Someday Farm

🌀

This Ocean of Return - 返本归原, Fǎnběn guī yuán

(ambient waves, soft wind, distant seabirds, slow deep gong tone)

Opening: Settling the Body

Let your body soften like tidal flats after warm rains.

Feel the weight of your breath… returning to you.

Inhale - rising. Exhale - receding.

Like the sea, you do not cling. You rise. You return.

[Visual: tide brushing over footprints, softening edges; breathing synced with ebb and flow]

Wave: What Comes, Returns

Before you, a wave lifts from the wide sea. It crests - not to conquer - but to complete its arc.

You watch it rise, translucent and trembling - gold at the edges - and then it falls.

Not broken.

Not lost. Simply returned.

Each breath mirrors this. Form drawn from formlessness - and, in its time, falling back again.

Inhale - rising. Exhale - receding.

This…

is 返本归原, Fǎnběn guī yuán Return to the root. Return to the origin.

Your thoughts also rise like waves. Let them.

And let them return.

[Visual: a golden wave building slowly, breaking, dissolving beneath the surface; camera lingers underwater as bubbles rise and fall]

Bird: The Sky and the Ground Are Not Separate

A seabird soars - wings outstretched like brushstrokes of intention.

The Sky welcomes its turning. The Wind cradles its flight.

The Sun lights its every swoop and arc.

The salt air carries its every call.

But the seabird does not stay in flight forever. It circles… and glides downward. Landing is not failure.

It is fidelity.

This…

is 返本归原, Fǎnběn guī yuán. Return to the root. Return to the origin.

Each breath: Form drawn from formlessness - and back again.

Inhale - rising. Exhale - receding.

You too may glide into stillness and know it as your nature. The Sky does not mourn the bird’s return to Earth.

[Visual: seabird silhouetted against clouds, circling wide, landing on driftwood; feathers ruffling in the breeze]

Fish: The Beauty of a Brief Ascent

From the deep, a fish leaps - a silver flash, trailing waterlight.

For a moment... it is Sky-sworn.

Then the arc softens, and it slips beneath the blue again.

No triumph.

No regret.

This…

is 返本归原, Fǎnběn guī yuán. Return to the root. Return to the origin.

Each breath: Form drawn from formlessness - and back again.

Inhale - rising. Exhale - receding.

You too contain moments of surfacing - clarity, longing, reach.

And you too are allowed to return.

There is wisdom in surrender.

[Visual: shimmering fish breaching the surface in slow motion; droplets frozen in the sun, then fading into ripples as it vanishes below]

Boat: The Journey is the Circle, Not the Line

A boat, long at sea, is nearing its home harbor. It's nets at rest.

A lantern swings.

It left port with hunger - It returns with understanding.

The dock emerges from fog, unchanged, but something within the boat is different.

This is not going back.

This is coming home.

This…

is 返本归原, Fǎnběn guī yuán. Return to the root. Return to the origin.

Each breath: Form drawn from formlessness - and back again.

Inhale - rising. Exhale - receding.

You too carry the sea in your wake. Let your arrival be gentle. Let yourself dock without apology.

[Visual: old skiff gliding through gentle mist, lantern casting soft halos, figures onshore welcoming with stillness]

Tide: What Was, Becomes

The tide does not take. It exchanges.

What one shore releases, the other receives.

See how the tide rises - creeping into crevice, barnacle;

Submerging limpet, algae.

See how it withdraws - revealing pools of glinting memory;

Reviewing new dunes of seashell.

Breath is just the same:

Each inhale - gathering. Each exhale - offering.

Give and receive.

Each side of the ocean is the same ocean.

Return is reunion.

This…

is 返本归原, Fǎnběn guī yuán. Return to the root. Return to the origin.

Each breath: Form drawn from formlessness - and back again.

Inhale - rising. Exhale - receding.

[Visual: high-tide time-lapse overtaking rocks, light shifting as clouds pass overhead, stars blinking into view]

Closing: Dwell in the Root

Now all things return -

The wave.

The bird.

The fish.

The boat.

The tide.

All dissolve into silence.

Your personality has also risen -

like the wave, the bird

Like the fish, the boat

Like the tide.

Let it.

And, in its time, let it return.

A Life is just the same:

Each lifetime - a gathering. Each life - an offering.

Here in this stillness - there is no wave.

No self.

No sea.

Only breath. Only origin.

無極, Wújí - that which is not yet anything - because it is everything...and nothing.

This is where you rest.

Beneath form.

Before beginning.

Return to the root.

Inhale - rising.

Return to the origin.

Exhale - receding.

Return to yourself just as Sky returns to dawn.

[Visual: final dissolve to mirrored ocean and sky, still horizon line, all motion suspended - nothing moving but the breath]

Thank you.

🌊

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

Cultivating Kindness, Compassion, & Empathy

a Buddhist Guided Meditation on Mettā (Lovingkindness)

Music Cue:

as imperfect

by Moby

https://MobyGratis.com

Prologue:

A guided practice for opening the heart and extending Love to all beings

Cultivating Kindness, Compassion, & Empathy

a Buddhist Guided Meditation on Mettā (Lovingkindness)

Preparation

Find a comfortable seated position, either on a cushion, chair, or wherever feels supportive. Allow your spine to be naturally upright, your shoulders soft and relaxed. The jaw softens as well. Close your eyes gently, or perhaps simply soften your gaze as it falls downward.

Take three deep breaths, allowing each exhale to release any tension you’re carrying.

Let your breathing settle into its natural rhythm.

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

Beginning with yourself

We begin this practice by offering lovingkindness to ourselves, for we cannot truly give what we do not possess within. What we cannot locate within.

Place your hand on your heart if that feels comfortable. Feel the gentle rhythm of your heartbeat beneath your palm. Your chest rising and falling with your slowing breath. This is the same heart that has carried you through every moment of your life, the same heart that connects you to all living beings.

Breathing:

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

Bring to mind an image of yourself, or simply rest in the sacred awareness of your own presence.

Now, with genuine warmth and deep honesty, sincerely offer yourself these traditional phrases of Mettā:

May I be happy May I be healthy May I be safe

May I have enough to eat May I live with a heart at ease

Repeat these phrases slowly, allowing each wish to settle into your heart. If resistance arises, that's OK, too. That’s perfectly natural. Simply notice it with kindness and continue. You are worthy of these blessings.

May I be happy May I be healthy May I be safe

May I have enough to eat May I live with a heart at ease...

Extending to a Loved One

Now bring to mind someone you Love easily - perhaps a family member, dear friend, pet, or anyone who makes you smile naturally. See their face, remember their presence, feel the warmth of your connection. The depth of Love's connection.

Breathing:

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

Imagine this beloved one being surrounded by light and Love.

Extend the same heartfelt wishes to them:

May you be happy May you be healthy May you be safe

May you have enough to eat May you live with a heart at ease...

Notice how it feels to send these wishes. Let your heart expand with the joy of loving freely. This is the essence of Mettā - Love that expects nothing in return.

Including a Neutral Person

Next, bring to mind someone neutral - perhaps a cashier you see regularly, a neighbor you barely know, that barista you sometimes see, or someone you passed on the street. This person, like you, has hopes and fears, joys and sorrows. They have their own understanding of things, their own regrets. They too seek happiness and wish to avoid suffering.

Breathing:

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

Recognize this person’s fundamental humanity.

Despite not knowing them well, you can offer them the same genuine wishes:

May you be happy May you be healthy May you be safe

May you have enough to eat May you live with a heart at ease...

This practice helps us see beyond the boundaries of our familiar circles, recognizing that every person enjoys and deserves compassion.

Embracing the Difficult

Now, if you feel ready, bring to mind someone with whom you have difficulty - perhaps someone who has hurt you, annoyed you, or with whom you disagree.

Start with someone only mildly challenging, not your greatest adversary. Begin where you might succeed. Learn, grow, and then rise to meet greater challenges. For now, bring to mind a minor challenge.

Breathing:

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

This is perhaps the most transformative part of the practice. Remember: offering Mettā doesn’t mean condoning harmful actions or becoming a doormat. It means recognizing that this person, despite their flaws, despite the illusions that they may labor under is also a being who experiences pain and seeks happiness. Perhaps often in unskillful ways.

Take a deep breath and, with whatever genuine warmth you can muster, offer:

May you be happy May you be healthy May you be safe

May you have enough to eat May you live with a heart at ease...

If you feel resistance, breathe with it.

Sometimes we must practice with ourselves first: “May I be free from anger. May I be at peace.” This too is Mettā.

Let's try again with our difficult focus...

Remember, repeat these phrases slowly, allowing each wish to settle into your heart. If the expected resistance arises, that's OK, too. We know this is natural. Simply notice the friction with kindness and continue on. You and your challenging subject are worthy of these blessings.

Deep Breath -

“May I be free from anger."

