Guided meditation teachers instruct us to build an image of a safe place. I begin. Then shift.
Start Image —
Cool greytoned space, lawnmower’s rumble, breeze curling into our three walled carport. It is a noisy sanctuary with a tablet, steely table, and chair — a place to think and write.
Next —
Asked to make an image of a safe place, I see Washington’s Pacific Coast. Sitting back from where the tide sweeps sand flat there are scattered sandy hummocks breaking the fresh wind. Warm sitting in the hummock’s lee, I feel content.
Safety here at the edge of rising waters and a tidal wave’s path? Safety surrounded by roaring motors? Thinking wrong word. This is not safety. But….
But, sanctuary, a refuge place, where I won’t be disturbed. Full of noise that I let go by…
Looking at the beach and sitting in the sheltering walls of my carport I recognize them as places to be and think. Tidal wave swept beaches fall short when counting safety points.
Pause To Regroup —
Safety is not the issue in my imagined places. Renewal is.
I recall reading The Little Book of Big Questions: 200 Ways to Explore Your Spiritual Nature p, 100
These questions are closer to my response.
- Are there places you go, such as in nature, that revitalize? What are some of these places?
- Is there a church or synagogue you’ve attended that has been especially spirited or powerful for you?
Either set of questions, the ones about safety and those about renewal are useful to me. When I asked myself about safety I responded with a beach and a home ground that are not particularly safe or peaceful.
All This
Instructive for me… no false security … sure a I want safety at home …want places conducive to reflection… an environment promoting learning and change and growth of spirit.
Where there is no vision, people perish — Proverbs
How About You
Does the pairing of security, safety, renewal, reflection, and change make sense? Do any of the words fit with how you think about the world?
Every single cell in the human body replaces itself over a period of seven years. That means there’s not even the smallest part of you now that was part of you seven years ago.
― Steven Hall, The Raw Shark Texts
Quoted from GoodReads
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