Black Forest Chapel

The sun has almost set here in the black forest. Dusky light filters down through the leaves overhead, falling and landing to form a golden patchwork on the forest floor. As the sun sinks down into its slumber, the trees seem to sigh, content at the closing of another day. There is much more to see, but before we do, let's take a moment for a short wind down exercise. Tonight's wind down is a visualization. So when you are ready, let's begin. So, no matter what's been going on today, whether it's been a busy day or a calm one, this is an opportunity to put everything down, to let go of any inner chatter, and find a place of rest in both the body and the mind. So first, get yourself comfortable in bed, just taking a moment to pause and be still. And when you are ready, taking a big deep breath, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And as you breathe out, allowing the body to sink down into your bed, feeling the weight of the body, allowing thoughts to come and go. Now imagining a steady flow of warm sunlight flowing down through the body, dissolving any tension, any discomfort as it begins to fill the body starting with the toes, moving up through the feet and the legs, being filled with sunlight. The qualities of warmth, space, and ease as it continues to travel up through the body, up past the waist, through the back, and the stomach. It's as though it washes away any discomfort. It continues up through the chest and the upper back into the shoulders and down the arms all the way down to the hands and fingers. A sense of relief in the body, and stillness in the mind as it continues to travel up through the neck and the throat, into the head and face, all the way to the very top of the body until there's nothing other than that sense of stillness remaining. And now just gently bringing the attention back to the body. Deep in the bosom of the Black Forest, the trees seem to extend their branches in a tender gesture of welcome. An enveloping sense of Waldeinsamkeit fills the air here. A sense of perfect solitude in the forest. But a whole bustling world of animal life can be heard on the other side of the silence. A gentle hoot-hoot pipes up, like a woodwind instrument, blown to an unheard beat. A pygmy owl is nestling on a gnarly branch above. This pint-sized bird has emerged from its hiding place to decorate the airwaves with its call. The body of this feathery forest dweller is brown like gingerbread, and speckled with tiny buff white spots. The tail feathers are a few shades darker, something closer to hot chocolate, and banded with slim, white stripes like frosting on a tiny cupcake. The bird's white belly, on the other hand, is...