When we open our eyes,
We emit with a flurry of offerings.
Colours,
Shapes,
Sizes,
Movements and light dance around us,
Drawing us towards them.
People,
Places,
Timelines,
Appointments pull us from one place to another,
Zigzagging our purpose as we open our eyes wider and turn our head from side to side.
Soon we find ourselves moving,
Motion accelerates as we move faster and plan more.
We commit to bigger and brighter ideas and promises,
All the while moving further towards some elusive finish line where we hope to experience a sense of success or purpose.
But what if we stopped?
What if instead of opening our eyes,
We decided to start each day with them closed?
What if we gave ourselves a moment of inner nourishment,
Inner connection,
Before we opened ourselves up to the push-pull of the external?
What if we first grounded ourselves in what we know to be true,
Before we let ourselves get caught up with endless doing and no being?
Find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably and signal to your heart that it's time to connect within.
Momentarily,
Farewell the beauty,
The colours,
The enticement of the external world and mindfully close down the eyes.
With the onset of darkness,
Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale any last remnant of the busy external world as you dive a little deeper into your own internal landscape.
Lift your shoulders up to your ears and inhale deep into your chest and belly,
Before letting them lower again,
Exhaling out any of the pressure that's slowly built up in the body.
Your breath continues in natural slow rhythms through your nose and the soft exhale of each breath is felt as it leaves your being.
As you drop deeper and deeper into yourself,
You become immersed in darkness and in silence.
It's as if you have entered a cave within yourself and you are being invited to step inside.
Within the stillness,
You may notice the presence of an emotion within.
You become curious about the rising emotion and feel an overwhelming sense of safety and love as you gently take your hands to your belly and hold yourself,
Allowing this feeling.
This cave acts as a storehouse for emotions,
Energies and memories that you have stored away.
Those that you have put out of consciousness and have tended to avoid,
Suppressed.
You lovingly give yourself permission to enter the storehouse of these suppressed energies and bravely welcome the release of everything that no longer serves you or your present moment.
Through the darkness that envelopes your body,
You begin to envision a glowing white light in the distance.
A small warm flame.
Hesitant at first,
You walk towards the light and realise that it is a small candle.
You gently pick it up and hold it close to your heart.
You are now no longer alone in the darkness.
Your own light is shining itself on that which has clung to the shadows.
You see the radiance of the candle's light begin to transmute the suppressed emotions.
The feeling of guilt,
Regret and rejection of times past is brought towards the light,
No longer is potent in its darkness.
You welcome the release of that which no longer needs to remain trapped within by encouraging the candlelight to shine on all corners of your inner cave.
You encourage the release.
You allow the light to draw out that which has remained hidden.
As you bring to the surface more and more of what you have hidden,
You begin to feel lighter.
You feel the expansion within now that you are no longer burdened with energies and memories of times past.
It feels safe to sit with what is and the desire to be busy,
The desire to be overworked,
Feels less pressing.
It no longer feels necessary to run or to create other stimuli.
You can sit with yourself,
Knowing that you are the source of the light that you shine within.
Promising to visit again,
You gently lay the candle down and bring the focus to your breath.
During times when darkness seeps into our soul and we struggle to find our way,
There is always a small flame deep within.
It can be hidden underneath negative self-belief,
Trauma or doubt regarding our worthiness,
But it is always there.
When we wish to escape our own connection with ourselves and when we get caught in the busyness of being,
Return inwards to this light.
Let it illuminate your pain and remove any charge.
Let it release its grip on times past and allow ourselves to breathe in the fullness of this moment once again.
