So many things that we have relied upon are changing.
It can be intense to say the least.
Old ways of stabilizing,
Coming to agreement,
And having authority are crumbling.
Things we might have leaned on just aren't there anymore.
Life can seem wobbly and unrecognizable.
A few years ago,
I began seeing columns,
Enormous columns in my mind's eye.
They rose up to the stars and plunged to the depths of the earth.
I just started seeing them,
And they brought me peace somehow.
When I really paid attention to them,
They seemed to reassure me that new kinds of stability were rising up,
That amidst change,
Something different was being born,
Or perhaps had been there all along.
At some point,
I gave them a name,
Columns of Grace.
What if they are just there,
Structures of grace that only need to be acknowledged,
That are present for us when we need them?
A column of grace that can bring relief,
Blessing,
And grounding for whatever matters.
Let's try this out.
I will guide you through a few simple visualizations where you simply get to play with this.
You'll pay attention to this form of grace and create a relationship with it.
You'll get to try it out generally,
And then you'll use it for particular areas of your life.
Settle in.
Close your eyes.
Inhale.
Exhale.
You are walking down a long,
Dim hallway,
Ancient stones surrounding you.
You are looking down at your feet as you take one step in front of the next.
In the coolness,
You see a golden light ahead and you walk towards it.
When you round the corner in the hallway,
You find yourself in an open stone courtyard surrounded by desert mountains in the distance.
You walk the ancient stone floor,
Giant stone pillars flanking the edges of this courtyard.
Deep blue sky arches above you.
The dry desert air warms your face and it's eerily quiet here in the desert.
As you look at the pillars,
You see some hieroglyphs in relief in each one.
You make your way to the center of this place and pause.
Perhaps feeling a bit more grounded amidst all these pillars of stone.
This courtyard is far away from the daily distractions.
Here you can tune into things you otherwise might not notice.
You stand in silence,
Inhaling and exhaling.
At some point,
Something starts to shimmer in front of you.
Take a moment and allow this column to appear,
Your first column.
So be curious.
See what wants to show itself to you.
If you didn't even really have to try,
What column of grace would appear to you?
What color might it be?
Watch how it goes down to the center of the earth and extends all the way up to the sky and beyond.
It is simply there.
Let yourself be the witness.
Watch it appear without pushing it too much.
And then take a few moments to allow yourself to experience it.
What is it like to have a column of grace?
Notice how stable and steady it is.
Notice how much you're ready to receive it or not.
Notice that you don't have to really control it.
Maybe you don't need to control anything in this moment.
And then start to notice a second column shimmering.
Watch as this particular form of grace emerges,
Starting below the ground and rising up to the skies above you.
It's a different color,
This one is.
So notice it.
It appears to you and you feel the warm desert air on your skin and see the mountains darkening in the distance.
Notice this second column and what makes it unique.
Perhaps it's a bit intricate or it glows or maybe it looks like a tree.
Let it surprise you.
All right.
You've noticed a couple columns.
Let's get a bit more specific.
Now a column is starting to appear for your close relationship.
There it is.
Some extra steadiness and support for this relationship in your life.
Watch it start to shimmer into view.
This process may be chaotic and a bit awkward at first and that's okay.
It will settle eventually.
Allow the column to show you a color that really speaks to you now.
Watch as it emerges.
It's simply there without you controlling or doing anything.
From the center of the planet all the way up to the stars.
Spend a few moments being in the presence of this column of grace that is there to help you in your close relationship.
It's there as things shift and evolve in your life,
In your communication with this person.
You might notice yourself creating these columns pushing a little bit.
Eventually you might find that these things are just simply there and you don't need to do much other than acknowledge them.
Just play with that.
It's time for another column,
One for your home,
Wherever you live now.
Take a moment and allow it to appear.
The column shimmers into view specifically for your home.
Let this be a messy process and even a bit unsettling.
See what you see.
A column of grace that extends high and goes low.
It is simply a form of grace that is offered to you now.
Notice the color.
Let it form in front of you.
And just see what's there.
Allow yourself to experience the steadiness,
The grace of it.
Perhaps a new kind of stability for your home.
All right,
Let's do one more column.
This time it's for your work or purpose in the world.
What would it be like to have some steadiness and grace just for your work in the world?
I mean,
Even if you work at a 7-Eleven selling cigarettes,
You have contact with humans.
You are a human.
What you do matters.
So allow this column to reveal itself to you as you start to see stars in the sky and notice the darkened temple columns at the edges of this courtyard.
A certain color becomes clear to you,
Perhaps has a tone or sensibility to it.
This column of grace just for your work.
Perhaps it's been waiting for you.
Perhaps it's been there the whole time.
All you have to do is acknowledge it,
Hang out with it.
So inhale,
Exhale.
Take a look and see if the moon has come out this desert evening.
Allow your body to settle and receive this experience just a little more.
Your columns of grace,
They are always there for you.
Beautifully done.
You can do this whenever you feel called,
Especially when things are in transition.
In your meditation,
You can peek at your columns of grace if you want to.
It can cultivate an inner trust in a time of change.
So thanks.
Thanks for your journey to build a world of grace and steadiness.
Be well.
Thank you.
