Apparently,
We have seven octillion atoms in our body.
The number seven,
And if you put 27 zeros after it,
It's just wild to think about.
And even more wild is the fact that the planet is really this closed system.
It has its atmosphere,
Its carbon,
Oxygen,
And nitrogen,
And very little of that leaves the atmosphere ever,
And only minuscule amounts of new carbon,
Oxygen,
And nitrogen come in on meteors.
So it's a very contained system.
So all of these atoms for two billion years are created and recreated and recycled and turned into new things.
So the atoms that you're made of are two billion years old,
And they have been part of countless other living things and non-living things.
I guess I'm just moved by the consistency of that,
How we have always been part of everything,
And in some way we always will be part of everything,
And also always changing.
A beautiful paradox there.
I'll just share one other quote before we actually start meditating.
Eckhart totally shared,
And I think he got it from someone else,
But he said,
Consciousness sleeps in the rock,
Dreams in the plant,
Stirs in the animal,
And awakens in the human.
And I would argue that it also awakens in other animals.
We know dolphins have self-awareness.
They can see themselves in a mirror.
We know dogs love.
I mean,
What could be more awake than to love?
With that spirit of our connectedness and collective evolution on this beautiful planet,
Let's just take a few minutes to enjoy that together and meditate.
And just invite a relaxed,
Receptive,
Open spirit into your being.
No matter how your day has been until now,
Just letting your body really relax.
You're safe here with us.
We hold each other in this circle.
Just letting your breath be smooth and wave-like,
Very comfortable.
However your body wants to breathe is fine.
And if you're sitting in a chair,
You might just notice the feeling of your feet on the ground and the gravity that holds us in place here.
Everybody is always here without our conscious awareness.
And our own electromagnetic fields are also always here.
Energy circulating in and around and from and within us.
And just sensing into your own energy there.
We know that the Earth's magnetic field is detectable by many birds and whales.
You can imagine now that you can detect that too.
You can feel the magnetism,
The energy of the planet itself.
The human electromagnetic field is strongest at the heart.
It measures 60 times stronger at the heart than at the brain.
You might just acknowledge that energy in your heart.
The oxygen that you're inhaling now has been exhaled by plants.
And the carbon dioxide that you exhale will be inhaled by plants.
It's an intimate relationship.
Our connection with this planet.
The air in your lungs has been moving on this planet for 2 billion years.
The atoms inside you right now have been in glaciers,
In dinosaurs,
In passenger pigeons and sequoia trees.
You've shared atoms with other human beings,
With wolves and eagles and salamanders.
Everything is in you.
And you are in everything.
Just let yourself breathe in the living presence of this Earth.
To feel your connection to it.
We know that our bodies are 60% water.
The same water that's been part of the planet for 2 billion years.
The same water that's flowed in rivers and oceans,
That's drifted in clouds and fallen as rain.
All of that is in you.
Just noticing your intimate connection to everything.
Feeling that life force everywhere around you.
The consciousness that pervades it all.
And becoming aware now of your own awareness.
As if you can turn to look at yourself and ask,
Who is aware?
It's not a question you need to answer,
But it's a beautiful invitation to just sit with that question.
Who is it that hears these words?
Don't focus your awareness towards it.
Who is it that notices this beautiful world around you?
Who is it that notices you noticing your own thoughts?
Who is resting with that question with curiosity and openness and wonder and gratitude?
And knowing that in whatever challenging moments may come,
In the hours and days ahead,
Because they always do,
That you can gently call yourself back to this awareness,
That you can face those challenges out of a deep sense of your connection to everything.
Sensing the mystery of how everything is in you and you are in everything.
And with this knowledge of our deep interconnectedness,
We feel gratitude and we send our powerful collective love.
And we hold each other in our hearts.
May we and all beings be safe and protected from inner and outer harm.
May we be happy and contented.
May we be healthy and whole.
May we experience ease of wellbeing.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be at peace.
May all beings be free.
