Body Awareness Practice
With eyes open and a soft focus, take in and release three deep breaths before letting your breath return to normal. With the third out-breath, gently close your eyes. Feel the weight of your body on the chair, bed, or floor. Finally, take a minute to do a body scan: noticing how the body feels as you scan steadily down from the top of the head to the feet, not trying to change anything, just noticing. Close the practice with another deep breath, in and out.
The Sarum Prayer
God be in my head—and in my understanding
God be in my eyes—and in my looking
God be in my mouth—and in my speaking
God be in my heart—and in my thinking
God be at my end—and at my departing
Torah Portion
Genesis 2: 8–11 (Robert Alter)
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the east, and He placed there the human he had fashioned. And the Lord God caused to sprout from the soil every tree lovely to look at and good for food … now a river runs out of Eden to water the garden
Reflection on the Torah Portion
The song from West Side story goes, “There’s a place for us, somewhere a place for us.” This image of a garden with trees lovely to look at and a river running through it, is such a place. Beautiful places, places where we feel safe, and at home, and blessed are gifts from God.
Blessed Place Mediation
Over the next two minutes, close your eyes and recall or imagine a setting, indoors or outdoors, that is pleasing to you, where you feel safe, at home, blessed. First let the sights and sounds and feel of the place emerge in your mind’s eye. Then see or feel or sense yourself in this place, like the first human in the garden in the scene from our Torah portion today. Sit with the awareness that this place is a gift from God for you. That God is present in the place as God is depicted as present in the garden of Eden, present in the breeze, in that case. How do you imagine God present in your blessed place?
Prayer for Divine Perception
O Divine Wisdom who dances with God from the beginning, who dwells within the holy of holies, whose power upholds all things in their being, open the eyes of our hearts to perceive the wonders around us. Help us to notice the world shot through with the glory of God. Amen.
Prayer for Loved Ones
Take in and release a few deep breaths, as you focus on one person, living or having passed on. Sit with that sense of appreciation over the next half minute. If you like, place your hand over your chest as you do so.
Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Gratitude Practice
Allow yourself to feel gratitude, appreciation, or delight, for three things, small or big, whatever comes to mind.
A Prayer for Protection and Freedom of Heart
Almighty and merciful God, in your goodness keep me, I pray, from all things that may hurt me, that I being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with a free heart those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Benediction
So have a blessed day: go in peace, wash your hands, love your neighbor—you are not alone!