Reflection and Meditation: Wonders of Nature, The Lotus
Reflection: Wonders of Nature, Flowers
Meditation: Lotus Seed
Reflection
I have been spending lots of time with my garden – enjoying the many gifts this garden and the wilder gardens and forest around me. I take heart from the many wonders, that watering me with hope as I gaze upon the miracle of life and nature. No matter how heavy my heart may or may not be, they always give my joy and delight and gratitude… Joy for the delight and wonder of nature, gratitude for this ongoing blossoming of new life.
Since summer is a time of gardening for in the northern climes, I have been especially pondering the wonder of flowers. I have wild tiger lilies growing almost everywhere around my property whether I have planted them or not. Usually they grow about 3-4 feet tall with their tiger colored blossoms opening by day and closing by night. Right next to my driveway, in a miniscule crack between pavement and brick – that special place of edge – there are is a cluster of Tiger lilies that have some-how grown up through that crack and are now standing taller than me!!! A small miracle I pass every time I go outside!!Such life force in their seeds and roots and rhizomes!!
From a more scientific perspective, there are some fascinating general facts reflecting the miracle of flowers: I will share 3 of my discoveries:
1. There are over 391,000 known species of plants – 94% of which are flowering - with almost 2,000 new species being discovered each year.
2.Of these flowering plants, up to 60,000 are known as medicinal plants or healing plants that have been used by indigenous and ancient peoples world wide for thousands and thousands of years.
3.Flower Seeds may hold life energy for hundreds and thousands of years. Lotus seeds found deep underground in archeological digs have been carbon dated to over 5,000 year old can, and given the proper conditions of water, mud, and light, will germinate and flourish once again…continuing their cycle of life.
Flowers bring us so many gifts. The gift of healing – healing our minds, our bodies, our spirits, our souls, the gifts of beauty and grace, the gifts of inspiration and creativity, the gifts of ongoing wonder and joy and gratitude, and the gift of sharing in the healing of the earth.
So too flowers, for those of us who stop and look closely, return us to the cycles of life.. a reminder of the ongoing changes that occur each moment and the ever wider circle or cycle of life and interconnection.
Let us today, join together in a celebration of flowers and the cycle of life as we share our silent meditation weaving together self care, visualization and loving kindness. As is our practice, I will start the meditation with 3 sounds of the bell and close with 3 sounds of the bell
MEDITATION
Transition and Settling In
I invite you to Bring your attention to this moment, Here and now, calm and restful – Closing your eyes or softening your gaze, Finding a comfortable position - a position that feels most loving and supportive for you right now- sitting, laying down, standing, or even moving - consider whatever is best for you and your body. As we go forward, feeling free to adjust your position and move as needed –at any time - always whatever will be best for you .
BELL
Now, as you are ready,
Let us bring our attention and awareness inward, to the present moment, here and now, a moment of calm and rest
As We join together today in practice with open hearts and gratitude for this moment, this day, this time together… our hearts are at peace in this moment as we rest together in awareness and loving kindness – settling into to the wonder of the body :
Just Noticing how it feels to be sitting – where your body touches the chair, Where you are supported and how you are grounded,
Then noticing the touch of air around you, warm or cool, moist or dry,
Maybe scents in the air or even a taste of the air …
Then noticing the sounds and silences in the space around you – very, very distant and far away then nearer and nearer… even within the body as you breathe..
pause
Enjoying the spaciousness of this moment, this present moment, with no where else to go or do right now….and when thoughts wander gently away simply bring them back to your body awareness like leaves falling gently to ground
pause
Then bringing your awareness and attention to your hands at rest …noticing the sensations of your hands – are they cold or warm – How are you holding them – open or closed, are they soft or tight –moist or warm – as you bring your attention to your hands, feel them begin to soften and relax…maybe wiggling and stretching out the fingers, sending them your attention and gratitude for their gifts of touch and dexterity.
pause
Now bringing the attention all the way down to your feet. Are they cold, warm, tingly - Are you barefoot or in shoes or socks? Feeling your feet touching the ground… -connecting you to the earth…. Sending them gratitude for all they do you for you all day long as you move and balance and sometimes dance.
Pause
And now up into the face, noticing any areas of tightness or tension that could be softened… forehead, around the eyes, jaw, and mouth – letting the muscles grow heavy with gravity ..releasing and unwinding.. maybe a smiling with a soft smile of serenity ….. letting this sensation flow down into the neck and shoulders – letting the shoulders grow heavier and heavier with gravity and softness… maybe rolling them forward or backward as they unwind….
Pause
Now I invite you to Become aware of your breath as it moves in... and out... Just your natural breathing …Breathing In / Breathing Out wherever you find this most noticeable in your body: the nostrils, the chest, the belly, the overall movement/sensation of your body breathing…
Feeling the gentle energy and natural rhythm of your body as you breathe in and out - Feeling this rhythm like the soft swells of a lake on a summer day rising and falling gently almost imperceptibly, calm, yet with constant fluid motion….the natural rhythm of life in our body ….
