This practice is to give gratitude and deepen connection with a sister,
Someone you feel close to and want to feel closer to still.
You may even choose to do this with a circle of sisters.
However,
If you do not have a sister with you,
You may do this meditation considering a specific sister,
Holding that person in your mind's eye and in your heart.
Get into a comfortable seated position facing your sister or if there are many,
Sitting in a circle.
Feel free to sit as far or as close to them as you feel comfortable,
But in a way that you can clearly view them.
You may hold hands or if you're sitting next to each other,
Place your hand on their knee.
Once you're comfortable,
Take a deep breath in and out.
Close your eyes and take a moment to root down into your sitting bones.
Come into your body,
Into your energy,
And into the energy of your sisters.
What do you notice?
What's hanging in the air?
What's permeating your senses?
Feel the contact of your skin on their skin.
Take a couple of deep breaths to appreciate the flow and interaction of energy here.
Now,
Open your eyes and notice how that shifts the energy.
Behold your sister.
Notice their eyes,
Their energy,
Their hearts.
Take a deep breath in and out.
I give gratitude for having you,
My dear sister,
In my life.
I give gratitude to the opportunities we have had together to explore new places,
To discover small alleys and hidden gems,
To create traditions out of habits,
To form bonds out of the everyday,
To share photos and stories and silly moments,
To watch scenes that moved us to tears or laughter,
To live through the stages of our life together.
I give gratitude for the moments we have shared,
Moments of great triumph in which I am blown away by your ability and ambition,
Moments of kindness and compassion where your actions and your intentions have given me hope in the world,
Moments of anger and vindication where your strength to protect the things and people you love has made me fearful,
Moments where the depths of your despair,
The tenor of your sorrow has left me speechless,
Where I have felt helpless to help,
Unknowing in how to comfort you,
And even in such moments it has been an honor to hold space.
I give gratitude because you always picked up the phone and answered the door.
No matter how early in the morning or late in the night,
When you were in the middle of the business meeting or nursing your baby,
You were always available to talk.
And talk we did.
We talked about the things that other people didn't talk about because they were too secret or too contrived or too petty.
We talked about everything.
To complain about old and new lovers,
Past and future jobs,
The complications of family,
The complexities of life.
When nobody understood,
You understood.
When I thought the whole world would judge me,
You never did.
Or maybe you judged me a little,
But you never showed it.
Thank you for listening to my dreams,
My insecurities,
My jealousies,
My hopes,
My secrets.
But sometimes we didn't talk.
Sometimes we just sat.
Sometimes we baked and ran and shopped and read.
Sometimes we wept.
Sometimes we yelled and screeched and punched.
And sometimes we hugged and kissed and held each other.
Sometimes we laughed so loudly the people next door yelled for us to shut up.
I give gratitude that I never had to do these things alone.
I give gratitude for your presence,
For your time,
For your efforts,
And for your unconditional love.
Take a deep breath in and out and allow for some feelings of a well-wishing to arise.
My dear sister,
I strive to give you everything you have given to me.
I wish you everything necessary to navigate the difficulties of this life with ease.
I wish you happiness.
I wish you to both receive and give deep unconditional love.
I wish you to be free of pain and suffering.
I wish you to find purpose and fulfillment.
You are love.
You are loved.
You are peace.
Give gratitude in whatever way you feel appropriate.
May it be a bow,
A handshake,
A kiss,
Or an embrace.
Thank you for holding space and doing this practice.
Namaste.
