Settling in,
Slowing down,
Gathering in stillness,
The coming of night,
Recognizing what was,
What could be,
The same,
Embracing what is,
Is a process of holding on to every precious moment,
Framework,
Letting go of the day,
Was and the day,
Letting gravity take over.
You have to work,
You don't have to put forth effort or make struggle,
You can right now as you prepare to rest,
The world win,
It wash over you,
Pull you down,
Hold you,
Nothing to do,
Nothing to be had,
No thought that you need to think,
Notice where your body is,
What it's doing,
What you might need,
What you might need to let go of and forego,
Coming into deeper stillness and a greater quiet.
And meditation isn't an absence of thought,
It's just a permission not to think about anything in particular,
Permission to be bored,
To be active,
Possibilities so often ignored.
So we settle in,
How does your body feel,
Any places of stiffness,
Tension,
Inquire,
Search them out with a generous awareness,
You're breathing in whatever pace you find yourself,
The right pace,
And then just with playful impulse,
See if you can make your breath deeper,
Going in deeper,
Breathing out slower.
The first good ingredient for a night's sleep,
Start by offering forgiveness.
It's certain that we've been injured,
Harmed,
Disappointed,
Forgive,
Not even because the other person might deserve it,
But just because it's good for you,
Could help you sleep.
And then,
With an awareness that if people have hurt your feelings,
You've probably hurt their feelings too.
Maybe you're ready to ask forgiveness,
Maybe not,
Maybe you want to fake it,
Just so you can get through the night,
That's a reasonable choice.
Forgive and seek forgiveness.
And then you start to notice the light dimming,
Day fading,
Maybe you dim the electricity or candles,
Evening,
And close you like a blanket,
A bed of snow,
Begin inviting in sweet,
Loving,
Good dream,
The edges,
Conscious mind,
You're breathing,
Inhaling deeply,
Exhaling slowly,
And with your breath,
You can notice or just imagine in your mind's eye,
The profound oneness,
All of life,
The unity,
Inherent creation,
That all things look different,
That they all ultimately share a common origin.
Ask in that oneness as you prepare to rest,
As you breathe,
And settle into the stillness,
The darkness,
The quiet,
And accept the oneness of all things.
You might feel rising within you,
Love,
Fervor,
Passion,
And faithfulness towards the created world,
Standing gratitude as the bedrock,
All of your strength,
Resting,
Settling down,
You're sheltered,
You are protected,
You can trust,
As if in a woodland refuge,
Or under great eagle's wings,
Behind a mighty shield,
You are protected,
Safe,
Healthy,
And great and good forces look over you and lift you up,
Watching your footsteps,
When you're awake,
And you rest,
When you sleep.
You can know that you will lie down untroubled,
And you will rise up in wholeness,
And peace,
Sheltered,
Shielded,
And when you go out of consciousness,
And when you come back into it,
You will be whole,
Undisturbed,
You're breathing,
You're resting,
You're letting gravity do the work,
And there are great and good forces that surround you,
They watched over your ancestors,
And those who preceded you,
These same great and good forces will watch those who come after you,
You're breathing,
You draw in,
Breathe out,
Let your thoughts unspool,
Become undifferentiated,
Haphazard,
Aimless,
As your conscious mind stretches into dream space,
And while you do,
You are blessed,
And guarded,
And the universe looks upon you with grace,
And the universe shines a light of peace upon you,
Around you,
While you rest,
Great and good forces protect and surround you.
During the day,
You have questions,
Concerns,
Mysteries,
But at night,
You can rest those questions to your right side,
A great and good force responsible for questions.
During the day,
You struggle,
You work,
You put forth effort,
And at night,
You can lay down your strength to your left side,
With a great and good force responsible for vigor.
In any day,
You might feel confused or lost,
But at night,
There is a great and good force resting beyond the foot of your bed that illuminates your way.
During the day,
We have aches and pains,
Mental and physical distress.
While we sleep,
There can be a great and good force healing us,
And above it all,
Majesty and glory,
Grace,
And a deep and abiding presence.
Maybe you're beginning to drift off,
Maybe your thoughts are becoming disordered or clumsy,
Maybe you need to fidget one last time to get comfortable,
Adjust a pillow or blanket,
And as you'll breathe out,
You'll say the word SELA,
Knowing that you are close and firm.
