Medicine Bag
Purpose: How Wholeness Can Heal.
Our experiences are our teachers, the lessons learned, the love shared. In the Medicine Bag we write down and gather together the events that are too important to forget—the peak and valley moments of our lives. By putting them in one place we can refer to them as need be. You may want to take some extra time for this section, or do it in different sittings.
Inspiration: Arlington Cemetery of the Soul
The Medicine Bag
is the practice
Of taking time to remember
Moments
That are too important to forget
Resting in peace
Doesn’t come from closure—
But from honoring
And integrating a whole life.
Joe Zarantonello
Meditation
Get comfortable. Close your eyes. Follow your breath; watch it as it leaves your body, and as it returns. It always returns. Now relax your neck. Relax your belly. Relax your jaw. Take a few minutes.
Technique
Reflect back over your life. Look for peak and valley experiences. A childhood event you’ve never forgotten, the day of marriage, birth of a child, loss of a loved one, divorce, traumatic events, and major accomplishments—the events that have shaped your life. When one comes to mind write it down. Title it and date it. Write down the essence of each experience, no more than half a page.
Example