Meditation: May 26th, 2025

"The ancient ones knew that as May reaches toward June, the world stands perfectly poised between promise and fulfillment—a sacred moment when we may glimpse the beginnings of all things ..."

Physical Setting & Preparation

Find a place where you can witness evidence of seasonal transition—perhaps where flowering plants are beginning to form seed pods, or where fruit trees display both blossoms and small forming fruits. If possible, position yourself where you can feel the warmth of late spring sun while still sensing the earth's coolness beneath you. Bring a small object from nature that represents transformation—a feather, a seed, or a stone smoothed by water. Remove your shoes and allow your bare soles to connect directly with the living earth. Sit or stand with your posture both grounded and receptive—feet or sitting bones firmly connected to earth, heart and crown open to sky. Place your hands on your thighs with palms up, or rest one hand over your heart and the other on your belly, connecting your emotional and instinctual centers.

Nature and the aspect of Awe and Gratification combined

Opening Invocation | Fosgladh

"Air an latha seo de Chèitean, tha mi a' seasamh aig doras an t-samhraidh." On this day of May, I stand at summer's doorway.

"Tha mi a' gairm air a' Mhàthair Thalmhainn, banaltruman gach creutair." I call upon Mother Earth, nurse of all creatures.

"Eadar an t-àm a chaidh seachad agus an t-àm ri teachd, tha mi beò san làthair." Between the time that has passed and the time to come, I live in the present.

"Fosgail mo chridhe do ghliocas an atharrachaidh." Open my heart to the wisdom of transformation.

Become fully present to this specific moment on May 26th. Feel how the earth approaches summer's threshold, carrying the accumulated momentum of spring while anticipating summer's fullness. Notice the distinctive quality of life around you—the birds now fully engaged in nesting or raising young, the insects busily pollinating, the plants growing with confident vigor. The light has a particular character today—neither spring's changeable brilliance nor summer's steady heat, but a luminous clarity that belongs uniquely to this transition time. This precise confluence of energies exists only now, in this fleeting moment of the year's great turning.

Body of the Working | Corp

"Tha mi nam phàirt den t-saoghal mhòr, mo chuisle a' bualadh le cridhe na talmhainn." I am part of the great world, my pulse beating with the heart of the earth.

"Tha gach anail a' toirt dhomh beatha ùr, gach làtha 'nam thòiseachadh ùr." Each breath gives me new life, each day a new beginning.

As you deepen into presence, become aware of a feeling of gratitude arising within your being. Like morning dew gathering on leaves, there is a sweet recognition of abundance and blessing in everything that surrounds you.

"Tha taing a' lìonadh mo chridhe mar a lìonas solas a' choille." Gratitude fills my heart as light fills the forest.

Let this gratitude spread throughout your body. Feel it as a warm softening around your heart, a gentle relaxation of your facial muscles, a slight lifting at the corners of your mouth. The natural world constantly embodies this gratitude—the flower that turns unfailingly toward the sun, the tree that sends forth leaves in perfect response to spring's call, the bird that sings its appreciation of dawn.

"Tha m' anam a' togail òrain taingealachd don bheatha." My soul raises a song of thankfulness to life.

Now, notice how your gratitude is accompanied by a sense of awe—a breathtaking recognition of the mysterious vastness and intricacy of existence. Like standing at the edge of an ancient forest or looking up at a night sky brilliant with stars, you feel both humbled and expanded by the wonder that surrounds you.

"Tha iongnadh a' gabhail còmhnaidh annam mar a ghabhlas anfhàileadh sa ghaoith." Wonder dwells in me as fragrance dwells in the wind.

Experience this awe as a slight widening of your eyes, a momentary pause in your breath, a subtle tingling along your spine. The natural world continuously evokes this awe—the perfect symmetry of a snowflake, the immense journey of migrating birds, the silent intelligence that guides a seed to become precisely the plant it is meant to be.

"Ann an làthair mìorbhailean an t-saoghail, tha mi gun fhacail." In the presence of the world's miracles, I am without words.

Allow these two energies—gratitude and awe—to flow together within your being. They are natural companions, each deepening and enhancing the other. Your gratitude opens the door to awe; your awe deepens your gratitude.

The Deep Working | An Obair Dhomhain

"Ann an eadar-àm a' Chèitein, tha iuchair gu saoghal nas doimhne." In May's threshold time, there is a key to a deeper world.

