Now, if you like… imagine yourself walking through a quiet forest… It is nighttime and it is dark… but you can see some starlight and moon glow high above you… through the trees… It feels peaceful here… and very safe… As you are walking slowly through the woods… you are leaving behind all of the stress and buzz of the holidays… the crowded malls… the long lines at the post office… and all of the to-do lists… You are leaving all of that behind you now as you walk through this beautiful forest… Looking around carefully… What are you noticing?... Is there snow on the ground… or not…? Are there animals hiding in the trees?... What are you seeing?...
What sounds are making themselves known to you?... What are you smelling in the air?... What are you feeling?..
Now you are approaching a large well-lit clearing… It is still several steps away… And as you walk into this clearing… you are noticing that there is someone in the center of it... This is a very wise being… and it is someone who has come here today specifically to meet you… Moving a little closer… Finding out who it is in the center of the clearing… It might be an angel… It might even be Saint Nicholas…
or someone from your past... a very special spirit guide… or an animal totem… Who is here for you today in the center of this inner clearing?…
You are hearing this wise being calling your name now… And if you choose to… go to him or her… and spend a few moments listening… This wise one has some
important things to tell you about light and your soul and the holidays… so just listen while they talk with you… They might have some specific insights to give you about your own particular upcoming holidays… whatever that means for you…
Asking this being a question… if that feels right to you… or simply listening…
It’s almost time to leave now… so find a way to say good-bye to this wise being…
and know that you are not leaving for good… Know that you can come back to
this magical place any time you want or need to… This wise being is your special companion… and will guide you and comfort you… any time you ask…
Saying good-bye to each other for now… and then looking for the path you came in on… You will be able to find the path because your special wise companion has left a lantern… and a beautifully wrapped gift for you there…
Taking a moment now to unwrap the gift… See what this wise one has chosen to give you as a special gift… And now picking up the lantern… and returning home through the woods with your gift… taking your time coming back…
When you are back… take a few deep breaths… Feel your legs and your back against the chair… Notice your feet on the floor… Coming back to your body in any way that feels good to you… Open your eyes when you are ready… Taking your time…
I will wait for you… Remembering that all is well…
Lucky Leprechaun
When you are ready, allow yourself to come to stillness… Try giving yourself permission to come home to yourself for these next few minutes… Giving yourself permission to simply relax a little bit… Paying attention to your breath… Not trying to change it… Just noticing as you breathe in… and noticing as you breathe out…
Breathing in peace… Breathing out any inner chaos… Breathing in peace… Breathing out any inner conflict… Giving yourself permission to do nothing right now except inhale… and exhale… inhale… and exhale…
In your imagination… bring yourself to a beautiful outdoor space… imagining that it is a bright and sunny day… looking around… exploring a little bit… this safe place you’ve created for yourself in nature…
Slowly you are noticing in the sky… a wide and colorful rainbow… You might be feeling delighted and excited like a child… to see this rainbow so close to you…
If you’d like to… go ahead and start walking closer to it… and closer… and closer…
You are now standing at the edge of this bright, amazing rainbow… Allowing its colors to shimmer and shine around you and within you… How are you feeling, sheltered by this rainbow?... Just noticing any places in your body that feel open and receptive to the colors of your rainbow…
And now… walking alongside your rainbow… all the way to the other end of it… And here… at the end of the rainbow… you are seeing… just like the legends say… a big pot of gold… And this big pot of gold is just for you… What are you thinking about this pot of gold?... Noticing your thoughts… just noticing…
And now slowly… like magic… a little leprechaun dressed in green appears beside your pot of gold… You see that there is a lucky four-leaf clover sprouting up from his sparkly hat…
If it feels right, go ahead and introduce yourself to this leprechaun… And now hear him say that he is delighted to meet you… He says that his name is Lucky
Leprechaun… and he is here to help you remember all the ways that you are lucky… all the ways that good fortune is part of your life… all the ways that you are blessed… He is telling you that sometimes we get so busy in our lives… and with our to-do lists… that we forget what’s in our own personal pot of gold…
Watching now as Lucky Leprechaun pulls out each shiny coin from your own personal
pot of gold… one by one… and listening as he names your lucky blessings one by one… You’re lucky because… You’ve been blessed with… It’s your good fortune to…
After a while… Lucky Leprechaun invites you to go ahead and pick some
of those golden coins out of the pot yourself… So if you want to… do that now… naming each one with gladness… I’m lucky because… I’ve been blessed with… It’s my good fortune to… And with each coin you are naming a lucky blessing…
It’s time to start thinking about leaving the pot of gold now… so find a way to thank your Lucky Leprechaun for being here for you today… and for reminding you how lucky you really are… knowing that you can come back to this rainbow and this pot of gold at any time… to immerse yourself in gratitude… and to remind yourself how lucky you really are… simply by taking a breath… and opening your imagination…
