Greetings,
Dr.
Shelley Harrell here.
This meditation offering is inspired by Sawubona,
A South African greeting that means,
We see you.
When spoken as I see you,
It is important to understand that the greeting is speaking from the collective and extended eye.
When you are greeted with Sawubona,
It is a communication that you are seen,
Accepted and loved by community and ancestors,
Not just by an individual.
When we greet each other with Sawubona,
We are accepting the responsibility to see that person with collective and transcendent eyes.
The Sawubona greeting is an affirmation and deepening of our connectedness with each other,
With community,
With our ancestors,
And ultimately with the life force and source that is within all living things.
Sawubona seeing requires being fully present in heart,
Mind and soul so that we can see beyond,
Beneath and behind appearances.
We don't always really see others and we can get lost in the superficiality,
Materialism,
Transactional relating,
Rushed and distracted norms that dominate many of the spaces we occupy.
Deepening,
Strengthening Sawubona seeing involves resisting participation in the dehumanizing dynamics of oppression and engaging intentionally in the liberation of ourselves and others.
Once we see,
We then have a responsibility to live in alignment with our seeing.
The Sawubona seeing is consistent with the intent of the African American communal saying,
I feel you.
So I'd like to invite you to close your eyes,
If that's comfortable for you,
And take a deep centering breath,
Inhaling deeply to bring your attention and energy inward to your heart,
Soul center,
And exhaling with an intention of clearing mental activity and opening space to be fully present with this practice.
Let's take another centering breath,
Deeply inhaling to bring your energy inward,
Dropping down and exhaling slowly to fully settle and focus attention to our experience right here,
Right now.
I invite you now to bring to mind a person,
Group or community that you care for and who may be going through something difficult or who may be suffering or struggling.
I invite you to visualize this person,
Group or community that you care deeply for.
Visualize this in your mind's eye and feel them in your heart and soul.
I'm going to read a few phrases and as I read them,
Imagine greeting them with Sawubona,
Sending the energy and power that is within the words to them.
Let's take a breath.
Sawubona,
I see you.
I see you through eyes that transcend my own sight,
That transcend the visible and the material.
I see you behind the walls you have put up and the masks you have put on.
I see you beyond your conditions and circumstances.
I see you as more than what you have done or what has been done to you.
I see your humanity and your humanness.
I see you at your best,
Manifesting your highest purpose and soul's calling.
I see you.
Sawubona.
Sawubona,
I hear you.
I hear you through ears tuned in to the whisperings of soul and spirit.
I hear you behind what has been silenced or muted.
I hear you beneath what you say.
Beneath the words you use and the language you speak.
I hear you beyond what I want to hear.
I hear the voice of your deepest intentions and your highest aspirations.
I hear your truth and your wisdom.
I hear you.
Sawubona.
Sawubona,
I feel you.
I feel you from the vibration of our oneness where our souls recognize each other.
I feel you behind the visible and invisible barriers that separate us.
I feel you beneath our differences in that space of our interconnectedness with each other and all life.
I feel the power of your ancestors flowing through you over generations,
Across space and time.
I feel your rhythm,
Your unique expression and energy in the world.
I feel your vulnerability and your victories,
Your struggles and your strengths,
Your tears and your triumphs,
Your regrets and your risings.
I feel you.
Sawubona.
We see you.
We hear you.
We feel you.
Sawubona.
Let's take a collective breath together.
A deep inhale.
And holding at the top.
And exhaling slowly through your mouth.
And just take a few moments to come into the present moment,
Finding and following the natural flow of your breath.
And finally,
I'd like to offer a bit of inquiry for reflection,
Discussion or journaling.
Imagine your next encounter with this person or group or community you visualize.
And imagine really greeting them,
Intentionally greeting them with the energy of Sawubona.
What might be different in your interaction?
What would it look like,
Feel like,
If you were to bring the meaning and energy of Sawubona to your words and actions?
To how you show up in the world?
To how you meet and greet others?
And how might you bring the energy of Sawubona to how you meet,
Greet and see yourself?
Let's take another collective breath together.
Deep inhale.
Holding at the top.
And a nice,
Releasing,
Long exhale.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
