Grounded at Duke

Get grounded and stay grounded at Duke. 

Say the Thing and Duke Gardens have partnered to bring you wise words from great thinkers reimagined by Duke students and staff. Anchored in the awe of the outdoors, this meditation collection is curated to help you connect to your values, reflect on your life’s story, and get grounded. Say the Thing is a collaboration between Duke Chapel and the Kenan Institute for Ethics that invites people to tap into the bigger story of their lives—who they’ve been, who they are, who they hope to become.

Each month we highlight a new meditation as we grow our collection. Enjoy this month’s special selection.

FOR OPENNESS

“To pray, you open your whole self to sky, to earth, to sun, to moon, to one whole voice that is you.” You are limited and expansive. Time runs like a line and bends like a circle. We are individual and forever interconnected. It can be hard to hold paradoxical truths in our heads, but we must stay open, always, to the complexity of the truth.

Voiced by Jaden Dejesus; recorded by Jimmy Paton; produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

We’ve curated a collection of meditations to help keep you grounded. Authors. Enjoy in an any modality.

FOR QUIETUDE

“Ask the world to reveal its quietude.” Don’t believe the world is only harsh, only aggressive, only unforgiving. The world can be sharp. And also, there is great gentleness; there is great tenderness everpresent. Listen low. Listen past the machines and commitments. Listen underneath the busyness. There’s peace and beauty there.

Voiced by Tsedensodnom (Terry) Uranbold; recorded by Jimmy Paton; produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR REST

“Belong to the end and beginning of all things.” You were made to be unburdened. At least for a little while. It’s essential for us to return to our unfettered, unimpeded, unencumbered selves. It renews us. When we return from deep rest, our connections to the world and all that lives in it are reforged. We remember our right place and to all that we belong.

Voiced by Lalie Marie, Recorded by Jimmy Paton, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR HOPE

“A spark of kindness made a light. The light made an opening in the darkness.” The world can be dim, dark, isolating. It’s easy to get caught in a bleak spiral. But look closely. Diligently. There are small kindnesses all around. Though small they crack open the oppressive dark. Hope is the way forward. Hope is the way through.

Voiced by Barbara Ofosu-Somuah, Recorded by Jimmy Paton, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR STILLNESS

“You are where breathing is prayer.” Close your eyes, slowly breathe in and slowly breathe out. Let your muscles relax and ground yourself. In that attentive silence, ordinary breathing transforms into a sacred act of presence and prayer. In a world trained to be urgent, stillness has become a quiet act of resistance and reclamation.

Voiced by Tsedensodnom (Terry) Uranbold, Videoed, Edited and Recorded by Jimmy Paton, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR RECONNECTION

“Remember you are this universe and this universe is you.”
Release the notion that you are solitary. There are signs of life all around. You are supported by the many lives teeming around you. You are not alone. In a world trained to be urgent, stillness has become a quiet act of resistance and reclamation.

Voiced by Barbara Ofosu-Somuah, Videoed and Edited by Jimmy Paton, Recorded by Madison Daniel, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR SOFTENING

“The door to the mind should only open from the heart.” In our daily lives we encounter so many people: some gentle, some challenging. Curiosity can halt us from converting a challenging person into an enemy. But curiosity can be hard to summon. To be curious, we must first soften. And to be soft, we must engage the heart.

Voiced by Barbara Ofosu-Somuah, Videoed and Edited by Jimmy Paton, Recorded by Madison Daniel, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR COURAGE

“Courage is not a blustering manifestation of strength and power.” The deepest courage is quiet and steady, revealed & grown through daily living. Every time you’ve made an authentic choice you’ve built strength to act in accordance to what is right for both you and the wider world. You have courage. You are strong.

Voiced by em liptow, Videoed and Edited by Jimmy Paton, Recorded by Madison Daniel, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR CENTERING

“We look at ourselves in this waiting moment—the kinds of people we are.” Pause for a moment. Center down. Being still will allow you to linger on what you cherish most. Put the emphasis on your values. Listen to the answers for which your heart makes clear. Move back into your life, refreshed. Come back to yourself.

Voiced by Sophie Reese, Videoed and Edited by Jimmy Paton, Recorded by Sophie Reese, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

FOR TENACITY

“Answer life with life.” Sometimes we feel disheartened. If you’re experiencing that feeling, take a breath. Visualize your favorite tree. Keep this card. Scan here whenever you are in need of tenacity. Act like her: reach for the skies, embrace the wind, and do not give up. You are nimble. You are also steady.

Voiced by Sophie Reese, Videoed and Edited by Jimmy Paton, Recorded by Sophie Reese, Produced by the Rev. Leah Torrey.

Questions?

Please contact us at gardens@duke.edu.