Reading: From The Ground Up | By Ayla Nereo

From the ground up, side by side, we'll build it, let's see what our hands can make!
Here I reimagine a powerful song by reading it as a poem, a prayer, a mantra, a declaration.
I invite you to in an open meditative state and Practice Embodied Listening -what's that & how?
Be in your body while you listen, set that intention. To connect with your body and your heart, it can help to place hands on the heart/ belly/ lap and feel into the soles of your feet. (That will guide your attention, so therefore your energy, into a more grounded state.)
Then as you listen: relax the muscles, breathe naturally and NOTICE what you notice.
Maybe the words move or stir something in your body, allow, let it move, let it breathe, let it flow, simply notice, without clinging.
You might want to sit with the experience afterwards, perhaps journal about how the words spoke to you?

For this reading I was inspired by the original song: "From The Ground Up", by Ayla Nereo.

With love and gratitude
Madeleine

Transcript

As a wave across the land, We are moving, Moving. Save now phase. The change these bodies make. The way they are. Facing forward shoulder to the stone. Telling of moving it. Takes one step. Takes your voice, Takes your voice saying. I'm not hearing if you're not naming it. I'm not stopping if you're not changing it. Here are my hands. Let's see what they can make. In the morning, In the rise up. There's a bridge. From all it's been. In the dawning. The vines are pushing through the pavement. We were born of burning hearts. We are tearing off the regions. From the ground up we will build it. From clouds above we're raging. From the crowd we will erase it. From the ground up. You hold the spade to turn new soil. For the coming grace you hold the plants. No hands but our hands will lead our children. All that will feed you is a fierce prayer, A fierce prayer saying, I'm not hearing if you're not naming it. I'm not stopping if you're not stopping it. Here are my hands, Let's see what they're making. In the morning, In the rise up, There's a bridge from all of its been. In the dawning the winds are pushing through the pavement and we are born of burning hearts we are tearing off the regions from the ground up we will build it from the clouds above we will rain it from the crowd up we will raise it from the ground up. From the ground up. In this life we see so many things and sometimes our hearts may start to bleed a bit. But I choose this. I choose this life. I choose this life I'm gonna lead and I must give my hands to make it. So in the morning in the rise up there's a bridge from all that's been and in the dawning the winds are pushing through the pavement. From the ground up we will build it. From the clouds above we'll rain it. From the crowd up we will raise it. From the ground up we will build it. Because we are born. To do this we were born of burning hearts. And from the ground up we will build it. With our hands shoulder to shoulder. We are moving. We are moving. As a wave across the land. Save no face. The change these bodies make. And the way they are facing forward shoulder to shoulder shoulder to the stone telling of it moving it takes one step and takes your voice. It takes your voice saying, I'm not hearing it if you're not naming it. I'm not stopping if you're not changing it. Here are my hands, Let's see what they're making. Here are my hands. Let's see what they're making. We will build it. We will build it anew from the ground up. And you hold the spade to turn new soil. For the coming grace you hold the plants. No hands but our hands. We will lead. We will lead our children and all that will feed you is this fierce prayer. We were born of burning hearts. From the crowd up we will raise it, From the ground up we will build it. From the ground up. From the ground. We build anew.