Meditation is Not a Four Letter Word
In fact it’s worse than a four letter word. It’s more than twice as bad! It’s too difficult. It’s meant for non-intelligent people. It’s an excuse for thoughtless brains. And, this just has to be said… people who claim to meditate are lying.
Okay, sometimes it’s easier to move forward once we get all the preconceived notions out of our mind. Honor the thoughts by stating them aloud and then moving on. “Thank you for speaking up, lil Miss Pessimism. Now if the class may continue…” We, as humans, have learned to communicate by words. We define the meaning of each individual word and often times, we associate strong feelings about particular words. (We have a word for those feelings too. They are called adjectives.) What we don’t understand is that those feelings are not facts. Huh? What does that mean? For instance ask both a young woman preparing to walk down the aisle and, a woman going through a bitter divorce, her feelings about marriage. Our feelings about situations, experiences, words, etc are very subjective and individual. Somewhere along the line, you developed feelings about meditation and because that feeling is not offering anything of benefit to you, it’s time to let it go.
Here is an exercise to help you let go of those negative (“negative” meaning nothing more than non-beneficial) thoughts. You can use this exercise for a variety of areas of your life as well. Take a piece of paper and down the left side of the paper, write down each negative thought you have about meditation. Then next to each of those thoughts, down the right side, write the opposing positive statement. When you are focusing on the negative thoughts, be non-judgmental. Do not judge yourself for these thoughts. In fact, look for and find the humor in them, allowing yourself to laugh openly. Laughter is an amazing tool when trying to break thought patters, habits… Your list might look something like this:
I can’t meditate I meditate easily.
I do not have time to meditate. I have plenty of time to meditate.
I can’t quiet my brain. I easily still my thoughts.
My breathing is unsteady. My breathing is just perfect for meditation.
Meditation is scary. Meditation brings me joy.
You get the point. Take the time to examine and write down all thoughts that might be preventing you from moving forward with meditation. Be honest. Promise yourself that you will actively attempt to disregard the negative thoughts and replace them with your new thoughts. Each time an old thought bubbles up, let it but, then offer your new thought. Just this simple act of doing something to counteract your predisposed notions, can help immensely.
Now, let’s get to the crux of most people’s opposition to meditating. The #1 biggest excuse given (I’ve used it myself for years) is the seeming impossibility to be thought free. I mean, isn’t the goal of meditation to be thoughtless? Here are my usual goals for meditation, yours might be different:
· To Calm Myself
· To Reflect on a Situation or Question
· To Achieve an Altered State
· To Look Inward
· To Communicate with Spirit via my Higher Self
· To Become Fully Present
To be effective in any of my goals, I do need to quiet myself. Now, ask anyone who knows me, the words “quiet” and “Michelle” are rarely used in the same sentence. My brain is forever going and usually with just random subject jumping information. How can I empty my brain?
How do you empty the trash? By acknowledging that it is there, paying attention to it and then letting it go. Ask any mother and she’ll tell you that as soon as she empties the trash, more just shows up. It takes practice and dedication to keep your brain quiet for any extended amount of time. We may not realize it but there are times in each day where we are thought free. These moments go by without any fanfare or acknowledgement but, these moments to exist. The trick is to learn how to harness those moments and turn them into minutes. Here are some steps or actions that you can do to help quiet your brain;
Choose a quiet, calming space. You need not have a separate room but if choosing a space within a space, try to separate it by its intended use. For instance, if you are using a chair that is in your bedroom, turn the chair so that it faces away from the bed. Maybe put a small table next to the chair. As you set up your space, fill it with love and intent. See yourself here having successful meditation sessions. See yourself relaxed and calm in the chair. You may be inclined to put things on your table that make you calm or happy. This is fine, although I would suggest that you keep photos of people out of this space. This is about and for you and your goal is to minimize thoughts. Maybe you have a favorite soft blanket you want to drape on the chair. Maybe you like candles and incense and you want those near you. Make this your place but be minimal in your approach. Create a distraction free environment and honor it by not placing dirty clothes, agenda books, bills, etc in this space ever.
Choose a time. When choosing a time, make sure that the risk of being interrupted is minimal. Turn the ringers off on your phone. Shut your door. Choose a time that you will not be too sleepy. Don’t set yourself up either by choosing a time in the middle of your work day. Although you can meditate any time you want, it is best in the beginning to be regular about your times. Also, be realistic in the beginning. Your goal may be to meditate daily but you can start with once or twice a week. Honor yourself by showing up for your appointment. If you must reschedule with yourself, set a new time immediately and be honest with yourself in your reason for cancelling.
