We Are All In This Together

This is a meditative bedtime story of people coming together in a faraway place (a snowy forest bonfire) meant to relax you, especially if you feel like things are so polarized these days. There's a bit of meditative work in the second half that focuses on appreciation, compassion and generosity. What can happen when we come together? What does that feel like? Here is a version of that possibility.

Transcript

This place didn't used to be like this.

You are outside tonight,

Gazing up at a rich black night sky,

Dotted with pinpricks of white high above a grand bonfire.

You can't get over how things have changed.

Cold presses against your nose and cheeks as you look out around the circle gathered tonight.

The snow is packed dense beneath your feet so that the three feet of fresh snowfall won't swallow anyone,

Even the little ones.

This clearing amidst towering fir trees has been prepared.

You recognize faces,

Laughs,

Voices as you stand in this circle of villagers.

On a night like this,

People used to stay in their cozy forest cottages and not associate.

Now with a new sense of peace,

You spy a group of white rabbits near a fir tree behind you.

They are settling down and watching what is unfolding in this circle.

As you turn back to the fire,

You see that everyone is here.

There are scars on the faces of three men near you.

These men came back from places where they were ordered to hurt people,

Kill them even.

That's what soldiers did in battle.

Upon their return,

They wandered the forests and kept to themselves,

Haunted by what they had seen and done.

But this evening,

They stand tall and proud like they are part of this place again.

Things had changed.

In the center of the bonfire,

Long logs lie against each other in a star pattern.

These dry logs were perfect for warming up a long cold night.

A group of swallows dot a snowy field near you and you gaze at the prominent cheekbones of a man and woman on the other side of the soldiers.

They look a little too thin,

But they aren't going to starve.

They could have when they first arrived here a few months back.

It's hard not to stare at them,

Since now they look so alive and healthy.

A deep sense of satisfaction settles in your belly as you gaze at them.

They are going to be okay.

You hug yourself to get warm and spy a large,

Slightly overweight man with a bulbous nose standing next to a number of small children.

He's a bit slower.

He used to spend his days in corners alone.

People ignored him.

But now he is a big part of how the village takes care of its children.

He calms them down almost instantly with his big,

Innocent presence.

A subtle wind stirs the tops of the fir trees like a breath of winter.

You look around the circle and you see the young women and girls making preparations for this ceremony,

Bringing baskets and branches and candles and helping people find a place to stand.

A group of young men stand quietly on the opposite side of the circle and you see purpose in their eyes.

They've been helping the returned soldiers build a new bridge across the Grand River.

This has asked everything of them.

The formerly restless faces now gaze steadily at the fire,

At their neighbors,

At each other.

So different.

Two tall,

Dignified couples stand near each other.

You feel a tear forming as you remember the tension and anger between these two families that loomed generation after generation.

Now gone.

They regard each other,

Pat each other on the back,

Hug.

Their children chat and giggle together.

A dark shadow has melted into the ground beneath them.

A distant owl warbles somewhere above you when your eyes land on a woman with a long,

Thick,

Red braid.

This woman is nodding at several people in the circle.

They work for her.

They all create beautiful,

Handmade caramel confections,

Works of art known far and wide.

For several winters,

Milk production was just not where it needed to be and this woman had had a hollow,

Hopeless aspect.

After all,

She kept dozens gainfully employed and it tore at her to come up short.

But this winter,

All is well.

They have what they need.

Barrels of fresh milk and cream that would become butter for the caramels,

High-grade sugar and nuts,

Elegant packaging and wrapping.

It is all there and you can see it in the smiles they're exchanging tonight.

And now it's time to begin.

A young woman with several braids pointing in all directions steps forward and guides the ceremony.

As things get underway,

You receive a pine branch,

Fragrant and slightly sticky on your gloves.

You are invited to hold it in both your hands and take a breath.

You are then invited to acknowledge the one thing you most appreciate in your life.

The person,

Circumstance,

Opportunity.

That is the shining blessing to you.

You close your eyes,

Breathe.

The one thing.

That connection,

Success or awareness that you most appreciate.

