Thank you for joining me and taking time for yourself.
There's nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
Just here,
You and me.
So settle back.
Relax into the surface supporting you.
Let your body become heavy and sink and relax deeper and deeper into the surface supporting you.
Allow your breath to find its own rhythm as you drift into relaxation,
Into that space behind your eyes.
Dark,
Warm and safe.
On the screen of your mind picture a small seed,
Perfect in shape and colour,
Unique.
Yours to discover the magic of,
The mystery hidden inside,
So many surprises holding within it.
The whole encased within,
The essence of you and the universe,
Life.
Reach into the screen and pick it up and place it gently in the palm of your hand.
Focus on your seed.
Now plant it with love.
Nurture it without judgement,
Without expectation,
With hope that it will grow and flourish.
Expose it to the storms of life,
But shelter it from the harshest elements.
Watch it grow now in your mind's eye,
Like time-lapse photography.
Roots,
Deep into the earth or in shallow ground.
Rejoice in their foothold.
Shoots and stems,
Fragile and slim,
Or trunks and branches,
Tall and strong.
Rejoice in their shape.
Leaves,
Broad and flat,
Or narrow and thin,
Soft and fleshy,
Or pointed and prickly.
Rejoice in their texture.
Flowers,
Bold and flamboyant,
Or subtle and delicate,
A single hue or a rainbow mix,
Both male and female.
Rejoice in their blossoming,
Their colour,
Their gender.
Fruits,
Large or small,
Sour or sweet.
Juicy or dry or nutty.
Rejoice in their flavour.
Rejoice in your plant.
See it as a whole.
Now expand your focus and see it within the garden of life,
A part of the whole and apart from the whole,
Taking its place,
Playing its role,
Standing out in the crowd or blending with the masses,
Hiding in the shadows or shouting out to the sun,
Demure and shy,
Or loud and dynamic,
Tall and strong,
Or fragile and weak.
Rejoice in its position.
Rejoice in its appearance.
Rejoice in its nature.
Rejoice in its blooming.
Rejoice in its gender.
Rest here for a while,
Beside your plant,
Your child.
Rejoice in the uniqueness and beauty of the garden of life,
The magic combination of all the colours of the rainbow,
Combined with the shades from black to white.
Be at peace with yourself.
Be at peace with your child as you listen to the beautiful words of Khalil Gibran.
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
They come through you,
But not from you.
And though they are with you,
Yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love,
But not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies,
But not their soul,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit,
Not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
But seek not to make them like you,
For life goes not backward,
Nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children,
As living arrows,
Are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
And he bends you with his might,
That his arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness,
For even as he loves the arrow that flies,
So he loves also the bow that is stable.
Time to return now,
To gently bring yourself back,
And bring with you all that you have experienced.
Be at peace with yourself.
Be at peace with your child.
