Welcome to this meditation,
Finding the sacred in your everyday life.
For some,
The word sacred might be a bit of a large word.
So let's simplify the word sacred.
And instead,
Let's honor.
Let's hold reverence for.
Let's set a little time aside for some contemplation.
And if you wish,
Some prayer.
On those simple everyday things in our lives that we might overlook.
That if we turn our attention to and shift our perspective,
We might find that they are in fact sacred.
In today's practice,
I'll read a poem written by the 14th century Persian poet Hafiz.
You'll have the opportunity to do some journaling.
But first,
We'll start in a short meditation.
Settle in to a comfortable position with your journal by your side.
And gently close your eyes.
And rest your attention on your breath.
Take in a deep breath through your nose,
Hold it at the top,
And then release it with a sigh.
Taking in another deep breath.
This time with it,
You're pulling up everything that does not serve you in this moment.
Every thought,
Every preconceived idea.
Holding it at the top and then sighing it all out.
Another deep breath in through your nose,
Pulling up everything that does not serve you with your breath.
Any thoughts,
Any feelings,
Anything that does not serve you in this moment.
Hold it at the top and then sigh it out.
And one more final deep breath,
Pulling everything up from your toes through your body,
Through your legs,
Through your torso.
Up,
Up,
Up,
Up,
Up,
Pulling it all the way up,
Holding it at the top and sighing out anything and everything that does not serve you in this moment.
Allow your breath to just normalize.
And then gently rest your attention on your breath.
Your breath moving in and out.
Today you are giving yourself this gift of reverence.
You are honoring yourself in this moment.
Holding reverence for yourself.
Holding reverence for your breath moving in and out of your body.
Such a simple process,
Breathing in and breathing out,
And yet so complex and so miraculous.
Holding reverence for your sacred breath.
And your sacred heart,
Your beating sacred heart.
The seemingly simple beat of your heart.
A miraculous complex process.
Hold reverence for your heart,
Your sacred heart.
Hafiz wrote this poem called Now Is the Time.
Now is the time to know that all you do is sacred.
Now,
Why not consider a lasting truce with yourself and God.
Now is the time to understand that all your ideas of right and wrong were just a child's training wheels to be laid aside when you can finally live with veracity and love.
Now is the time for the world to know that every thought and action is sacred.
That this is the time for you to compute the impossibility that there is anything but grace.
Now is the season to know that everything you do is sacred.
Now is the time.
Now is the time to know that all you do is sacred.
Now,
Why not consider a lasting truce with yourself and God.
Now is the time to understand that all your ideas of right and wrong were just a child's training wheels to be laid aside when you can finally live with veracity and love.
Now is the time for the world to know that every thought and action is sacred.
That this is the time for you to compute the impossibility that there is anything but grace.
Now is the season to know that everything you do is sacred.
Allow this poem,
Its words,
Its meaning,
Its language to wash over you.
Breathe it all in.
And when you feel ready,
Turn to your journal and do some writing.
And as you do this,
Allow this to be sacred.
Hold reverence for yourself and your process.
I'll give you some time and I'll come back in about a minute and a half with a journal prompt.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You may want to continue writing what you're writing,
Or you can use this prompt.
Where can I find the sacred in my every day?
Another way,
Another perspective is,
What do I honor in my every day?
What do I respect and hold reverence for in my every day?
Thank you.
Thank you.
For this next writing prompt,
I'd like to invite you to bring it a little bit closer to home.
And ask yourself,
How might I find reverence or honor myself sacred?
What is it about myself that I find sacred that is worthy of setting time aside for prayer and honor and respect?
I'll give you a little time with this prompt.
And if it's challenging at all,
Just go back to your heart and the beat of your heart.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And finally,
I invite you to set an intention for your day.
And write about what your day will look like when you approach it,
Knowing that there is so much to hold in reverence,
To deeply respect and honor,
That there is so much that is sacred.
And you might write,
Today,
I will live a sacred day,
And then write about your day and how it will unfold in the most sacred way.
I'll give you a few moments,
And then I'll come back.
Feel free to continue writing.
And in the meantime,
I wish you the most sacred of days.
Thank you so much.
I'm Carolyn Zeele.
Namaste.
