In the early morning hour
when my awareness is alive
I am grateful to remember
my practice of silence
Like the security of a steadfast friend
Silence stands at the door
Waiting patiently as I arise
Ready to walk hand in hand
Sometimes I wonder what am I doing
Day after day sitting in silence
As the world teems around me
With the news of our demise.
Silent meditation grants me space inside
When I am sitting with a loved one in pain.
My breath is present and my patience smooth
While witnessing in trust the path of a soul
Practicing the smoothness of this silence
Restores the calm and reminds me
I am here for me no matter what
Happens in my day
Practicing silence allows me to stand
On the edge of my sorrow and not fall in
But be a witness to the depths of my pain
And breathe
Practicing silence allows me to stand
With a loved one screaming about their life
While their body is wracked with tears
Knowing this is a breaking open of their soul
This rippling practice of silence
May look passive and inactive,
Holds a mending key to life
And healing for the masses
I witness the change that happens
when one surrenders to the silence
within and the breaking open
turns to the dawning of understanding
Healing Path
from Dancing the Dream by Jamie Sams
Teach me how to gather The fragments of my soul, Reclaiming lost potential, I seek to become whole.
Let me find forgiveness, Embracing a new way to be, Releasing the hurt and anger Toward all who wounded me.
Let me heal my human body, The sacred vessel of my soul, Mending all the unhealed aspects, I find within my Medicine Bowl.
Let me find the courage To face the enemies within, Healing all my weaknesses, Honoring the warrior therein.
Let me honor my sacred promise, To be loyal to my healing quest, Never deserting my Medicine, Nor the heart within my breast.
Participants’ Reflections:
Thank you. The line that resonated with me was “dawning of understanding”. I was thinking that’s just how it is, that it is gradual and it emerges. I just knew when I started my life coaching practice that you gradually find out who you are. The image that came up in my meditation today was a veil that was over the sun, and it had fuzz all over it. There was a hand with a defuzzer taking the fuzz out. After the veil was defuzzed, it got lifted, and then the sun, or essence of who we are, was able to emerge and dawn. It was so wonderful. I’ll make a collage of this.
It reminds me of a teacher in my past using the idea of a waterwheel. How there is movement and it moves very slow. That’s how the dawn of things happen, and we have to be patient as the waterwheel moves.
That’s very interesting. A lot of images in there. One word that jumped out at me was forgiveness. It’s a process. We start with an intention and it could take years sometimes and layers of forgiveness. It’s not like you’re going to let yourself forgive immediately. Sometimes there’s a lot of understanding that has to come, and that goes for ourselves as well. It’s a worthwhile thing to make the intention to walk the path of forgiveness. It’s not always fun; it’s not always easy. But we are not doing this alone.
Often when I am meditating, I welcome silence and I say to myself, “hello silence, my old friend, you’ve come to sit with me again.” And I imagine silence is coming up to me and putting her arm around me and I snuggle into her. And I meditate with her and I am not alone. I think that a lot and it’s really comforting.
Sometimes I hear things and they move me so deeply. I wish I could be artistic and draw it, and that’s one of those moments imagining snuggling into someone’s arms.
And staying with silence in the discomfort because sometimes silence is uncomfortable. Trusting the process of silence is important.
Sharing silence has a lot of meaning to it, holds a lot of trust, as we sit together. Have a wonderful day with whatever challenges you have to face. And that you have patience with yourself, and trust that time passes as we come out the other side.