Close your eyes and visualize yourself sitting beside a clear stream that flows through a flowering meadow. Late afternoon sun casts long, golden light across the scene, illuminating countless minute details—water droplets on leaves, pollen drifting through air, intricate patterns of bark and stone. Mother Earth rises to meet you through points of contact with the ground, her ancient presence flowing upward through your body like sap rising in spring trees.

"Tha an talamh a' bruidhinn rium tro bhonnagan mo chasan, tro shàilean mo làmhan." The earth speaks to me through the soles of my feet, through the palms of my hands.

Feel how your gratitude connects you to the web of relationship that sustains all life—the recognition that your existence depends on countless gifts freely given. This gratitude is not merely an emotion but a state of being, a way of inhabiting the world with the knowledge that nothing is truly earned or owned, but all is received.

"Anns an taing, tha mi a' faicinn an fhìrinn—chan urrainn dhomh a bhith beò leam fhèin." In gratitude, I see the truth—I cannot live by myself alone.

Mother Earth whispers that true gratitude arises not from comparison or judgment but from presence—from actually seeing what is given in each moment. When we approach the world with gratitude, we recover our original relationship with life, experiencing existence itself as an unearned gift rather than a resource to exploit or a challenge to overcome.

"Tha taing a' fosgladh mo chridhe do ionmhas an t-saoghail." Gratitude opens my heart to the world's treasure.

Now, feel how your awe connects you to the mystery at the heart of existence—the recognition that life is fundamentally miraculous, that the ordinary world is in fact extraordinary beyond comprehension. This awe is not distant amazement but intimate encounter, like meeting the gaze of a wild animal and recognizing the ancient intelligence that looks back at you.

"Ann an iongnadh, tha mi a' mothachadh air meud agus mìorbhail na beatha." In wonder, I become aware of the greatness and miracle of life.

Mother Earth reveals that authentic awe arises not from seeking the spectacular but from perceiving the miraculous within the mundane—the unfathomable complexity within a single leaf, the cosmic story told by an ordinary stone, the ancient lineage visible in the eyes of a squirrel or sparrow.

"Tha a h-uile nì cumanta a' giùlan dìomhaireachd dhomhainn." Every common thing carries deep mystery.

Feel the healing power of Mother Earth harmonizing these energies within you. She teaches that gratitude without awe can become transactional entitlement; awe without gratitude can become distant spectating. When balanced, they create the perfect state for authentic participation—receiving life's gifts with thankfulness while standing amazed at their mystery.

"Eadar taing agus iongnadh, tha mi a' lorg slighe a' ghliocais." Between gratitude and wonder, I find the path of wisdom.

Let this understanding illuminate your experience of the season. May 26th embodies this same dance between gratitude and awe—the world offering abundant gifts while simultaneously revealing unfathomable mysteries. Neither taking life's offerings for granted nor standing apart from them in bewilderment, but receiving them with both thankfulness and wonder.

"Mar a ghabhas an talamh ri solus na grèine le taing is iongnadh, mar sin nì mise." As the earth receives the sun's light with gratitude and wonder, so will I.

Afterthought | Smuain Dheiridh

Take a moment to contemplate:

How might the integration of gratitude and awe transform your relationship with both ordinary experiences and difficult challenges? What shifts in your perception when you approach each moment as both a gift to be thankful for and a mystery to be wondered at?

Closing Blessing | Beannachd Dheiridh

"Gun robh do chridhe fosgailte do ghràsan gach latha." May your heart be open to each day's blessings.

"Gun robh do shùilean a' faicinn mìorbhailean anns gach nì cumanta." May your eyes see miracles in every common thing.

"Gun robh thu comasach air gabhail gu taingeil ris a h-uile nì a thig thugad." May you be able to receive thankfully all that comes to you.

"Gun robh iongnadh air do chuideachd feadh uile thursan do bheatha." May wonder be your companion through all your life's journeys.

"Gun robh an cothrom eadar taing agus iongnadh a' fuireach annad." May the balance between gratitude and wonder remain in you.

"Tha mi taingeil don Mhàthair Thalmhainn airson a teagasg." I am grateful to Mother Earth for her teaching.

"Slàn leat, a Mhàthair mhòr, gu ruige an ath choinneamh." Farewell, great Mother, until our next meeting.

Hold the natural object you brought to your meditation, acknowledging the transformation it represents. Return it to the earth or carry it with you, as feels appropriate. Place your hands on the earth in gratitude, then bring them to your heart, carrying the earth's blessing within you. Take three deep breaths before returning to your day, carrying the balanced energies of gratitude and awe as guides for perceiving the ordinary world with fresh eyes.