Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 20: Resting Earth Meditation

The sky is grey and the wind is cold, hurling icy raindrops which sting my skin. I shiver, wondering, 'How on earth am I going to write about the Blessings and Beauties of Winter on a day like this?'. Looking at the bare-limbed trees I try to imagine how they cope with these long months of cold and drear. And then I feel it, and know. The answer is within the earth beneath my feet: the constant, supportive, enduring earth. That safe retreat where life may find sanctuary and wait out the hard times. The place to which autumn's seeds are entrusted until it is safe to emerge in spring. A place of rest and hibernation and shelter. Even in the darkest days, the pulse of the earth is there beneath our feet, a wordless promise of constancy and perseverance.

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 20

Resting Earth Meditation

You can stand, sit or lay down for this meditation. If necessary, experiment to find which works best for you - or you may already know. 

Close your eyes, and take some slow, deep breaths. Notice where you may be holding any tension in your body - relax each part of your body in turn, continuing to breathe slowly and deeply. 

Feel where your body is connected to the ground. Feel the way gravity holds you safely in connection to the earth. Now imagine yourself sinking into the soft, enfolding earth, letting it cover your feet, your legs, your body as softly as a blanket. Let the earth hold you in a gentle, cocooning embrace, protecting you from the elements. You are free to rise up above ground whenever you are ready - but for now you are safe to rest here for as long as you need to. The earth will revive and replenish you, protect you from the elements, nourish and sustain your dreams through the lean times. 

Rest here for as long as needed, then when you're ready, imagine your body rising up out of the earth like a new shoot in spring. Stretch out your limbs, feeling the life coursing through you. Find yourself back in the room where you began. Know that any time you need to, you can repeat this exercise to draw on the steadfast, constant, replenishing earth for rest, strength and comfort.