This is Five and Nine, a podcast newsletter at the intersection of magic, work and economic justice. Welcome to Season 1, Episode 5. We are pleased to share we are now available on Apple Podcasts.
Listen to the podcast now, or read the transcript below, or both!
Resources
Dream of the Mountains, composed by August Labitzky and performed by the Victor Orchestra in 1906.
Daring Compassion Movement Chaplaincy Training, by the Faith Matters Network and hosted on the School of Global Citizenry
Transcript
The meditation that we offer today on this new moon is a blending or connection between metta practice, which is loving-kindness meditation in the Buddhist tradition, and tarot. Before we begin, we invite you to find a comfortable place to sit, lie down, or even stand and to arrange your space in a way that is soothing and comfortable for you—that might be lighting incense, burning some candles, etc.
There's an optional tarot practice within this meditation, and we invite you to keep your tarot deck nearby. But if you don't have one, it's not necessary.
We'll start by taking a deep breath in for 5 seconds.
And hold for 5 seconds.
And a deep breath out for 5 seconds.
A deep breath in.
And a deep breath out.
Notice the sensations of the breath in the nostrils, the chest, the belly, being grateful for this breath, sitting in this moment.
If you have a tarot deck in front of you, I invite you to shuffle the deck and draw one card. Place that card in front of you, look at it, examine it. What does it bring up for you? What does it make you think of? This card represents you in this moment. Listen to the thoughts that arise, acknowledge them, and let them pass.
This card before you is here to bring insight into your state of mind about yourself and who you are in this moment. The next time you draw a card, it will be a different card in a different moment and a different expression of who you are.
Placing a hand on your heart center, I invite you to extend the feeling of warmth and love to your heart and to yourself. Extend that feeling of warmth and love to fill your torso, extending down your legs, to your arms and your neck, up into your head, breathing outward, breathing inward, as you extend this feeling of love to yourself.
I invite you to recite these lines of metta, or loving-kindness. You can speak them aloud or just follow along in your mind.
May I be happy and at peace
May I find rest and community care
May I honor rituals that ground and center me
May I listen without fixing
May I be at ease and comfortable
May I be free from burnout and frustration
May I build the world of justice I seek
May I know that world is often out of reach
May I be safe from harm and danger
May I be happy and at peace
I now invite you to think of a friend, someone you've been thinking about lately who could benefit from some loving-kindness right now.
If you have a deck in front of you, I invite you to draw another card. This card represents the person you're thinking of. It might be a joyful card, sorrowful card, a neutral or practical card. Place one hand on your heart center and extend the other one outward towards the card that represents your friend or loved one.
Imagine your friend, this loved one, on the other side. I invite you to either think or recite these metta messages.
May you be happy and at peace
May you find rest and community care
May you honor rituals that ground and center you
May you listen without fixing
May you be at ease and comfortable
May you be free from burnout and frustration
May you build the world of justice you seek
May you know that world is often out of reach
May you be safe from harm and danger
May you be happy and at peace
Now, if you have your deck in front of you, I invite you to draw a third and final card. This card represents something you can bring to the world right now. It might be a skill, a mindset, a perspective, maybe just kind words, maybe just sitting in silence.
This is what you can bring in this moment to anyone who's suffering, anyone who's struggling. I invite you to place two hands on your heart center, as we extend metta outward to all beings.
May all beings be happy and at peace
May all beings find rest and community care
May all beings honor rituals that ground and center them
May all beings listen without fixing
May all beings be at ease and comfortable
May all beings be free from burnout and frustration
May all beings build the world of justice they seek
May all beings know that world is often out of reach
May all beings be safe from harm and danger
May all beings be happy and at peace
Looking at this spread in front of you — one card represents you. One card represents the person that you've been thinking of. And one card represents something you can bring to the world right now.
We bow to ourselves, our loved ones, and to all those who are suffering and struggling in this moment.
And we bow to this moment.
Ana: This meditation was something I wrote as part of a final project for a class on movement chaplaincy, or chaplaincy for social movements, hosted by the Faith Matters Network and the School of Global Citizenry.1
I'd like to thank the network and the TA’s for giving feedback. I hope it's brought a little bit of ease and benefit to your world right now.
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Listen to Podcast Season 1, Episode 4: Finding a New Constellation in Our Grief, with Indira Allegra:
Five and Nine is a podcast newsletter at the intersection of magic, work and economic justice. We publish “moonthly” — a newsletter every new moon 🌚 and podcasts on full moons 🌝 — , and we provide an ongoing critical discussion through readings, reflections and debate. In this new world, we’re all rethinking the meaning of work and justice in our lives. Our lives and livelihoods are more essential than ever in identifying ways forward for society that can be grounded in care, compassion and sustainability.
During our pilot period, every issue of Five and Nine is free, and after the pilot, we’ll publish more regularly, with paid and free options. Learn more about us here.
Directors of Magic. Dorothy R. Santos and Xiaowei R. Wang
Creative Director. Xiaowei R. Wang
Producer. Ana Mina (aka An Xiao)
Subscribe now to get our next newsletter. As a podcast newsletter, Five and Nine brings the conversation to text and sound. All podcasts are fully transcribed to encourage accessibility.
Producer’s Note: The original meditation I developed for the class was the metta lines. I adapted it for a Five and Nine audience by adding some tarot as well.
