Meditation isn’t always intense and full of drama but it has its moments. It is true that still waters run deep. By dedicating myself, humbly, to the process of meditation I’ve been able to drag several, DeSoto, sized, obstacles from my soul’s closet and into the light of awareness. I definitely feel as if my mortal load has been lightened. Good riddance.
For example, a good, friend got engaged and she and her fiancé were moving away. The sadness that I felt when I learned that they were leaving was a sadness that reflected something deeper in me than the notion of saying goodbye to a friend. My sadness was out of proportion to the circumstances. I used these feelings as a catalyst in my early meditations. Revelation came through a peeling away of the surface emotions and digging deeper. I soon realized that my out of proportion reactions to good-bye went back much, much further than my current circumstances. There was a little girl deep inside who didn’t understand that saying goodbye is part of life. I found her, explained some things and now she gets it. She still doesn’t like it but she gets it.
I was thirty nine when I embarked on this spiritual adventure. I had made many half hearted attempts in the past, generally when the proverbial shit was hitting the proverbial fan but this time I decided to fully and indefinitely commit. Sitting quietly for forty five minutes was a challenge at first but after a few sessions I began to look forward to it. The first few times I meditated I’d sit with my eyes closed for what seemed like an hour only to take a peek at the clock and realize that ten minutes had passed. After a few sessions I was able to still myself to the point that when I finally peeked at the clock more than an hour had passed. Eventually I stopped thinking about the clock entirely.
The more I am able to ‘let go’ the deeper my stillness becomes. I use two techniques to relax and still myself physically and spiritually. Both techniques require me to sit comfortably, back straight, shoulders down and back (sit up straight) with my eyes closed. In the first technique I imagine a current similar to a river originating in my solar plexus and exiting through my extremities, hands, feet, groin and head. As I imagine the flow of the current I repeat the phrase, “let go.” I imagine the current flowing out of me taking every trace of negativity that is in me along with it. The second technique is similar to the first. The difference is in the second I imagine that my body is permeable and I imagine love blowing through me like a summer breeze across a screened porch. When I get to the place where I feel conducive I still my thoughts completely and I listen. I meditate in this fashion three to five times a week.
For example, a good, friend got engaged and she and her fiancé were moving away. The sadness that I felt when I learned that they were leaving was a sadness that reflected something deeper in me than the notion of saying goodbye to a friend. My sadness was out of proportion to the circumstances. I used these feelings as a catalyst in my early meditations. Revelation came through a peeling away of the surface emotions and digging deeper. I soon realized that my out of proportion reactions to good-bye went back much, much further than my current circumstances. There was a little girl deep inside who didn’t understand that saying goodbye is part of life. I found her, explained some things and now she gets it. She still doesn’t like it but she gets it.
I was thirty nine when I embarked on this spiritual adventure. I had made many half hearted attempts in the past, generally when the proverbial shit was hitting the proverbial fan but this time I decided to fully and indefinitely commit. Sitting quietly for forty five minutes was a challenge at first but after a few sessions I began to look forward to it. The first few times I meditated I’d sit with my eyes closed for what seemed like an hour only to take a peek at the clock and realize that ten minutes had passed. After a few sessions I was able to still myself to the point that when I finally peeked at the clock more than an hour had passed. Eventually I stopped thinking about the clock entirely.
The more I am able to ‘let go’ the deeper my stillness becomes. I use two techniques to relax and still myself physically and spiritually. Both techniques require me to sit comfortably, back straight, shoulders down and back (sit up straight) with my eyes closed. In the first technique I imagine a current similar to a river originating in my solar plexus and exiting through my extremities, hands, feet, groin and head. As I imagine the flow of the current I repeat the phrase, “let go.” I imagine the current flowing out of me taking every trace of negativity that is in me along with it. The second technique is similar to the first. The difference is in the second I imagine that my body is permeable and I imagine love blowing through me like a summer breeze across a screened porch. When I get to the place where I feel conducive I still my thoughts completely and I listen. I meditate in this fashion three to five times a week.
between my house and the Metro 24/7 gym. I walk to the gym at least three days a week for weight training. On my way home from my workout I sit beneath my favorite Live Oak and cypress trees beside Lake Eola and with the sun on my face I close my eyes and listen.
I must add that the very first thing I do when I sit down to meditate is reaffirm, out loud, that I am a child of the light and I ask that only revelations from the light, the maker, be allowed to influence me. To each his own here but I, personally, feel that we have to verbally claim our alliances and I choose light. The other side of the veil is no place for a mortal without a spiritual guide. We don't drive to the airport, buy a ticket and FLY the plane. We rely on the pilot because he knows more than us. It's all the same.
