Meditation Monday
On this Meditation Monday, I invite you to consider the leaves ... and TRUST.
Trust in the Divine, as an active presence in our lives,
enables us to move through the seasons of our soul growth
with a deep sense of security.
Such confidence allow us to advance freely,
maneuvering the wind gusts of life.
The leaves on trees are firmly rooted to their Source,
yet remain free to move, twist, and turn as they choose.
If leaves can find security and freedom
within the same Source, so can we.*
Now, I invite you to take a few moments to quiet yourself.
Focus on the gentle movement of your breath, as if it was a Divine breeze moving through you—calming you, soothing you, stabilizing you on the tree of your life.
Visualize yourself as a leaf firmly attached to a branch, safe and secure. Embrace the feeling of trust that is there for you. Breathe in this trust and allow it to settle in to your body.
At the same time, imagine the softest of breezes allowing you to bend, move, gently tipping you this way and that, giving you the freedom to see your life from different vantage points ...
... yet you remain at ease, your stem essence steadfast and sure, firmly attached to your Source.
Stay in this safe and centered space for as long as you desire and recreate it when you need to. TRUST is only a breath away ...
No matter what breezes come your way today, remember the Trust that is always accessible to you in the core of your being.
May you believe, breathe, and be well.
Does your heart have anything to say?
As always, I welcome your thoughts ...
~~~0~~~
(*Excerpted from my book Awakening the Spirit Within: 100 Keys for Sacred Living.
Image courtesy of http://img.wallpaperstock.net)
Congratulations to Diantha Harris of Living Your Potential. She is the winner of our recent Book Giveaway from our Guest Blogger, Kimberly Winston. She will receive a copy of Kimberly's wonderful book: Bead One, Prayer Too. Enjoy, Diantha, and happy beading!
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19 comments:
Trust is a tough one for me. I still seem to be working on being OK with the present moment, but the future sometimes scares me. I sense that acceptance in the here and now is part of trust.
I love the leaf analogy. Maybe one day I won't be so afraid of falling...
First of all, thank you so much for Kimberly's book! I couldn't be more excited! Kimberly, I just love your work and blog! Thanks to both you and Jan!
And I love this leaf analogy and what came up for me as I was reading it is trusting enough to also let go. Letting go seems to be one of my big lessons in this life. I've had to do so much of it in all forms: people, houses, relationships, material goods, friendships I thought would last forever, pets, jobs, what I thought was my life's path etc. A leaf has to trust enough to let the wind blow it back and forth, no matter what the weather. A leaf also has to trust enough to know that when it is time, it can let go knowing it has served its life's purpose well. And to go on to whatever is next.
I will remember this analogy as I learn to let go with more grace, less holding on, and more trust. Thank you for giving me a path to follow.....xo diantha
Jan, this made me smile and think of John 15:5
I could see myself as that leaf and could feel the lovely breeze.
Thank you for such beauty today. :)
Thank you ,Jan,for this beautiful thought to meditate.TRUST-that everything happens for the good and seize the day.Seize the day was my affirm-mantra for this week .Adding trust to it will make it powerful.
blessings
sema
I love trees and their leaves, for all they've taught me lately about the interconnectedness of life. What a beautiful meditation; I'm so glad to have found it today, before I sat quietly for a few moments in an effort to reconnect to all that is.
Happy Meditation Monday!
Jan,
I felt this calm come over me, just reading the title of the post. And then to read the whole thing, and let that experience come over me was very much calming, as like a hush developed over my person.
What I noticed was darkness and light, and through it all - I felt peace - as if just an observer looking at the leaf of my being.
So, so good...
Jan this is a beautiful mediation. I love the idea of being a leaf...bending with the wind. I think of the leaf breaking off the tree to finally fly free and land softy to begin a new journey.
Mermaid,
Trust can be difficult, but it does seem to build over time. We fall down and realize we didn't get that scaped up. :-) Or we let go and just dipped a little. Or we were caught and sheltered. Or the Universe showed up to give us exactly what we needed. So many scenarios!
As Pema Chodron said: "Usually we think that brave people have no fear. The truth is that they are intimate with fear." When we step out and risk, let go, and become intimate with something, the fear is finally gone.
Diantha,
Letting go is a very big lesson-- for all of us! Yes, as you say, the leaf has to let go at some point. We all do--not just once, but over and over again. And what is amazing is that we usually are just fine! It's not as bad as we think! Things do seem to turn out in the end.
Tabitha,
Oh so glad this touched your heart. :-)
Sema,
Trust paired with carpe diem. Oh, I love that. Talk about powerful!
Megan,
Like you, I believe trees and their leaves are great teachers. They go through all the phases of life we humans go through...and they seem to do it with grace and ease.
Lance,
I am so heartened that this metaphor and meditation touched you and brought you calm. Hopefully, it will serve you again in the future.
Caroline,
I, too, like that image of gently floating away to be the next thing I may be...A leaf can become a garden, compost for new growth, a home for a creature, a soft forest floor, so many things. So can we. :-)
Jan, that photo and meditation is beautiful. I liked it so much that I grabbed Tatia and asked her to read it quietly to herself and this is what she said...
"Your poem inspired me to just relax and enjoy life." - written by my daughter, Tatia.
Jan this was so moving. I was definitely a leaf yesterday. I clung to this Sacred Trust and it carried me. Thank you for this meditation. It's a keeper.
I love your way with words. Your meditations are gentle paths of words for me to follow to centering my spirit. Thank you. I'm still hoping for your meditation CD. :) (I love that audio of your meditaion awhile back!!) Blessings.
Hi Jan!
This is a beautiful meditation. I love it! What a gentle way to think about trust.
Amy and Tatia,
Thank you for these lovely thoughts! I am so touched that your dear daughter resonated with the image and meditation. I do believe that kids can easily shift awareness through an artistic imaginary exercise like this one. :-) I appreciate you sharing it with her. Hugs!
Inkpetal,
Thank you for the reminder on the CD. You are most kind. I am glad that the meditations turn you inward and nurture your spirit. Be well!
Jodi,
Oh, yes, gentle is good! Glad you liked it.
this is particularly beautiful, Jan...
as i see myself as a leaf, i look up and around and see all the other leaves beautifully moving in the breeze too... so many different colors and shapes and sizes and at different points in their life cycle... some are younger leaves who feel a little less secure at first until they have tested the strength of their stems... some are more self assured, going with the flow of the strongest of winds... some are older, again more vulnerable, perhaps a bit wiser in the ways they sway... and the most beautiful thing of all is to know that we are all connected to one another by the same great source-full tree...
Trust is something I am learning a lot about right now. It is a very freeing, and magical thing :-).
Working with nature images always work for me. It cannot be any other way as it links with the source and its perfection. I loved this, thank you.
Joanne,
Love that you found your place on the tree alongside with kindred others. Your take on this meditation is just lovely...
Annie,
Trust is such a journey, isn't it? Thank goodness we can be gentle with ourselves along the way. :-)
Wilma,
I'm a nature girl too. The images resonate so deeply. They stir up all sorts of wonderful thoughts and feelings...
This is a beautiful, hopeful meditation. I, too, love the leaf analogy.
I wrestle with trusting myself and the universe. In times of crisis I act with confidence because I have to and don't have time to think. In my current state of transition I have made so many false starts that I no longer trust myself. Maybe the lesson is to trust that "not knowing" is part of life, too.
Sharon,
Trusting and not knowing go absolutely hand in hand. :-) I've always loved the Rilke quote about living the questions. That certainly seems like our journey, especially these days—in times of transition—to live faithfully, with uncertainty! Blessings!
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