Someone is refilling your glass with your favorite beverage…
The door into this room is opening now… and someone new is walking
into the party… You find yourself looking up curiously… Who is arriving?...
The door is all the way on the other side of the room so you cannot see the person clearly until they are a few feet away… You are moving closer to see who it is… And guess what?… It’s you!
Imagine that you are watching this scene on your DVD player or other device, and you can press the Pause button… If you choose to, go ahead and pause this scene now… Imagining that the person who just walked into this party is you as your best, most wonderful, authentic, true self… What does this person look like?...
What is he or she wearing?... How is this person holding their body?...
Now… taking a moment to look at yourself… the one who was already at the party… How are you reacting to your True Self who just showed up?... Are you about to turn away?... Are you thinking about finding someone more interesting to talk with?...
or… as Rebecca West so poignantly writes…
is your heart breaking into flower
at this very connection with yourself?...
Take some time now to simply be with this true, authentic you…
And see if you can allow your heart to break into flower at this precious inner
connection… even just a little bit… and maybe just a little bit more…
Now it is time to start thinking about leaving the party… So find a way to thank your beautiful authentic self… bowing to yourself if you like…
feeling so full of self-acceptance and gladness to be exactly who you are…
And then bringing yourself back slowly… slowly… back to the present moment…
Following the sound of my voice…
Becoming aware of your own steady breath… Noticing that you are in a physical body… Maybe wiggling your fingers and toes…
or giving yourself a big stretch…
When you are ready…
go ahead and open your eyes… Take your time…
I will wait for you… Remembering that all is well…
The Puzzle of Your Life – Part 1
Begin by making yourself as comfortable as you can right now… Please listen to your body and respect whatever it is asking you for in this moment…
I invite you to gently close your eyes whenever you feel ready to do so…
Or keep a soft steady gaze, looking down… And now try focusing on your breath for a moment… Feel the air flowing in and out of your nostrils… in… and out… in… and out… Feel your chest rising and falling with each breath…
rising and falling… rising and falling…
Now you are feeling a bit more relaxed… And in your imagination I invite you to take yourself to your own inner sanctuary… a safe place… created by and for you… It might be a place you already know… or it might be a purely imaginary place… Taking yourself there now… Walking around… Noticing what you see… what you can hear… what you can smell… what you can feel… Remembering that this is a completely safe place…
If it feels right, go ahead and invite one of your Guides to join you… This might be a religious figure… or a goddess of some sort… It might be a fictional character whose wisdom resonates with you… It might be someone in your life whose wisdom has touched you… It might even be a being from one of your SoulCollage® cards…
Just saying hello to your Guide now, thanking him or her for coming… Knowing that you are completely safe at all times with him or her…
Now your guide is leading you to your inner workroom… This is a place inside your inner sanctuary where you can take a look at what’s going on in your life… Walking there… to the Workroom… with your Guide now… and when you arrive…
noticing that there is a jigsaw puzzle spread out and incomplete on a large work table in the center of your workroom… Your Guide tells you that this puzzle represents
your own life…
As you are examining the puzzle of your life with your Guide… you might be noticing that some of the pieces you put in a while ago still fit… but they are the wrong color for the design… Or maybe you are noticing that a piece that used to fit no longer fits when the correct piece on the other side is added in…
As you become aware of these pieces that don’t fit… take a moment to ask your guide to help you remove or reconfigure them… maybe not right now... but as you go through your life… Your Guide’s assistance will be appreciated… and you are realizing also that you never have to do this inner work alone…
You might be noticing now that the border of your jigsaw puzzle is actually complete… That’s right… You are seeing that all the pieces that make up the edges of your puzzle are connected… creating a perfect border… You seem surprised about this… and your Guide tells you that the border of your puzzle represents love… You are becoming aware that the boundary of your own life journey… is also bordered with love… Allowing time to absorb this realization…
that the boundary of your own life journey is bordered with love… It always has been… It is now… It always will be…
Taking a moment now to allow your Guide to point out anything else
you need to know… about this beautiful jigsaw puzzle that depicts your life…
You might want to ask a question about one or two of the specific pieces that make
up your life… and listen for whatever wisdom your Guide wants to share with you…
