Find a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down.
Allow your body to soften,
Let your shoulders drop,
Your hands rest naturally.
And if you feel able to do so,
I'd invite you to close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Just begin to bring the attention to your body.
You may choose to notice your feet on the ground.
Begin to feel that connection to the earth,
Rooted,
Supported,
Like seeds lying quietly beneath the soil.
Perhaps you choose to notice your spine lengthening upwards,
Gently reaching towards the light.
Or perhaps your chest,
As it rises and falls with each breath,
A soft pulse of life within you.
Just begin to notice any tension that may arise within your body.
Just taking this time,
This moment,
To notice what arises,
Perhaps tension,
Perhaps an emotion springs to mind.
Just if your mind wanders,
That's okay,
That's what minds do.
But when you are aware,
Just bring that awareness back into your body.
And this meditation has been created to help honour the pagan festival of Imbolic.
And Imbolic marks the first airings of spring,
The subtle return of light and warmth,
Even in the darkest of days.
Just bringing that awareness to your breath.
And beginning to notice the natural rhythm of your own breathing,
As we inhale through our nostrils and exhale through our nostrils.
And just following its own natural flow.
No need to slow the breath or force the breath,
Just let it be,
As we inhale and exhale.
And as you breathe in,
You may choose to think of that light,
The returning sun of Imbolic.
Breathing in,
We can let that light fill our body with a lovely,
Warm,
Inviting glow.
And as we breathe out,
We may choose to breathe out heaviness,
That sometimes winter can bring,
The darker nights.
So we can breathe in the light,
And breathe out the dark.
Breathing in the light,
And breathing out the dark.
And again,
Just following your own natural rhythm,
Your own natural flow.
So now I'd love to invite you to bring a little bit of visualization,
Imagination,
Into this Imbolic meditation.
Imbolic,
As I've mentioned,
Is often seen as the first day of spring.
Perhaps if you've been lucky enough to head outside for a walk,
You may have noticed the slight warmth of the sun returning.
Or perhaps the light,
The depth of light,
Of sunlight through the trees.
Or a flower,
Such as a snowdrop,
Emerging from the winter ground,
Heading towards the light.
And I'd invite you to just imagine seeing a moment in your mind,
Such as that snowdrop.
And here I invite you to begin to bring in the five senses.
So starting with sight.
Within your visualization,
I'd invite you to really,
To really notice what is happening,
Any shadows,
Colours.
What can you see?
And moving to a sense of sound.
Within your visualization,
What can you hear?
Perhaps a bird song.
A trickle of water.
Or stillness.
What can you hear?
And moving to a smell,
Your sense of smell.
What is it that you can smell?
What aroma springs to mind?
Perhaps the smell of earth.
As it begins to warm.
As we approach and bollock.
The smell of pine needles or fair needles.
Or even the smell of a crisp,
Wintry day.
What can you smell?
And moving to taste.
So what can you taste within your visualization,
Your imagination?
Perhaps you chose to take a lovely cup of tea or a hot chocolate with you.
Or even just the lick of the lips.
What can you taste?
And moving to touch.
The sense of touch.
What can you feel?
Perhaps you can feel the dampness of the earth.
Or the soft caress of a gentle breeze.
Perhaps you can feel the warmth of your hands.
Just take a moment to notice.
Notice how you feel.
What you can feel.
And here I invite you to bring the awareness back to yourself,
To the present moment.
And just notice what is happening.
Your mind or your body.
Any thoughts or feelings that arise.
Perhaps you start to feel calmer.
Perhaps nothing springs to mind.
Within your body.
Any tension that you may have noticed.
How does it feel now?
Just take a moment to really notice what is happening in the here and now.
And if your mind has begun to wander,
As minds always do,
Just bring it back.
Bring it back to your body or your breath.
And as this meditation begins to draw to a close,
I'll invite you to slowly bring your awareness back into your body.
You may choose to notice your feet on the ground.
Again,
Noticing that connection to the earth.
Perhaps a slight wiggle of the feet,
Of the toes.
Small movements to your hand.
You may even choose to stretch towards the sky,
Just like that snowdrop.
And when you feel able to do so,
I invite you to open your eyes.
And after this meditation,
I'd invite you to carry the essence of embolic with you.
The quiet awakening,
The gentle renewal.
And the mindful presence of a beautiful season.
