A Camino is a walk or a pathway that guides us along in recovery from whatever our lack of hope or previous addictions or struggles might be.
As we begin this meditation,
We want to recognize that it is not so much discounting the very real challenges,
Struggles that we have in our personal lives or that the world brings to us.
Everything from the existential challenges of the environment to politics to challenges of relationships.
But this meditation and its path is instead a testament to the potential within each of us,
Potential to in this very moment change radically our perspective,
Change our future and in so doing the lives of many others.
Thank you for dedicating this time.
We'll begin with a few deep breaths and at the sound of the bell,
I'll be guiding you in some guided imagery and taking you deeper into yourself,
Your thoughts and your breath as a way to bring about hope.
Taking a deep breath,
We come back to our center.
The deep breath we're taking in,
Accepting the air with gratitude.
Breathing deeper,
We expand our belly,
Coming into the very center,
Bringing all thoughts to that center of our breath.
May we begin higher power,
Divine light of loving kindness,
The flow between each being.
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
Others,
Other people,
Other things,
Other places that are not right here and right now.
The courage to change the things that I can.
Grant me the courage to change what I can,
Which is right here and right now.
My self,
My breath,
My attitude and my actions stemming from hope eternal and the wisdom to know the difference.
Again taking in a deep breath,
Coming back to our center.
Breathing in gratitude,
Breathing out hope.
Breathing in accepting this air,
The gift of life.
Breathing out hope for the life before me.
Coming from that center,
That deep place inside of us that always holds at least a sparkle of hope,
A glimpse of the possibilities in our mind,
In our body,
And in our spirit.
Coming from that place,
I'd like you to breathe deeply into it.
As you do so,
I'd like you to think,
To contemplate one thing that you are most hopeful for.
It could be in yourself or something you hope to bring about,
Something you hope to see happen in the world around you.
The thing that you're hopeful for should be something within your control.
Let's take just a few minutes to breathe into that hope.
As you do so,
Please think about what personal transformation might be possible through this hope.
Perhaps you could imagine in this moment how you might feel if this hope were true.
You could see yourself in that light which you hope to become.
Transformation always begins with the purpose and idea of what we hope to do to be or to bring about.
Going even more deeply,
How might that feel and look?
How might it even smell or touch as a sensation to live in that hope,
To believe in it,
To be wholeheartedly hopeful?
Let's take a few breaths.
Breathing into this hope.
You might also imagine going forth from this moment how this day might proceed differently when this hope is at your center,
When you have this purpose,
This meaning to work towards.
Not in a forceful way,
But in a progressive,
Loving,
And kind way.
Perhaps you could think about the steps that might foster building on that hope that might make you more hopeful in future moments just like this one.
Those future moments,
Nothing more than breathing and thinking as your thoughts generate your reality,
Each one of them,
One moment at a time in this breath.
And this one.
You might begin to see how hope is right here and right now,
Not in a future generation or in a plan.
For this moment in this life,
Well-lived,
Will yield good for all those around us and future generations,
One breath at a time.
Breathing back to our center.
Breathing deeply into our center,
Into that sparkle of hope that has grown.
This now waiting to leap out through the form of service,
Contemplation,
And love.
We'll close with a short loving kindness meditation,
Sending this into those places that we're bringing hope,
Beginning with ourselves.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May my heart be open to love,
Peace,
And hope.
Sharing this with someone you encounter daily,
Perhaps a loved one.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May your heart be open to love,
Peace,
And hope.
Perhaps moving on to someone that you know is struggling,
Or if not personally,
Someone that may be struggling with illness,
Or someone far away that you know is struggling.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May your heart be open to love,
Peace,
And hope.
Also,
May you be free of suffering,
And may I somehow be a part of that.
As we move on to our last universal wish for loving kindness,
We may realize that we cannot directly influence other's suffering other than by our effort,
Our hope,
And what this practice brings to ourselves,
Those around us,
And those we may impact.
Let that be enough in this moment.
As everyone,
All those that we can imagine as far as we can reach,
As far as our mind's eye can go,
May they be well.
May they be happy.
May all of their hearts be open to love,
Peace,
And hope.
May they be free of suffering,
And may I somehow be a part of it.
In solidarity with all of them and all of you,
May this act of loving kindness and future service bring great hope,
Knowing that as a community,
One by one,
Breath by breath,
We are sharing a resounding hope,
Which truly does spring eternal.
May peace be with you.
