I feel seen, heard, and received. ~Deepak Chopra
As I sat with my spiritual teacher last week, we decided to take a deep dive into a meditation about feeling safe, loved, and seen.
This was my experience of the guided meditation with my teacher:
I was invited to envision a place where I felt completely safe. Breathing into a safe place, I envisioned lying on the mat in her office. As I started breathing slowly, my body softened, and I melted through the mat. I found myself laying in the grass of Kalani Oceanside Retreat Center in Hawaii. I could see blue sky and big white clouds. I could see the large red house my group will stay in for the Wild Cosmic Heart retreat in November. I felt peaceful and happy. I felt expansive.
The next part of the meditation was to see a person, guide, or being that also felt safe. I could see images of people I know. As I walked towards people I knew and love, an image of Mother Mary appeared. She opened her arms wide − her blue robe was long and flowing. She took me in her arms and held me. Rocking me as an adult back and forth, she held me like a mother in the womb. I felt safe and loved. She invited me to stay held − to feel held − to BE held.
After a few moments, she invited me to notice all the places that life is holding me. Mary whispered, “You are held in the ocean. You are held by the trees. You are held by your wife. You are held by your friends. You are held. Allow yourself to be held.”
With the wisdom of allowing myself to be held, it was time to return from the journey. Before I left, Mary placed a medallion around my neck and said, “Carry me with you. I am your mother in heaven. I have always held you.”
I stayed in the embrace for another moment. I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the medallion, and began to transition back into my physical body.
With deeper, more conscious breaths, I returned to the sacred space of Kalani, then the mat, and back to ordinary time. I awoke to the couch and looked out the window and saw a bright blue sky with big white clouds.
There was something extraordinary about feeling held. I felt such a deep connection − being held − in myself.
After sitting for a few moments in quiet, I shared the powerful journey with my teacher. We honored the places that need tending to, the need for connection on all levels, the embrace we give and receive. And most importantly, a journey that reminds me just how loved, seen, heard, and received I always am.