["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] Welcome to today.
Welcome to this moment.
Welcome to the new now.
Every breath taking you deeper into stillness.
Get comfortable rolling your shoulders down the back,
Shining the heart open,
And then placing the hands face up on the lap.
Slight smile on your face if it feels natural.
Relaxing the muscles in the jaw and behind the eyes.
Softening into the body,
Into the breath,
Into the space that you are inhabiting.
For this moment,
Just allow whatever is arising,
Whatever is here,
Whatever you feel on the level of sensation,
Thoughts,
And emotions.
Can you contain all of it by the witnessing stance that you hold,
Non-judgmentally open and curious to your own experience of being human right here,
Right now?
And then take inventory.
Take inventory of the blessings that you have on a material level.
What gifts do you appreciate daily or maybe even take for granted that fill you with joy?
Imagine as if there's a cornucopia in front of you with all of those things,
That they are presented to you as gifts,
And that you open your palms and your heart to receive them with gratitude,
Appreciation,
And joy.
What are all of these things that help you live life more fully,
More beautifully,
And more comfortably?
And what in turn do you get to give from having your cup so full?
Turning your attention now to the circumstances in your life,
Seen and unseen,
Visible and invisible,
That are contributing to your well-being,
That are conspiring to make you feel more alive if you let them.
What are the sensations and circumstances that are absent from your life which actually make it better as well?
What have you said no to or been spared that allows you a more rich experience of being human?
What have you let go of that allows you to let what you really want in?
And who are the people in your life that put a smile on your face today?
Who are the ones who care for you and whom you care for in return,
The ones you can count on?
Imagine hugging them and receiving their blessings back for your well-being.
Choose one of these people and imagine appreciating something that you really love about them to their face.
What would you say?
What can you give yourself credit for doing that you appreciate having taken action toward and you can give yourself a pat on the back for now?
And what has been bestowed upon you by no means of your own,
By grace,
By fortune,
By the blessings of being alive that you are just so grateful to have received and to have in your life?
And what about you?
What do you appreciate about who you are and how you are?
What can you take this moment to appreciate about your own self,
Any aspect of yourself,
Something you love about your body,
Something you love about your personality and your traits,
Something you love about what you've done in the world today,
This year,
In the last five years?
And who is grateful for you?
Who,
When they're counting their blessings,
Counts you?
And what do you want to give of yourself and how do you want to show up today to continue being that light for them and anyone else you encounter who needs it?
For you give love away,
A way forward,
A way to be away when you give it away,
When you share it,
When you let it be.
And what about the challenges in your life without needing to find a silver lining?
Where can you send them love and your compassion,
Compassion back to the self that you were who had to handle and face and navigate these challenges?
The gratitude doesn't need to be for the difficulties,
But maybe it's toward yourself for who you became in the midst of them.
Last but certainly not least,
What are you thankful for about the world around you,
Your community,
The beauty of the natural world,
The animals in your life or who walk this earth with us?
That greater force that connects all living things,
The love that passes between those who share this beautiful,
Magnificent journey of life together.
Take a moment to marvel at your own existence and let that fill you,
Fill you with everything you've wanted and everything you've sought with the knowing that it's already here.
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