I'm Skylar Liberty Rose.
Welcome to today's meditation on coming home to yourself.
Each of us has a longing inside of us to belong.
To be at ease in our surroundings and in the company we keep.
Even when we're not consciously seeking approval,
We're still seeking acceptance.
We want to be wanted.
We yearn to be loved.
Some years ago when I was in therapy,
Trying to process a divorce,
An eating disorder and a life that I just couldn't seem to find any joy in living,
My therapist invited me to do an exercise where I brought to mind all of the important people in my life.
He asked me,
Where are the people in your life when you visualize them?
What are they doing?
They're all together in a circle,
I replied.
And then he asked,
Where are you in the circle?
And I said to him,
I'm not in it.
That's how I felt at that time.
That everybody in my life was gathered together in a circle,
Except for me.
I share this with you because I know how hard it is when you feel as though you're always on the periphery and never in the center.
I know how lonely it can be when you feel as though you're on the outside looking in.
When everyone else seems to be united in a circle but you're off to the side on your own.
What I want you to know is this,
You are never completely alone.
And whatever your beliefs are about your God or a universal energy or nature,
You are held,
You are loved and you matter.
When you doubt these truths,
It's helpful to pay close attention to what is real.
Notice how the light still comes to find you each new day.
Notice how your senses still find ways to connect you to the external world.
Notice how life prompts you to eat,
To sleep,
To rest,
To move,
To dance,
To cry,
To rage or be still.
Even when we feel isolated,
Even when we question whether our lives have meaning or merit,
We are woven into this great tapestry of the world and we have a rightful place here.
What I want you to know is this,
You are entirely lovable,
Wholly worthy.
You are as necessary to this world as morning light or setting sun.
Nothing about you is disposable.
Nothing about you is repeatable.
You are a first edition,
The only one of your kind.
We need you here.
You are wanted here.
You are cherished here.
What I want you to know is this,
When you live from a space of truth,
You scatter petals of hope to the rest of the world.
Beautiful,
Timely reminders that we may also live in our truth,
Our authenticity,
Our inimitable self-expression because we see you living from yours.
Even when it feels challenging,
Even when it feels lonely,
Even when you are tired and uncertain and you don't know where the next step leads or if you even have the energy to take it.
What I want you to know is this,
There are often people right at the heart of a circle who still feel lonely,
Who still feel fragmented and afraid despite being surrounded by others.
Yet we create stories about those people based on our own perceptions.
We call them perfect and popular.
We imagine that their lives are free from stress or pain.
We envy what we believe them to have.
We pour our energy into wishing we were more like them because we tell ourselves they have a life that is full of everything and lacking in nothing.
What I want you to know is this,
That is rarely if ever true.
But isn't it incredible how much detail we can easily and effortlessly apply to our vision of these popular people and their perfect lives?
Notice that.
Notice how creative your imagination can be and get curious about how you might tap into that deep creative well inside of you and use it to foster your own visions about your life and what you're able to breathe into being.
Take a breath in through the nose.
Take a breath out through the mouth.
I invite you to gently draw your attention away from the spaces you feel excluded from,
The circles you aren't part of.
And instead focus your thoughts on the space you are inhabiting,
The circle you'd like to create.
What I'd like to ask you is this,
What do you envision for your own circle?
What brave hearts would you like to be in company with?
What music will soothe you?
What creative pursuits will fuel you?
What tender words or poems will restore you?
What art will be born from this space?
What joy?
What beauty?
What peace?
And how will you let the others who think and feel as you do know how to find you and this space that is home?
Every single circle starts with one person,
Just one person,
Reaching out their hands and heart in hope that others will join them.
You can be that person.
Now,
In this moment,
You can be the one on the inside looking out,
Reaching out,
Ready to receive the love and warmth and companionship of others who are seeking the same medicine as you.
The same sweet remembering that our souls know when we find our places and we connect with our people,
When we come home to ourselves.
Place your hand on your heart now.
You are already good enough.
You have always been good enough.
You are already worthy,
Already loved without needing to change,
Edit or erase a single thing.
Not your weight,
Not your finances,
Not your age,
Not the sadness or sensitivity that you think of as a flaw.
There's nothing about any part of you that needs to be any different before you are worthy of your own love and affection.
Repeat after me.
I am whole.
I am home.
I am whole.
I am whole.
I am home.
Begin to bring your awareness back to the space you're in.
Gently open your eyes.
Let your gaze be soft.
Let your breath be easy.
Let your awakening continue.
Thank you for choosing to be in this space with me today.
Sending deep love and gratitude from my heart to yours.
