Metta with Clay

Our closing circle

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This closing practice to the retreat involved the loving-kindness instructions from Salzburg (1995). Participants gathered in a circle of chairs to honor the community of the retreat. This practice was offered as a way to symbolize and close with a meditation highlighting the interconnection to all beings. It was also offered to cultivate compassion for self and all other beings. While holding clay, we reflect on the shared existence of all creatures as well as the link to our shared origination of stardust.

Instructions for Metta or Loving Kindness Meditation

As we sit together in this final practice, I encourage you hold your clay in a posture that is comfortable, closing your eyes or casting a soft gaze. I encourage you to find a position that supports an expression of gratitude for your clay companion what experiences it has brought to you today and the great history it has been part of. For the land it has supported and for the life that is made from. Now it holds your fingerprints, your energy, your embrace. It has brought us together as a group and will go on to support future explorations, and to become. Possibly a cup, or a pinch pot, or to hold the form you gift to it. Settling into our seat, with the weight of our clay companion, we breath easy, and settle into kind, loving thoughts.

As you hold your clay and are generating compassion and loving kindness, I invite you to think of a being whom you find easy to love. It could be a being present or past, and I invite you to think of their face. Perhaps you lovingly hold or stroke your clay, as you would their lovely face. Silently or quietly we send well wishes.

"May you be healthy

May you be happy

May you be safe

May you live with ease"

Next, I invite you to take that same loving energy to yourself. You too are worthy of this loving-kindness and compassion.

"May I be healthy

May I be happy

May I be safe

May I live with ease"

Now bringing into mind someone we may feel neutral toward. Perhaps we often see them, but do not know them, and they too are part of this shared world, so we send them the same well wishes

"May you be healthy

May you be happy

May you be safe

May you live with ease"

Next, I invite you to bring a being that you may challenge you or perhaps you disagree with or may have caused you harm. They, just like all other beings are part of this earth, this history and if they suffer we all suffer. Dipping into the deepest part of compassion and loving-kindness, I invite you to send wishes their way.

"May you be healthy

May you be happy

May you be safe

May you live with ease"

Lastly I invite you to send your loving kindness and compassion like a light that penetrates the earth below you, above you and all around. Boundless through distance, time and space.

"May all beings be healthy

May all beings be happy

May all beings be safe

May all beings live with ease"