It is time to start thinking about leaving your inner workroom now, so if you like… take a moment to thank your Guide for joining you… Knowing that you can return here whenever you want… simply by closing your eyes and taking a breath…
And when you are ready… slowly… slowly… bring yourself back to the sound of my voice… bringing your attention back into your body… maybe stretching
a little bit… or yawning… doing whatever you need to in order to be fully present once again with us…
Gently opening your eyes when you are comfortable doing so… Taking your time… I will wait for you…
Remembering that all is well…
The Puzzle of Your Life - Part 2
Please begin by taking a few moments to consciously relax your body… Coming in to the present moment… Letting go of what you’ve been doing… and letting go of whatever comes next… Just using your breath to sink into this
moment right here… right now… Adjusting any part of your body to make yourself even more comfortable… Giving yourself permission to relax your body and also to relax your mind… Giving yourself permission to look inward for this next little while…
And now in your imagination… I invite you to go back to your inner sanctuary… finding your Guide… Maybe it’s the same Guide that you met in the first meditation… or maybe you are joined by a different Guide… Let it be what it is… And just take a moment now to go for a walk outside your sanctuary… with your Guide… You might choose to walk in silence… absorbing his or her strength and comfort as you go…
or you might have a question you want to ask about your own life… or about a piece of your life…
Now, if you choose to, go ahead and bring yourself and your Guide back to
your inner workroom… You are seeing your jigsaw puzzle spread out over the table… bordered with love… all the edges complete… the inside continuing to take shape…
This time you are surprised to notice that a few of your cherished personal Community members are here in the workroom with you… You might be seeing some close family members… or friends… You might even be seeing a few people who have passed on… simply paying attention to how good it feels that they can join you here today…
And as you look around… you are realizing that they are working on your puzzle too… If you choose to… go ahead and join them… Experience sifting through the various pieces of your life toge
ther with them… and together… finding ways to make some more of the pieces fit…
Now you are noticing that your jigsaw puzzle also includes some of the puzzle pieces of these others who are close to you in your real life… Listening to your Guide as he or she says… “Love is to be the border around our lives… Love is to be the boundary of our being”… Taking a moment now to fully absorb the fact that love is also the border around our collective, communal lives…
If it feels good… link arms or hold hands with the Community members who have joined you here today… forming a circle around the worktable where the puzzle of your life rests… Holding hands… Your Guide is next to you… and everyone else who cares about your life is here as well… You are all gazing at your puzzle together…
Standing here… an integral part of this circle… you are noticing that your puzzle is not completely put together yet… There are pieces missing… and there are still some pieces that used to fit but now do not… Yet you are realizing that this doesn’t mar the beauty of the whole picture of the puzzle that is your life… You are becoming aware that you can and do accept this puzzle… your puzzle… exactly as it is… because you are the one who is creating it… and these others … and your Guide… are helping you… You are filled with the knowing that you don’t ever need to work on this
puzzle of your life alone…
I invite you now to find a way to thank these Community members for joining you today… and for the pieces they have added to your puzzle… Also thanking your Guide… Knowing that you can return to this sanctuary… to this workroom
and this puzzle… any time you like simply by closing your eyes and taking a breath…
And when you are ready… slowly… slowly… bring yourself back to the sound of my voice… bringing your attention back into your body… maybe stretching a little bit… or yawning… just doing whatever you need to in order to be
fully present once again with us…
Gently opening your eyes when you are comfortable doing so… Taking your time… I will wait for you… Remembering that all is well…
Part 2
Be Here Now
It is the imagination
that lights the slow fuse of the possible.
~ Emily Dickinson
Be Here Now
Please sit comfortably in your chair with your feet flat on the floor to ground you... Sitting up straight and tall… Surrendering your body into the safety of the furniture that is supporting you…
Taking a deep breath in… and letting it go… Taking another deep breath in… exhaling completely… Taking another breath in… and letting it go… Ahhh… Continuing to breathe in and out… at your own pace now… If it feels comfortable… go ahead and gently close your eyes… shutting out all the distractions of your
daily life… just for a little while…
Letting your body relax just a little bit more with each breath… Inhaling relaxation… and exhaling any tension that might be making its home in your body or mind...
