Galleria Garibaldi once said we're not the only ones who are dreaming who needs help to carry on.
We might get lonely but we're not alone.
Fear is so palpable these days.
It can be so thick that it will come up into your body out of nowhere.
You will start worrying about what's gonna happen next week,
Next year,
The next four years,
The next eight years,
The next 30 years.
Everything feels so urgent and so scary and that's valid because it's real.
There are things that are scary in the world but all of that fear does nothing for us when it's time to go to sleep at night and it's time to rest.
Hear me when I say the world's problems and an uncertain future will still be there tomorrow.
So tonight it's very important that you allow yourself to rest.
That you give yourself permission to rest and go to sleep.
You are so much better to the world,
To change,
To whatever thing that you want to help with or see be different if you are well rested.
No resistance is won without rest in between.
No liberation is won without some dreaming.
You gotta go to sleep to dream.
So before we meditate I'll do a prayer and if you don't like prayer or are uncomfortable with references to scripture just feel free to fast-forward a little bit.
God of peace,
God of mercy,
God of redemption,
God of change,
I pray you give me the measure of faith I need to rest tonight.
The world I live in becomes increasingly hostile to marginalized bodies,
To black bodies.
It leaves me breathless at times,
Shaken in my body,
Waking up out my sleep,
Frozen in my mind and at night it just leaves me in my thoughts.
It leaves me wondering if I'll be alright.
It leaves me with so many questions that keep me from resting.
Questions that I don't have answers to.
So I pray God that you support me and support my breath in clearing the questions away as I go to sleep.
I pray for the people of the world.
I pray for the disenfranchised,
The least and most mistreated,
Most marginalized of society.
I pray that your spirit of justice begins to pour through every corner of this earth.
I pray dignity is restored to the oppressed.
I pray for an end to oppressive systems.
I pray for an end for the ways in which I oppress myself,
I oppress others.
I pray for an end in the ways that I internalize the oppression that has been done to me.
I pray for peace tonight.
You said that you'd give me a peace that passes all understanding and Lord I'm not understanding much of what's going on right now and it has me scared.
Scared for the people that I love.
Scared for myself.
Scared for this world.
Scared for the children that I one day want to have.
But you didn't give us a spirit of fear.
So I need a peace that goes beyond everything that I'm understanding right now.
That goes beyond everything that I'm afraid of right now.
Psalms 23 says that you will make us lie down in green pastures beside still waters and you will restore our soul.
I thank you in advance for restoration.
I thank you for the conditions needed for restoration.
I thank you for protecting me in my sleep.
I thank you for giving me permission to rest.
Thank you God.
Amen.
Now let's bring our attention to our breath.
Letting it be our anchor as we get ready to go to sleep.
Allow yourself to settle deeper into your bed and adjust your body however you need to.
Move around.
Adjust a pillow.
Turn on your side on your back however makes you feel most comfortable.
You move and get there.
Take a gentle breath in.
Breathing into your nose.
Filling up your belly.
Then your lungs.
And now exhale through your mouth.
Letting go of all the heaviness of the day.
Let's do that again.
Breathing in through your nose for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Now hold your breath for 3,
2,
1.
And exhale for 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Very good.
Let's do it again.
Let's breathe in for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold your breath for 3,
2,
1.
Breathe out through your mouth for 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
And let out a sigh as you breathe out.
Let's next go around.
Just breathe in.
Breathing in deep and sigh it all out.
I want you to focus on your breath and let each inhale.
I want you to visualize that you're inhaling a cloud of calm.
And as you exhale,
Imagine yourself releasing any thoughts or fears or worries about the next day or about the world.
You don't need those things right now while you're trying to go to sleep.
That's something that you can handle tomorrow.
Or maybe the next day.
But not right now.
Picture yourself inhaling peace.
Exhaling the world.
Picture yourself closing off yourself from all of the noise,
All of the distractions.
Your only job in this moment is to sleep.
I want you to affirm that you deserve rest and that you are safe to rest.
Say,
I deserve rest and I am safe to rest.
With each breath,
I want you to allow your body to sink down a bit more into your bed or wherever you're sleeping.
Just get heavier.
Get more grounded.
Take a big deep breath in,
Filling up your belly as much as you can.
And just sigh it all out.
All at once.
As you continue to breathe,
I want you to affirm to yourself,
The world.
Right now,
My rest is everything.
With each inhale,
Breathe in these affirmations.
And with each exhale,
Exhale any duty or obligations that can wait until tomorrow.
Affirm,
It is safe for me to rest tonight.
Affirm,
Sleep is my next act of faith.
Affirm,
Sleep is how I contribute to my own liberation in this moment.
Affirm,
I deserve rest tonight because I existed today.
Affirm,
I deserve rest tonight because I existed today.
And if you're too sleepy to say these affirmations,
Just let me say them for you.
It's all good.
Affirm,
I am safe in my body.
Affirm,
I am safe in my body.
Affirm,
I am able to rest even when I don't have all the answers to life's questions or solutions to life's problems.
Say that again.
I am able to rest even when I don't have all the answers to life's questions or solutions to life's problems.
I want to remind you that you are deserving of rest.
That you earned it because you existed and you woke up this morning or this afternoon whenever you woke up.
I want to remind you that you are better when you are rested.
That all those people you love,
All those people you care for,
All those people you want to change the world for,
They will benefit from a rested you at full capacity.
I pray that tonight you rest in perfect peace,
Surrounded and protected by God's energy,
God's peace that'll help you to rest,
Help send away any bad vibes,
Any bad dreams.
I speak against any bad vibes,
Bad memories,
Negative emotions,
Nightmares,
Obligations that you feel like you need to handle right now.
I speak that tonight you will be rested.
You will be cradled and protected by angels.
I want you to allow yourself to relax deeper.
Let your body feel heavier.
Imagine a big glowing blanket laying over your body.
This represents God's protection and God's love for you,
Covering you as you sleep tonight.
Let yourself begin to drift.
Let your breath flow however feels natural right now.
Let it guide you to sleep.
And if you find yourself waking up or still not relaxed,
I want you to repeat some of the affirmations said earlier in this meditation.
But if you're sleeping,
Sweet dreams.
I pray that you're able to rest fully tonight.
I pray that you are able to give yourself the grace you likely give so many people in your life.
And I pray that you wake up rested.
I pray that you sleep through the night.
And I hope that you got what you needed.
Good night.
And I love you.
And I pray for your peace in these crazy times.
You got this.
We got this because we in this together.
Good night.