Deep Breath -

"May I be at peace.”

One more deep breath and, with whatever genuine warmth you can muster, offer:

May you be happy May you be healthy May you be safe

May you have enough to eat May you live with a heart at ease...

Deep Breath -

“I know what it is to be free from anger."

Deep Breath -

"I know what it is to be at peace.”

Expanding to All Beings

Finally, let your awareness expand like ripples on a deep, still, and moonlit sea. Begin to include all beings...everywhere. Your family, your friends, your community, those in your city, your country, and across the globe. Your tribe, your human tribe.

Breathing:

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

Include all humans, regardless of age, gender, race, religion. Regardless of education or beliefs. Extend your wishes to animals, from the smallest insects to the largest mammals.

Extend your wishes to plants, from the algae of the seas to the giant redwoods.

Embrace all forms of life with your boundless heart:

May all beings be happy May all beings be healthy May all beings be safe

May all beings have enough to eat May all beings live with a heart at ease...

Feel your heart, now. Your heart is remembering its vast and limitless nature. A true nature capable of holding the entire world in loving awareness. This is your true nature, too - infinite compassion.

Cultivating Empathy and Understanding

Breathing:

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

As you rest in this expanded awareness, reflect on the truth that all beings share the same fundamental desires: to be happy, to be free from suffering, to be Loved and understood. To live a life with a heart at ease...

When we truly understand this, empathy arises naturally. The person who cut you off in traffic, the politician whose views you despise, the difficult family member - all are seeking happiness in their own way, even when their methods seem misguided.

This doesn’t mean we become passive or stop working for justice. Rather, we act from a place of understanding rather than from a place of hatred. Our expanded and compassionate heart is always seeking to heal rather than to harm.

Closing

Breathing:

First in, to somewhere deep within...

Slowly now, the breath departs...

Bring your attention back to your breath, to the sensation of your body sitting here.

Place your hand on your heart again if that feels comfortable. Feel the gentle rhythm of your heartbeat beneath your palm. Your chest rising and falling with your slowed breath. This is the same heart that has carried you through every moment of your life, the same heart that connects you to all living beings.

Feel the warmth that has been generated by this practice settling into every cell of your being. Settling into every portion of your mind.

Know that you can return to these phrases anytime - while stuck in traffic, while dealing with a difficult person, while dealing with infuriating technology, or simply when you want to connect with your heart. Mettā is always available to you.

As you prepare to open your eyes or to lift your gaze and return to your day, carry this intention with you: to see with eyes of compassion, to speak with words of kindness, and to act from a heart that recognizes the connection between all beings.

May your practice bring you peace... May your compassion benefit all beings... May lovingkindness guide your way...

And from my heart to your heart:

May you be happy May you be healthy May you be safe

May you have enough to eat May you live with a heart at ease...

When you’re ready, lift your gaze, or slowly and gently open your eyes.

Thank you.

Now,

check in on what our experience was...

and...

check in on how our experience is.

Om Shanti...

Love...

Epilogue:

Daily Practice Suggestions

* Morning Intention: Begin each day by offering Mettā to yourself and setting an intention to practice compassion.

* Difficult Moments: When facing conflict or frustration, pause and silently offer Mettā to yourself and others involved.

* Walking Meditation: As you walk, silently offer blessings to people you pass: “May you be happy, may you be at peace.”

* Before Sleep: End your day by sending lovingkindness to anyone you had difficulty with, helping you release the day with forgiveness.

Remember: Like any skill, lovingkindness grows stronger with practice. Be patient with yourself as you cultivate this most precious quality of the heart.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

Oaks, Acorns, & my Life Purpose

a Dàoist Guided Meditation to Support the Contemplation of Effort & Being

Find a comfortable position and let your eyes fall to closed. Take your time with this.

We would like to be settled, still, and deeply connected to both the Earth and the Air.

Now, that we're settled into quiet and comfortable stillness, we can enjoy our breathing and the story to come.

Let's take three deep breaths, allowing each exhale to release the tensions of the day.

Inhaling deeply:

The tensions of this body...slowly exhaled...

Inhaling deeply:

The tensions of the head...slowly exhaled...

Inhaling deeply:

The tensions of the heart...slowly exhaled...

Keep the inhalations deep.

Keep the exhalations slow.

Keep the breathing going to accompany your comfortable stillness...

And now, a story...

Settling in

Imagine yourself sitting beneath an ancient oak tree, its massive trunk rising like a cathedral pillar behind you. You feel the solid Earth beneath you, soft with decades of fallen leaves. Your back rests against the deeply furrowed bark, each groove and ridge telling stories of the many centuries weathered.

Scattered all around you, on the earthily pungent forest floor, are thousands upon thousands of acorns. Many with their textured caps still atop. They carpet the ground in a rich brown tapestry - some fresh and gleaming, others weathered and split, many already claimed by squirrels and insects. Some green, some brown, some black with age and decay. The abundance is overwhelming.

You pick up a single acorn, and roll its smooth surface between your fingers.

The Numbers Speak

As you sit in this living temple, let your mind contemplate what you know about these humble seed offerings.

This ancient oak, perhaps three hundred years old, has been dropping acorns for nearly its entire life - roughly five thousand each year, year after year. Across its long lifetime, it has offered perhaps 1.5 million acorns to the world.

And of all these countless offerings, statistical probability tells us that only about 150 will ever reach reproductive maturity. But even that number tells only part of the story - ecological competition and the limits of carrying capacity mean that realistically, only one to five of this tree's offspring will actually establish themselves as mature oaks in this forest.

One in ten thousand. One in a hundred thousand. The statistics are humbling. The odds are staggering.

Most acorns will never even sprout. Others will emerge as tender shoots only to be claimed by drought, disease, or hungry creatures. A precious few will grow into saplings, only to face decades more of competition, storms, and the countless trials that stand between acorn and a parental oak.

Your own Efforts

Let your awareness turn inward now. Consider your own life's efforts - the projects begun with hope, the relationships cultivated with care, the dreams planted with tenderness. How many of your own seeds have faced odds similar to the acorn, the oak? How many of your own attempts have withered before bearing fruit?

Perhaps you are now feeling the weight of unrealized potential, of efforts that seemed to vanish without trace. The job applications that disappeared into silence. The creative works that found no audience. The kindnesses offered that seemed to make no difference. The Love given that was not returned.

Notice any feelings that arise - disappointment, frustration, perhaps a temptation to calculate whether your efforts are "worth it." Let these feelings exist without judgment; these feelings are but acorns scattered on your forest floor. Humble seed offerings...

The Oak's Wisdom

Now bring your attention back to the great tree sheltering you. Feel its presence, solid and unwavering. This oak knows nothing of statistics. It has never read an environmental impact study or calculated probabilities of success. It does not survey the forest floor counting its failures or measuring its return on investment.

And yet...here it stands.

Magnificent.

Supportive.

Ancient.

Perfectly itself.

Every Spring, without hesitation or doubt, it sends forth its flowers. Every Autumn, without reservation or despair, it releases its acorns. It does not hold back because the odds are poor. It does not produce fewer acorns because most will not survive. It does not cease being an oak because the world is difficult.

The oak simply oaks.

Completely.

Unreservedly.

Year after year after year.

The Way of 自然, Zìran

Feel yourself settling deeper into this understanding. The Dàoists have a word for this oak's way of being: Zìran - naturalness, spontaneity, being so aligned with one's essential nature that action flows without force or artifice. Zìran is unforced naturalness, what we might term natural naturalness.

Like the oak, you need not know the outcome of your efforts to make them fully. To make them sincerely. You need not guarantee success to give your gifts completely. To give your gifts sincerely. You need not count the returns to justify the investment of your being.

Your nature is to grow, to reach, to offer what you have to offer. Not because it will surely succeed, but because it is what you are. The Teacher teaches. The Artist creates. The parent Loves. The friend supports. Not because the statistics are favorable, but because this is the shape of their being - their Zìran.

Being Perfectly yourself

Rest now in the shadow of this ancient wisdom.

You, like the oak, can be perfectly yourself:

Naturally natural.

Sincerely sincere.

Resplendent without the weight of artifice.

You can offer your gifts without attachment to outcomes. You can plant your seeds - of kindness, creativity, effort, Love - knowing that the planting itself is complete and perfect, regardless of what grows. Or what decays. Or what dies.

All that decays, comes to feed the followings seeds.

The oak does not agonize over the acorns that do not sprout. It does not withhold future acorns because of past failures. Each season, it simply returns to its nature - its Zìran - offering what it has to offer with the quiet confidence of something that knows exactly what it is, without calculation or hesitation.

Authenticity.

A being that honors its true being.

Naturally natural.

Returning to the World

Take a moment to imagine yourself standing up from beneath this ancient oak. As you prepare to return to your daily life, commit to carrying with you this tree's patient wisdom. You can meet your days like the oak meets its seasons - fully present, generous in your offerings, unattached to outcomes beyond your control. All outcomes are beyond your control.

