In the book,
The Wisdom of the Desert,
Thomas Merton writes,
What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?
This is the most important of all voyages of discovery,
And without it,
All the rest are not only useless,
But disastrous.
So in this visualization exercise,
I recognize that the meeting of ourselves and that infinite spaciousness is something we just,
We can't make happen.
We can only assume the inner stance that allows the least resistance to the gift of that meeting.
And I know what can feel a little like excavating these days when we go into ourselves.
And I encourage us all to remember the goodness and the truth and the beauty and the love that is innate in all of us.
This visualization exercise was adapted by my friend and poet,
Joanna Penn Cooper,
And edited by psychologist and yoga teacher,
Jasmine Ervin.
While this exercise is a little meditative and contemplative,
It's more about thinking about your consciousness and what's in your subconscious.
So if this is something you don't feel comfortable with,
Please feel free to prepare your own safe place or space or exit for a few minutes or mute if you need to.
First let's center ourselves and be still and silent.
Now as we relax and we get into our bodies,
We acknowledge and internally bow to the status of our body,
That it is here with us and the feats it has been through to bring us to this very moment.
We place our feet on the floor or however they want to be.
We place our hands on our lap or wherever they need to be,
Eyes open or closed,
Whatever is most comfortable.
I invite you to listen to me giving some instructions about going within and seeing what comes up for you.
Imagine that in the middle of your body,
Going down through your midsection,
There is a staircase and you're at the top of the staircase.
First just observe what the stairs are made of.
What do they look like?
What do you look like as you begin going down the stairs?
Letting yourself proceed down,
Down,
Down through the stairs in the middle of yourself.
Notice anything that you're feeling or thinking as you descend down into your own being.
Keep going until you reach the bottom of the stairs.
Now once you reach the bottom of the stairs,
Look around and just notice where you are.
What space have you entered?
What does it look like?
What does it feel like to be in that space in the center of yourself?
Is there anything there for you to look at or touch or examine?
What does it smell like?
Are there any windows?
Is there any furniture?
Are you alone?
Who else is there?
Take time to notice how you feel seeing this person.
Do they have anything to say to you or to give to you?
Do you feel a sense of belonging in this room or with this person?
What would make you feel like you belong?
What do you do next when you're in that space?
What happens next?
Spend a little bit of time there looking around you.
Use all your senses.
Gather what that interior might be sharing with you.
Maybe it's a word.
Maybe it's a name.
Maybe it's an object.
Maybe it's a thought.
When you're ready,
You'll begin moving back up the staircase.
Are you taking anything with you literally or figuratively?
As you begin to wander back up,
Notice if you feel any different than you did when you descended.
Has your body changed?
Has the light changed?
Has your breathing changed?
As you keep ascending,
Take your time to come up.
Pause on your way up and look back down.
Is that a space you want to go back into again?
Why or why not?
You ascending up through yourself,
Through your body into this moment.
When you're ready,
I invite you back into the room that you are in,
Into the space you are in,
Into the light you are surrounded by,
And into the day that is before you.
Thank you for participating in this episode of Methods.
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Until next time.
