Revisiting the Ache—A Conversation with Your Own Longing
Sacred Ache: Week 5 - Opening the Door to What is Waiting for You
A Soft Return
We began the Sacred Ache Workshop with a simple awareness:
Dear One, I am really here for you.
We wondered (and wandered) for a while in and out of a garden and a forest and a river.Now, I want to bring us back to what we came here for. No more theories to untangle. No more thinking - only feeling. Only sensing. Only sanctuary — stillness and warmth.
That’s what this space was made for. A quiet place where you can rest. Where the whisper of the heart and the ache of the soul are heard. Where you are met, exactly as you are.
Opening the Door to What is Waiting for You
Last week, we entered the river. We let the water carry us, cleanse us, prepare us. And when we stepped onto the bank, something was waiting—a new set of clothing, fresh and clean, waiting just for us.
Then, we walked forward—out of the old garden, into the wide, new world.
I wonder . . .
what did that feel like for you?
Welcome to Week Five
Today, I’m changing up the format of the workshop. I’m sensing you out there - listening, engaging with the work on your own. I want to engage more with you. So, going forward, I am going to record every workshop, in its entirety. I want you to hear me read and engage and reflect on the work. I want you to imagine that we are sitting together in a circle around a campfire.
There are 55 people in this workshop - people from all over the world. I want you to sense into that. To know that you are not workshopping alone. We are in this together - exploring the Sacred Ache.
To that end, here is my recording of the entire workshop, including this week’s meditation. I’d be delighted to hear from you about this new format. Leave your thoughts and reflections in the comments.
Here we go:
Last week, you climbed out of the river and . . .
What clothing was waiting for you?
How did it feel to put it on? Was there anything you’d change? Imagine you can wear anything you want as you walk away from the river? What would you wear? Imagine yourself wearing that now.What did you leave behind in the water?
(You don’t have to tell us if it’s private - but consider, what did you release to the river bed?) It’s been a week since you floated in the river. Is there anything else you’d like to release? In today’s meditation, we’ll let that go, too.
What now?
As you walked away, leaving the river behind, where were you headed? Do you know? If so, consider HOW you knew which way to turn? Was it a gut feeling? A shift in the wind? A sign? What guided your steps? If not, make it up. If you could go in any direction, where might you go? Imagine you are walking there. Plenty of time to make the journey. Try not to get caught in the practicalities of how to make anything happen. We are dreaming together. This is pretend play. A flight of fancy.
A Gentle Invitation: Walking into the Dream
This week, we return to that crossing—to the moment when you stepped away from the river, over the hill, into the unknown.
If you were being led by a deep and tender ache, a down-in-the-belly sense of direction… where would it take you?
You don’t need to “figure it out.” Just dream with me.
Let’s take a walk in that direction . . .
After the meditation:
Journaling Prompt:
If my Sacred Ache could speak to me today, what might it say?
What might it tell me about the past?
About the future?
What wisdom might the ache, deep in my soul, be offering me today?
A Soft, Effortless Practice: (For those who may not feel like writing)
Find a quiet moment. Hand over heart.
Breathe and ask: Where does the ache live in me today?
Rest your awareness there, as if sitting beside a dear friend.
Nothing to say or do. Just sit together.
If feeling arises, let it move. Move your hand to where the feeling is. Sit with the feeling.
If thoughts or memories rise, let them rise. Watch them like clouds across a blue sky.
Notice what you notice. Let this be easy - simple.
No goal. No outcome. Whatever happens is perfect.
A Gentle Practice for the Week
An Optional Ritual: (For those who want to deepen)
Write a letter to your ache. By this process, acknowledging that you are aware of it, that you can feel it and hear its call, you make it sacred.
Imagine that your Sacred Ache is writing to you. Listen as if taking dictation. A soft, quiet way of channeling the voice of your deeper self. Let it surprise you. Let it guide you.
Closing Blessing
Dear One, your longing is not exile. It is a path. A doorway. A guide.
You were never lost. You were always being led.
Call to Gentle Engagement:
If you feel moved to share, tell us: What did your Sacred Ache whisper to you today?
(Or simply tell us: “I was here. I listened.” Your presence is enough.)
Program Notes, I promised to give you these links
Walking with Shekinah:
The chapter of The Book of Splendor (work in progress) around which this workshop was built
The Temple of The Rose (2 references)
This week’s post about my own wrestling with the Sacred Ache (and the pilot light on our hot water heater)
The Temple of the Rose, the channeled message that helped me through
And here is the button so you can comment and share. See you by the campfire.
