A Meditation for Haven - 26th March 2020
You may like to use this music before, during , or after the meditation. (River Flow in You)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPBCbTZWnq0
A feeling many of us have now is of having lost some control. This raises our anxiety and mindfulness is one technique used to ground our minds to reduce anxiety. Gradually we can learn to accept those things we cannot change, and to sit with not knowing.
This song by Carrie Newcomer expresses that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_t8WqgKL3I
You invited to light a candle if you have one, or to turn on a small light, or focus on a sunray through the window. Let that light, as you hold it in your mind, denote compassion for yourself and for others
You may be able to calm your mind by listening to sounds from nature. Some can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvcZzol5Gn0&list=PLG3YKDPPjbqVejPbtFNwhN6CTpCouNHmK&index=22
Or you could try a short Mindfulness technique:
If you’d like to try this, have a go now – (this is a version for when you are sitting on a chair)
- Feel your feet firmly on the ground
- Notice the weight of your body in the chair
- Bring your attention to your back against the chair.
- Explore the sensations of your elbows or hands on the chair.
- As you do this, your attention will wander., so gently bring it back to the physical sensations of being connected to the ground.
- You can perhaps even imagine roots growing from your feet. Reaching into the ground, firmly anchoring you to this earth.
- Become aware of any sounds you might feel at the moment – such as sounds of a clock, sounds from outside or sounds from your body and yourself. Spend 2 minutes being aware of whatever sounds you can hear. Set a timer to signal the end of this exercise.
- Name some of the worries that you have had in the past few days. Having named them, practice the above exercise again. If those worries return, name them again, and then go back to following the exercise. Again and again the worries may return. Name them, and then return to the exercise.
- Have the light of compassion on your own mind each time the worries appear, and remember that others too will need compassion as they name their own worries. Try to see the light from a candle of light bulb, or sunray surrounding each worry.
- The worries we name are legitimate, and real. They belong to darkness, and compassion belongs to light. The darkness of worries will never overcome the compassion of light.
Listen to a song that lifts your mind from the worries. Make that a song of your choice.
Along with others who are sharing this meditation, listen to this music, and repeat the meditation above again if it helps to do so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZe3mXlnfNc.
If you have chosen not to try the meditation above, you may like to move into an attitude of prayer by saying the Lord’s Prayer.
To end:
Pray this prayer, knowing it is prayed together, and together we are heard by the Almighty, and that underneath us all are “The Everlasting Arms”.
This is the prayer for Protection by St Patrick
Lord be with us in this day
Be with us to purify us
Above us to draw us up
Beneath us to sustain us
Before us to lead us
Behind us to restrain us
Around us to protect us. Amen
After Haven, when we meet in person, we often stay to chat over a cuppa. Please think again about making contact with one of the group or with someone that has been brought to your mind recently.
Instead of tea or coffee and chat, I can offer 2 more hymns to listen to – these both seem suitable sung prayers in our present situation. You may like to share your own choices of song or hymn with the group.
My choices are:
1. Lord have mercy on us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lf9EmQocjk
2. Lord of all hopefulness. ♫ Hymn | Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy | with LYRICS