And now taking a moment… coming back to your breath… sensing all the parts of your body against your chair… following the sound of my voice back to this present moment… If it feels good to do so, try stretching any part of your body that needs gentle movement… bringing yourself back into your body… grounding yourself back in current time… and opening your eyes when you feel ready… Take your time…
I will wait for you… All is well…
Table of Creativity
Please take a moment now to put down anything you’re holding in your hands… Shake out your hands lightly and then hold them to your heart for a moment… Taking a deep breath in and out… Closing your eyes… Maybe even saying hello to yourself… Enjoying this feeling of centering… Maybe even smiling to yourself as you give yourself permission to spend this next little while opening your imagination… opening to your own creative self…
And just as you’ve put down what was in your hands… go ahead and try putting down anything that you are carrying in your mind… setting down any thoughts that are getting in the way of being present right now… Just putting it all down for now… and noticing how much lighter your mind and spirit are for this…
Paying attention to your breath… not trying to change it… just being present with yourself… giving yourself permission now to be open to the magic of possibility…
In your imagination, I invite you to see yourself standing in a large room… any room you’d like… Make it as big as you can… You are standing just inside the door… and way over there… on the other side of the room… you can see a very large table… The Table of Creativity is over there by the windows on the other side of the room… and this Table is much, much bigger than the biggest dining table you can imagine…
You are sensing light… and color… and your favorite music over there… on the other side of the room by the Table… Yo
u are starting to make your way over to the Table of Creativity… but you find that you are being blocked by three people or beings… They might be clearly visible to you… or they might be shadowy and unknown… And you are stopping now in front of these three beings for a moment…
The being on the left is your Inner Critic… Take notice of him or her now… What is this part of you saying to you about your creativity?...
The being in the middle is your Inner Perfectionist… Take notice of him or her now… What is this part of you saying to you about your creativity?...
And finally… the being on the right is your Inner Serious One… Take notice of him or
her now… What is this part of you saying to you about your creativity?...
Even if you can’t see their faces… even if you don’t know their names… their energy is still recognizable to you… I invite you now to take a minute or so to stand with
these three… And if you choose to do this… look each one in the eye and say… “I hear you. Thank you for your input”… If that doesn’t feel good to you right now, that’s okay too… You don’t have to speak to them if you don’t want to…
Now I invite you to say to them… “I hear you… and I am choosing to move to the Table of Creativity now… I have decided to take this time to discover what is on that Table for me”… And after saying this… you notice that they are either fading quietly away… or they are obeying your request to go outside for a cup of tea or a nice long walk…
As they are leaving… you are noticing that the room is becoming much brighter… and you feel much freer… now that these inner parts are no longer blocking you from the Table of Creativity… You are sensing that this huge table on the other side of the room is beckoning to you… so skip on over there now… or run or walk or dance… whatever movement feels good to you in this moment…
Arriving at the large table… you observe that it is covered with all kinds of wonderful things that might enhance your creativity… Taking a slow walk all around the table… seeing everything that is there… Here are some things that might be there for you… Listen and look as I read them… knowing that creativity takes many, many forms…
Perhaps you are seeing paints… crayons… chalk… notepads… pens… colored pencils… clay… a computer… glitter… musical instruments… a microphone… mixing bowls… swatches of fabric… scissors… beautiful images torn from magazines… card stock… handmade paper… carpentry tools… a sewing machine… books… ribbon… construction paper… yarn… needles and thread… knitting needles… musical instruments… a camera… crochet hooks… measuring spoons… a rolling pin… What else is there on this table that is calling to your creative soul?...
Now… when you are ready… and if it feels right… go ahead and take something off of the table… just one thing… You may be discovering that many things are calling to you… but for now… just take one thing off of the Table… and cradle it in your hands like the gift that it is… spending a moment with it… maybe sensing memories of a time when you used this creative tool in the past… maybe sensing into how you can use this tool in your current life situation… If other things on the table are also calling to you… know that you can come back to this table and its gifts at any time…
Whatever you’ve taken from the table… go ahead and ask it what it would like you to do with it next… waiting for the answer… Remembering that your Inner Critic…
Perfectionist… and Serious One… are not blocking you anymore…
You are here… right now… nurturing your own inner creative flame…
Listening… just listening… What does this item want you to do with it?... What does it need from you?... How can it serve you?...
