Hello,
I'm Katie and welcome to this heart work experience.
Here we welcome in the beauty of life and the sometimes soft voice of the heart in our everyday lives.
This is a series of guided visualizations and meditations written to expose our mundane moments for what they truly are,
Gifts of the heart.
So if you'll join me,
You may want to close your eyes as you listen.
Mary Oliver says in her poem,
The Uses of Sorrow,
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand that this too was a gift.
A few weeks ago,
After a gorgeous long weekend spent romping through the tide pools of Southern California,
I woke up alone in a hotel room and grief was sitting heavily upon my chest.
I rose,
Brushed my teeth,
Splashed water on my face,
But still the nameless weight.
I practiced silence in meditation,
Got dressed,
Made steaming hot coffee,
And oh,
Here,
Here is sadness now too.
So finally I opened my journal and wrote on the top line,
Hello grief,
Hello sadness,
What do you have to tell me?
For I have learned that to turn toward is the only action that will eventually bring me to peace.
But silence,
The words hung on the page,
My questions left unanswered.
Later I drove for hours through the desert and into the hills,
Finally descending into the valley that is my home.
And as I saw the sun shining through the clouds,
Dancing,
Making patterns on the green earth,
I remembered.
I remembered a part of me that has been tucked away lately,
Stored deep inside the closet of my heart.
And so my grief,
My sadness is me missing me.
My wholeness is calling me,
Remember,
Remember.
I'll invite you to take a deep breath now.
Feel the coolness of the air as it enters in through your nose and the warmth as it leaves you.
If you haven't already,
You can close your eyes.
Let your jaw relax,
Allowing your lips to part slightly and your tongue to be loose in your mouth.
Let the tightness in your shoulders drop.
Roll your neck.
Give your belly permission to soften.
Hips sink down,
Pulling all your weight into the surface beneath you.
Quietly whisper,
Here I am.
I am here.
Bring your palms to your cheeks,
Holding your face tenderly.
Whisper after me,
I am loved.
I am held.
I belong.
I am the beloved.
You are here to be fully human and to behold the eternal within you.
Move your hands to your heart now,
Breathing here as your hands rise and fall with your breath.
There is a calling upon you to inhabit your fullness,
To accept and love your wholeness,
Body,
Mind,
Soul,
Spirit,
Voice,
Creative force,
Heart.
Do not forget any part of you and when you do forget,
Know and trust that you will be reminded to remember.
Remember.
Is there a part of you that has been forgotten?
Is there a part of you that has been quieted,
Put away,
Covered up,
Shamed,
Ignored?
Allow a moment here for this part of you to surface.
Tenderly tease it out.
Welcome it with your open heart.
Turn toward.
Breathe.
Can you name it,
This forgotten part?
Place your hands on your lap now,
Palms up.
Imagine inviting this part of you to sit here on your lap in your arms as you hold it and love it.
Here ask it what it needs from you.
Ask,
How can I honor you now?
Wait for the answer.
It could be so tiny or something bigger.
Now slowly watch as this part of you begins to melt into your body.
Chest,
Torso,
Lower belly.
Watch as it absorbs into you.
You can use your hands to press it all the way into your body.
This is integration.
This is wholeness.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand that this too was a gift.
When you're ready,
Blink your eyes open.
Come back to the room.
Come back to me.
Find your journal and record your experience.
Make sure to write down your next steps in honoring this integration,
Honoring this part of yourself that has been tucked away.
And remember that this is always available to you.
Remember that sadness,
Grief,
Anger,
Darkness,
They hold powerful messages for us.
Remember to pause and ask and remember to listen.
Until next time,
Big love.
