Hello and welcome to an Integrative Wisdom moment,
Specifically for the Insight Timer community.
My name is Verna Fisher and I'm very glad to be here with you during these next few moments together.
This particular time together is to honor the ties that bind,
To honor the ancestors,
The ones who through their procreation brought us to this life,
To this time,
To this place.
And as life happens,
There come those moments when those we love are no longer in our lives through a variety of reasons,
Whether that's through the relationship was over and we parted ways,
Whether their time on this earth was over and so they're no longer in their physical form here with us.
Whatever it might be,
This time together allows us to honor the ties that bind and to honor and to recognize the fact that there are ties that can bind us and not in a good way and that we don't know how to release from those ties.
So we're going to both honor and we're going to acknowledge those ties that we cherish and honor and those ties that maybe it's time for us to release.
So this is one of the objects that I have created in a gathering before and it was to honor the ties that bind.
So it's symbolic,
Right?
Symbolic of the relationships,
The beliefs,
The values,
The experiences that happen in life,
Right?
So we bring this with us during this time together.
So if you're in the right spot,
If this is something that you realize is going to be beneficial for you on this journey,
Then let's settle in and spend some time in this place.
So today is about honoring the thread.
Make sure that you are in that comfortable position,
That you feel supported in your chair or wherever you find yourself,
That you can have these next few minutes of time for yourself and that if indeed there are people around that you let them know this is sacred time,
Right?
All right,
Let us begin.
Breathing in slowly.
Breathing out fully.
Noticing as we do so the steady beat of our heart that accompanies our breath.
Noting that we seemingly have no power over either one.
We notice that there is some wisdom within us that is taking care of this.
Let us take that next breath to give thanks for the breath and the beating.
The breath and the beating of our heart.
As we continue to settle into this moment,
We agree that our purpose for being here is to spend a few moments with the ties that bind.
To consciously acknowledge and pay tribute to the connections we are a part of.
And so breathing in,
Breathing out,
Let us take a moment to envision those individuals both living and dead that we are connected to.
In this moment,
Try not to exclude anyone.
Simply see who comes to you in this space of openness.
In this envisioning,
Do not allow emotions to overtake you.
Either for the ones you know you love and miss so much,
Or for the ones you really don't want to be connected to.
Simply allow the reality that you are connected.
Let yourself feel that.
Take this next moment and continue to sense who is coming to your mind and to your heart.
In these few moments,
We again affirm that we come here together to acknowledge,
Recognize,
And honor the thread.
In the same way we do not truly understand how our heart can keep beating or how we can keep taking each breath without any effort at all,
We truly may never understand how connected we are to others.
Even if we long to be independent,
Even if we work so hard to stand alone,
We simply are unable to be truly alone.
So we take in this idea.
As we contemplate whether we can accept this,
We breathe.
In and out,
Pondering as we do so,
Who and what am I tied to?
Have I ever really considered the vastness of the web I'm a part of?
Have I taken the time to honor this?
For the next few breaths,
Let your mind soar up and over the landscape.
Look down to see the homes and businesses,
The parks,
The schools,
Churches,
Or places of worship.
See the myriad of people as they go about their day.
Then imagine those who have gone before,
Those who are no longer with us on this earthly plane of existence.
Just because they are no longer here,
Are they truly gone from our lives?
Might they still be connected by this thread?
As we breathe and observe,
Notice if there are any emotions or feelings welling up.
Notice if you have any sensations,
Tightness,
Tension anywhere in your body.
If you do,
Simply notice.
Don't try to change them and especially don't judge them.
Simply notice and breathe.
Now I invite you to take the next few moments to determine how you might choose to claim these threads,
These ties that bind,
The recognition that you can never truly be alone.
Are you willing to consciously embrace these many connections?
Those alive and those who have gone on ahead,
Those you care for and those who challenge you,
Those you know and those you have not met,
Those near and those far away.
Remember,
The thread is there.
You can't untie yourself from it.
You simply are a part of the grand theme of oneness.
How will this work for you?
Let yourself listen to the deeper wisdom,
If necessary,
Imagining,
Loosening up these ties that bind,
Giving them more space to float further away from you.
And conversely,
Imagine pulling in the threads connected to those to him,
To them that you feel supported,
Loved or understood by.
Do allow for the possibility that there might be those tied to us who are here to teach us,
To teach us perhaps things that we find difficult to acknowledge about ourselves.
And taking a nice deep breath,
Releasing,
Releasing,
Reimagining these ties that bind,
Allowing ourselves to release and let go of those we realize they're not supporting us.
Bringing in and cherishing the ties that do,
The memories,
The joy,
The gift of those individuals.
We give thanks for this time that we've had together and as we get ready to go forth.
And take a moment to say thank you.
Thank you for this opportunity to live this life.
Thank you for this opportunity to learn,
To grow,
To be happy,
To be joyful.
And that is what my wish for you as we say goodbye for now.
Big blessings and hugs.
Amen.