And maybe setting an intention in your heart… What is your next creative step going to be?... Let it be a tiny baby step… nothing too big… just one little thing you’ll easily be able to do in the coming week… with this item…
to help wake up your own creative self…
Now it’s time to begin to think about leaving this inner space… so if you like… bow to your Table of Creativity… thank it for its presence in your imagination… knowing that you can return here any time you like just by closing your eyes and taking a breath…
Carrying the item you took from the table with you… walking or dancing back across the large room… and out the door where you entered… bringing yourself back into this day and time…
following the sound of my voice…
Coming back to your body and your breath…
maybe taking a moment to stretch your body in some way… grounding yourself back in this moment… opening your eyes gently when you feel ready… I will wait for you… Take your time… Remembering that all is well…
Part 3
Inner Voices
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were.
But without it, we go nowhere.
~ Carl Sagan
Magic Bus Ride
Begin by making yourself as comfortable as you can… Taking a few deep breaths… just noticing your body and how it is feeling right now… acknowledging yourself for taking the time to come here today… Breathing in… and breathing out… Listening to the sound of your breath… Feeling the beating of your heart… Breathing in… and breathing out… There’s nothing to do right now… There’s nowhere to go but here… Noticing if there’s any part of your body that is tight or uncomfortable… and just breathing for a moment into that part of your body… or adjusting your position until that part is able to relax just a little bit more… Breathing in… and out… You are becoming more and more relaxed… Breathing in… breathing out…
Now I invite you to imagine yourself walking in a place that you love… a city…
or near the ocean… in the woods… or even your own back yard… You are walking… and taking in all the sounds and sights that are around you… Taking your time…
just walking… just a little bit curious about what you’ll discover on this walk…
Pretty soon you are coming upon a bus… This is the bus that is holding your
Inner Committee members… They are all on this bus… It is parked… not moving…
and you find yourself stopping when you are about 10-20 feet away from it…
and now you are simply looking at your Inner Committee bus…
Noticing what color it is… School busses are yellow… and transit busses are usually blue and silver… but what color is your bus?...
Busses usually have writing on them… either on the sides, indicating where they came from… or on the front above the windshield… describing where they are going… Does your bus have any writing on it?...
Feel free to walk all the way around your bus now… looking at it from all sides… remembering that inside this bus are all of your Inner Committee members… And just taking a moment to notice how you are feeling about this bus… Are you
curious?... Maybe a little anxious?... Treating any feelings that are coming up for you with kindness… and also remembering that this is a perfectly safe place… and that you are the one in charge of this inner journey… It is your journey… yours alone…
Now if you choose to… and only if you choose too… go ahead and approach
the bus… pausing when you reach the door… knocking three times on the door and watching as it opens to you from the inside… climbing the three steps into the bus…
And taking a look at the driver’s seat… Is one of your inner parts sitting there already?... It’s really your seat, you know… the driver’s seat…. but a part of you might have taken over that driver’s seat… with or without your permission… If someone is sitting there now… politely ask them to get out of your driver’s seat… and go back to their own seat in the bus… Now I am inviting you to sit down in the driver’s seat… adjusting the rearview mirror… looking in that rearview mirror now… Who do you see there… on your bus?... Just noticing who
is here… What they are wearing?… What do they look like?… Some of your Committee parts might be smiling and waving to you… Some of them might just be sitting there quietly… Others might
be yelling… trying to get your attention… A few might be wearing masks… or be completely covered up because they don’t want you to know them… yet…
Take a moment now to notice how you are feeling about being in the driver’s seat of your Inner Committee’s bus… just noticing how you feel… remembering that you are in charge… Whatever you are feeling is okay… Knowing that each of these passengers represents a part of yourself… and each one carries with it a special gift for you… They are each here to teach you something about yourself and your journey… Your job is only to watch.. and listen… and be curious…
Now, if you choose to… go ahead and turn the key in the ignition… putting the bus
in gear… and driving…. simply driving your own bus… or maybe your bus has special
powers and it can fly… just steering your bus forward… And there you are … you… in the driver’s seat… If you aren’t ready to drive your bus yet… you can choose to stay where you are… Give yourself permission to remain parked if you want to…
If you’re driving… notice that there is a microphone attached to the dashboard… Go ahead and pick up the microphone… and make this announcement…
“Who would like to come up here and sit next to me in the passenger seat
for a while?... Does anyone have anything to say to me right now about what’s going on in my life?”… Then sit back… keep driving… and watch what happens…
Magical Inner Journeys Page 6