When efforts seem to disappear without result, remember the forest floor beneath this oak. When dreams seem to wither, remember that some seeds sleep in the soil for years before conditions are right for growth. When the odds seem impossible, remember that the oak has faced impossible odds for centuries and continues, simply and perfectly, to be itself.

Naturally natural.

Take three deep breaths. Feel the ground beneath you, the entire Earth here at your feet.

Shake your arms, your branches.

Hear some acorns fall.

Wiggle your fingers and toes, your roots.

When you're ready, gently open your eyes.

Commit to carrying the oak's quiet confidence in naturalness into whatever awaits you.

The way of the oak is not about success or failure. It is about Zìran - being so completely, naturally yourself that your very existence becomes an offering to the world, regardless of outcomes, statistics, or the countless variables beyond anyone's control.

Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

This Guided Meditation offers to guide the meditator through three phases:

* The Silent Watcher – Cultivating stillness, sharpening awareness like the owl in waiting.

* Piercing the Veil – Developing intuition and clarity, embracing the owl’s penetrating sight.

* Balance of Light and Shadow – Integrating wisdom and mystery, harmonizing insight with uncertainty.

Please be sure to give a listen to a shorter version of this hosted over on my Swellcast channel:

https://www.swellcast.com/t/O1UmQjljGMQUHDs

Prologue:

The owl held a complex and often contradictory role in ancient Chinese symbolism, spanning philosophy, folklore, medicine, and Martial Arts.

The owl offers a many-layered symbolism - its dual nature as wisdom and omen, its silent precision, and a connection to deep insight. As such, the owl has formed the foundation of this Guided Meditation that explores perception, intuition, & balance.

Philosophy & Folklore

* In early dynasties like the 商朝, Shāng Cháo - Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BCE) and 周朝, Zhōu Cháo- Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE), owls were sometimes revered as protectors and symbols of power. Bronze vessels shaped like owls suggest ritualistic significance, possibly linked to funerary rites.

* However, later traditions viewed owls as harbingers of misfortune. Their nocturnal nature and eerie calls led to associations with death and ill omens. Some folklore even depicted young owls as unfilial, claiming they pecked out their mothers' eyes before leaving the nest.

* Despite these ominous interpretations, owls were also linked to wisdom and mystery, much as they have been in other cultures.

Medicine & Healing

* In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), owls were sometimes associated with spiritual insight and protective energies. Their keen vision and ability to navigate darkness symbolized clarity and foresight, qualities valued in healing practices.

* Some regions believed owl effigies could ward off gods spirits and protect homes from fire and destruction, linking them to thunder and lightning gods.

Martial Arts & Symbolism

* In Martial Arts, the owl’s sharp vision, patience, and silent precision made it a fitting metaphor for stealth and awareness. Some schools of thought likened its hunting techniques to strategic combat, emphasizing waiting for the right moment to strike.

* The owl’s association with Yáng energy in 風水, Fēngshui also made it a symbol of strength and resilience, reinforcing its role in martial philosophy.

Substack Music Cue:

The Owl’s Gaze

a Guided Meditation infused with Dàoist imagery, qì cultivation, and the wisdom of the owl.

Introduction – Entering the Flow of Qì

Find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably. Let your spine be tall but relaxed, like a bamboo stalk - supple, yet strong.

Closing eyes slowly...

Breathing slowly, too...

Eyes now softly closed.

Presence...

Breathing easily...

Presence...

Breathing slowly...

The world softens, soon dissolving into a deepening stillness.

Presence...

Deeply breathing...

Before the owl takes flight, before the wind stirs the leaves, before the stars whisper their sacred songs - there is stillness.

Take a deep inhale through your nose…slow and deliberate. A breath drawn as if from the cool mist rolling over the mountain range. Hold this breath - like water pooling in a still basin. Then, exhale through your mouth...effortlessly. Releasing tension with the exhalation like Autumn's spent leaves drifting into a slow flowing stream.

Let your breath follow its own rhythm, flowing as the 道, Dào flows.

A breath like the wind over an ancient lake. A ripple in the Great Silence.

Let us begin.

The Silent Watcher – Cultivating Stillness

Breathe slowly, now.

As slow as the lazy tides beneath the moon’s quiet gaze.

The owl waits, perched atop a twisted cypress,

its gnarled roots tangled in the Earth's wisdom,

its needles whispering near-forgotten truths.

The owl does not chase the wind - it listens to its passing. The owl does not strain against the night - it rests within it.

With each inhale, draw in 氣, Qì - the life force that pulses through rivers, trees, and stars. Feel it...settle in your lower 丹田, Dāntián, your center of energy - there at the core of your Being. Hold this fresh breath.

Warming it like a mother owl nesting atop her clutch of eggs. With each exhale, release unnecessary thoughts. Let them dissolve like morning mist over a temple rooftop. Bell sounds and incense smoke sharing the sacred airs there.

You become the owl - still, aware, undisturbed.

Darkness pools in the Valley below - not emptiness. A landscape unseen, and waiting.

Breathe in again, steady as the river carving her banks through the ceaseless seasons of uncounted eons. Hold. Breathe out, resting in this quiet awareness.

This darkness is not emptiness - it is the depth beneath the surface, the quiet chamber within the Mountain, the moment before thunder speaks.

Your breath is the river - flowing, adapting, never forced.

Breathe deeply.

Wait. Listen.

Your breath, the river - fluid, flowing, & flexible.

Breathe deeply.

Wait. Listen.

Piercing the Veil – Developing Intuition and Clarity

Let your breath become longer, smoother, like a lantern’s glow stretching across the still water's of the mountain range's Valley lake.

With each inhale, imagine the owl’s golden eyes.

Your golden eyes.

Eyesight sharpening.

Clarity of vision a birthright.

The owl does not guess - it knows. The owl does not fear the unknown.

The owl sees what was hidden.

With each exhale, release resistance...

Let understanding come into view, into focus.

Sink into 無為, Wú Wéi - frictionless action, a flowing with the natural way.

Breathe in deeply, drawing clarity into your mind. Hold, steady. Breathe out, releasing uncertainty into the night.

Your darkness - whether ignorance, sorrow, or the unknown - is not an obstacle.

It is the empty space that makes the cup useful, the hollow flute that allows sound to emerge.

Your darkness is the ink-black sky where stars can be seen most clearly.

The owl does not judge the night - it moves within it.

(You are now the owl.)

This darkness is the silent wisdom of an unlit temple.

Breathing...

Presence...

Breathing...

Now, gently turn your head to the left, the owl’s gaze.

Pause.

Now, turn to the right, slow and deliberate, again the owl’s gaze.

Your gaze.

Breathing...

This motion, known as 五劳七伤, Wǔlǎo Qīshāng, or Wise Owl Gazes Backward, releases tension, clears the mind, & opens perception.

What truth lies beyond the veil? Let it reveal itself in stillness.

Breathing...

Presence...

Breathing...

Balance of Light and Shadow – Harmonizing Wisdom and Mystery

Let your breath settle - soft, effortless.

The owl does not fight the night - it embraces it.

(You are now the owl.)

The owl finds harmony in both light and shadow.

(You are now the owl.)

The owl finds sustenance in the depths of darkness.

(You are now the owl.)

Breathing...

Presence...

Breathing...

Inhale, gathering qì -as effortlessly as dew forming on wild chrysanthemums... Hold, now - letting it permeate your being. Exhale, distributing energy evenly, like a steady mountain wind flickering candles in the cliffside temple.

Wisdom and mystery are not enemies - they are the 阴阳, Yīn-Yáng, the Mountain and the Valley, The moment of clarity before dawn, when the sky is neither dark nor light.

When the dark is neither dark nor light.

When the light is neither dark nor light.

Breathing...

Presence.

You are not lost in the unknown. You move with it, effortlessly, Carrying newfound understanding like the owl gliding over these mist-covered hills.

With your final inhale, welcome the gift of the owl - clarity within uncertainty. Hold. Exhale - returning.

Awake, transformed.

Assured of your vision.

Closing – Returning to the Present

Let your breath return to its natural rhythm, as soft as ripples in a moonlit puddle.

Reach your wings, turn your neck, open your eyes.

Breathing...

Presence.

Now, wiggle your fingers, roll your shoulders gently - preparing to return to the waking world.

Breathing...

Presence.

When you’re ready, perhaps a smile.

The night no longer holds fear - it holds knowledge, clarity, depth, even confidence.

Breathing...

Presence.

You possess a vision which penetrates fear, which penetrates darkness.

You possess a vision which dissolves fear, which dissolves darkness.

Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

Prologue:

"Rice in the Bowl, Water in the Bucket" is a Zen (in Chinese, Chán) expression that embodies the principle of accepting things exactly as they are, without adding mental elaboration or seeking hidden meaning. The phrase points to the direct, immediate reality of ordinary things performing their natural function.

