Hello,
I'm Jackie.
Thank you for joining me for this meditation.
Do you sometimes feel that you're carrying worries around with you?
I'm guessing you do because we all have worries.
Worries can be any thoughts or feelings that make you feel sad,
Afraid or heavy inside.
They might be about something at home,
At school,
With family or friends,
Or perhaps you're just not feeling great about yourself right now.
Everyone has things that bother them and these worries can start to feel very heavy when we carry them around.
Sometimes we don't know what to do with them or how to put them down,
So we just go on holding them.
Especially if they're hard to talk about or we don't have anyone to share them with.
Well,
I'm going to take you on a journey in your imagination to meet someone who can help you with your worries.
It's autumn where we're going,
You might call it fall where you live,
So we'll need to wrap up warm.
Do you have any favourite clothes you like to wear when it's cold outside?
A warm coat,
A woolly hat,
A pair of gloves and a cuddly scarf maybe?
If you like,
You can create a whole new outfit in your imagination just for this adventure.
It can be as bright and fun and magical as you like.
Have a think what you'd like to wear and when you're ready,
Put it on.
I think I'm going to wear a long coat to keep my legs warm,
A fleece hat with cosy ear flaps,
A long stripy scarf and gloves with different coloured fingers.
I'm putting them on right now.
Are you ready?
Good,
Let's begin.
Take two slow,
Deep breaths.
As you breathe,
Imagine you're standing beside a tall tree.
Breathe in and out.
In front of you is a path leading into a woodland full of trees.
Their leaves shimmer in the beautiful colours of autumn,
Red,
Yellow and orange.
Some of the leaves have fallen to the ground.
You can shuffle through them if you like as you walk along.
All around,
Friendly animals,
Birds and insects are busy in the woodland.
Maybe you can see some of them scurrying about.
But there's one special animal we've come to meet,
Red Squirrel.
I expect he's busy collecting acorns and storing them away for winter.
Red Squirrel has a very special job to do in the woodland.
He helps all the other creatures let go of their worries.
That's why I've brought you to meet him,
Because he wants to help you with your worries too.
So let's find him.
He might be on the ground or up a tree.
Let me know when you see him.
There he is!
Did you spot him first?
He's scampering over to you,
Flicking his fluffy tail as he runs.
Can you see what he's holding out to you in his paws?
It's a little acorn.
That means he's ready to help you.
For this isn't an ordinary acorn,
It's a magic one.
Red Squirrel leads you to a sunlit clearing between the trees.
He places the acorn gently into your hands.
Close your eyes,
He whispers.
It's time to put your worries into this acorn.
Take a moment to think about what's been worrying you lately.
I'll wait while you think.
Now,
As you hold the acorn,
Take a few gentle breaths in and out.
With each out-breath,
Imagine your worries floating softly from your heart into the acorn.
In.
.
.
And out into the acorn.
In.
.
.
And out.
You don't have to tell anyone what your worries are.
Just whisper them silently into the acorn.
Your acorn starts to glow softly,
Golden light swirling inside it.
It's ready,
Says Red Squirrel.
Now,
Let's give it to Mother Earth.
You follow Red Squirrel to an ancient oak tree nearby and find the perfect spot amongst its strong roots.
Together,
You dig a little hole.
The soil feels soft and welcoming beneath your feet.
Place your acorn in the hole,
Says Red Squirrel.
Mother Earth knows just what to do.
You gently put your acorn into the ground and cover it with soil and a few of the beautiful autumn leaves lying nearby.
Now,
Hold your hands over the spot and imagine Mother Earth smiling beneath you,
Wrapping your acorn in love.
Listen to her whisper to you.
Thank you for your gift,
She says.
I will take the sad energy from your worries and transform it into something new.
Almost before her words are done,
The woodland around you begins to change.
Gone are the autumn colours as buds appear magically on the trees,
Bursting into new leaves.
Spring has come to the woodland.
Birds are singing and the air feels warm.
From the very spot where you buried your acorn,
A tiny green shoot appears.
Quickly it grows and before your eyes becomes a little oak tree glowing with light.
Red Squirrel claps his tiny paws with delight.
Look,
He laughs,
Your worries have become something beautiful,
A strong young oak tree.
Take a deep breath and feel a glow in your heart as you look at your little tree.
It's time to leave the woodland for now.
Red Squirrel gives you a tiny acorn cap to keep.
A reminder that you can return here whenever you have worries to let go of.
You thank Red Squirrel and Mother Earth for their love and magic and say goodbye.
As you walk back down the path out of the woodland,
Slowly bring your attention back to where you're sitting.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Take one last deep breath and let it out with a sigh.
In.
.
.
Out.
.
.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
You've done something special today.
You've had the courage to let go of your worries and you've learnt that letting go can be the beginning of something new.
I've loved journeying with you today.
I hope we can meditate together again soon.
Bye for now.
