The Earth Is Holding You

In this meditation, we’ll use lines from Rumi’s poem Great Wagon to help us move from loneliness and separation to remembering how we are held. This earth is a place of belonging. You belong to this life. Surrender your separate self and return to your innate wholeness. There are reminders everywhere. Allow yourself to behold the world anew.

Transcript

In this meditation,

We'll use lines from Rumi's poem,

Great Wagon,

To help us move from feeling alone and separate into reminding ourselves how we belong,

How we're held,

And how we are part of a whole.

Here's the poem.

Today,

Like every other day,

We wake up empty and frightened.

Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.

Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing,

There is a field.

I'll meet you there.

I'll meet you there.

When the soul lays down in that grass,

The world is too full to talk about.

Ideas,

Language,

Even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense.

In the moments when we feel lost or are suffering a loss,

In the moments when a heartbreak or some rupture unexpectedly transforms our lives,

When it seems that no one can see us and no one's listening,

We feel isolated and alone,

Adrift in a world of unbelonging.

Here,

We can make the mistake of believing that we are separate from the world.

When we have lost a sense of ceremony and made our daily lives into a series of things to be done,

When we forget that we ourselves are sacred and we don't make time for touching beauty,

For doing what we love,

We are unmoored from our divine nature.

Today,

Like every other day,

We wake up empty and frightened.

Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.

Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

When we feel worn down and stretched thin,

When we wake up empty and frightened,

Overwhelmed by the demands of the day,

We have forgotten who we are.

We don't need to consume more information.

Rumi reminds us that there is a more beautiful way to conduct this life.

There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

There is a musical instrument waiting for you.

Meditation,

Reading poetry,

Prayer,

Walking,

Dancing,

Singing to ourselves,

Cultivating a garden,

Moving a pen across paper.

The wisdom of our bodies knows what nourishes our spirits.

When we let the beauty we love be what we do,

We commune with the unknown,

With a deeper source that draws us forth.

When we open to that source,

We sanctify ourselves.

We dance with the divine.

And when we make contact with this deep truth of our being,

We can feel happy.

Even if we're the only one in the room,

That we are far from alone.

Here we are held.

Sometimes it takes great effort to notice the seemingly small things that are here to support you,

The things so easily overlooked and taken for granted.

We must remind ourselves of the things that we are capable of.

We must remind ourselves of the ways we do belong and the ways we're held here by the things we've woven into the fabric of our lives.

The chair you sit in is the chair that rises up to meet you.

Notice how the furnishings and accoutrements you surround yourself with provide you with comfort and ease.

Notice how the room you're in holds you and protects you,

How it provides you with warmth and safety.

Feel how the space around you wraps your body in its embrace.

Feel how the clothes you're wearing nestle against your skin.

Look out at the trees.

And when you do,

Allow the trees to look back at you.

You are not an isolated object observing an objective world.

Your very act of looking is an opening,

An invitation for the world to approach you.

You must allow yourself to be approached.

You must let the world find you.

Soften your gaze.

Allow your eyes to be gently drawn to the beauty around you.

Let your eyes receive what you behold.

Everything you see is sacred,

Even the smallest things.

And now close your eyes and find your breath.

Let the rhythmic flow of your in-breath and your out-breath remind you of your innate music,

Of how you are a rhythmic being in a rhythmic world.

You are being called to the music.

And you are being called to the music.

You are being called to the music.

You are being called to the music.

Rhythmic world.

You are being called to the music,

Called to the dance.

Notice how the breath that you draw from the space around you seamlessly enters you and nourishes you.

Your in-breath is the out-breath of the trees,

The grasses,

The plants that live in your midst.

To be a human being is to be in full participation with the vitality of the world.

Allow the fullness of your breath to guide you into the fullness of your life.

Let your heartbeat remind you that there is a river running in you.

Listen to its current,

The pulse of life moving through you.

John Muir has said that when we try to pick out anything by itself,

We find it hitched to everything else in the universe.

That includes you.

As you draw your next breath,

Draw your attention to the ebb and flow.

Allow your breath to tune you back into the natural vibration at the core of your being.

You are not only in the natural world,

You are an expression of nature itself.

You are connected to all things.

You are a part of a whole.

Who are the dear ones that hold you in their grace,

In their loving light?

The ones that lay down with you in the field?

The ones that meet you where you are?

Who are there when you need them,

Whether they're present with you in this world or passed on into the next?

Call them to mind now.

Notice how in conjuring the simple thought of their love,

How you've drawn them closer to you and how you are held by them.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing,

There is a field.

I'll meet you there.

When the soul lays down in that grass,

The world is too full to talk about.

Ideas,

Language,

Even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense.

Walk on the earth.

Feel the ground beneath your feet.

Lay down in the grass and let the earth hold you.

Allow the child in you to put their hands in the dirt.

Feel the earth against your skin.

Breathe in the richness of the soil.

Remember this primal connection,

This primary language of the world.

Remember this old home.

There is an intimate relationship between how we behold the world and how we are held by it.

The world is always here,

Waiting for your touch,

Waiting for you to open your eyes,

Waiting to show you how you belong.

The ground is rising up to meet you,

To show you the deep foundation on which you rest.

The sky opens to expand your heart and your imagination.

Allow yourself to be held here,

Just as you are.

Open your eyes now.

Take a moment and look around you.

With a soft gaze,

Behold your physical world.

Turn your face to all the things that hold you in their grace,

No matter how small.

Feel the connective tissue between you and everything that has been waiting for you.

Breathe.

The world breathes with you.

You belong here.

Here you can rest.

Here you are held.

Reviews

Deeply moving message. Listening was like a much needed exhale. Thank you❤️

I love the comfort that this meditation brings.
Thank you 🙏

That was outstanding!!!! I am going to share with my addiction recovery group as I feel the message will resonate deeply. Thank you!

Thank you for this deeply resonant and enlightening practice which has appeared right when I needed more understanding about my connection with my natural environment. Namaste

That was the most magical experience of my life. Your powerful, & gentle voice, with your knowing and pure words created a symphony I would have stood up and applauded for, had I not been so meditative and gratefully in receipt.. my goodness. What a lovely surprise to this existence you are. 🙏🏼

Michael, that is a great grounding meditation. Thank you!
Donna

Wow. This meditation was so moving. I deeply resonated with your energy and delivery. Thank you so much, Michael 🫶🏼

I love this recording so much I listen to it almost every morning.

Loved this. I was peeling a sink full of carrots and was in bliss

Rumi's words and yours have helped me journey deep within. Appreciate you and your gift. Thank you. 🙏🌸

So beautiful. The words touched my soul. Thank you 🌷

Thank you for those words of support and encouragement- they are a comfort 💕🙏

Love this contemplation on the connection of all things. Thank you 🙏🏼

So nurturing and inspiring, compassionate and loving. We all need to hear this message today. Thank you ❤️

Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your wisdom ✨

Oh my, this touches me deeply. Thank you for sharing 🙏

Exactly what I needed feel it was sent at just the right time. Absolutely beautiful thank you ❤️

That was inspirational! Thank you for sharing it with us 🙏🏻

Wonderful words in the morning when Rumi is the focus and we need to feel connected. Thanks.

Very grateful for this meditation ! Highly recommend to everyone !🙏❤️