From Shampinyada,
I'm Colleen Thomas.
This is Everyday Magic for Ukraine.
Today we meditate for Ukraine.
Welcome to the Circle.
Welcome to Everyday Magic for Ukraine,
Where we honor Ukraine and we also practice self-care to stay strong as allies.
If you're new here,
Welcome.
So it's been a very intense week if you're listening to this podcast right when it's being released.
It's been a very intense week.
And so why don't we take a moment to find our bodies,
To ground into this moment,
And to just presence whatever emotions we're feeling.
So whatever you're feeling,
Just maybe gently touch into it.
Gently connect with your heart.
Gently remember you're in a body.
You're on this earth.
You're in your own space and time,
And yet you are connected with us.
Just allow yourself grace and space to land with us right now exactly as you are.
What I've been hearing from my friends and contacts in Ukraine is that these days,
The past two weeks,
Have felt very distinctly like things felt right after the full-scale invasion.
I'm hearing that at first it was shock and chaos and trauma and a sense of being disengaged,
A sense of not knowing what was going to happen,
A sense of chaos.
And then over time,
Everybody kind of settled into some kind of groove and were making sense of the day-to-day.
But now they're feeling back in that chaotic,
Really confused,
Don't know what's next kind of place.
And as a supporter of Ukraine,
You too may be feeling something along those lines.
So what I would love to do is welcome you here again exactly as you are,
Again exactly in this moment that we're in.
And I'd like to invite you to join me in a meditation focusing on a sunflower.
This is an image of,
Of course,
Ukraine's national flower,
The sunflower,
The Soniashnik.
And I'm going to borrow it for a meditation with you,
Inspired by a meditation led early on for advocates of Ukraine by Starhawk.
So I invite you to settle yourself in,
Maybe take a couple of breaths,
And bring to mind,
Bring to heart a beautiful,
Gorgeous sunflower.
Allow this sunflower to kind of float right in front of you.
And let's begin to honor this sunflower and see the sunflower as a symbol of Ukraine.
As the country,
As an internationally recognized entity of a people and of a culture.
And perhaps we can begin by releasing any dismay or shock or betrayal that is surrounding this sunflower.
So first begin to notice that there are areas of the sunflower that are a bit clouded,
A bit overshadowed,
A bit threatened,
Really.
And let's begin to imagine those bits of maybe darkness or maybe cloudiness,
Maybe a strange color in the petals.
Let's begin to notice that and work our magic to release it.
Anything the sunflower does not need to thrive,
To be perfect,
To be glorious,
To be strong.
Anything it does not need,
Just see it dissolving away.
Just see anything that is not needed falling away.
And notice that this sunflower is already growing brighter as we work and as we hold space.
And as we've released now,
Those sort of negative,
Harmful energies surrounding the sunflower,
Begin to notice that the sunflower is powered from within.
See if you can see it in the stamen,
In the pistils,
In the parts of the flower.
See if you can see the unity,
The national pride that is powering the sunflower.
Notice the cultural pride.
Notice the clear hearts of a people who are fighting for their freedom.
And notice,
Especially if you can see it,
The power of the ancestors.
Look deeply within this flower and notice this power,
This unity,
The national pride,
And especially the power from the ancestors.
And feel how,
Just intuitively as we work with this sunflower,
Feel the love that is coming to this sunflower from around the world.
There is love coming from the Ukrainian diaspora,
People who love and really know Ukraine.
It is their home.
It is their ancestral home.
It means the world to them.
So feel that love too.
And feel the love from those of us who don't have Ukrainian heritage,
But who are deeply supporting Ukraine from all over the world right now.
And see this sunflower now growing brighter and brighter.
The petals are becoming like rays and sending out the essential energy of this beautiful sunflower,
Sending it out into all the space around it,
Allowing its genuinely beautiful,
Beautiful light to shine out in every direction.
And let's watch these rays expand.
Let's allow these rays,
Encourage these rays now to expand into the whole world.
Sending this love,
Of course,
To Ukraine and of course,
To the ancestors of Ukraine who are around the world in the diaspora.
And also to all the other hearts in the world,
Those that are already open to Ukraine's call for support and those who might've been distracted from it or who lean in another direction.
You can send out some of this beauty to them to encourage them to lean in,
To notice what is really happening and to show up as an ally.
Just seeing now this beautiful,
Beautiful sunflower radiating its love,
Its light around the world.
And you are welcome to bring in any of that energy into yourself,
Into your heart.
I know,
As I said,
It's been a really hard time lately and we might all be a little bit run down and we might need some of this hope and some of this love.
And as you're ready,
You can begin to begin to let go of the sunflower.
We're going to let this sunflower just fade gently away,
Letting it go to the universe.
And maybe begin to become aware of where you are right now,
Wherever you are in your day or your night.
Just maybe wiggle your toes,
Wiggle your fingers if that motion is available to you,
Or just move your body in a little way to say hello,
Way to say welcome back.
And just like that sunflower sending its rays of light around the world,
How can you raise your voice right now?
How can you support Ukraine right now?
However you do,
Make sure it comes from the heart,
As I know it will.
May it be so.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Your presence,
Your energy and your heart make all the difference in healing our world.
Remember to breathe today.
Breathe and expand.
And I hope you join us again next time.
Please consider inviting a friend.