Choose duration. We have all heard of people who meditate for hours. That may even be your goal. In the beginning, however, I would suggest you choose something more within reach. Say, one minute. One minute??? Yes, one minute. Get good at one minute than increase it to two, then to three………..
Acknowledge the thoughts that jump in. Imagine these thoughts as thought bubbles, like in cartoons. See the thought. Say thank you to it and see it pop or float away. Do this with each thought. Thoughts are like spoiled children demanding attention. So, pay attention and send them on their way.
Be productive in thought. Give your brain something to focus on. Very low non-lyrical music works well. Focus on the sound from one instrument. Feel the vibration of it. Imagine the notes rising and falling. Can you find a beat that matches your breathing or your heart rate? Maybe music does little for you. If that’s the case, imagine a scene. You are in charge so make it anywhere. Maybe it’s a place you’ve visited or maybe only dreamed of. Be fully present in the scene. Use all your senses. Feel the sun on your skin, the breeze from the west… Smell the rain that just came through, the salt water, the flowers… See the colors. Use natural things when seeing the colors. (Yellow like a lemon rather than yellow like the paint in my kitchen). Hear the sounds of leaves blowing, the surf crashing. You may even hear a voice.
Be kind to yourself. Acknowledge the effort you put in. Literally say “Good job” to yourself. Notice how you feel. Later, look back at your session and see if there is anything you would like to change – add, eliminate, etc. If you make a change and it doesn’t work, no problem. Simply adjust again.
Find like minded friends. Join a group where you can meet like-minded people. In a remote location? There are so many online networks with a spiritual purpose, that you should never feel alone. Not ready for that? That’s okay. Read. We often feel close to the authors of our favorite books and feel that they are our friends. One book I love is The Red Book by Sera Beak. If you are a no-nonsense woman with an appreciation of humor and you aren’t afraid to embrace your full femininity read The Red Book. At the back of the book, Sera offers countless recommendations of books on a variety of topics (including vibrators!!)
Meditation is personal. Do what suits you best. Do not compare yourself to others (who, truly you have no real idea about their own feelings of success) and hold yourself to some crazy standard. The fact that you are trying is to be commended. Pat yourself on the back for even reading this article. In reading this article though, know that these are reccomendations. Take what works and leave the rest.
Friends, remember everything is a process. We are all learning and growing and evolving. Be patient. Anything worthwhile is worth waiting for. There is so much to be gained from acquiring the ability to meditate. I promise you will be amazed.
And, just so you know, I have to work at meditation too. I have to pop an unbelievable amount of thought bubbles! But, I have had enough success to motivate me to keep working at it.
Cheers!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Psychics and Spirituality
Are psychics necessarily spiritual? The plain answer is no. I think this is important to talk about because people generally believe that, to be a psychic one must be spiritual. Let’s back this up a little to another belief I have.
I believe that each and every one of us has the innate ability to access information via the sixth sense. Are some people better at it than others? Yes. Do some people possess a stronger sense in intuitive abilities rather than, say, clairaudience? Yes. It’s easy to understand if you think about playing the piano. We can all hit the keys in one way or another but certainly there are those we would prefer listening to over others. Most, if not all of us, can think of times when we thought of someone then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, we heard from them. Maybe we were lost driving in a strange place and “felt” that we needed to turn left only to find the exact place we were looking for. Many of us have had countless other experiences with things we were unable to explain. And even more of us have ignored these experiences, gut feelings, etc. Since the beginning of time, people have reported odd occurrences, psychic impressions, encounters with lost loved ones…. Enough so that scientists continue to conduct testing and experiments and the government has created things like the STARGATE program. So, for the sake of argument and, because you are here, reading my blog, I’m going to assume you already believe in the existence of these abilities. In a nutshell, regardless of race, culture, socioeconomic status, religion, age… we can all be psychics or gain information psychically.
Think about the people you know, have known, and will ever know in your life. Are each and everyone what you would consider spiritual? Are they all coming from a place of love? Are they all concerned about the better good? I’m going to make that jump and answer for you. No. Do they all have the ability to exercise their psychic sense? We’ve already answered that one. Yes.
