Fear To Faith: Droplet, River, Ocean Meditation (Live)

Now we will prepare to transition into a meditation that comes from the course Wintering Warmth,

Wonder and Magic.

And this meditation,

You can do this lying down in whatever position feels good for you.

But before we even do that,

I want to invite you to create a cocoon for yourself.

And whatever that means,

Maybe that means to close the door.

Usually I try to involve our dog who is here and I like him to be in our space and sometimes energetically it is not right and his energy is not welcome in this space here today and therefore I've closed the door.

And here I'm creating this cocoon so I am with you and also I'm with myself.

As you create this cocoon,

Whatever is helpful to weave this cocoon,

Maybe it is a blanket,

Maybe it is a eye mask,

Maybe it is a pair of earbuds,

Maybe it is something that helps to connect with your chest,

A small cushion that is placed on top of your chest.

Anything that feels assuring to you,

That feels comforting,

Please go ahead and procure that and arrange your environment and bring that so that you feel safe.

And Patrice has shared in the chat,

Meditation sounds great,

I'm under a blanket in bed,

You're welcome.

Please feel free to take the next couple of moments to continue to settle in.

And also our friends who have just joined in,

I want to give you a warm welcome.

I don't know what point of time you joined us but I'm glad that you are here.

And now we're going to prepare to transition into our meditation to cultivate trust and faith and to transition from this feeling of fear,

This feeling of smallness,

This individuality that we are.

Individuality is a beautiful thing,

Appreciating the uniqueness that makes you,

You,

All your flaws,

Your quirks,

Your strengths.

We appreciate and acknowledge that and we also prepare to connect with the true nature of your being,

Which is the source that you are the ocean yourself.

You can find the entire ocean within you.

And so now that you've created your cocoon,

I want to invite you,

If it feels okay for you,

Only if it engenders trust,

You may wish to let your eyes half or fully close.

For those of us tuning in who find the feeling of closing eyes very unsettling or it makes you feel even more anxious,

Keep your eyes open and guide your awareness inwards.

And see if you could soften your gaze so that you guide your awareness to the sensation of sound.

Sound is the orifices,

The ears of the orifices for the water element and the winter season.

So this is an invitation at this time.

We'll close our eyes from looking outwards into the light and we turn into this darkness and we start to hear through the silence the small voice of your heart and your inner teacher that you might have neglected this entire year because of all these other loud voices,

Maybe from your inner critic,

Maybe from other people who have been telling you what you should do,

What you shouldn't do,

Who you should become,

Where you should go.

We gently set these aside.

We come into the comfort of your cocoon and now we guide your awareness to your breath.

As you guide your awareness to your breath,

Notice your breath and you may wish to say silently to yourself,

I am breathing in,

I am breathing out,

I am breathing in,

I am breathing out,

I am breathing in,

I am breathing out.

As you continue to allow your breath to flow,

Let it wash over you like the ocean waves layer by layer.

These waves of prana,

This energy that is deep inside of you.

So from the physical layer of your being,

We move closer and deeper inside of you to your energy body,

Feeling the pulsation of energy that is your breath that animates you.

And as you notice this breath,

Perhaps simply by noticing it,

You might have observed that already your breath has changed since you first noticed it.

You might feel as you follow your breath,

The warmth of your breath as it leaves your nostrils and gently passes over your upper lip.

And then as you inhale,

Feel it enter back into you.

Each peak and crest,

Each rise and fall,

Of this wave of breath that is the pulsation of energy that is you.

Now as you move even deeper,

Let your breath become even more profound.

With each exhale,

Feel the wave as it leaves the shore,

It returns to the ocean.

And then with each inhale from the center of the ocean,

The wave departs.

It moves far away.

It washes over the shore,

Over you.

And then gently once again,

It leaves and it returns to where it belongs.

So every single wave is like this.

It comes from the ocean.

It reaches and touches the shore.

It caresses the shore.

And then it goes back to the source of it all.

Continue like this for the next five breaths.

Feeling your energy and feeling your connection with something much greater than yourself.

And now as you continue to feel this wave pulsate between this separation,

So leaving the ocean,

Being a separate wave,

Touching the shore,

And then coming back into union,

Returning to the ocean.

