Gently close your eyes.
Feel your breath flowing naturally in and out of your body.
Place your hands over your heart,
By your side or in your lap.
Whichever feels more comfortable as you imagine letting go of anything and everything that stands between you and complete inner peace.
Continue to focus on your breathing as you imagine letting go of anything in your body,
Anything in your heart,
Anything in your emotions,
Anything in your mind that stands between you and complete inner peace.
Imagine yourself in a very safe place,
Perhaps a place you have visited before.
Perhaps a place you have only visited in your imagination.
Notice what that place looks like.
Notice any sounds that you hear in this safe and protected place.
Notice any smells or tastes or perhaps a feeling of a gentle breeze on your face.
As you continue to breathe easily and naturally,
Allow yourself to let go of any stress,
Any thoughts,
Any concerns you might have brought with you today.
And now from this very safe place where you feel protected,
Safe and empowered,
I want you to begin imagining yourself walking down a path on a sunny day,
Feeling the gravel or sand beneath your feet,
Hearing the birds chatter,
Feeling the warm breeze against your skin.
Continue to breathe easily and naturally as you notice in your imagination any little critters that might be running about,
Squirrels or chipmunks or any other small animals,
Animals that bring a smile to your face.
As you continue walking along this path,
Notice that this trail begins leading you up a hill.
You continue walking up the hill,
Which starts to become a little steeper.
You notice for the first time that you are carrying a bag of stones with you.
These stones represent the emotional,
Physical and spiritual baggage that you have carried with you perhaps for many years.
You feel fine,
You feel strong,
You are able to walk up the hillside easily in your imagination.
You continue to climb until you reach the top of the hill.
At the top of the hill you see a fence.
On the fence there is a sign that says you must let go of your bag of stones before you can enter the gate.
You notice that other sacks of stones placed close to the fence and you set your bag of stones down there as well.
Feeling a little lighter now,
You open the gate and walk through.
A few steps further and you notice a small cabin through the trees.
It beckons you to come closer.
You go up to the cabin and the door is ajar.
The welcome mat invites you in.
You go inside and a wise and loving being who knows you well is there,
Sitting in front of a fireplace with a toasty fire burning.
It feels warm and safe and comforting in this small cabin.
The wise and loving being motions you to sit in a comfortable chair next to them.
You spend a few moments just looking into their eyes,
Absorbing the love they have for you and appreciating the love you have for them.
After a few moments,
This loving being presents you with a gift.
It is a small wooden sign with a dowel going through the center of it from top to bottom so that it can spin easily.
It is obvious that it has been carved very lovingly and with great care.
On one side of the sign it says the word REAP,
R-E-A-P.
On the other side of the sign it says PARE,
P-A-R-E.
You're not sure what this means.
The wise and loving being states that you must take the gift outside and watch and listen for a message that the wind will give you.
Let it spin in the wind and you will gain greater understanding,
They say.
The wise and loving being gives you a hint by letting you know that the word REAP indicates reaping a harvest of new understanding and appreciation.
And PARE means to cut away,
Release,
Let go,
Rejoice and release,
Release and rejoice.
You keep saying these words to yourself as you thank the wise and loving being for the gift and you get up to walk back down the hill.
You take your gift with you as you walk out of the cabin.
It begins to spin in the breeze as you carry it towards the gate.
You find yourself reading those two words over and over in your mind as the wind spins the small sign.
REAP,
PARE,
REAP,
PARE,
REAP,
PARE.
The wind blows a little faster and you read the words faster.
REAP,
PARE,
REAP,
PARE,
REPAIR.
You finally get it by letting go of what you no longer need,
What no longer serves you.
You are able to reap the benefits of stepping into a new life.
You are able to repair or heal your inner self,
Letting more of who you really are out into the world,
Willing and able to express yourself more fully,
More authentically.
With your new understanding,
You walk back through the gate you had come through what now seems like ages ago.
You look down at the bag of stones that you have left beside the fence,
The bag of worries,
Concerns,
And old baggage that you dropped to the ground before entering the gate earlier that day.
You now make a decision about carrying the bag back down the path.
You decide which of the stones you are willing to carry back down the hill with you.
You may decide to carry a few of the stones back down the hill.
You may take the bag with all of the stones still inside,
Or you may even decide to leave the entire bag there.
Whatever your decision,
You are happy to walk back down the path,
Down the hill,
Continuing on this important healing journey within yourself.
When you reach the bottom of the hill,
You admire your gift once again,
The handiwork that went into the carving,
The care that went into the polishing and sanding of the wood,
And you admire your new understanding of what it takes to repair yourself,
Reap and pair,
Pair and reap.
You return to your safe place where you began this meditation,
Again feeling safe,
Protected,
And empowered.
The day,
Still sunny,
Seems even brighter now,
And as you look around you in this safe and protected place in your imagination,
You realize that it is time to return.
You become aware of the weight of your body on the chair you are sitting on.
You become aware of your feet flat on the floor,
And your hands either still on your heart,
By your side,
Or perhaps in your lap.
You become aware of your whole body,
And how your energy may have shifted.
You notice how you may be feeling a little differently now,
Perhaps a little more invigorated,
A little lighter,
Ready to begin creating a new you,
A new you with greater clarification,
Greater healing,
And greater understanding.
And when you are ready,
Gently flutter your eyes open,
Look around the room,
And notice what you see.
Welcome back.