The saying appears in various forms throughout Zen literature, particularly in the records of 唐, Táng and 宋, Sòng dynasty Chinese masters. It's closely related to similar expressions like "When hungry, eat; when tired, sleep." and both reveals and reflects Zen's usual emphasis on naturalness and non-conceptual awareness. The phrase gained particular prominence through the Teachings of masters in the Rinzai (臨濟宗, Línjì zōng, in Chinese) tradition, though it appears across different Zen lineages.

In Zen teaching, this expression serves multiple pedagogical purposes. It counters the tendency to seek profound spiritual meaning in every experience, instead pointing students toward the inherent completeness of ordinary moments. When a student might ask about the ultimate nature of reality or the essence of Buddha-nature, a master might respond with this phrase to redirect attention away from abstract speculation toward immediate, concrete experience.

The teaching method reflects a core Zen Principle: enlightenment isn't found by transcending the mundane world but by fully inhabiting it without the overlay of conceptual thinking. Rice nourishes because that's its function; water quenches thirst because that's its nature. There's no elusive or inapparent spiritual significance beyond this fundamental reality.

Masters have used variations of this phrase to address students who become overly intellectual in their approach to practice, or who search for mystical experiences while missing the profound ordinariness of their immediate circumstances. It's particularly effective in cutting through what Zen calls 求心, Kyūshin - Seeking Mind" - the restless mental activity that prevents recognition of what's already present.

The phrase also connects to the broader Zen aesthetic of finding the sacred within the mundane, influencing everything from tea ceremony to garden design. It represents a distinctly Zen approach to spirituality that doesn't separate the absolute from the relative, but finds them perfectly undivided and present in the simple functioning of daily life.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Wherever and whenever one might look; no magic mind-state, no special time needed!

Music Cue:

Tags:

#Visualization #SomedayFarm #GuidedMeditation #Buddhism #Zen #Simplicity #SanBao

End Notes:

A related and more brief version of this is available free at:

https://www.swellcast.com/t/O1UmEhyfoQ8ltvP

Rice in the Bowl, Water in the Bucket

a Zen Guided Meditation

Settling into Presence

Find a comfortable seated position. Allow your spine to be naturally upright like a centuries-still mountain sentinel...quietly reaching toward a clear and expansive sky. Close your eyes gently, or simply soften your gaze as it falls toward the floor.

Take three slow breaths, not trying to make them special or profound - simply breathing as breathing happens.

...and sit as sitting happens.

The Bowl of Rice

Imagine before you a simple, wooden bowl filled with white rice. See it clearly: the smooth grain, the gentle mound it forms, the way each kernel rests against the others. This rice asks nothing of you. It makes no promises of enlightenment. It simply is what it is - nourishment, sustenance, the meeting of Earth and Sky, of rains and human hands.

Notice if your mind begins to search for deeper meaning in this image. When it does, gently return to this sublimely simple fact: rice in bowl. Nothing more, nothing less. Let this ordinariness fill your awareness completely.

Notice if your mind offers to muse on the rice's fragrance when freshly cooked. Or offers to imagine the curls of steam rising from this fluffy foodstuff.

The rice doesn't try to be anything other than rice. It doesn't strain toward becoming something sacred or special. In its complete acceptance of its own nature, it reveals a profound Teaching without Teaching, a wisdom without words.

The bowl receives, contains. The rice, free of want or urge.

The Bucket of Water

Now bring to mind a wooden bucket filled with clear water. See it clearly: the translucency, the refractions, the reflections. Note how the water adopts the precise shape of its container, neither fighting against the boundaries nor trying to escape them. The water simply expresses its essential nature - flowing, adapting, nourishing. It mirrors nearby movement with ripples, it reflects far-off change in its surface. It always returns to level and stillness - without reminder, without effort, without hesitation.

This rice asks nothing of you. It makes no promises of enlightenment. It simply is what it is - rains, rivers, glaciers, clouds...

Watch the stillness of this water. On its surface, perhaps you see the reflection of Sky, of clouds drifting by. Perhaps a bird, perhaps self you spy. The water doesn't grasp at these reflections, doesn't try to hold onto the beauty that appears and disappears. It simply receives what comes, mirrors what is present, and lets go without effort.

Does your mind offer to imagine cooking with the water, or watering a garden? Does your mind offer to imagine its temperature, its weight? If it does, gently return to this sublimely simple fact: water in bucket. Nothing more, nothing less. Let this ordinariness fill your awareness completely.

This water has no ambition to be ocean or stream. It rests completely in being exactly what it is, where it is. In this total acceptance, it demonstrates perfect freedom.

Ordinary Completeness

As you sit in meditation, notice the tendency of your mind to search...for something special, for some profound experience, for insight. This is expected, this is common.

When this seeking does arise, return to the Teaching of rice and water: complete fulfillment exists in being exactly what you are, where you are, in this moment. In this very moment.

Your breath moves in and out - not striving to be holy breath or enlightened breath, simply breath being breath. Your breath has no need to please your ego, your Teacher, your Ancestors. Your heartbeat continues its rhythm - not trying to be spiritual or meaningful, just the heart doing what hearts do.

Rice.

Water.

Let yourself rest in this ordinariness:

Rest.

Breathe.

Sit.

Rest.

Breathe.

Sit.

Rest.

Breathe.

Sit.

Feel how the pressure to achieve something special begins to dissolve:

The rice doesn't need to become a flower to be perfect.

The water doesn't need to become tea to be essential.

You don't need to curtail being some particular way to be complete.

You don't need to be some particular way to be complete.

You don't need to become someone else to be complete.

Rice.

Water.

Rest.

Breathe.

Sit.

Rice.

Water.

The Kitchen of Awakening

Imagine yourself in a simple kitchen, preparing a meal. See it clearly: the counter, the window, the fire. You scoop rice into the bowl - just rice in the bowl. You pour water into the bucket - just water in the bucket. Each action is complete in itself, requiring nothing more than full presence to what is happening.

Feel the weight of the rice as you pour it. Hear the sound of water filling the bucket. These sensations don't point to anything beyond themselves. They are the very substance of awakened life, dressed in the clothes of daily routine.

Your mind may invite itself to take a wander-walk and imagine more than just this rice - as it is. Than just this water - as it is. If it does, gently return to these sublimely simple Teachings, these Teachers:

Rice.

Water.

In this kitchen, enlightenment isn't something you achieve - it's something you live, breath by breath, action by action. The sacred and the ordinary reveal themselves as one seamless, simple reality.

Rest.

Breathe.

Sit.

Returning to Simple Beingness

As this meditation draws to a close, let go of any effort to hold onto insights or special states. Like the rice that doesn't cling to its container, like the water that flows freely, allow your meditation experience to be what it was - no more, no less.

Every every every moment of this livingness offers the same completeness as rice in the bowl, water in the bucket. Washing dishes, walking to work, listening to a friend - each activity contains the same profound ordinariness that holds all of life.

Rice.

Water.

Rest.

Breathe.

Sit.

Rice.

Water.

Take three natural breaths. When you're ready, gently lift your gaze or open your eyes and return to the world, carrying nothing special, needing nothing more than what you already are.

The rice remains rice. The water remains water. You remain perfectly, completely yourself.

In this simplicity, all seeking ceases.

Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

This Guided Meditation is

a part of Someday Farm's

Companion for Practice series

where a familiar and friendly voice offers a guided meditation and some gentle practice reminders and cues. For the student who has learned a practice and is ready to devote themselves to a prescribed duration of said practice. A voice to go on the journey with you and within you.

Choose a practice you've learned, choose a duration, and invite Someday Farm into practice through your ears and mind and heart.

Caution:

This Guided Meditation is only intended to be a supportive companion for someone engaged in a well-understood Horse Stance training session. If at any point, it becomes inappropriate or unwise for you to continue your training session, discontinue it. Please do not misconstrue this Guided Meditation as an encouragement to continue. Suspend or end when your circumstances suggest it - not when I conclude the meditation.

Enjoy!

Prologue:

For 1, 3, & 5 minute versions of this Guided Meditation intended to serve you at varying Practice session durations, please join me (for free) at: https://www.swellcast.com/shhdragon. There I've marked each using the hashtag #Companion4Practice to make the relevant Guided Meditations more readily findable.

Versions:

The Mountain Horse - 5 min

https://www.swellcast.com/t/O1UlfS1vBhGEkGy

The Mountain Horse - 3 min

https://www.swellcast.com/t/O1UlfPujrVCE5tP

The Mountain Horse - 1 min

https://www.swellcast.com/t/O1UlfQ0PBUN36kh

Music cue:

The Mountain Horse:

a Deep Meditation to Accompany Horse Stance Practice

(Begin by settling into your horse stance - knees bent to create a stable base, thighs parallel to the Earth or stand a bit taller, spine erect, and arms in your preferred position. Take several natural breaths before beginning the meditation.)

