We love all of our teachers, but we especially love Elizabeth Stamper. She is the voice behind our guided meditations. She has worked with mala for many years. Elizabeth is also an incredible writer, and has a book on Love coming out soon. We thought we would give you a little sneak peak here. Check out Elizabeth’s guided meditation on Love.
“The reality of love is found in the secret of eternal divine presence …
Love is one of God’s attributes, and being a lover is His profession; He Himself is the lover, and He is of the same color as love.”
~ Ruzbihan Baqli, 13th century Sufi Mystic
Mystics are lovers. Living in the awareness of the “eternal divine presence”, they know this presence as love. Some mystics call this presence God, and to them the secret of this presence is revealed by the feeling of love. When we experience love, God is unveiled! God is always here — love just blows His cover.
A few years ago, Mike and I were flying to California, and on the last leg of the trip, we sat behind a young mother with a nursing baby in her lap and another little girl beside her. Throughout much of the two hour trip, the woman spoke in very harsh tones to her daughter. As I heard this scolding over and over, I felt sad and I wondered — what could the little one be doing that was so “wrong” — that could elicit her mother’s cold, punishing words?
Oh, but God is kind, always giving me an opportunity to learn and practice — always giving me a chance to invite the color of love back into our black and white, right or wrong worlds.
So, on the plane, I practiced. I grounded myself with slow, deep breaths and by extending awareness to the strong, healing energy of the Mother Earth. I prayed for my perception of the young mother to be healed for as long as I was judging her, then I could not feel the reality of love. My perception of the little girl had to change, too, because seeing her as a victim (however true that might be on some level) still disempowered her, villainized the mom and helped no one.
And then I extended peace to each of them. I swept the mother’s field with light and visualized all her pain draining away from her. Silently, I whispered to her, Be kinder to yourself so that you can be kinder to your little girl. And I knew I meant the little one beside her as well as the one inside her. Soon I noticed the quiet in the row in front of us, and we all fell asleep.
Later, when we were debarking, I got to help the mom unfold a stroller and she let me lift the little girl up and set her in it. I was rewarded with a shy, beautiful, big-eyed smile . . . and the smile —I’m sure — was the same color as love.