight?
What did it all mean in your awareness of the world and its shapings?
You may not be able to put it into words.
That's almost better.
Just feel what it all meant.
Blessing and curse,
Curse and blessing.
It all had a value and a potential.
It all gives you life.
Breathing into that.
What do you sense?
Where do you sense it in your body?
What words or images or feelings come up?
How have you grown from these blessings and so-called curses?
Were they curses at all?
What do you still need to learn?
Feeling the strength of your body as you settle into the earth and small blessings all around.
Grounded,
Secure,
Informed by experience.
Take several more deep breaths.
Blessings.