Earthen Foundation

Sink your weight into the vast Earth beneath you, Your feet spreading like the roots of an ancient bamboo grove. Feel each toe fully connect with the ground...gently, Creating ten pathways for Earth's energy to rise.

Your stance widens like a mountain range, Each leg a separate peak with a shared foundation. In the space between, feel a cauldron forming, A vessel to collect and transform primal force.

The Bubbling Springs of your feet now activate, Drawing minerals and energies from soil and stone. You are not standing on the Earth, but becoming it - The boundary between body and ground dissolving.

The Crucible of Transformation

Your thighs burn with the sacred fire of discipline, Each moment a choice to endure and transcend. The burning is not your enemy, rather your Teacher, Consuming weakness, distilling intent, refining strength.

Imagine your legs as twin pillars of iron, Heated in the forge: first becoming malleable, then strong. Pain transforms into vibrant heat, then stable power, The caldera's alchemical process and the Warrior's Body.

Feel the trembling muscles steadying with each breath, Like wild horses being gentled under your command. The shaking is not failure but awakening, New neural pathways forming with each moment of intentional Presence.

Breathe in - root deep, the great mountain grows. Breathe out - release, the mountain spring flows.Breathe in - fire refines, strength takes shape. Breathe out - soft surrender, presence awake.

The Empty Basin

Your pelvis forms a perfect basin, Tilted neither forward nor back, but centered in balance. Feel this bowl filling with liquid light, A reservoir of energy gathered and contained.

Your tailbone descends toward the Earth's core, Creating space for your spine to lengthen skyward. The sacrum becomes a solid foundation stone, Upon which your column of vertebrae rises.

Imagine the space between your hip joints widening, Creating room for energy to circulate without obstruction. The Kuà opens like double gates to a hidden garden, Where intention can flow freely between upper and lower.

Breathe in - Earth steadies, firm and vast. Breathe out - fire tempers as pain dissolves. Breathe in - Qì rises, strength unfolds. Breathe out - weight sinks, spirit holds.

The Central Tower

Your spine ascends like a tower of light, Each vertebra stacking perfectly upon the one below. Feel the spaces between them expanding slightly, Allowing energy to flow like wind between mountain peaks.

Your lower back gently curves inward, Not exaggerated, but natural and supportive. This gentle hollow creates a cradle for your kidneys, Ancient storehouses of primal essence and will.

From this central column, all movement originates, All force transmits, all balance maintains. In stillness now, you align this precious tower, The axis around which your martial universe revolves.

Breathe in - passive mountain quiet, steady and strong. Breathe out - cool river long, flowing along.Breathe in - fire bright, lighting the way. Breathe out - softened stone, soft as clay.

The Dragon's Pearl

In the lower abdomen, just below the navel and deep within, Feel a sphere of concentrated awareness forming. This is your Dāntián, your center of gravity, The pearl that the dragon of your body protects.

With each inhale, golden light streams into this center, With each exhale, it condenses, grows denser, more real. This is not just imagination but energetic truth - The creation of your stable center through intent and breath.

Feel how all tensions of your stance flow toward this point, How all lines of force converge in this singular space. Your Dāntián becomes both anchor and generator, The place where Heaven and Earth energies combine.

Breathe in - fire glows, spirit flows. Breathe out - weight steadies, mindfire readies. Breathe in - posture rises, breathwork energizes. Breathe out - mindwind shifts, presence never drifts.

The Warrior's Frame

Your shoulders widen like the spreading wings of an eagle, Neither tensed upward nor collapsed downward. Feel them floating on invisible currents of air, Supported by the structure beneath, not by contractile effort.

Your chest neither protrudes with pride nor sinks with doubt, But maintains the perfect Middle Way of the warrior. Feel the sternum lifting slightly, creating space for breath, While the heart remains protected yet open.

Your arms, whether raised in guard or held at sides, Emerge from your deep heart center, not just from shoulders. Each finger alive with intention, each wrist supple yet strong, The frame of your upper body both substantial and light.

Breathe in - fire grows, breathing slows. Breathe out - weight grounds, calm surrounds. Breathe in - thighs quiver, Qì flows as a mighty river Breathe out - Intention flows, center always knows.

The Breath Bridge

Bring awareness now to the pattern of your breathing, How it changes and adjusts to the demands of your stance. Allow it to deepen, to reach the bottom of your lungs, Then to sink further, massaging your internal organs.

Feel how inhalation naturally straightens your spine, How exhalation helps you sink deeper into your stance. The breath becomes a bridge between effort and ease, Between the demands of discipline and the gift of release.

Imagine now that you breathe not just through nose and mouth, But through every pore of your skin, every cell of your body. Your entire being becomes a breathing entity, Exchanging energy with the universe that surrounds you.

Breathe in - Ancestors Teach, wisdom flows. Breathe out - roots reach, strength grows. Breathe in - stance holds, fire refines. Breathe out - mind clears, spirit aligns.

The Diamond Mind

As physical sensations intensify in your stance, Your mind becomes the still observer of this unfolding drama. Like a diamond reflecting all yet changed by nothing, Your awareness remains pristine amid changing sensations.

Notice thoughts that arise - of discomfort, of time passing, Of achievements desired or limitations feared. These are merely clouds crossing the vast sky of mind, Neither suppressed nor indulged, but simply witnessed.

In this witnessing lies the warrior's greatest power: The capacity to choose a response rather than a reaction. Your body may be fixed in form, but your mind remains free, This is the paradox and purpose of your standing practice.

Breathe in - Ancestors guide, stance stable. Breathe out - roots reach, fires enable. Breathe in - Qì stirs, strength aligns. Breathe out - mind clears, presence refines.

The Timeless Moment

As you hold this stance, time begins to transform, Seconds stretching into spaces of infinite potential. You stand not just in physical space but at a crossroads, Where Ancestors' wisdom meets your present willpower.

Feel the lineage of countless practitioners before you, Who have held this same position through centuries. Their energy supports you, their discoveries guide you, Your patient stance honoring their dedicated paths.

In this seemingly static posture lies all motion, In this singular practice, all techniques find their source. The horse stance contains the seeds of ten thousand movements, Just as the mountain contains countless streams yet to flow.

Breathe in - wisdom speaks, center holds. Breathe out - roots reach, force unfolds. Breathe in - stance deepens, time slows. Breathe out - form settles, power flows.

Breathe in - Ancestors call, wisdom stays. Breathe out - roots always reach, strength never sways. Breathe in - stance deepens, Qì expands. Breathe out - fire defines, presence stands.

Returning to Movement

As we prepare to conclude this guided meditation, Gather all awareness back to your central core. Feel once more the totality of your horse stance, The integrated system of energy and intent.

Breathe in - guidance speaks, spirit remembers. Breathe out - roots drink, power from embers. Breathe in - form settles, breath expands. Breathe out - mind clears, center commands.

Recognize that ending the stance is not an escape, But a transition, carrying its qualities forward. The strength, stability, & centered awareness Will infuse all movements that follow.

Breathe in - mountain still, forces rise. Breathe out - roots entwine, body wise. Breathe in - energy stirs, stance holds. Breathe out - wisdom flows, heart unfolds.

Breathe in - Ancestors whisper, stance remains. Breathe out - roots extend, strength sustains. Breathe in - fire pulses, presence grows. Breathe out - Qì settles, balance flows.

When you are ready, slowly straighten your legs, Rising from the depths with newfound power. The mountain horse now lives within you, Available in every step, every stance, every breath.

(Take three deep breaths to complete the practice.)

Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

for Darrell and with thanks to Michael:

Prologue & Teaching

ADHD minds often experience a constant flow of thoughts, ideas, & impulses that can feel overwhelming. But there's a profound truth that can be liberating: you are not your thoughts. You are the awareness that notices the thoughts.

Think of your mind like a busy river. The water is always moving - sometimes rapidly, sometimes with swirling eddies, sometimes carrying debris. ADHD can make this river particularly active and unpredictable. But you are not the river; you are the riverbed itself. You are where the river's action flows, and on occasion you may even experience a drought of mental activity. Being the riverbed, however, you know the rains will come again. As the riverbed, watching it all flow by.

This meditation practice isn't about stopping the river or making it flow differently. It's about recognizing that riverbed support the passing of the river and isn't ever entirely swept away by it. The riverbed experienced and observes the water's passing.

This is particularly valuable for the ADHD brain because it:

1. Acknowledges that your mind's natural activity doesn't need to be "fixed."

2. Creates a small space between you and your thoughts.

3. Practices intentional focus without fighting against your brain's nature.

When we practice this kind of meditation, we're not trying to empty the mind or achieve perfect stillness. We're simply training our awareness to notice what's happening without getting lost in it. This one-minute practice can serve as an anchor throughout your day - a brief moment to step onto the riverbank and observe the flow before reengaging.

