As we mark our 150th meditation,
I want to thank you for your continued support of Ukrainian independence and freedom.
This month we'll be revisiting some of our most popular episodes.
I'm Colleen Thomas.
Welcome to the best of Everyday Magic for Ukraine.
Today we send strength to the defenders.
Welcome to the circle.
So the only thing you need today is your phone.
But actually you don't even need your phone because,
Well,
I'll get to that.
So today we are sending strength to the defenders.
And if you are someone who lives in Ukraine or is intimately connected with Ukraine,
You are going to know a lot more about this than I do as an outsider.
And so this is a great moment for me to invoke Timothy Snyder and his wonderful quote that his offerings are being made from the humble and limited perspective of an outsider.
And that is how I make these offerings to you today.
And so let's imagine together that we are near the front lines,
Near where the defenders are actively working to keep Ukraine free,
To maintain the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
And imagine you're watching or you're just with a group of defenders right now.
Maybe you're a fly on the wall.
Maybe you're in there with them and they're acknowledging you and you're working together in some way.
Just bring yourself,
Bring your heart into that situation.
And just see the people who are there in your mind's eye,
Knowing that these images will stand in for actual people.
And let's try something.
Imagine you can stop time.
Imagine you just freeze everything.
Everybody stops.
They're frozen.
Time has stopped.
And then imagine you can take this group of people out of this situation.
Just in your mind's eye,
Imagine this.
And take them to a field,
Maybe a dark evening,
Peaceful summer kind of field.
Someplace in Ukraine,
Someplace that is safe,
Someplace that is relaxing and warm.
And what if you transport them as a group there?
And they can breathe.
They can relax.
Perhaps anything they need is there.
Perhaps their loved ones are there.
And there's lots of really good food and they can take a really long nap and they can have any wounds obviously tended to,
Anything they need in their bodies,
Their hearts,
Their minds,
Their spirits is just provided to these people.
This specific special group of people that you're working with,
Just imagine that.
What do you see?
And what do you notice as these warriors begin to relax?
As these defenders begin to have some of their basic needs met again?
And once you see them settled a little more,
A little calmer,
Feeling a little better,
More connected,
What might it be like to invite in their ancestors?
To call in their ancestors to surround them?
Perhaps even to call in their Cossack ancestors to surround them with their wisdom and their audacious bravery,
Their deep knowing of the land,
Strengthening the connection of these heroim with the land,
The zemli underneath them,
Ukraina,
Connecting through time,
Drawing in that strength,
Drawing in that eternal strength that exists beyond space and time.
And when you're noticing that this process is almost complete,
Notice those defenders,
Those heroim,
Notice them and see how they've changed.
Notice how they might look different to you than they did before we brought the ancestors in or before we came to this field.
Do they look different to you now?
Do they feel different to you now in your heart?
Maybe take a breath in gratitude for these ancestors.
And as the ancestors and the Cossacks fade away,
Maybe they actually don't totally fade away.
Maybe they stay with these defenders on the inner.
Maybe they stay with them.
Maybe they have been with them all this time.
And this is an opportunity for you,
For me,
For all of us who are so grateful to these defenders for their personal sacrifices,
To offer them our thanks and offer them our strength.
And now I invite you in joining me in returning these defenders back to the place where we first saw them.
So maybe scoop them up out of their field and take them gently back to where you first met them and allow the time to begin to move again and allow things to return.
But know that as time begins to move again,
These folks are different.
I know these folks are imaginary,
But they represent the defenders,
Right?
So see them being a little bit more whole,
A little bit more strong,
A little bit more better,
Whatever the word is.
See them in a different place,
In a different internal state than when you first arrived.
And I invite you to take a breath and begin to leave this visualization.
Begin to come back to the space that you are in right now.
And at the top of the episode,
I mentioned using your phone.
And I mentioned that because United24 is developing a new app.
It's not released yet.
It's still in beta testing,
But it will be released at some point soon,
I hope.
And what that app will let you do is pick a brigade or some kind of group working at the front and track them and support them and get updates from them.
Just something to think about.
Keep an eye out for it.
I have no idea when it's coming out,
But I'm very much looking forward to it.
May we always remember that our magic has power.
Heroim Slava.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Your presence,
Your energy,
And your heart make all the difference in healing our world.
And remember to breathe today.
Breathe and expand.
And I hope you join us again next time.
Please consider inviting a friend.
