Hi,
My name is Rebecca Max and I'm a meditation teacher in Melbourne,
Australia.
I wrote this meditation when I was feeling a little bit depleted and I was reflecting on how the one thing I can always count on to enrich my soul is nature.
And I took particular inspiration that day from a beautiful jacaranda tree that stands in my garden.
And if you're not familiar with what a jacaranda tree looks like,
You can imagine a tall tree with beautiful lacy leaves and the most delicate little purple flowers.
And it only comes to flower once a year,
In my garden at least,
And it is something quite spectacular to behold.
So with that image in mind,
I'd like to welcome you to the meditation and you can sit back and relax.
The moon sits high above the jacaranda tree,
The silvery white casting a soft glow of light into the ever-changing sky.
Pink and orange remnants of the fading warmth of the day are but a few remaining streaks of colour in the sky.
The light of the day changing,
Shifting,
Moving,
Slowly making space to welcome the coming eve.
To pause and notice the changing light,
To notice an ending and a beginning and the perfect harmony with which this happens.
To notice in itself is a gift.
To notice the coming grey of the sky,
To feel and embrace the coolness of the evening,
A welcome relief from the heat of the day.
The small flowers in the garden beds that begin to close as the light changes around them,
Bowing their heads,
Ready to sleep,
To rest,
To recharge,
To go within,
Another day coming to an end.
The top of the jacaranda tree contrasts sharply against the darkening of the sky,
An explosion of purple flowers spreading out in all directions.
The tree which has stood bare for most of the year has come to life in such a spectacular way,
Almost like a peacock showing off its tail,
The tree allowing a short glimpse into all the beauty that it has to offer.
If one pauses to notice,
Pauses to appreciate.
The feathery lace of the green leaves weave an intricate tapestry with the purple flowers,
Glimpses of sky and moon can be seen in between the leaves.
The moon continues to shine,
The day continues to fade and the jacaranda stands strong and tall in all its glory.
The evening has come to fully settle around the tree now,
Wrapping it in darkness,
Dulling the vibrancy of the colours for now.
The tree stands patiently and awaits.
Morning comes with the emerging of the light and birdsong coming from all directions,
The chirping,
Singing,
Tweeting and swooping of the birds heralding the start of a brand new dawn.
The ground beneath the jacaranda is now a carpet of purple flowers mixed with the green grass,
Soft and inviting.
The occasional flower still gently falling down with the breeze.
Against the new light of the day the tree stands in full bloom,
Embracing the day with no expectations of what might lie ahead.
The tree senses the yearning of a soul far away in the distance,
A pulling,
A deep tiredness and aching,
A yearning for something more,
For connection,
For rest,
A deep desire to simply be still,
To stop,
To notice.
The tree calls to that weary soul and the soul feels the distant pull of the jacaranda.
After a while a woman comes and lays underneath the inviting arms of the tree,
Her body sinking into the ground,
Heavy and tired.
The ground solid and secure beneath her welcomes her,
Takes the weight and heaviness away for a moment.
A place to ground,
To stop,
To be,
To connect,
A deep knowing that this is exactly where she is supposed to be in this moment.
Her eyes close and rest,
The eyelids closing out the outside world,
Allowing her time to go within.
And as she opens her eyes she looks up through the leaves and the flowers above and takes a breath that satisfies her soul.
She is here.
She is safe with this breath,
With this moment and it is everything that she needs.
She feels a tear gently rolling down her face as she lets go,
Lets go of fear,
Of control,
Of striving,
Of trying so hard and she feels her breath and listens to the yearning of her soul,
A release,
A replenishment,
A moment to be,
To listen,
To tend to her heart and her soul and her deepest needs,
A moment of knowing that all is truly well.
She rests for a while,
A flower drifts down from a branch on the breeze and lands on her forehead,
A touch of luck perhaps she wonders.
She touches the cool soft flower with her fingers and brings it to her heart,
Covering it with her hand and she takes another deep breath here,
Moving it through her entire body and her soul,
Grateful for the rest,
Grateful for the beauty that surrounds her,
Grateful for the connection with the world around her,
With nature and most importantly with herself.
The busyness of the day will inevitably come,
The sky will change and the day will continue but this moment is hers alone to cherish,
This pause hers,
This breath hers and the gratitude for this flows through her entire being.
She rests under the branches of the jacaranda and in this moment she is home.
Eventually the woman stands and goes about the rest of her day.
The jacaranda in all its ancient wisdom stands strong and waits,
Embracing this moment fully and then the next.