Music Cue:

https://youtu.be/06hhwrVSBPg

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

The Wind Chime - Transforming Change into Harmony

Preparation

Begin by settling into a balanced posture, whether seated in meditation or lying in receptive stillness. In either case, allow your body to find its natural alignment, as if suspended between Heaven and Earth, between Sky nd Soil, between the Insubstantial and the Substantial. This is much like the Dàoist concept of existing in the space between absolute Yīn and pure Yáng. Close your eyes gently, turning your awareness inward to the rhythm of your breath.

You're taking a deep, slow breath in… filling your lungs completely… and then releasing it slowly. You're feeling the tension begin to melt away.

Let's take a few more deep breaths, each one bringing us further into the present moment.

In…and out…

Let go...

Take a deep, conscious breath through your nostrils, feeling the Qì - the vital life force - entering your body and filling your lower Dāntián. The lower Dāntián is the energy center below your navel and about halfway between your belly and back.

Hold briefly at the peak of inhalation, allowing the energy to gather.

Then release through slightly parted lips, expelling stale energy and creating space for renewal. Feel the natural cycle of ebb and flow, of fullness and emptiness.

In… and out… deep breaths held at the peak of inbreath to gather Qì.

Letting go...

Continue this mindful breathing, following the Dàoist Principle of 無為, Wúwéi - acting with a consciousness devoted to leaving the least disturbance. Do not force your breath; instead, allow it to find its natural depth and rhythm. With each cycle, feel yourself becoming more aligned with the Dào, the underlying Principle that connects all things.

Setting the Scene

I now invite you to imagine yourself in a landscape of perfect balance - perhaps a mountain valley where mist rises to meet descending sunlight, embodying the interplay of Yīn and Yáng. Perhaps a dragon swims in this fog. The Five Elements surround you in harmony: Metal glints as sunlight finds distant rocks, Water flows in a nearby stream and farther off rivers, Wood thrives in ancient trees, Fire warms in gentle sunlight, and Earth supports you from below.

Deep breaths held briefly to nurture energy's cultivation.

In…and out…

Letting go...

With each inhalation, draw in the pure Qì of this balanced environment.

With each exhalation, release that which disturbs your harmonious nature.

Feel your breath creating a subtle current of energy that connects you to the eternal cycle of creation and transformation.

Deep breaths held briefly:

In…

Held...

Out…

always letting go...

Becoming the Wind Chime

Now, as you continue your rhythmic breathing, visualize your consciousness transforming. You are becoming a wind chime - an embodiment of the Dàoist Principle of emptiness that allows for fullness.

See yourself crafted from the perfect wind chime material - perhaps crystal, symbolizing purity or perhaps jade symbolizing creativity, or maybe ancient bronze, connecting you to Ancestral wisdom. The material itself matters less than its resonant quality, its ability to transform energy from one state to another.

Deep breaths...

always letting go...

...always imagining...

You are suspended from a single, luminous thread that connects you to Tiān, the Heavens or Sky above - the realm of pure Yáng energy. This thread, though seemingly delicate, carries the strength of intention and represents your connection to the universal Dào. Feeeeeel how it anchors you to the cosmic breath that flows through all creation.

Below, your form extends toward Dì, the Earth or Soil, embodying the receptive quality of Yīn energy. You hang in perfect Wújí - the state of primordial emptiness from which all potential emerges. Feeeeel the Earth beneath you, its pull, its presence. Neither grasping nor resisting, you exist in the dynamic balance of paradox: suspended yet free, structured yet flowing, present yet boundless. Both born and built.

The Winds of Thought

Now, become aware of the winds that move around you. In Dàoist philosophy, we might say that these represent the ever-changing nature of thought and emotion. These ever-shifting inner experience of life that is the internal weather of consciousness. Each breath you take synchronizes with these winds, creating harmony between your inner and outer worlds.

Breathe in naturally...and deeply.

Hold briefly with a sense of your intention cradled lovingly.

Breathe out just as naturally...and fully.

Notice how some winds come as gentle Yīn currents - soft, yielding, & receptive. They brush against you with whispers of intuition and reflection. Echoes, memories, daydreams. With each meditative breath, welcome these subtle energies.

Other winds arrive with more Yáng qualities - assertive, direct, & transformative. They carry the energy of inspiration and clarity. Plans, Concerns, Ideas. Feel how your breathing remains steady even as these stronger currents pass through your awareness.

Breathe in naturally...and deeply.

Hold briefly with a sense of your intention cradled lovingly.

Breathe out just as naturally...and fully.

Observe the winds in all their variations without attachment or aversion - practicing the Dàoist virtue of Wúwéi. Some slight. Some brief. Some sudden. Some notable. Some just about perceptible. Some lingering.

Your breath remains the constant anchor, the returning point amidst all change. When thoughts become turbulent, deepen your breath to center in stillness. When thoughts grow sluggish, lighten your breath to invite movement.

Breathe in naturally...and deeply.

Hold briefly with a sense of your intention cradled lovingly.

Breathe out just as naturally...and fully.

Transformation into Music

As you continue your rhythmic breathing, experience how you, as the wind chime, embody the Dàoist Principle of spontaneous transformation.

Each time the wind - a thought or emotion - touches you, it is naturally transformed. This is not through effort or control, but through your essential nature - your Dé, or inherent virtue. You do not resist the wind; you do not pursue the wind. You simply allow your true nature to manifest, making harmony from the unpatterned. Transforming the erratic into the ecstatic.

Breathe in...

Hold briefly...

Breathe out...

The sounds that emerge represent the harmonious interplay of the Five Elements within you: Metal's clarity, Water's adaptability, Wood's growth, Fire's illumination, and Earth's stability.

Breathe in...

Hold briefly...

Breathe out...

Recall the Metal glinting on those rocks, the Waters flowing in the nearby stream, the wise, old Wood swaying in tree form nearby, the Fire felt in the sunlight on your skin, your tuning into the Earth felt beneath your body. These elements remain with you. Emotions visit. Thoughts visit. We breath as a wind chime. From the winds - these thoughts and feelings - transformation!

Music emerges. Music representing the harmonious dance of the Five Elements within you:

Metal's clarity,

Water's adaptability,

Wood's growth,

Fire's illumination,

and Earth's stability.

Each breath supports this alchemical process of transformation. With each meditative breath, welcome these subtle energies.

Breathe in...

Hold briefly...

Breathe out...

Feel how the Yīn breath of inhalation gathers energy, and the Yáng breath of exhalation releases transformed sound. This rhythm mirrors the cosmic cycle of transformation that underlies all of existence according to Dàoist wisdom.

Listen to the chimes.

Breathe.

Be the chimes.

Breathe.

Be.

Breathe...

Effortless Harmony

Experience the profound 無為, Wúwéi - undisturbing action - of this process. Your transformation of the random into beauty requires no striving, no technique, no method. No mind. It arises naturally from your alignment with the Dào.

With each breath, deepen your connection to this state of effortless being.

Inhale the understanding that Wúwéi action is the highest form of action.

Exhale any remnants of forced effort or control.

Breathe in...

Hold briefly...

Breathe out...

Feel how you exist in the state that Dàoists call Zìran - naturalness or spontaneity. Like water finding its level or a plant growing toward sunlight, your transformation of unpredictable change into harmony is simply your nature expressing itself.

Your breathing embodies this Principle - it continues without your conscious direction, yet you can bring awareness to it, merging intention with natural process. This is the breathing of one who walks the path of Dào - conscious yet uncontrived, aware yet unforced.

Listen to the chimes.

Breathe.

Be the chimes.

Breathe.

Be.

Breathe...

Finding Peace in the Music

As your breath continues its gentle rhythm, experience the Dàoist concept of returning to the original nature - 返本, Făn Běn. The music created through you is not something new or manufactured; it is the revelation of an inherent harmony that was always present within changes and shiftings.

With each inhalation, gather the scattered Qì of thoughts.

With each exhalation, release it as harmonized energy.

With each inhalation, gather the scattered Qì of emotions.

With each exhalation, release it as harmonized energy.

With each inhalation, gather the scattered Qì of this World.

With each exhalation, release it as harmonized energy.

Inhaling the disorganized...

Exhaling musicality...

This breathing practice mirrors the Dàoist understanding that all apparent opposites - chaos and order, noise and music, confusion and clarity - are ultimately reunited in the embrace of the Dào.

Experience how your wind chime nature demonstrates the principle of 朴, Pǔ - the unhewn wood - representing simplicity and authenticity. Your transformation is not complicated; it requires no elaborate technique. It is simply the expression of your original nature, revealed through your breath and being. You hang beautifully in the space between Sky and Soil, receiving winds and offering music.

Listen to the chimes.

Breathe.

