Hello,
Dear friends.
Today,
I have the privilege of leading you in a short meditation on interconnectivity.
The idea that all perceived form is interconnected.
The idea of perceived form,
Everything that we see,
Everything that we touch,
Everything that we smell,
Everything that we hear,
Everything that we taste,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Life force,
Movement and balance.
Everything is interconnected.
Now,
There are times when I lose the fact of interconnectivity,
Where the felt reality is disconnect,
Disconnect from my own feelings,
Disconnect from the people I love and love me,
From my work.
And if you've had the experience of being disconnected,
You know that that's a place of suffering.
So often,
The suffering we experience can be directly tied to forgetfulness,
A simple forgetting that those elements that support us,
That nurture us,
That help us are available to us always right here and right now.
Now,
I believe this is part of a goal that we'd all like to attain.
I think all beings share the basic idea that we all want to be happy.
All beings want to be free of suffering.
I don't know of anything that really wants to suffer.
So that really connects us in our humanity and not just the humanity of people,
But all beings.
No beings want to suffer and we all want to be free and we all want to be liberated.
We all want to feel loved.
We all want to feel connected.
And we all share in the suffering that sometimes it's just not there.
We just don't sense that.
So today I'm going to take it to a very elemental,
Literally elemental,
A discussion of our interconnectivity to earth,
Wind,
Fire,
And water.
And hopefully the intention is that you and I will feel,
Experience this sense of interconnectivity,
At least for the few minutes that we have together.
So let's begin.
Please take a few moments to assume a seated meditation posture if possible.
Simply sitting upright back,
Not leaning against the chair or the cushion,
But just simply upright and relaxed in a position that we might call a regal posture.
If our bodies are upright,
It often allows for our minds to be upright,
To receive,
To be open.
Our bodies are slunched over,
Hunched over.
That often leads to a hunched over state of mind,
Hunched over state of being.
So I think that's one of the reasons to even adopt a meditative posture because it makes us feel a little differently even by assuming that posture.
So let's begin with the fact that right now you are being supported.
Your feet are being supported ultimately by the earth below and immediately by the ground or the floor or the surface beneath you.
So breathing in,
I'm aware that my feet are being supported.
Breathing out,
Aware of that support,
Simply noticing.
And your body likewise is being supported by your seat.
So just gently move your awareness to the fact that your entire body is being supported.
Right now,
You're safe and supported.
And right now is always the only moment that exists.
It's always right now.
And you might just gently ask yourself,
Am I okay right now?
Right now,
Do I have what I need just right now?
And if you ask yourself that question throughout the day,
Most of the time the answer is going to be yes.
Breathing in,
I've arrived here.
Breathing out,
I've arrived now.
Breathing in here and breathing out now.
Breathing in,
I'm aware that I'm being supported.
Breathing out,
I want to trust this support.
Breathing in supported and gently breathing out trusting.
Breathing in support,
Breathing out trusting,
Relaxing,
Letting go to the degree you can.
Moving our attention to the reality that our bodies are Earth element.
Breathing in,
I'm part of the Earth element.
Breathing out,
That Earth element supports me.
Breathing in,
Aware that every nutrient that has ever fueled or supported my body has come from the Earth.
Breathing out,
Just simple gratitude.
Just breathing out gratitude that the Earth really does support me,
Feeds me,
Nourishes me.
Breathing in,
Aware of the Earth and the support of the Earth.
Breathing out,
Simply smiling,
Aware of that support.
Now let's move our awareness to the fire element,
To sensations of warmth or coolness on the surface area of your skin.
The interconnectivity of the fire element.
Allow yourself to the degree you're able to simply notice sensations of warmth or coolness in the body.
Simply notice sensations of warmth and coolness for the next three or four breaths.
Breathing in,
Aware of the fire element.
Breathing in,
Aware of the fire element that is in me,
That is me.
Breathing out,
Connected to that base fire element that ties all of life together.
Now gently moving our awareness to the water element,
The flow of life,
The flow of fluids,
Fluids moving effortlessly throughout your body,
Rivers flowing,
Tidal currents,
Gulf streams,
Thinking of the beautiful mountain streams that ultimately flow into the ocean,
That beautiful vapor that flows up and forms clouds and returns right back to the mountains and that beautiful cyclical flow of water,
That water that exists in the outer nature,
The water element that exists in my inner nature,
The flow of oxygen,
Vital nutrients,
Blood flow,
All happening effortlessly,
Naturally,
Physically.
Breathing in,
Aware that all of life is flowing.
Breathing out,
Unflowing.
Breathing in,
Connected to natural flow.
Breathing out,
Smiling,
Grateful for flow.
And now gently move awareness to the air element,
The breath.
Breathing in,
I am connected with the air earth and air and fire and water element.
Breathing out,
Air,
Breathing out,
Wind.
Breath like wind.
In and out,
Natural,
Relaxed.
Breathing in,
Aware of air.
Breathing out,
Aware of air.
Breath in,
Breath out.
All of life is interconnected to the elements.
When we simply take time to reflect,
We know this.
We can rest and trust this.
Breathing in,
I'm interconnected with all of life.
Breathing out,
I'm supported by all of life.
Breathing in,
Connected.
Breathing out,
Supported.
Breathing in,
Connection.
Breathing out,
Support.
I am not alone.
I am never alone.
I am always connected.
All of life flows in me and through me.
All of life interconnected in a beautiful balance.
Thank you.
