Stillness

Breathing in, breathing out. Slow deep inhale, slow deep exhale. Quieting the body, quieting the mind. I woke this morning under the graceful, arching branches of bay laurels and Douglas firs. All night the trees have been conversing under the full moon, weaving me into their stories, capturing my dreams with their leaning limbs and generous trunks. Breathing together as a slept, as they rested, we danced quietly in the summer night. Their great confidence framed a circle for my waking, their sturdy presence offered me an invitation to be still…

~ from The Attentive Heart: Conversations with Trees, Stephanie Kaza

Meditation

Take time to sit in stillness. Call forth the innocence of your child self. Remember what it was like to feel the expansiveness of life, when each moment was an exploration and adventure. Let your eyes begin to see with this innocence, with this wonder. Look at yourself and at those around you. See your innate wisdom and that of others. Open yourself to the strength of love and to your ability to live it.

~ Meditations with Teresa of Avila: A Journey into the Sacred, Meghan Don, p. 24