Be the chimes.

Breathe.

Be.

Breathe...

Conclusion

Now, gently shift your awareness back to your physical form while maintaining the wind chime consciousness that you have cultivated.

Let your breathing gradually return to its ordinary pattern while carrying the extraordinary awareness you have touched. With each breath, remember that you embody the Dàoist wisdom of transformation without effort.

Even when your mind seems clouded or confused or hurrying, your true nature remains intact. And your true nature is very capable of transforming confusion into harmony and beauty through the simple act of being present.

Take a deep, collecting breath, gathering the insights of this practice.

As you exhale, imagine sending the harmonious sounds of your being out into the world.

Breathe.

You can be the chimes...anytime

Breathe.

Be.

Breathe...

When you feel complete, wiggle your fingers and toes. Roll your neck in easy circles, gently reawakening physical sensation. Slowly open your eyes. A small smile might feel nice, now.

Commit to remembering the Dàoist understanding that the racing mind, like the chaotic wind, can be transformed not through control, but through alignment with your true nature.

Remember that you can return to this practice whenever needed, using your breath as the bridge between ordinary awareness and the profound simplicity of your wind chime nature. This is the living Dào - not a destination to reach, but a path to walk with each conscious breath.

Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

Research has shown that meditation can be an effective complementary approach for managing depression.

Here are some key findings:

* Brain Changes: Meditation has been found to alter brain regions associated with depression, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the amygdala. These areas are involved in rumination and stress responses. Meditation helps break the connection between them, reducing negative thought patterns.

* Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): MBCT combines mindfulness practices with cognitive behavioral therapy. Studies have shown that it can significantly reduce relapse rates in individuals with recurrent depression.

* Stress Reduction: Mindfulness meditation has been proven to lower stress levels, which are major triggers for depression. Regular practice can improve emotional regulation and resilience.

* Physical Health Benefits: Meditation can also improve physical health, which indirectly supports mental well-being. For example, it has been linked to better sleep and reduced inflammation.

* Moderate Effectiveness: While meditation is not a cure-all, its effects are comparable to other treatments like therapy and medication for some individuals. It offers a non-invasive and accessible option.

Let us weave a meditation to gently hold and support those navigating recurrent clinical depression, with a focus on breath, movement, metaphor, and self-soothing.

This meditation can be revisited as often as needed. Its purpose is not to solve or erase depression but to provide a moment of solace, a reminder of the enduring light within you.

Here’s a guided journey for the heart and mind:

A Flame for your Darkness

a Guided Meditation

Setting the Intention

Find a quiet, comfortable space where you can be undisturbed.

Set your electronics to off or mute.

Draw the curtains.

I like to pull my hoodie up over my ears, head, and maybe eyes.

Sit upright in a chair, on a cushion, or even lie down if needed.

Rest your hands gently on your thighs, palms open in a gesture of acceptance, or fold them over your heart for a feeling of warmth.

Close your eyes softly or simply lower your gaze.

Feel how you chose to arrange the space you're in, where you chose to sit, and how you've arranged your body. Feel how each choice that you have made with me today has all offered you support and some simple comfort.

Grounding Breath

Begin by taking three deep breaths.

Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four - feeling the air filling your lungs.

Hold for a count of four.

Exhale softly through your mouth for six, as though gently blowing on a candle flame. See it flickering, dancing - but never being snuffed entirely out.

Let's try that again.

Tend to your posture, your gesture, you place of rest.

Ready?

Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four - feeling the air filling your lungs.

Hold this gently for a count of four.

Exhale softly through your mouth for six, as though gently blowing on a candle flame. See it flickering, dancing - but never being snuffed entirely out.

Let's try that again.

First:

Tend to your posture, your gesture, you place of support.

Ready? Ok, again:

Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four - feeling the air filling your belly.

Hold this gently for a count of four.

Exhale softly through your mouth for six, as though gently blowing on a candle flame. See it flickering, dancing - but never being snuffed entirely out.

Repeat this pattern, letting your breath settle into a rhythm:

With each exhale, feel a weight releasing from your body, as though you are setting down a heavy bag you no longer need to carry. As though the task is over, as though you have arrived. Set down your burden with each exhalation.

Inhaling through the nose - deeply into the lungs for a four count:

1...2...3...4...

Nice!

Now, lets hold it full for four:

1...2...3...4...

Good.

Exhaling now through the mouth, blowing a candle's flame so that it flickers without quite going out. A six count for this:

1...2...3...4...5...6...

Excellent.

4 in

4 held

6 out with the breath and candle's flame dancing

Gentle Movement: Awakening the Body

If it feels right to you now, let's introduce gentle movements to awaken and unburden the body. Imagine you're tracing the arc of a sunrise:

* Slowly stretch your arms out to the side, as if welcoming the morning light. (If you're laying on your back, you can raise your arms for this practice, too - just over your chest rather than overhead. Simple!)

* Let your arms float upward, palms reaching toward the sky.

* Hold this reach briefly, sensing the space around you. Just as we'd been practicing with the breath.

* Lower your arms gently back to your sides, as though they are falling leaves, supported effortlessly by the empty air.

Repeat this movement a few times, breathing deeply and slowly - in through the nose and out through the mouth. Naturally breathing, allowing tension to melt away.

Continue to feel the support of the space your are in, the place you've chosen to rest, the breaths you've invited in...

These broad, slow, readily repeatable motions offer tension an opportunity to dissolve. With the breath and some patience, we can give them a fair chance to dissolve away.

The Flame Within: A Healing Metaphor

Picture yourself as a lantern in the night. At the heart of this lantern is a flame. It is small but steady. Even in times of darkness, this flame continues to burn.

Your breaths continue, your body now still...

This lantern wards off fears of the night.

This lantern lights the place you inhabit.

This lantern allows others to find you.

This lantern reminds you that the smallest of sparks can become a flame which can do all of this and remain perpetually present.

Now, as you breathe, imagine each inhale is fresh oxygen feeding this flame.

Inhaling through the nose to some deep place within the body.

Picture the lantern flame growing, little by little, over time. Always radiating warmth. It may flicker but it never goes out. This flame is your inner vitality, your essence that remains even during life’s many, many storms.

Exhaling from that same deep space, the lantern light flickers and sways - preparing to be renewed by the next inbreath.

Your breaths continue, your body enjoying this deep stillness...

Self-Soothing Touch

Place one hand over your heart and the other on your belly. Feel the rise and fall of your breath. Perhaps the hand press firmly, or simply rest their own weight upon you. Perhaps they massage in small circles, or stroke repeatedly in a welcome and rhythmic manner. However you touch - whatever pressure or frequency or type of touch - let it represent they way you wish the world had connected with you.

One hand over your heart and the other on your belly.

Breathing...

Supported...

Safe...

Whisper silently to yourself. Perhaps you're whispering something like:

* “I am here for myself.”

* “I honor this moment of care.”

* “Like the flame, I endure and grow.”

One hand over your heart and the other on your belly.

Breathing...

Whispering...

Supported...

Whispering...

Safe...

Whispering...

Perhaps you're whispering something like:

* “I can build support for myself.”

* “A simple breath is life support for a flame.”

* “I can hold myself up - a lantern for others.”

Let these affirmations echo within. The hands over your body are a reminder - you are your own sanctuary.

Returning to the Present

Gently wiggle your fingers and toes, bringing awareness back to your surroundings. Slowly open your eyes, noticing the textures, colors, & shapes around you. Rub your ears and jawline, perhaps your feet or thighs.

Take a moment to thank yourself for this time of connection.

Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe

Music cue:

Too Brief A Time To Be Anything

by HoliznaCC0

licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License.

Beneath the Ancient Oak

a Guided Meditation

Prologue

10 min.

Hello.

I'm Stephen Watson of SomedayFarm.org.

I invite you to find a comfortable position where your body feels supported and at ease. Take your time. I'm going to take my time...right alongside you.

Once you're comfortably seated, I invite to enjoy a slow breath. In through the nose and slowly. Out through the mouth when ready - letting it fully depart. Again? Ok. In through the nose - deeply and slowly. When it feels right, let it all out...slowly through the mouth.

Now, allow your eyes to softly close.

Take a deep breath in...hold it gently...and release it completely.

Once more, breathe deeply in...pause...and exhale fully.

Let your breathing find its natural rhythm, unhurried and unforced.

We are going to take our time with this meditation. We are going to be unhurried, here. Our unhurried presence is a gift. A gift that we can enjoy now and others can enjoy later.

Soak in this Now.

Settle your body in.

Settle your breath in.

Settle your mind in.

As you settle in, feel where your body connects to the Earth through the surface beneath you. Or, maybe surfaces. Perhaps through your sit bones or feet. Perhaps through your back. Maybe the cushion, or the floor. Perhaps the chair. For me, it is a lush carpet of moss on the North side of this extraordinary oak tree. Oh my, its so spongily soft. Soooo green. Notice these points of contact grounding you to this moment, to this place. With each breath, you settle more deeply into presence. I'm settling, too.

