Welcome.
My name is Libby Lussier,
And I'm your guide for this meditation.
This guided meditation is inspired by the book of John,
Chapter 15,
Verses 1 through 11.
It invites you into a peaceful vineyard where you connect deeply with the vine,
The branches,
And God's abiding presence.
Through stillness,
Imagery,
And reflection,
You are reminded that true peace and fruitfulness come from remaining connected to the divine.
Before we begin,
I encourage you to find a quiet space free of any disturbances.
Now find yourself in a comfortable position,
And gently close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in,
And hold for a count of two,
And release.
Take another deep breath in,
And release.
Now find yourself standing at the edge of a large vineyard.
A fragrant late summer smell is in the air,
And the sun feels warm on your skin.
As you look toward the vineyard,
You notice there are many pathways to enter in,
And you ponder which one to take.
Then you look to your right,
And a pathway appears wide open.
So you choose that one to begin the journey.
As you begin to walk along the pathway,
You notice the branches and the vines.
Some branches have many leaves,
And some have very few.
Some of the leaves appear dark green in color,
And others have a lighter green hue.
The leaves on the branches move gently in the wind,
And the grapes on the vine appear to be ripe enough to eat.
Each vine twists and wraps around another,
As they create a beautiful dance of branches,
Vine,
Leaves,
And fruit.
As you walk farther along the path,
The scent of the grapes is so fragrant that you decide to stop and eat some from the vine.
As you begin to eat the fruit,
You feel a connection to the vine and to the leaves.
You appreciate the sweetness of the grapes and give thanks to the vines.
After you've eaten your share of fruit,
You move on.
As you continue to walk,
You notice the pathway becomes more narrow,
And with each step,
The ground below becomes harder.
The deeper you walk into the vineyard,
The vines begin to look ragged,
And the leaves on the branches become more sparse.
The fruit also begins to look less ripe.
The pathway becomes harder to navigate as you go deeper into the vineyard.
But you trust God that this is the right path to be on.
Just as you trust that God is always leading you in your life.
After a certain amount of time that passes,
You're relieved to see the path open to a large clearing in the middle of the vineyard.
As you approach the clearing,
The sky opens and the sun appears to shine brighter.
The stillness of the vineyard becomes palpable,
And you feel very safe and secure in the depths of the vineyard.
The only sound that you hear is the rustling of the leaves as the wind blows.
You look off to your left,
And you see a clearing where a perfect grassy area is located,
And you sit down.
You have a blanket with you,
And you spread the blanket in the shade to rest.
You decide to lay your head down,
And as you do this,
You find your eyelids becoming heavy,
And you drift off to sleep.
When you awaken,
You notice the sun has moved position,
And now you are a bit chilly.
You put on your jacket and continue to ponder the peaceful moment deep within the vineyard.
As you sit quietly,
You start to feel as if you are one with the branches and the vines.
Your heart swells as you connect with the beauty around you.
You feel safe and joyful in the belly of the vineyard.
In that peaceful moment,
You are reminded of the section in the Book of John,
The fifth verse.
I am the vine.
You are the branches.
Those who abide in me,
And I in them,
Bear much fruit.
You look down at your watch and realize that you've been gone for quite a while.
You stand to gather your blanket,
Giving thanks for this peace-filled time,
And you begin your journey back out of the vineyard.
As you walk back along the pathway toward your starting place,
You pass the same vines,
Noticing their branches and the fruit upon them.
Realizing now that you've come to the end of your journey,
You make your way slowly to the opening of the vineyard.
As you walk out,
Feeling refreshed and calm,
You gently come back to the room that you are in,
Back to your physical body,
And take a slow,
Deep breath in and release.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes,
And when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Namaste,
Beloved.
Namaste.
