Welcome.
Standing up for yourself.
Whenever you've once held your own voice in your mouth in order to maintain peace.
Whenever you've made yourself smaller so that someone else might feel bigger.
Whenever you've carried the pain of a truth that you never allowed yourself to say.
Then this meditation is intended for you.
Come to it as you are,
Whether you are tired or uncertain.
And let us together form a circle of safety,
Breath by breath.
Get your seat or get your footing wherever your body currently feels comfortable.
Allow your shoulders to drop.
And let your hands hang loose with palms soft.
And then take one deep breath in.
And exhale it slowly.
As if you're finally putting down something heavy that you've been carrying for a long time.
We start off forming a circle.
Imagine in your mind a ring of soft golden light appearing around you.
Beginning low down.
And then rising up to your shoulders.
And eventually to your crown.
So that you are entirely within a circle.
Which no one else can enter without being invited.
This is holy ground.
Nothing can pass through this light without your consent.
Not the old words,
Not the expectation of other people.
Not the voice that told you to remain quiet.
Let's connect with our circle today.
And start by going to the East.
The place where the sun starts each day.
And then inhale the idea of new beginnings.
Take the courage to speak your truth.
Even though it's the first time you've done so.
Then move to the south.
Breathe in the warmth,
For it is this gentleness that you need in order to support yourself through this period.
Turn to the West and breathe in freedom.
Discard all the apologies you have made simply because you exist as you do.
And finally turn to the north,
Which is ancient and reliable.
And breathe in wisdom,
The calm realization that you are.
Need whenever you need.
And you can ask whenever you ask.
You can be whatever you need to be.
And now this.
Circle completes around yourself.
You are safe in this place and nothing that you experience within it should be hidden or diminished.
In this circle,
We invite this beautiful dog.
Loyal,
Steady,
And unshakeable.
Its ears are soft and its eyes clear.
Belonging to an animal that has never had to raise its voice in order to believe.
It moves towards you without any hesitation and sits down beside you.
It's body weight gently resting against you.
Warren and sew it.
The dog has a sense deep down within itself that you are here to remember.
It doesn't show off loyalty and it doesn't display courage.
Instead,
It lives both of these qualities quietly,
From one steady day to the next.
It rests when it's tired.
And it says,
No,
Without having to apologize when a situation isn't safe.
Or correct.
Its honesty was never cruel and had never been loud.
It was just simply and plainly true.
And just breathe in sync with the dog now.
Inhale.
And then exhale.
And let the dog's calmness spread to you.
Softly consider the thing you have been keeping unspoken.
The boundary that you have never mentioned.
The moment when you withdrew rather than standing up straight.
You needn't work out that issue now.
Simply let it surface,
Just as a leaf slowly rises to the top of still water.
The move,
The dog moves a little nearer,
Seeming to be saying that it was never selfish to speak your mind.
A creature which ignores its own boundaries cannot look after anyone for very long.
Your value was never determined by how much of you,
Of yourself,
You were willing to lose to make others comfortable.
You matter.
And take a moment to let those words settle with you.
You matter greatly.
You matter.
And you were being invited by this beautiful animal.
Within this circle where you are safe.
To say the sentence or sentences which you have been holding on to.
Without speaking it out loud first,
Unless you desire to do so.
And simply say it once.
In a straightforward manner,
Without any embellishment,
And without attaching an apology to the end of it.
Make it as simple and as clear as the dog's honesty.
And by sharing this,
Notice that the circle remains intact.
The ground is still here.
And nothing has broken.
Standing up for yourself isn't always a loud outburst.
At other times,
It means giving a calm,
Firm,
Negative answer.
There are situations in which it involves deciding to leave a room.
And there are other instances when it's enough just to refuse to laugh at a joke which has cost you something.
The dog shows this without having to say a word.
By resting when it needs to,
By refusing anything that isn't safe.
And by loving wholeheartedly,
Without losing itself in that love.
Here is the final piece of advice.
Or invitation.
Or ever word that settles easiest by you.
As language is important.
It's the nourishment.
That you can offer yourself.
Be kind to yourself in this regard.
It's not necessary for you to become fierce at all.
You need not get each word perfectly right the first time you speak your truth.
And allow yourself to be inexperienced to this.
Being both tender and brave at the same time.
Just connect with your breath.
Inhale deeply.
And then let it go.
Connect with that feeling of the golden circle surrounding you.
And it's gradually softening.
Its light is moving into your skin rather than staying outside it,
So that you can carry this sense of safety with you wherever you go.
The dog places its weight against you one last time,
Steadily,
Firmly,
And completely sure of your value.
Open your eyes when you are ready.
Only when you're ready,
Since you never have to win your honesty for yourself.
It has always been permitted.
And it has always been yours.
Slowly take your time.
And when you are ready.
Welcome back.
And welcome home.