That thing.

You breathe in,

You breathe out until this becomes clear.

One thing.

The pine branch in your hands will represent this one thing,

The blessing you have received into your life.

The branches are collected into a very large basket,

Which will stand in the village square as signifiers of this town's blessings.

The wind picks up as you glance at the snow sitting on the fir trees around you.

A young woman with a goofy smile and a heart painted on her right cheek gives you two small,

Smooth stones.

One plain and one with a painted snowflake.

And she invites you to hold one in each hand.

Once everyone has their stones,

You are invited to hold the blank one in front of your chest and contemplate the most challenging burden in your life now.

A burden.

A challenge.

It could be a relationship,

A tough money thing,

A work thing,

A health thing,

A self-image thing.

This is a moment to be real with yourself.

What is that burden?

You close your eyes and consider this in yourself now.

Now it's time to infuse that stone with the energy of your burden.

As you do this gently,

The stone feels a little heavier in your hand.

You glance around the circle and you see little boys doing this,

Grandmothers doing this,

Young men doing this with their own burden stones.

You then all place these stones at the border of the bonfire,

Black dots speckling the perimeter of the blaze.

Now the snowflake stone.

You hold it in front of you with both hands,

The silver snowflake pattern,

Intricate and slightly orange from the fire's glow.

You are invited to consider something you'd like to offer life over the next year.

Something that is a true gift to all.

Something you love offering.

Something that truly makes a difference,

Whether you can offer it in real life or not.

As you consider what this might be,

A small flock of birds circle above the bonfire just at the edges of the smoke.

You consider what is the one thing you'd like to offer if you could choose anything.

Compassion.

Maybe connecting people with each other.

Maybe beauty and freshness in your art.

Courage to reach for something.

Maybe a large pile of money and resources.

Maybe sanctuary.

You sit with this and let it percolate until you feel the true gift.

You then infuse your snowflake with the energy of your gift and the snowflake stone feels warmer in your hands from it.

You love knowing you can make a difference in a way that makes you come alive.

You love knowing this just as the soldiers next to you do.

Just as the elders on the town council do.

Just as the exhausted mothers and fathers of toddlers do.

Everyone then takes a step closer to the bonfire and places their snowflake stone between the burden stones so that burdens and gifts sit side by side in a dark dotted circle.

The young woman leading things now lights a candle as her cohorts pass out thick white candles to each and every one of the villagers and the flame makes its way around the entire circle.

You notice movement nearby.

You turn your gaze and there,

Just coming out of the deep woods,

Is a towering,

Quiet,

Gray stag.

He stops and simply watches as the candlelight makes its way around the circle.

And a sturdy man with round cheeks and a beard starts singing.

It's an old mountain song about the hard life in the hills interwoven with a tragic love story,

Of course.

Each time the chorus comes,

People join in and something emerges,

Something indefinable,

Some kind of recognition of the journey of existence.

How our burdens and gifts live side by side.

How our blessings are real.

How we are all interwoven with each other.

How life is what it is.

And we are all in this together.

Yes,

We are.

You You

Reviews

This was beautiful! I have listened to many meditations and this is the first one that moved me to review and rate.

Loved all that this brought forth for me. Lovely. Thank you.

Great sorry mediation. Very creative, engaging and authentic!

Soothing and relaxing. Thank you ❤

Lovely 🌊🌎Namaste 🙏🏻💕

Amazing
Beautiful
Calming
Delightful
Enlightening
Friendly
Gratitude
Happy
Inspiring
Joyful

What a BEAUTIFUL visualization ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Felt the warmth of the bonfire 😀

Different but lovely thank you

Perspective shift thankful

I enjoyed this guided meditation very much.

What a unique and beautiful visualization. The creativity and heart you put into this is truly special. Our whole world needs more people visualizing peaceful communicators in this way. Thank you 🙏🏾💝🙌🏽

Lovely, although I fell asleep before the end.

Very healing. Thank you.

An incredibly magical and provoking visualisation, asking you important questions about yourself and your experiences to link and share with others in a family like group of kindred spirits.