There's a beautiful praises chant that we can begin the meditation with if everybody is ready.
Salute her,
The swift one,
Greatly fearsome,
The feeder of the boldest demon,
Whose beautiful face frowns so fiercely that all foes are slain without remnant.
Salute her,
From whom the king of the gods,
All deities,
And every other being serve and attend,
The joyful beauty whose form is an armor against all evil and contention.
Sit yourself like a king or a queen in your body,
Really upright.
Imagine you really are sitting on a throne right now.
And breathe into your belly.
Relax your shoulders,
For we don't need to hold the world.
And just relax.
Let the weight drop onto the earth and all your bundles and burdens.
We can pick them up again after the meditation if you want to,
But right now,
Just drop them.
With every breath,
Breathe in the fresh air.
Breathe out anything that's stale.
Breathe it out through your mouth.
Breathe in the light.
Breathe out old,
Congested stuff.
You don't need to know what it is.
Just breathe it out of your body.
Breathe in the light.
And for this meditation,
We call in the presence of Tara,
Durga,
Manjushri,
Gandhi,
And Martin Luther King.
And all the great ones,
Seen and unseen heroes and heroines,
Who have dared and who dare to walk with fierce compassion in this world.
And thereby making a difference for all of us.
And in this meditation,
We evoke the same quality that resides within us,
Allowing ourselves to open to the true power of life,
To fill us and to live us right now.
Stay very close with your body right now.
Bring all your awareness to this body tempo.
Because the entrance to that power is most easy found through our bodies.
And as you're breathing,
Become aware of that sense and pulse of aliveness.
Let yourself feel it,
Whether it's in your feet or your hands.
Just bring all your awareness to that aliveness,
Tingling,
Breathing.
Allow yourself to open even deeper into this pulsation.
It's like an energy that you might become aware of.
Maybe in some parts of your body,
It flows stronger.
It's more,
You're more aware of it.
The more you bring your attention to it,
The stronger it gets.
Can it be as simple as the warmth in your hand?
Keep breathing into it.
Keep touching it with your awareness.
And notice how this force of life,
This aliveness flows through you.
Just stay really close with it.
You might become aware that in certain areas in your body,
It is stronger,
Flowing.
In certain areas,
There's contraction.
So right now,
Don't worry about the contraction.
Just go towards the flow and where the opening is in your body,
Where it's flowing,
And breathe into it.
And begin to merge.
Like you're really leaning into it,
And it's almost like you begin to bow to that life pulse in you.
And letting your mind merge with it.
So there's only the pulsation,
There's only life.
Just let yourself feel it a little bit.
If it's the most important right now,
Let yourself open into it.
You might experience that juiciness,
Even if it's a taste.
The warmth.
Like you can speak a whisper prayer,
Even a quiet prayer to that energy.
Say,
Fill me.
I allow you to fill me.
To take up room.
Notice what you experience.
Let yourself drop deeper.
Like your throne is on a mountain.
You're seated.
Present unshakable presence.
And from this place,
Survey your inner world.
Like you're looking into your queendom or your kingdom.
Such love.
Such strength.
You're looking at your mind,
In its world.
A servant who was sacred.
You welcome that little child in you to be held.
You welcome your body to rest.
To reside in the truth,
In the breath,
In this power of life.
You welcome that little child in you to rest.
In this unshakable presence.
You're seated,
Whether in the mountain or at a river,
No matter what arises,
No matter what appears in this world.
Good,
Bad.
You're seated.
And when you allow your gaze to broaden,
To widen into our world,
Imagine for a moment that you're walking in this world,
And standing in this world,
Connected with this light in your presence.
Just imagine how it would feel like.
How would it feel like for you to respond to the suffering in this world,
Or to bring even more light?
How would it feel to act from this presence?
How would it feel to join this world?
How would it feel to join with those who dare to be a victorious horseman or horsewoman,
Or the kings or the queens that truly care for the land and the people that truly are connected?
How would it be to join with everyday people who speak up,
Who live boldly?
How would it feel to not be alone in this?
How would it feel to stand for what is precious?
What is precious and sacred with your life?
Let it live you every moment,
Every breath,
Every step.
Let it live you every moment,
Every breath,
Every step.
Let it live you every moment,
Every breath,
Every step.
Let it live you every moment,
Every breath,
Every step.
Just breathe and also listen to what is of the highest best for you right now.
Listen to that aliveness.
Listen to that voice that resides in your heart.
What's for the highest best is always a good question to answer.
What's that simple humility towards that greater power that knows?
What's it speaking to you,
That voice of knowing?
Maybe you can't hear words,
But maybe you can get a sense,
Allow yourself to receive a sense or an impulse.
What's it speaking to you?
Just for a moment feel how we're connected in this here in the circle.
We're all with great loving hearts.
We're stoking the fire.
What's the most important in this world and in our lives?
That flame.
Which is the greatest power,
The truth deep in all of life.
Just in order to just bow to it.
Now it's another prayer you can do.
You can speak your own.
I want to send out a prayer for all beings.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be free from violence and oppression and harm.
And may all beings be able to shine and to stand and to thrive.
And may we continue to support each other.
And we send our blessings to all the people at Standing Rock and anywhere else you wish to send your blessing and prayer.
Thank you.