In your mind's eye,

Now guide your awareness from the wave towards the ocean itself.

In your mind's eye,

See,

Feel,

Sense,

And hear this ocean that is strong and soft,

That is stable and fluid,

That is dark,

Deep,

Mysterious,

And at the same time,

Clear,

Complete,

And transparent.

See that this ocean is vast,

Immense,

And boundless.

And at the same time,

Feel that you can take in all of this,

That it is at the same time finite.

It is perceivable.

As you connect with this image,

This feeling,

This sense and energy of this ocean,

Allow yourself to connect with your perceiving body,

Beyond your physical body,

Beyond your energy body,

That is the part of you that is your mental body,

That can,

Without being right next to the ocean,

Without hearing the sound of the ocean,

You can experience the full spectrum of all of these.

In your consciousness,

In your mind,

And this is the power of your perceiving,

Your mental body,

Feel that,

Sense this limitless potential and power,

And let this ocean quality permeate your consciousness,

Your mental body.

Now as you continue to feel your physical body,

Your pulsating energy body that is like a wave,

And your vast,

Limitless ocean nature,

Your mental,

Your perceiving body,

We move even deeper.

And here,

Within you,

Around you,

Inside of you,

The ocean has a secret.

It has been here since time began.

And the ocean has been a witness to many things.

As you observe,

See,

Sense,

As you are the ocean yourself,

You notice how during the day,

The sun passes over the ocean,

Over you,

Casting layers of light and dark on the peaks and the crests of each wave inside of you.

And in the evening,

Your calm surface is gently illuminated by the soft glow of the moon.

Each day passes in this way.

And you,

You are the ocean.

You do not judge the day or the night.

You do not prefer one to the other.

You do not yearn or long for the heat of the sun or the coolness of the moon.

You do not push or pull.

You appreciate,

You accept,

And you embrace both the sun and the moon,

The day and the night,

With this simple and immovable presence that is the true nature of your being.

And so it is with the seasons.

You are the ocean.

You observe as the fresh dew emerges on the baby leaves and they dance in the spring wind.

You feel as the warmth peaks and the summer rain cools the earth.

And you notice in autumn,

Where the lakes become great mirrors and they reflect the russet reds,

Fiery oranges,

And the gold colors in the forests and in winter and in winter.

You see,

You sense the snow as it lines the cliffs and the shore.

And the snowflakes slowly glimmer and descend.

They quietly dissolve and they return to the ocean.

They come home to you.

Through all of this,

You are connected with the part of you that knows that it knows beyond your physical body,

Beyond your energy body,

Beyond your mental,

Your perceiving body.

You are deeply connected with your intuitive body and you know without needing to explain how or why.

And through all of these transitions,

All of these seasons,

Transformations,

And changes,

You are silent and still with a wise strength within you as the ocean that you are.

You know that there is no need to fight the wind or repel the rain.

In this way,

You,

As the ocean,

You remain free from pain,

Free from suffering,

Trusting in the rhythm of the seasons and the cycle and pulsation of nature and life itself.

You are the ocean and you patiently wait to emerge from behind the passing clouds as your face is gently caressed by the first rays of early spring sunshine.

The ocean is patient and present to each moment.

It knows that there is no reason to hurry.

In their own time,

Each droplet will evaporate and float to the heavens.

In their own time,

Each rain cloud will gather,

Reach saturation,

And descend and fall.

In their own time,

Each river will flow and return home to the ocean.

You are patient and present to each moment.

You know that there is no reason to hurry.

In your own time,

Your droplet will evaporate and float and rise to the heavens.

In your own time,

Your rain cloud will gather,

Reach saturation,

And descend and dissolve.

In your own time,

Your river will flow and return home to the ocean.

And you are the ocean.

You become the ocean.

You have a sense of the oceans with their depth,

With your depth.

And at the same time,

You are also a river that flows.

And within you,

You are also the droplet that is clear,

Unique,

Special.

With your next exhale,

Let the droplet that is you from the rain cloud begin to descend and return to the ocean.

Exhale and dive deep and return into the depths of yourself.

And then as if seeing for the first time from underneath the ocean,

Seeing and sensing and hearing with new eyes and ears,

Notice how it feels from this perspective.