Pause
As we continue, noticing the gentle energy and natural rhythm of your body, I invite you to broaden and scan the flash light of your attention across the whole body -Noticing any places of tightness or discomfort that may need some extra care, bringing them your attention , inviting them to soften and grow heavy with gravity ….inviting the energy of love and tenderness to these areas, … just as you would comfort a small child….
Pause
Also Notice any places of ease, of non-toothache, and breathe in gratitude for this ease and wellness – we so often take for granted - so much to be grateful for in this moment of awareness … Breathing in ease and gratitude for all that is well in the body… sending gratitude to all the trillions of cells in the garden of the body….
Pause
I now invite you to open your imagination and imagine yourself as a lotus seed at the end of summer falling softly into the water below…
1.Falling gently downward and settling upon the soft and oozy lake bottom: all is quiet and calm - no matter what is going on at the suface-
There You lie in the tranquilty throughout the winter months- sleeping and dreaming your lotus dreams
2. and as the seasons change, the light of spring time begins to filter down to the lake bed growing stronger and longer…re-awakening the life force held within you
3. Until your shell splits open and your leaf stem begins to sprout – growing ever upward reaching towards the sun beyond the water
4. and as you rise you sprout a second tendril – a root stem reaching downwards into smooth silty blanket of the lake bed – anchoring you to earth while you simultaneousl rise towards the sky
Breathing in the nourishment of sunlight and water and earth
5 .until you burst through the surface of the water and form into an elegant moon shaped leaf round growing wider and wider
6. Floating on and above the water
Breathing in - breathing out sunlight water and earth
8. and when enough time has passed another shoot sprouts forth growing upward and upward
10. emerging from the water - as a perfect bud
11 basking in the warmth of sunlight taking in the nourishment above and below
Breathing in sunlight Breathing out wonder
12. Slowly you unfurl and blossom into a marvelous flower
Opening during the day and closing at night
You reach up to the sky and sing your lotus song of nectar and perfume and beauty
13. and as the seasons change once again, your petals fall and your seed pod, now full of seeds, bends towards the water and the seeds fall gently to the bed below…. To sleep through the winter months until the sunlight call in spring …continuing the cycle of life…
Breathing in , I am that seed
Breathing out, I am that wonder
Breathing in I am that miracle
Breathing out I am the gift of nourishment
Breathing in I am joy
Breathing out I am gratitude
Breathing in and out: I water the garden of my heart with the many gifts and wonders of life and nature:
This special gift of seeds and flowers, the gift of life itself, the gifts of mother earth and all the beings of the earth, the sun and moon, the stars and waters and air we breathe, the changing of the seasons…. The gift of a child’s laughter, or the touch of a loving hand… a seed bursting with life, the smoothness of a river pebble, the soft mud on the river bottom, the softness of petals, a robin nesting,
You may want to bring your hand or hands to heart – letting the heart fill with gratitude, and wonder and joy for all these mysteries and wonders of life great and small…
feeling the spaciousness and warmth of gratitude opening and expanding as you water your heart space with this gratitude… opening and opening… with softness and tenderness…
Breathing in: we are one
Breathing out: we are love
Breathing in: we heal one another
Breathing out: we begin to heal the world
Pause
As these feelings of wonder , joy, gratitude, love and warmth flow through you, like a lotus filling with sunlight, feeling the flow of love and life and wonder growing up your legs into your torso, along your arms, up your shoulder and neck, to your face, and the very top of your head – carrying you upward into the sky into the clouds - and then falling gently downward like a soft spring rain – watering and nourishing every cell in your body – as the flow continues gently downward from you head to your heart to your hands to your feet - flowing down into the earth -
-nourishing the earth, nourishing all that grows, nourishing one another, - connecting all in the great circle of life…
Pause
Now Slowly bringing your awareness back into the body,
bringing this sense of wonder and connection, of gratitude, kindness, and love into the body, into your heart space,
bathing yourself in the spaciousness of wonder and gratitude and loving kindness….
Pause
Breathing In / I smile to my whole body
Breathing Out / I give my body tranquility and peace
Breathing In / I water the seeds of praise
Breathing Out /I water the seeds of gratitude
Breathing In / I am wonder
Breathing Out / I am love
Pause
As our practice comes towards a close, let us now join together and share the ancient words of loving kindness: repeating after me, changing any of the words as is best and most meaningful to you, or just letting them wash over you. Giving ourselves the gift of loving kindness..
May I be free from suffering and distress
May I have comfort and ease
May I be safe from harm
May I have a heart filled with gratitude and compassion
May I give and receive loving kindness with an ever open heart
Now calling to mind all peoples -near and far, those you know and do not know, across cultures and locations – and to all beings and to mother earth - to all in great need loving kindness in so many ways –
Sending out your gratitude, love and compassion, to all beings
May all beings be free from suffering and distress
May all beings have comfort and ease
May all beings be safe from harm
May we all have hearts filled with gratitude and compassion
May we all give and receive loving kindness
May we all be healed
BELL
Thank you for joining me today.