And breathing:

Inhaling slowly...

Exhaling completely.

Inhaling easily...

Exhaling more slowly.

Inhaling...

Exhaling...

That's it. Nice.

Let's begin; I'll tell the story of my meditation...

Your eyes are softly closed.

Your slow breathing will help to anchor you here.

Into a deep place within from the nose - and going slowly.

Out from that deep inner place through the mouth - and going so slowly.

My story will fill your mind.

And perhaps calm and quiet you.

And perhaps soften and open your heart.

And perhaps renew and ripen your spirit.

We will take our time and visualize.

We will feel it all.

Here we go...

You're in a comfortable position with gently closed eyes. You're supported and still. The breath is even and without strain.

Take a slow, deep breath in...hold it briefly...and release completely.

Once more: breathe in deeply...hold...and exhale fully.

Your breathing has found its natural rhythm - unhurried and effortless.

Each breath arrives and departs like a songbird on an evergreen bough.

Feel the weight of your body against the surface supporting you. Notice those points of contact again - your feet on the floor, your back against the chair, your hands resting in your lap. With each slow breath, you become more grounded, more present.

Inhale...

Exhale...

The Oak and I...

Begins at 10 min. Mark

I am standing at the edge of an ancient forest. This forest has memories that extend further back in time than my imaginings can reach. The morning air is crisp and clear, carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers and Earth and last evening's rain. Before me stretches a narrow path, worn smooth by countless feet over countless years. I smile at the large boulder behind the cedar tree - wondering if a glacier left it there long ago. I begin to walk, slowly. I'm in no hurry. I am devoted to mindfulness, today. I am devoted to mindfulness every time I visit the forest. I am feeling the soft ground beneath my steps. Sometimes a cat's soft paw padding past on a carpet, other times a crunch.

The forest welcomes me with dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy above. In Japanese, they call this light Komorebi. I wonder how Life itself filters through me and into my inner experience. Light and Shadow dance across my path. Peripherally, I keep being reminded of butterflies but when I turn my head...well, I haven't seen one - yet. The vibrant greens of Spring surround me - young ferns unfurling, moss-covered stones, and the varied textures of tree bark. I notice some deadfall that is familiar - from walks here in prior years. I notice some deadfall from this past Winter, too. Much of the forest is becoming horizontal and yet in this coming Spring season of renewal I know that much of the forest will reassert verticality.

I walk past willow, and beech. I marvel at the rare chestnut. I think that one might be an ash tree. I see tulip trees and sugar maples. There was a leaning red maple with new growth in new directions.

As I follow the gentle curve of the path, I notice the sounds of the forest - birdsong overhead, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the distant murmur of a stream. My own crunching steps. A branch falling through branches and into a cushion of leaf litter. Each step takes me deeper into this living sanctuary. I'm pretty sure that was a frog of some sort, sounding out just now.

The path gradually widens and leads me to a sun-drenched clearing. In the center stands a magnificent oak tree, its massive trunk speaking of centuries of growth, its branches reaching toward the Sky in a powerful gesture of patience and persistence. This oak could be a thousand years old! Many of its larger limbs are themselves far larger than the trunks of mature trees nearby.

I approach the ancient oak, aware that I am in the presence of a Teacher. This tree has witnessed the passage of countless seasons, weathered storms, provided shelter, dropped its acorns, and begun again - over and over through time. Time perhaps best measured in eons. I cannot count its cracks, its scars, it cankers. But it seems that the small world of abundant life in this forest can count on this oak. And has - for many seasons and will - for many more.

As I stand beneath the oak's sweeping limbs, I enjoy sensing the higher humidity here. The leaf litter beneath the oak holds the moisture here. The smell is stronger and richer. The air feels cooler. I begin to think of the bacteria, the fungus, the insects that come to appreciate and depend on this microenvironment. I wonder if I might spy Shiitake or Oyster mushrooms. Perhaps Turkey Tail or Reishi. They all seem to enjoy the oak. I make a mental note to look carefully at any oak branches that have fallen into shady bits - maybe I'll wonder at a mushroom's fruiting body and make a good guess at its type.

At the base of the oak is a natural hollow, forming a perfect seat against its trunk.

I seek permission to touch the Oak. I bow. I draw nearer.

Inhale...

Exhale...

I rest against its trunk, feeling the subtle energy flowing between us - this ancient being and myself.

I settle myself there in the hollow-seat at its base. I am feeling the solid strength of the tree against my back. The ground beneath this hollow-seat is cushioned with soft moss and fallen leaves.

Inhale...

Exhale...

This ancient oak represents the wisdom of cycles, the wisdom of seasons. It stands as a testament to resilience, to deep-rootedness, to the power of slow and steady growth. The oak may be more like the stones of the forest than its fellow trees. It has such a long view of time and of life.

I begin to think (or maybe I am feeling) that the tree communicates with me best through silent contact. I make a mental note to reconsider the power of touch in my own relationships...outside of the forest.

Inhale...

Exhale...

I offer my attention to my own cycles and seasons. Like this tree, I too have weathered storms. I've dropped my acorns. I've had birds briefly perch upon my limbs. I've experienced the dormancy of Winter, the hopeful budding of Spring, the full bloom of Summer, and the necessary release of Autumn. I've had bears clawing at my bark, woodpeckers relentlessly rapping at my sides, beetles boring under my skin. I've had my share of limbs fall to the ground around me. Each season has shaped me, taught me, transformed me.

Inhaling deeply...

Exhaling slowly...

The oak does not rush its growth. It does not flower before its time. It does not cling to its leaves when Autumn calls for release. It spends a great amount of time and energy producing thousands of acorns each year...only to freely offer them to whomsoever may find a need. It might be a hungry bear, another hungry bear, or of course the many hungry squirrels of the forest. The oak stands in perfect harmony with the rhythms of nature, neither resisting nor forcing the natural flow of life. The natural flow that is and becomes the forest. The natural flow that is and becomes this oak.

Inhaling so deeply...

Exhaling so slowly...

Oh! A butterfly. I always thought they might better be called Flutterbys. That's what they do. And while we're at it - aren't squirrels really Squiggles? That's what they do.

As I breathe here in this sacred space, I consider what season I am currently experiencing in my own life. Is this a time of new beginnings? A time of full expression? A time of necessary endings? Or perhaps a time of quiet restoration?

Whatever season I am in, I acknowledge its purpose and its wisdom. I release the need to be in any season other than the one I am experiencing now. Like the oak, I can trust the natural unfolding of my life.

A fox seemingly swims past the elder trees and the older stones. Inaudible and impossibly smooth. I think I hear an owl hoot or coo. Somewhere the scent of death, of rot - which I know is the scent of life. I'm inspired to consider how an oak plays host to and shelters countless species, from birds to insects to mammals. And lizards and lichen and more. An oak's canopy provides nesting sites, while its trunks and branches offer innumerable and perfectly cozy hiding spots for smaller creatures.

Inhaling effortlessly and ever so deeply...

Exhaling quietly and ever so slowly...

I feel the solidity of the tree against my back, and I imagine drawing that same groundedness into my deepest being. I visualize roots extending from the base of my spine, reaching down into the Earth, anchoring me firmly to this moment, to this place. Roots the communicate and share and connect.

With each breath, I draw up nourishment from these imagined roots. Earth energy flows upward through my body, filling me with stability and strength. And a cosmic certainty. I am held, supported, & truly connected to the vast web of life.

As I rest here, I offer these intentions silently:

* "May I honor the season I am in."

* "May I trust everything's natural cycles of growth and rest."

* "May I stand rooted in my own truth."

* "May I extend my branches toward the light, even as I weather the storms."

I sit quietly with these intentions, allowing them to sink deeply into my consciousness. The ancient oak stands with me in silent companionship, its presence a reminder of what it means to live in harmony with the natural world and with my own nature.

Inhale...

Exhale...

The breeze stirs the leaves overhead, creating a gentle rustling song. I listen to this music of nature, letting it wash over me, cleanse me, remind me of the beauty of simply being. I begin to think of the song of sunlight filtering through the canopy. And the song of shadow. The choir of Komorebi.

Inhale...

Exhale...

When I feel complete with this experience, I begin to deepen my breath. I wiggle my fingers and toes, gently roll my shoulders, bringing awareness back to my physical body. I invite you to, as well.

Slowly, I open my eyes. I am now seeing and feeling and thinking with the wisdom of the ancient oak. I've an understanding that I too am a natural being, perfectly attuned to cycles of growth, rest, and renewal. I, too am an ecosystem.

I take a moment to bow in gratitude to this Teacher, this ancient one who has shared its wisdom so generously.

And I thank you for joining me...

Thank you.

Love.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe