Magical Inner Journeys
Page 7
Allowing one of your Committee members to come forward…
It might take a while… or someone might leap immediately into that seat beside you… Just allowing whatever happens next to be perfectly okay…
As you are driving… I invite you to spend a few minutes talking with this
part of you who so graciously volunteered to step forward… asking what it wants to say to you… asking if it brings you a gift… asking if it needs anything from you right now… and then just listening… You don’t have to do anything except drive your bus…
Now it’s almost time to come back from this inner journey… so go ahead and drive… or fly… back to the spot where you first found your bus… parking the bus carefully… standing and bowing to the Committee member who was sitting in the passenger seat with you… thanking him or her for talking with you today… And then when you are ready… opening the door… climbing down the three steps… beginning your walk back to this class…
Following the sound of my voice back to this room… starting to feel your body resting on the chair… and your feet on the floor… taking a few deep breaths in and out to ground you back into this moment… stretching any part of your body that is needing to move… Coming back into your body as slowly as you need to…
Gently open your eyes when you are ready…
Take your time… I will wait for you… There is no rush…
.
The Conference Table
Begin by making yourself really comfortable for this next little while… Please listen to your body and respect what it is asking you for… so that you can relax and be at ease for this inner journey…
Now… focusing on your breath… feeling the air flowing in and out of your nostrils… in and out… in and out… Feeling your chest rising and falling with each breath… rising and falling… rising and falling… rising and falling…
Now you are even more relaxed… And in your imagination, I invite you to travel to your own personal inner sanctuary… a safe place that you are creating just for
yourself… It might look and feel like somewhere you’ve already been… or it might be completely imaginary… Taking yourself there now… entering the building or the space… and just walking around for a bit… exploring… Noticing what you are seeing… any sounds… smells… and also noticing what you can touch… and what you are feeling…
As you are exploring… I invite you to start looking for a large table of some sort… It might be a kitchen table with a pretty tablecloth… or a picnic table outside… or a shiny mahogany conference table… It could be a big dining room table with a lace tablecloth and candles… or an altar… or a round table like they used in
Camelot… Searching for any table at all… as long as it’s large… Taking a few minutes to walk around your inner sanctuary looking for this table... and when you find it… go ahead and choose a seat… sit down and make yourself comfortable…
Now that you are sitting at this table… imagine the seats that are around it…
The seats might be plain wooden chairs… or cushioned… folding chairs… benches… or even thrones… They might all look alike… or each one might be a different color or shape… Remembering that this is your journey and you can have whatever table… and whatever kind of seats you like…
You are sitting in the chair that is yours… and if you like… bring to mind an issue that you’re dealing with in your life right now… It could be a physical issue… or something about a relationship… It might have something to do with your job or career… or maybe it’s a concern about your lifestyle… or even about
a big decision that you have to make…
Thinking about this for a moment… And now I invite you to imagine that there are
a few people sitting in the seats that are around your table… Their faces aren’t clear to you right now… You can think of them as your Committee that has come together to help you get some focus on this issue you are considering…
You can choose now to simply sit at the table with your Committee in silence…
or share a meal together… or you can choose to ask this Committee what they think about your particular issue… promising them that you won’t judge or criticize them… no matter what they say to you… Then listening… just listening carefully… to what each one has to say…
Some of your Committee parts might be supportive… Some of them might be saying critical things… Know that it’s all okay… You don’t need to talk back… You are just listening… becoming aware of your own inner self-talk…
You might not like some of the things that they say… In fact… one of these Committee members might seem intent on saying negative things to you… and that’s okay… No matter what a particular Committee part says to you… I want you to say this to them… “Thank you for sharing”… and then move on to the next person on your Committee…
Taking a few minutes now to hold your space at the table… listening… listening carefully to what your committee has to say to you about this issue or concern that you’ve brought to them… Listening… and remembering that you are separate from them…
Remembering that you are in a safe place… a sacred sanctuary… and you are always safe here…
Now it’s almost time to begin leaving your inner sanctuary… I invite you to get up from your chair… See your committee members standing up as well… Now take a moment to look at each one… maybe make a little bow towards each of them… You might choose to say thank you as you bow… or something else…
Then in your own time… and in your own way…moving away from the table… walking out of your inner sanctuary the same way you entered it… and now following your special safe path… back… and back… until you are able to feel yourself sitting on this chair right now in this room…
following the sound of my voice back to our class today…
Becoming aware once again of your breath… You can feel the air coming into
your body through your nose on each inhale… You can feel the air exiting your body through your mouth as you exhale… and you are noticing your chest rising and falling with each breath…
Coming back to your body…feeling your feet grounding you to the floor… and your legs against the chair you are in… You may want to lightly flex your fingers and toes… or gently shake out your arms and legs…
Opening your eyes when you feel ready… Please take your time… I will wait for you… Remembering that all is well…
Dancing with Your Inner Child
Taking a deep breath in… exhaling with a sound or a sigh… Again breathing in… and exhaling with a sigh… And one more time… in… and out… Now allowing your eyes to close gently… or keeping a soft downward gaze… giving your body and your mind permission to relax a little bit… and a little bit more… and to be comfortable… and at ease for these next several minutes…
Allowing your body to feel… really feel… the contact that it makes with the chair and with the floor… and adjusting your body in any way it needs to in order to be comfortable… and maybe even just a little bit more comfortable…
As you tune in to the rhythm of your breathing… imagine that when you inhale… you’re inhaling a little bit of the sky… and it’s very clear and very refreshing… And
as you exhale, imagine that you’re letting go of whatever you don’t need right now… Inhaling the light, clear sky… Exhaling that which does not serve you right now…
Letting the rhythm of your breath be just what it is… a simple and beautiful process of taking in what’s fresh and clear… and letting go of what’s no longer needed…
Each breath you take relaxes and refreshes you… Your breathing and your mind are becoming clearer and clearer… Your body is relaxing a little bit more with each inhale and exhale…
Allowing your imagination to be open and receptive… still breathing in... and breathing out… You’re going to take a short inner journey now…
Your home will be here for you… when you are ready to return…
Imagining yourself walking outside your home… and with the power of your imagination, you can bring yourself very quickly anywhere you want… so find yourself now… walking… walking… somewhere safe and beautiful… peaceful and quiet… You might be in the woods… or by the ocean… near a river…
or a flower-filled meadow… and you are walking at whatever pace
feels most comfortable to you in this moment…
Noticing the air around you… how it feels on your skin… Maybe you are deciding to go barefoot… Noticing the weather… Becoming aware of any sounds close to you or in the distance…
You are walking a bit more slowly now… It seems that you are looking for
a small house or another dwelling place… You will know it when you see it… in your imagination…
When you come upon this dwelling place… spend a little time walking around it… and after a while… you are noticing that the front door is open… and a child is
standing in the doorway… Stop for a moment and listen inside yourself… You might decide now to stay outside and simply wave to this child and then walk away… or you can choose to walk towards him or her… This is your inner child… If you are choosing to wave and walk away… go ahead and do that now… and then find a safe place to sit or lie down outside and take a nap… or have your own adventure…
If you are choosing to walk towards your inner child… keep walking until you are standing in front of him or her… Then… if it feels right… reach out and hold your little one’s hands… You might want to stoop down… look into his or her eyes… saying, “I remember you!... I know you!”… Simply noticing how the child responds...
And noticing everything about him or her… the hair… the eyes… the clothes… the shoes… and anything else you notice…
If it feels right to you… allow your inner child to bring you into their favorite room in this little house… Where is her or she taking you?...
As you enter this room with your inner child… you see a big comfortable rocking chair… And now you are walking over to the rocking chair… and sitting in it….. and if you choose to… only if you choose to… go ahead and invite this precious child onto your lap… Hold him or her… and rock for a while… How does it feel to be rocking your little one?...
After a while… you might want to ask your inner child if there’s anything he or she needs from you… Just listening carefully… Paying attention…
Now… continuing to rock your little one… in this beautiful room… in this comfortable and safe little house you’ve found for your soul… rocking slowly… giving comfort… receiving comfort…
And… just for a moment… in your imagination… see if you can switch places with the child…
Just for a moment… imagine that you are the little one who is being held… and rocked… in the arms of a loving, adult being… slowly being rocked by this
loving grown-up… If you can, allow their big, unconditional love to wash over you… You might be imagining that you are being held by an angel… or by your own mother… or by an imaginary mother who only sees the good in you… who only wants the best for you… whose only response to you is tender and loving… Allowing yourself to bask in this for a few moments… Allowing yourself to be
a little child again… Allowing yourself to be held and cherished…
Listening as this beautiful being asks you what you need… What do you need?... What are you saying to this one who loves you just as you are… to this one who rocks you tenderly in this beautiful safe place?... Right now, just in this moment…
What do you need?… Still allowing yourself to be rocked gently… Gently rocking… Now it’s time to switch places again… Take your time…
You are now the loving adult who is rocking your own precious inner child… You might want to kiss this child on the forehead… You might want to stroke
his or her hair… Find some way now to communicate how much you love them… how much you will always love them…
It is time to start thinking about leaving… and if it feels right… ask your little one to go with you… Maybe he or she says yes right away… Maybe there is some hesitation… Just listening now to their response…
If your inner child has agreed… gently take their hand as you get up from the rocking chair… Ask if they need to bring anything with them… and then begin to retrace your steps slowly…
If your inner child does not want to come with you at this time… reassure them that it’s perfectly fine… Let them know that you will be there any time they call out for you… Thank him or her for letting you visit with them today…
Then say good-bye… and begin to retrace your steps slowly…
Walking back out of the little house the way you came in…
Finding your way back home… back to the street that you live on…
back to the apartment building or house that is yours in the physical world… If you brought your little one back with you… remembering that he or she is in your care… Take a few moments to show them your home… Allow them to
explore… noticing their delight to be sharing this time and this home with you…
Now just taking a few moments to focus on your breath… feeling your feet grounding you on the floor… your legs and your back against the chair… sensing into your shoulders… your neck… your head… paying attention
to your breath… Bringing yourself fully back to your body… and to this room…
When you are ready… gently open your eyes…
Take all the time you need… I will wait for you… all is well.
Inner Queen
Begin by bringing your body into a comfortable position… relaxing your body… and relaxing your body a little bit more by moving however you need to… in order to adjust your body so that it is feeling ahhhhhh… just right… so comfortable… and a little bit more comfortable…
Closing your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so… or keeping a soft downward gaze… Coming to a gradual stillness… Bringing yourself to that place where you can hear your breath… Just listening to your breath for a moment… not trying to change it… just listening to it… Breath coming in… Breath going out… There is nowhere to go… and nothing to do right now… Just relaxing your body… Becoming calmer
and more peaceful as you continue to bring your awareness to your breath… Calmer… calmer still… Peaceful… more peaceful still…
Breathing just a bit more slowly now… and setting the intention that during
this inner journey today… you will be exploring this idea of yourself as a Queen… Queen of your own inner landscape… A kind, gracious queen who rules with compassion and fairness… Just setting the intention to be curious
about this queenly part of you…
And now letting your thoughts drift… I invite you to use your imagination to take yourself to your own inner queendom… See yourself standing outside your castle… Where are you?… Examining your surroundings… the landscape… your castle…
its foundation…
Now you are walking towards the main entrance of your castle… noticing as you walk how you are moving… Are you walking with
a royal, queenly confidence?... If not, see if you can begin to change
how you are walking…
And what are you wearing?... Royal clothing?... Is there a crown on your head?... If so, what is it made of?... How do you know that you are a queen?...
If you choose to… go ahead and enter your castle and spend a few minutes exploring… noticing the layout of the main floor… any passageways and doorways… choosing which doors to enter as you explore your royal
castle…
Continuing to explore… Now imagine yourself saying…
“I am queen of my own castle… I rule over each incoming thought…
I rule over each outgoing message”… and just notice how you’re feeling as you say this… Keeping your royal presence shining forth… no matter who or what you encounter in your castle…
Now wherever you are in your castle… you are taking yourself to your innermost secret chamber… only you know where this is… This is a special room designed especially for you… Spend a few minutes here… asking yourself… What is my heart longing for that I have not given myself?... What is my heart longing for that I have not given myself?... And sitting still as you await the answer… whatever answer is coming up for you… just listening for the answer…
Taking one last look at this secret innermost chamber that is yours and yours alone… knowing that you can return here whenever you choose to… And then slowly leave the chamber… following the path you used when you entered… and going back into the castle… Slowly finding your way back to the main entrance… and when you find it… leaving the castle… Maybe saying good-bye to any beings that you met here… and walking out of the castle now… away from the castle… your castle…
and back up the path that led you in… which is now leading you out…
Slowly bringing yourself back to the sound of my voice... taking a minute to stretch… to wiggle your fingers and toes… coming fully back into your body however you need to…
Opening your eyes when you feel ready… Take your time… I will wait for you… Remember that all is well…
O Come All Ye Playful
Take a moment to get comfortable… Taking a slow breath in… and then slowly letting it out with a sigh… or any other kind of sound that your body wants to make… And again… breathing in… and letting it out with a sound… And one more time… in… out… and now letting your breath return to its own natural rhythm… easy… easy… There’s nowhere to go… and nothing to do right now…