You're here because the echoes of ancient Stoic wisdom have reached you,
Whispering of tranquility,
Clarity,
And strength.
This meditation distills that age-old wisdom,
Inviting you on a journey.
A journey where you'll discover Stoic principles,
Leaning on the words of Stoic sages,
Cultivating practical wisdom through grounding visualizations and probing questions to center yourself amidst life's storms.
So sit down,
Settle yourself,
Feel the weight of your body as it meets the earth or the chair beneath you.
Allow your eyes to close.
Notice the energy of your body and let's begin.
Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny,
For what could more aptly fit your needs?
Marcus Aurelius.
Picture this,
A vast star-filled cosmos,
Planets and stars,
Solar systems,
Clusters of solar systems,
Galaxies and clusters of galaxies in space,
Infinite space.
Where does your life fit into this?
Which of your current challenges can you view as a bend in this cosmic river?
Men are disturbed not by things but by the views which they take of them.
End quote.
Epictetus.
Events don't shape us ultimately.
Our responses,
On the other hand,
Do.
Recall a recent event that unsettled you.
Stand at the crossroad.
One path represents your initial response,
The response of vice.
The other is a calmer,
Stoic approach.
What is it?
And what do you choose?
Quote.
Like a sandcastle,
All is temporary.
Build it,
Tend to it,
Enjoy it.
And when the time comes,
Let it go.
End quote.
Jack Kornfield.
You may have noticed that everything has its season.
Now imagine holding a delicate sand sculpture.
Open your hand.
Notice how the wind scatters the grains.
Use this as a metaphor to examine what in your life are you gripping too tightly.
Let it go.
And feel the relief as you let the grains gently drift with the wind.
Quote.
True happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future.
End quote.
Seneca.
Now is the only true realm of existence.
The past is a memory right now.
And the future is a thought or an imagination right now.
So feel the world around you right now.
The steady earth.
The space between objects.
Let the future worries and past regrets fade.
What are the textures,
Sounds,
Scents,
Feelings,
Thoughts that are coming all on their own and fading away all on their own?
Quote.
Obstacles are not opposing you,
But merely and gently rerouting you.
End quote.
Epictetus.
When it comes to difficulties,
Are they really obstacles or are they guides?
Picture a mountainous path with an unexpected blockade.
Instead of an end,
It's actually a detour to a more scenic route.
What in your life right now?
What challenge can be seen as a detour,
A redirect to something better?
Quote.
Don't set your mind on things you don't possess,
But count the blessings you actually possess and think how much you would desire them if they weren't already yours.
End quote.
Marcus Aurelius.
In everything that happens,
There's a silver lining.
Something that highlights a possibility of something great,
Something better.
Think of the radiant sun breaking through the cloud cover.
Its rays illuminates three blessings in your life.
Recognize them.
What are these three blessings that the sun shines on?
Now as the day unfolds,
How will you act in line with virtue?
Take a deep breath in and as you release it,
Imagine a cloak of Stoic wisdom settling on your shoulders.
Open your eyes,
Armored against life's storms,
But always open to its beauty,
The miracle of existence,
And the privilege of what it means to be here now.
