Empty: December 22 - 28

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Weis, my meditation co-leader at work, reminded us during our last Mindful Monday, how the breath is our teacher. It shows us we must release the breath before we can receive it again. The seasons and the solstice echo the same lesson. We need this time of stillness and letting go to prepare for the growth and new life to come. In a society that always craves more and more, emptiness is not a virtue that is understood nor celebrated. I invite you to explore emptiness with me.

Many, many years ago, I lived in a religious community, where we gathered several times a day to offer the liturgy of the hours. I loved the 4-week holy season leading up to Christmas. Here is my paraphrased memory from the prayer for Christmas Eve:

In the silent watches of the night,

love poured itself from heaven

and filled the earth.

The secret to happiness is not seeking more and more. Rather it is in becoming empty, so love can flow through us. That is my prayer for all of us on this longest night of the year.

Practice

Find a quiet place to practice. Pay attention to the lessons of the season. Observe the quality of the light that fills the day. Breathe in and notice the breath. Is there a chill in the air? Does the temperature of the breath change between the inhale and the exhale? Sit a moment longer in silence as you sense your place in the natural world.

Now, imagine you are a crystal pitcher. Allow yourself to be poured out little by little with each out breath. Release tiredness, anxiety, and worry. Release old stories and thought patterns. Release achiness and tension. Release anything you no longer need to hold.

Now that you've made space within, be filled with life and love. Be filled with energy and strength. Be filled with healing and hope. Be filled with wisdom and insight. Be filled with whatever you need this day.

Now that you are full, pour out grace and blessings. Let it flow to the loved ones you hold in your heart. Let it flow to the troubled places within the world. Send it to those who are alone and to those who are suffering.

Repeat this pattern of breathing in and breathing out, giving and receiving, ebbing and flowing like an ocean of compassion. As you return to the cares and demands of the day, remember to refill your pitcher as needed. And then give as freely as you have received.