In the ocean,

As the ocean,

As the river,

As the droplet looking out and upwards from within,

Through the water,

Towards the sky,

Towards the sun,

Feel that you are all of these and so much more.

And in the center of your being,

Beyond your physical body,

Beyond your energy body,

Beyond your perceiving your mental body,

Beyond your intuitive body,

There is an unshakable trust.

There is a permeating,

Immovable peace.

This is the true nature and the essence of your being.

Allow your true nature to come to surface from deep within and then let it flow.

Let it overflow out through your intuitive body,

Through your perceiving body,

Your mental body,

Through your energy body,

Through your physical body,

So that this saturates your consciousness.

You are the ocean with its patience,

Trust and acceptance.

You bear witness to your experience and you see with new eyes.

You hear the wisdom and the voice of your inner teacher,

Your self.

You let go of attachment and striving.

You set aside judgment,

Self-criticism.

You accept the things outside of your control.

You acknowledge and embrace these times of darkness,

Void these liminal spaces and this winter chill.

You are strong and resilient.

You are fluid and adaptable.

You surrender to what comes to surface in each and every passing moment and you trust in what cannot be seen as you connect with this truth of who you are and the true nature and essence of your being.

In whatever way feels right for you,

Create a reminder for yourself of this truth of this true nature because we all forget sometimes and we forget often and this is a reminder we all need through life's ups and downs,

Its challenges and new situations.

Harvest this practice,

This truth,

This feeling,

This wisdom.

Keep it deep inside of you in a place where you can return to that can come to surface in moments when you need this reminder.

Let this reminder be heard and if you would like to stay here longer with this essence,

With this truth,

You are so welcome to do so,

To linger here with your inner teacher,

With the layers of your being,

With all of you.

If and when you feel you are ready to conclude this practice,

Then as you harvest this reminder in the same way we moved from the outer layers within,

We acknowledge from inside out the center of you connecting with this immovable presence,

Peace,

Stillness,

Bliss.

Let that spread and overflow as it reaches your intuitive body,

The part of you that knows that it knows.

Remember this stays with you,

This intuition,

It stays with you as we transition towards the holiday seasons,

Deep into winter,

To the next year and beyond and this overflows even further out into your mental body,

The part of you that's able to process,

To imagine,

To cast forward and to relate to the world.

Let that flow and also saturate your energy body,

The pulsating ebb and flow that is pure energy that is you and then let that saturate the whole of your physical body,

Every hair,

Every cell,

Every bone,

Ligament,

Tendon,

Organ,

Muscle and fiber of your being.

Let it echo this truth of you,

This reminder that is now in every single part of you,

Never ever to be forgotten.

Feel this inside of you,

Around you and then let this overflow even further out into the cocoon that is holding you,

Into the cocoon that is holding all of us together and we bring this collective knowledge of the true nature of our being and we connect with each other,

Knowing that simply connecting with this truth,

We are changing not just ourselves,

We are changing the world.

May this reminder permeate all of us,

All of our families,

Our homes,

Our societies,

Our countries,

Our regions,

Our planets,

Our galaxies and beyond.

Let all of nature echo this truth that we are one and then to conclude this practice,

Gently and slowly,

We let both palms turn face up.

In one hand,

We hold the past which we cannot change but we can rewrite the past and how we want to see,

Hear,

Sense the past to empower the present.

In the other hand,

We hold the unknown future that we don't know but we can choose how we want to face it,

To embrace it and then we unite both of these.

We connect them through the thumbs,

Through this thin thread that is the present moment,

We intertwine the two palms and we form a bird that is you,

Flying across past,

Present,

Future,

Future,

Past,

Present,

Transcending time itself.

This is you beyond time.

Let this truth rest in front of your heart and we harvest also the magic and secrets of time to guide us as we move through the journey of our lives.

We let your head bow slightly down towards your heart,

Acknowledging this space,

This place,

This time,

This energy,

This truth,

Timeless truth that will accompany you and then gently and slowly,

If your eyes are closed,

We let them blink open.

Thank you so much to all of our friends here,

Meditators in our circle for sharing your presence,

Your time,

Your energy with me.