Get into a relaxed and comfortable position and allow your eyes to close.
And at this time,
Just relax and begin to notice the rhythm of your breath.
Breathing in and out in a natural and comfortable rhythm.
Soft and easy.
Feel the air come in through your nose and out through your mouth.
In and out.
Feel the weight of your body touching the surface that you are on.
Feel your hands by your sides or in your lap.
And allow the natural weight of your body relax you even more.
Soft and heavy.
Letting go.
Deeper and deeper.
Here you are.
Breathing.
Heart beating.
Hands.
Feet.
Belly.
Chest.
Jaw.
Eyes and ears.
Here you are.
Right here.
Right now.
Take three long and deep slow breaths.
With each breath,
Take a deep breath.
And with each breath,
Find yourself letting go.
Freeing.
Surrendering.
You are not surrendering to some force outside of yourself.
You are surrendering to spirit within.
Every sound is taking you deeper.
Every breath is taking you deeper.
Taking you to a wonderful feeling of relaxation.
That's good.
Feel your body relax.
Allow your mind to become quiet.
Thoughts may float in and out.
Just let them float by and focus upon the sound of my voice guiding you.
And focus on your breath.
Imagine and visualize that the world around you has shifted.
You are no longer in this time,
In this space of today.
The world is as it may have been long ago.
You find yourself in beautiful clearing.
And within this clearing is an ancient meeting lodge that feels very familiar.
It might be an old Mongolian yurt,
Teepee,
Round house.
With a tall tapered roof out of which a thread of smoke is billowing out.
Visualize this.
Imagine this.
You make your way to this holy meeting lodge.
And as you approach,
You feel a deep sacred calm fall around you.
You have a sense of remembrance.
When you arrive to your lodge meant for you,
You feel welcomed in.
And when you enter,
At first you are aware only of the flickering light and the shadows on the walls.
It is very dark,
Except for the small fire at the center of the lodge.
All is quiet.
It takes a wee time for your eyes to adjust.
Darkness and silence unfold to you in their wings.
There is one large shadow of a stooping figure moving your gaze to the center of the room.
You see it belongs to an ancient wise woman.
A sage who stirs her steaming cauldron over the fire.
She straightens up and looks at you with a direct unwavering gaze and beckons you towards the fire.
She invites you to sit next to her.
She is a soft,
Grandmotherly energy.
Firm,
Loving,
Wise and strong.
And she says to you,
This is the cauldron of changes,
A place where you cast off,
That what you no longer need to carry with you.
What is it you need to let go of?
She asks you,
What do you wish to have transformed dear one?
You pause and you feel the hungers,
Your sadness,
Your fears rise up within.
And then you realize that you are holding onto something,
Something in your hand.
What is it?
What does it feel like?
You are holding onto all that no longer serves you and it is time to cast it off.
You cast it into the cauldron of changes and you watch it transform.
Feel the steady beating of your heart,
Your breath.
In and out.
In and out.
Watch the water boil and dance and the smoke drift and curl into the sky.
Visualize this.
Imagine it.
Feel it.
Your eyes rise to look out through the smoke hole.
And you can see the pinpoints of the stars.
The place of the old ones.
The ancient ones.
You feel your spirit rise.
Rising through the smoke.
Soaring up to the heavens.
Until you can see the whole earth beneath you.
Blue,
Green,
Brown and white against the star fields.
Spinning onward.
Circling the unquenched fires of the sun.
After a time that is not a time for you to be alone.
After a time that is not a time your spirit returns to the lodge.
It is still dark.
You sense your wise sage sitting next to you.
She smiles and reaches into the cauldron of changes.
And pulls out the transformed object.
She presses it against the center of your forehead.
It feels like a tiny crystal.
You feel it pass through the skin into your body.
No words are said.
But you know that this is what you had cast off and is now transformed.
Rebirthed.
Forged.
You realize that the cauldron of changes is within you.
And you have the capacity to release and transform any pain,
Any hurts or old stories.
Wherever you need to do so.
You are now standing and holding hands with your dear wise sage.
Looking into each other's eyes.
No words are said.
Just an understanding.
It is time to take your leave of the lodge and return to your own place.
You gradually turn and wave and walk away.
The firelight fades back into your consciousness.
You know its light,
Transformative power,
Remains within you whenever you need to rekindle it.
Feel the steady beating of your heart and your breath.
Moving in and out.
In soft ways.
Become aware of the floor beneath you.
Feel your body.
Begin to draw your attention from the core of yourself back into the room.
Take a deep breath.
Exhale.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes and you will see everything around you in a new way.
And so it is.
