Mark Nepo writes in the Book of Awakening that we spend so much of our lives wanting to be seen,
Seen as worthy,
As good,
As enough.
And most of us,
If we're honest,
Have built a great deal of our lives around that desire.
But he offers us something quietly revolutionary.
He reminds us that a hawk spreading its wings doesn't know it's a hawk,
And that the heart expanding with compassion doesn't know it's being spiritual.
Life simply moves through itself,
Openly,
Without needing a witness.
And so,
He turns the question around entirely.
What if the doorway isn't being accepted,
But accepting?
What if the thing we've been waiting for someone else to give us is something we can offer first,
Not as a performance,
Not to earn love back,
But because giving our full attention to life is itself an act of love,
And it opens us.
He says,
As much as we want to be seen,
It is the giving of attention that keeps us awake.
So that's where we'll begin.
With the breath,
With attention,
Moving,
Acting.
You don't need to be different to be here.
You don't need to be ready.
You just need to arrive.
I invite you to gently close your eyes,
And as you settle,
Begin to feel the air as it moves through you,
Not controlling it,
Just noticing it.
The simple,
Faithful rhythm of in,
And out.
Now on your next breath in,
In through your nose,
Open yourself up to what it feels like to receive attention,
Not to perform for it,
Not to chase it,
Just to let it land.
Let yourself be seen right here in this moment,
Exactly as you are.
Through your mouth,
Nice and controlled,
Open yourself to what it feels like to give attention,
To extend your awareness outward.
Generously,
Like light moving through an open window.
Stay with that for a few breaths,
And notice how the two begin to merge,
Getting,
Until there's no real difference between them.
Until it's simply love.
Just rest there for a moment.
Feel it rising and falling with each breath.
And as you breathe from your heart,
I want you to bring your gentle attention to your shoulder blades,
Those wide,
Flat bones at the back of your body.
Feel them soften with each breath.
Feel them begin to open.
Something is waking there.
And as you breathe in,
And exhale through your heart,
Notice that light,
That energy coming as breath,
Feeding something there in your shoulder blades.
Maybe you notice a tingling,
A little itch,
Perhaps.
It's coming from under your skin,
And it's forming something right there from your shoulder blades.
With each breath in,
And each exhale,
And you see it's forming the most beautiful set.
These wings,
They're strong.
As you breathe in and out,
These wings begin to stretch to the most beautiful,
Unique form.
That is exactly you.
And just notice without judgment,
What kind of wings are you breathing into life?
Just notice these beautiful wings of light,
But creates them bigger and stronger in the world.
Feel free to stretch them out,
Like you might be doing with an extra pair of arms.
Do they wrap around you?
Do they fit snugly behind your back?
Just explore this beautiful gift of your breath.
And the light can begin to flap your wings.
Move them.
Move them with the breath.
Know that they are a part of you.
And as you grow accustomed to these wings,
You begin to notice that they're slowly lifting you off the ground.
While your body stays anchored,
Your spirit begins to lift.
And these wings take you higher and higher.
Soon you begin to notice that you are in and above and around.
They're a bit misty and damp,
Brushing past your skin,
And playfully swirling around you in your wings.
And there's a beautiful color of a slow awakening dawn.
And you just keep stretching and moving your wings.
And they support you to go higher and further.
And as you gain comfort and confidence with your wings,
You begin to travel.
You don't know where you're going,
But your wings do.
You need to trust the direction that you're heading,
Knowing that these beautiful wings of light are taking you to exactly where you need to go.
And soon you see in the distance the most beautiful,
Majestic tree.
And as you draw closer,
You notice that this tree is full of other people,
Of other spirits with all so many different kinds of wings for every unique person.
There is a miraculous set of these.
And you see them sitting on branches,
Just enjoying the view.
And as you approach,
Some of them wave,
But all of them smile.
And you feel welcome.
And you know you can choose any branch.
You slowly find one that feels right.
And settling down in the place that you feel the most safe,
Comfortable.
And you notice you're not tired.
It was no effort to get here.
And here you can just be fully accepting.
In this moment,
You're at peace.
You can just sit here for a while longer,
Knowing that this is here and always accessible for you whenever you need it.
Because your wings know how to take you here.
To this loving,
Open.
You begin to feel the tug that you were just in.
And as you alight from the branch in a way that feels the most safe and fun,
Your wings catch you and carry you.
And again,
There's no effort.
Breathe back to all your friends,
All those others in the tree.
And your wings carry you easily,
Effortlessly.
Take a nice deep breath into this time and space.
And make sure you exhale and release.
And as you slowly arrive back,
You see those beautiful,
Luminescent wings of you back to that tree whenever you need it.
As they melt back into your just notice the feeling that you brought back with you.
And know that you've been seen because you have gone to see.
And remember that the attention you give others is the attention that you give yourself.
Thank you for joining me today.