Inhaling relaxation… and exhaling tension… Allowing yourself to be more and more calm and relaxed…. with each breath…
I invite you to remember that the imagination is a powerful tool… and you can access yours at any time… in any circumstance… So with this in mind… use your imagination to take yourself to your favorite place in nature… a place where you feel most at home with yourself…
Taking yourself to this beautiful, peaceful place and just walking around a bit… absorbing the sights… the sounds… any fragrances in the air… Maybe stooping to pick a flower or hold a shell or special stone…
And now… as you are walking around this special place… you find yourself standing in front of a lovely bench… Pausing for a moment when you find it… Noticing what color it is… what it’s made of… how big it is… And now, noticing that you need
a little rest… go ahead and sit yourself down right in the middle of the bench… which is there to hold you… to support you… on this journey…
You are sitting in the center of this bench… simply focusing on your breath…
as it flows in… and out… resting in your breath… and in the peace… Noticing any thoughts that are floating to the surface of your mind… just noticing them… accepting them… just watching them come and go… thanking each thought for coming and then watching it leave… and in between the thoughts…
just resting in the silence…
Now you are noticing that two beings have come to join you on your bench… One is sitting on your left… and the other is on your right… They feel friendly and safe to you… I invite you now to turn towards the figure on your left… This is the Past You… This is the you that you were yesterday… or last year…
Take a look at this part of you now… and listen… What is he or she saying to you?...
The Past You might be talking about regrets… or happy memories…
or transformation… Just listening now… not judging this part of you or trying
to talk back to it… It is a valid part of you, this Past You… It has important information to give you… Just listening… accepting… feeling whatever you are feeling…
and letting it all be okay…
And now… having listened to this part of you from the past… nod or bow to it… and then if it feels okay to you… turn to the figure on your right… This is the Future You… This is the you that you will be tomorrow… or the next day…or a year from now… Taking a look at this part of you… Listening in… What is your Future Self saying to you right now?... Future You might be telling you all the things you have to do to
get to where he or she is in the future… This part of you might be telling you all the things that could possibly happen between now and then… Just listening for now… Not judging this part of you or trying to talk back to it… This Future Self is a valid part of you… It has important information to give you… Just listening now… accepting… feeling whatever you are feeling… and letting it all be okay…
Now… still sitting in the middle of your bench…with the Past You on your left and the Future You on your right… Firmly tell these two parts of you that you’d like a little more space… and ask them to move farther away from you on the bench… In your imagination, you can make the bench longer or wider if you need to… Just noticing how it feels to have a good amount of space between your past… and the now… and your future…
If it feels good… go ahead and thank this Past Self and this Future Self for joining you today… And then ask them to take a walk and leave you alone for a while…
Notice how easily they get up and walk away after they’ve been listened to thoroughly…
And now notice how it feels to be free of the Past You and the Future You for a while… Just sitting on the bench… Just your own beautiful self in the here and now…
The past is gone and the future is absent… You are sitting in this beautiful space and inhabiting this beautiful moment right here and now…
And you can feel how precious this present moment is… You are simply being… You are simply being here…
You are simply being here now…
Savoring the quiet in and out flow of your breath…
resting in the present moment… feeling fully present and fully alive…
If the Past You or Future You venture back to whisper in your ear… just notice this and acknowledge them… and then let them go… Resting in the inhale… Resting in the exhale…
Resting in this moment… the only moment that matters…
And now, rising from your bench… Taking in the beautiful view you’ve created here… Knowing you can come back at any time… just by closing your eyes and imagining it…
Finding a gentle way now to bring yourself back into your physical body…
Feeling your feet on the floor, noticing the position your legs are in, feeling y
our back against the chair… Maybe slowly moving your
head from side to side… shaking out your hands… or wiggling your feet and legs…
Following the sound of my voice back to this room, this place, this time…
And when you are ready… gently opening your eyes… There is no rush… I will wait for you… Take your time… Remembering that all is well…
Velvet Blanket
When you are ready, allow yourself to come to stillness… Give yourself permission to come home to yourself for these next few minutes… I invite you to give yourself permission to come home to Spirit… to the One that holds the many parts of your world… Giving yourself permission to relax for now… paying attention to your breath… not trying to change it… just paying attention… just noticing the air flowing in as you inhale… and noticing the air flowing out as you exhale… Breathing in the stillness that is always inside of you… breathing out any inner chaos… Breathing in
peace… and breathing out any inner conflicts that have been going on lately for you…
Simply breathing in… and out… in… and out…
Now imagine that lying before you is a large blanket made of soft plush velvet… This blanket is always, always here for you… in your imagination… Looking at the blanket right now… and noticing what color it is today…
If you like, go ahead and run your hands over this soft, luxurious blanket… feeling its texture… lifting it to your nose if you want to and inhaling its scent… What does it smell like to you?... Breathing it in… Savoring the scent…
and texture… and color… of this velvet blanket…
And then… if you choose to… pick the blanket up gently in your hands and wrap it around your whole body… You are seeing that it is large enough to cover you with more left over… Once you are enveloped in your own personal velvet blanket… maybe you’d like to lie down or sit down with it still wrapped around you…
Magical Inner Journeys Page 4