Taking Refuge

Dive deeper into practice by taking refuge in the presence of a being whom we deeply trust. When we connect to this deep source of trust and love, we find these profound qualities and gifts arising at the center of our very own being.

Transcript

Take a moment to settle in.

Wherever you are,

Wherever you've chosen to practice today,

Just take a moment to find your seat.

Fill the ground beneath you.

Appreciate this human life and this opportunity to practice,

To be awake,

And to receive this moment with a fullness of joy.

When practicing meditation,

You might often receive the instruction to relax and settle in.

And yet,

We can't necessarily just relax and just settle in.

Something about the way we come into this world from the moment we're born,

We're trying to figure out if the world's safe,

If life is trustworthy.

And because we're all human beings raised in imperfect circumstances,

There are microscopic aspects of our beings,

Of our personality,

That hold back a little bit.

Distrust.

So in order to really,

Truly drop down,

At least as much as we can in this particular practice,

I want to invite you to do something a little different.

I want to invite you to connect to a being whom you can completely trust.

Now to be clear,

This being,

It could be a real person that you actually know.

Somebody with whom you've had experience that just tells you you can absolutely trust them.

In their presence,

You feel profoundly cared for,

Deeply known,

Deeply loved.

See what comes up.

Maybe the presence of someone you know comes to mind.

Maybe your heart clenches and you feel a sense that this isn't safe.

Whatever's happening,

Just pay attention and let it inform you.

Keep in mind that as you connect to this particular being in a field of safety and loving embrace,

It need not be someone you know,

Someone you've ever met.

This being could be mythological,

Could be fictitious,

Could be historical,

Could be a blend of all of the above.

The purpose,

The intention of this practice is to really evoke an environment of profound safety and trust within which you can really practice.

So really bring the full force of your awareness to this imaginative,

This imaginal task.

Maybe there's a moment in your life,

A single moment where you felt profoundly cared for and held and you can just bring your awareness to that moment,

That memory,

That experience and let that quality of feeling felt,

Of being known and loved and embraced,

Cared for,

Let it fill your entire being.

And if there is a being that is not strictly speaking human,

Perhaps divine,

You can find yourself in those loving arms and that loving presence.

Just do whatever is honest for you,

But find yourself in this field beyond words really,

Fullness of love and joy,

Compassion,

First and foremost of safety.

As you do this you can feel your own being relaxing in new ways,

Beyond just physical relaxation of settling into your seat.

As you relax into this field of safety and trustworthiness,

You can start to feel your entire being relax.

Something you may start to notice and appreciate is that whatever being and whose presence you bask in this moment,

The quality of safety,

Trustworthiness,

Love,

Above all love that they channel into you is really a primordial quality of all of creation.

It's not just their love,

The safety they create,

But rather it's as though this being has made him herself themselves a vessel through which these qualities pour.

In that sense you can recognize that even this refuge being is transparent,

Is open to these deeper qualities that fill the entire universe.

Feel yourself permeated,

Suffused,

Infused with the sense of safety,

Of ground,

Of love,

And for those parts of yourselves that can't trust and don't feel safe you can love those too.

Love exactly your response to life in this moment.

Trust the intelligence of your being,

Those parts that surrender and relax,

Those parts that don't in order to protect you.

It's all good.

Stay focused on sensation in the body,

Emotion in the body.

As this energy fills you up you can enhance it,

Amplify it just by staying present and open and relaxed,

Letting it fill you,

Letting it inform you.

And as you do this you can start to let the presence of the being with whom you've communed and connected and found safety,

Found ground,

Start to let this being just gently fade away,

Dissipate into the ether,

Neither present nor absent.

And feel clearly that this essence is still perfectly present,

Of safety,

Of trust,

Of love,

And feel clearly that you also embody these exact same qualities.

You are both recipient and source of these qualities.

Maybe that shocks you,

Or maybe it feels as ordinary as breathing.

But just relax and try it on.

See how it feels to take a stand as these qualities of radical safety,

Compassion,

And love.

Let these qualities emanate from the very core of your being out into space,

To all beings.

Feel how eager every single being in creation yearns for the safety,

This profound sense of being loved and cared for,

Being known at the deepest level.

And let yourself be this love that loves them.

Let yourself be the light and the intelligence that knows them at the deepest level,

Not because you're efforting,

Not because you're trying,

But because it's who you are.

These are the qualities that effortlessly extend from the depths of your being.

In a very personal way,

Where does this love go?

Where does your attention,

Your care,

Intuitively go?

The beings within your field of relationships that are most in need of this ground of safety and care.

Let your intention reach them instantaneously.

Hold this intention for them to be uplifted,

Supported,

Blessed.

And feel paradoxically how the more you extend these qualities of infinite care,

Compassion,

And love,

The more you extend these qualities,

The more abundant they become.

You

Reviews

That was beautiful, really resonated. Thank you

The first time i listened I connected with my dad. I felt a deep healing connection to him. He passed 6 years ago. The second time insent lovevout, And don’t remember the invitation to send love out the first time. I appreciate how I got what I needed each time I listened.
Thank you Thomas!

Thank you. Developing refuge is so important.

This meditation gently walks me into a feeling of safety every time I listen — thank you!

One of my favorites. This meditation becomes so personal and touches me in a most meaningful way. 🙏