Welcome back.
In our last exploration,
I shared with you my personal story and I invited you to contemplate your own relationship with the water element and winter season.
Today,
As we approach the end of your journey,
I'll guide you through a lying down winter water element meditation to cultivate faith and unshakable trust to realize your dreams in this coming year and new cycle.
Before we begin,
Please find a comfortable place where you feel neither too warm nor too cold.
Please lie down comfortably with your feet about shoulder-width apart,
Your knees slightly bent and if it feels good for you,
Let your eyes half or fully closed.
Feel the earth beneath you,
Supporting you.
Notice your breath and 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.
I am breathing in.
I am breathing out.
As you follow your breath,
Notice the warmth of your breath as it leaves your nostrils and passes over your upper lip and notice how your exhale may naturally extend as you begin to relax into yourself.
Continue to observe your breath as your breath moves deeper down your diaphragm and then gently back up again.
Guide your awareness to your breath and begin to notice the rise and fall of your belly,
Allowing your attention to dry and rest where it will.
Bring to mind and to heart an image of an ocean,
Strong and soft,
Stable and fluid,
Dark,
Deep,
Mysterious,
Vast,
Immense,
And boundless.
And the ocean has a name for it.
It has been here since time began.
And the ocean has been a witness to many things.
As you observe the ocean,
You notice how during the day,
The sun passes over it,
Casting layers of light and dark on the peaks and crests of each wave.
And in the evening,
Its calm surface is gently illuminated by the soft glow of the moon.
Each day passes in this way.
The ocean does not judge the day or the night,
Does not yearn the heat of the sun or the coolness of the moon.
The ocean appreciates both sun and moon,
Day and night,
With a simple yet immovable presence.
And so it is with the seasons.
As you observe the ocean,
Fresh dew emerges on the baby leaves and dances in the spring wind.
As the warmth peaks,
The summer rain cools the earth.
In autumn,
The lakes become great mirrors,
Reflecting the russet reds,
Fiery oranges,
And gold in the breeze.
And in winter,
Pure white snow lines the cliffs and the shore,
And the snowflakes descend and quietly dissolve,
Returning to the ocean.
And through all this,
The ocean is silent and still,
With a wise strength that knows there's no need to fight the wind or repel the rain.
In this way,
The ocean remains free from pain and free from suffering,
Trusting in the rhythm of the seasons.
The ocean waits to emerge from behind the passing clouds as its face is caressed by the first rays of early spring sunshine.
The ocean is patient and present to each moment.
It knows there's no reason to hurry.
In their own time,
Each droplet will evaporate and flow to the heavens.
In their own time,
Each rain cloud will gather,
Reach saturation,
And descend.
In their own time,
Each river will flow and return to the ocean.
You are patient and present to each moment.
You know there's no reason to hurry.
In your own time,
Your droplet will evaporate and flow to the heavens.
In your own time,
Your rain cloud will gather,
Reach saturation,
And descend.
In your own time,
Your river will flow and return to the ocean.
And if you wish,
You can travel in your imagination deep down into the depths of the ocean and see it as if for the very first time,
As though seeing through new eyes,
Noticing how different it is from this perspective,
Looking upwards from inside the ocean,
Through the water,
Towards the sky,
Towards the heavens,
Towards the sun.
You are like the ocean with its patience,
Trust,
And acceptance.
You are witness to your experience and you see with new eyes.
You acknowledge and accept times of darkness and winter chill.
You surrender to what surfaces in each passing moment.
You trust in what cannot be seen.
You are strong and resilient.
You are fluid and adaptable.
You bear witness to the unfolding of the flow of life and co-creation.
You are free to navigate with it.
Feel this faith and connection at the core and center of your being.
Know that it is always there with you,
Accompanying you through all of life's moments,
Through the ebb and flow,
The rise and fall of it all.
If and when you feel ready,
Guide your awareness back to the rise and fall,
Ebb and flow of the ocean that is your breath.
Let your breath and the weight of your body guide you back to this present moment.
And if your eyes are closed,
Gently and slowly,
Let them blink open.
Thank you for joining me on this journey through the winter season and the water element.
I hope you enjoyed it and you are welcome to return to this journey or revisit any of these practices and techniques anytime you wish.
Bring this freedom,
Faith and flow with you into the rest of your day and the rest of your life.
