This week on Meditate for Others,
We reach out to the thousands of children who are separated from their families right now.
We do this together in the belief that by unifying toward a single focus,
Our efforts may be multiplied and their effects made manifest.
Close your eyes and find your breath.
Feel the movement in your chest as you inhale and exhale.
Notice the rhythm of your breath,
The weight of your breath,
The temperature of your breath.
Now notice the proximity of your heart to your lungs.
As you feel your breath moving in your chest,
You may also feel the beating of your heart.
The movement of your breath gives a gentle knock on the window of your heart.
The breath speaks with a tenderness that is the same language as the heart.
Your breath whispers one word,
Open,
Open,
Open.
Feel your heart soften to these whispers like the petals of a rosebud soften as it opens.
Feel your heart and feel the love that makes you feel vulnerable.
Feel the compassion that breaks it open.
In the world of the heart,
Vulnerability is where true strength is found.
It takes great courage to allow the heart to be broken and remain open,
And this is what you are being asked to do.
But don't fear,
For you are not alone.
As you breathe,
Focus your attention on the earth beneath you.
However much distance there may be between you and the earth's surface,
Her gravity holds you to her like a mother holding a child.
You are of this earth.
As you breathe,
Focus your attention on the sky above you.
However much distance there may be between you and the stars,
Their light still reaches you like a father's watchful gaze.
You are stardust.
As you breathe,
Focus your attention on the human race and the plant and animal kingdoms.
However much distance you may feel from them,
At times they are your siblings.
You belong to them,
And they belong to you.
As you breathe,
Some of your brothers and sisters are suffering right now.
Children have been separated from their mothers and fathers.
They are surrounded by strangers.
They may or may not understand the language they are hearing.
When was the last time they laughed?
When was the last time they got a hug?
When was the last time they felt safe?
When we do this meditation,
It is our intent that we are able to somehow lessen the burden for these children while we send powerful thoughts for healing and comfort back to them.
Stay with your breath and feel your heart.
Focus your attention on the children.
So that you can visualize this,
Imagine a map of the United States.
Right now there are over 2300 children being held away from their parents in at least 17 states.
They are in Washington,
Oregon,
California,
Arizona,
Texas,
Kansas,
Illinois,
Michigan,
New York,
Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
Pennsylvania,
New Jersey,
Maryland,
Virginia,
South Carolina,
And Florida.
See these children and where they are.
As we breathe in,
We will take their suffering into our hearts.
We will feel it and we will transform it.
As we breathe out,
We will send the antidote to their suffering.
If your heart hurts when you do this,
It's working.
Now as we breathe,
Breathe in their fear,
Breathe out hope.
Breathe in their hunger,
Breathe out nourishment.
Breathe in their sadness,
Breathe out strength.
Breathe in their loneliness,
Breathe out love.
Breathe in their anger,
Breathe out peace.
Breathe in their pain,
Breathe out comfort and healing.
Return to your breath and feel your heart.
Now expand your attention to all children in the world who are separated from their families right now.
The girls who have been abducted because they had the audacity to go to school.
The children who were taken and sold into slavery.
The children who got lost,
The children who ran away.
The children who are waiting in hospitals for a cure.
The children who have never felt the warmth of a family who wanted them.
Now as we breathe,
Breathe in their fear,
Breathe out hope.
Breathe in their hunger,
Breathe out nourishment.
Breathe in their sadness,
Breathe out strength.
Breathe in their loneliness,
Breathe out love.
Breathe in their anger,
Breathe out peace.
Breathe in their pain,
Breathe out comfort and healing.
Return to your breath and feel your heart.
Now feel the energy of your brothers and sisters who have joined us in this meditation.
Feel the strength of our numbers to make a difference in the experience of these children in this moment,
Even as we work through material channels to make a difference in their situations.
We are all connected.
We are one heart.
We are one in love.
We are love.
We are love.
We are love.
