If you are feeling a desire for change,
This meditation is for you.
I invite you to grab a pencil,
Some lined paper,
Some blank paper,
And some art materials.
Your choice on the art materials.
On the lined sheet of paper,
I invite you to draw a line directly down the center of the page.
On one side,
Label it,
What worked.
On the other side,
Label it,
What didn't work.
I invite you to explore these two ideas on the page.
Maybe you're looking at just a particular season of life,
Or maybe you're looking over the last year,
Maybe you're looking over just the last month.
It's up to you on how you want to explore and what time frame you want to explore.
But I invite you to go ahead and explore that on the page in writing.
Allow for your thoughts to flow without any judgment.
Pause the recording now so that you can explore this on your own.
And when you're done,
Come back to the recording.
Once you're done with your journal prompt of what worked and what didn't work,
I invite you to participate in this meditation and prayer prompt.
To begin,
I invite you to get into a comfortable position of your choice.
Begin to notice your body as you settle in.
If you feel any lasting wiggles,
Or if your body is needing any last moment movement,
Go ahead and do that now.
Listen to what your body needs.
And then as you're settling in,
I invite you to notice your breath.
Notice the breath as it moves in and out of the body naturally.
You don't even have to try.
There's not anything that you have to change.
There's not anything that you have to do.
You don't have to think about it.
Your breath is just moving on its own.
Begin to notice those sensations within the body.
The natural movement of the body as the body breathes.
Notice the natural rise and fall of the shoulders and the chest.
The expansion of the belly and the lungs.
Notice that tickle of air on the tip of the nose,
Maybe even on the upper lip.
Notice wherever you are sitting right now.
Notice that the floor or ground beneath you is steady and stable.
Your body is secure in this moment and you are safe.
Just a few moments ago,
You engaged in a journal prompt of what worked and what didn't work over the past season that you're exploring.
I invite you to think back on a memory of what did work for you.
As you do this,
I invite you to really get specific with your memory.
Notice who you were with,
Where you were,
Notice what the environment was like and what your surroundings were.
Right now,
Just stick to the facts,
The knowns.
If it wasn't a specific time,
But instead something more long-term,
Maybe it's something like habit tracking or visiting a particular person more often,
Then try remembering the consistencies over time.
What color pen you used,
The person's smile on their face every time you saw them,
The color of the door that you approached.
Remember and visualize.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Now I invite you to recall any emotions you felt in this particular memory.
Remember any sensations that also went with these emotions.
What sensations were ignited?
What did you feel in the body?
Where did you feel these things in the body?
I encourage you to do a body scan while bringing yourself into that moment.
What emotions can you recall?
What was the demeanor of your body?
What was your facial expression?
What was the energy you could feel?
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
I invite you to consider what kinds of thoughts you had in this particular memory.
And if you're not sure,
If you can't remember the thoughts,
Then maybe take a guess about what kinds of thoughts you may have had.
What might you have been focused on in that moment?
Where was your attention?
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Now I invite you to consider is there anything you might want to change in this memory?
While you continue to meditate on this memory,
Use your imagination to move things around.
Change the people you were with.
Tweak some colors.
Maybe change some of the sensations.
Change anything you'd like in order to make this moment in time even more divine.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Hold this in your mind's eye for just a moment longer.
Allow yourself to enjoy this memory.
And then whenever you feel ready,
Begin to bring movement back into your body.
Allow for that movement to spread.
Maybe giving a big body stretch.
And then I invite you to consider creating an art response to this.
There's not any goal in this.
Not any judgment.
If you hate it at the end,
You can always throw it away.
But I invite you to create an art response based on your journaling or on this meditation.
You might create a scene from your memory meditation or you might create a more expressive piece that maybe helps to visually describe your emotions.
This is open to your interpretation and there are no rules.
After you complete your art response,
I invite you to reflect on just a few questions.
What stands out most?
As an observer,
What can you learn about yourself from this particular piece?
Where can you find the presence of God in this art piece?
And what do you want to take away from this practice?
I hope that you enjoyed this meditation,
This journal prompt and art prompt.
And I hope that you will share it with someone.
Thank you.