So what or where is this knowledge that a psychic has the ability to access with something other than our five senses? Some people believe that the information gained by a psychic is given to them through angels or spiritual guides and sometimes even from our dearly departed but definitely from an otherworldly entity. Others hold a more Jungian belief, that being that we tap into a Universal or Collective Unconscious. Jung stated in his book Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (p.43) “My thesis then, is as follows: in addition to our immediate consciousness, which is of a thoroughly personal nature and which we believe to be the only empirical psyche (even if we tack on the personal unconscious as an appendix), there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals. This collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents.” I think of this Collective Unconscious as a holding “place” of all the knowledge of what was, is, and ever will be. I personally believe in a sort of spiritual soup mixture of the two.
I can almost hear you ask, “Accessing this information is spiritual unto itself, isn’t it?” Yes! That naturally leads to you asking “Well then, what the heck do you mean when you say that psychic’s aren’t necessarily spiritual?” Fair enough. Let me try to explain what I mean. We are all spiritual beings, each of us with an eternal soul, purpose and connection to the divine. Few of us walking around this world today live a spiritual life 100% of the time. Of course there are the Mother Teresa types and the Dalai Lama and others but for the most part, we all struggle with our shortcomings and defects of character, as we should. Huh? Yes, as we should. We are spiritual creatures having a human experience. Being psychic is actually the perfect storm for out-of-control egos. We tell ourselves that we are somehow more special than the average Joe. We have a “special” connection to the other side. We might even have “special powers”. We might even believe that we are never wrong. Not very spiritual sounding, is it? No, it’s not.
Unfortunately, these types of feelings are present and full blown in many people who “work” as psychics. After some time thinking and believing these thoughts, I believe it is next to impossible to suspend the ego and get to that place of using the sixth sense. Not wanting to recognize this, the “psychic” then relies on other ways of getting information. Most of this has to do with making very vague statements or asking you questions designed to gain more information from you. Their intent has gone from connecting in a spiritual manner for a spiritual reason to a completely self focused intent. If you do not tell them how amazing and wonderful they are, they will.
So, where do I think I fall in all this spirituality vs. ego stuff? I’d love to say that I am 100% spiritual, 100% of the time but that would be an ego filled statement! So one cancels out the other there but I do try. I try daily. I try to string together as many of those spiritual moments as possible. I don’t think I’m elite or better than anyone else. I do sometimes get a little too pleased with myself if I give incredibly accurate information. I forget that it just came through me, it was not of me. I heard a friend of mine say “Please don’t feed the psychic” meaning do not feed them information but, I take it a step further. Don’t feed their ego crazily either.
The reason I wrote this was so that people don’t make the mistake of putting a psychic on a pedestal. It’s no good for you and it’s certainly not good for them. Each of you has the ability to access this place of information. Each of you already does, even though you might not recognize that. So please don’t make the mistake of giving anyone, including psychics, too much power. They probably aren’t a walking angel and if they are, their wings have been clipped. If a psychic tells you that you need to do something, check in with your own gut first. Does it “feel” right to you? Does your inner psychic play well with theirs?
Psychic are people too.
Big spiritual hugs to you! ;)
Michelle
I believe that each and every one of us has the innate ability to access information via the sixth sense. Are some people better at it than others? Yes. Do some people possess a stronger sense in intuitive abilities rather than, say, clairaudience? Yes. It’s easy to understand if you think about playing the piano. We can all hit the keys in one way or another but certainly there are those we would prefer listening to over others. Most, if not all of us, can think of times when we thought of someone then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, we heard from them. Maybe we were lost driving in a strange place and “felt” that we needed to turn left only to find the exact place we were looking for. Many of us have had countless other experiences with things we were unable to explain. And even more of us have ignored these experiences, gut feelings, etc. Since the beginning of time, people have reported odd occurrences, psychic impressions, encounters with lost loved ones…. Enough so that scientists continue to conduct testing and experiments and the government has created things like the STARGATE program. So, for the sake of argument and, because you are here, reading my blog, I’m going to assume you already believe in the existence of these abilities. In a nutshell, regardless of race, culture, socioeconomic status, religion, age… we can all be psychics or gain information psychically.
Think about the people you know, have known, and will ever know in your life. Are each and everyone what you would consider spiritual? Are they all coming from a place of love? Are they all concerned about the better good? I’m going to make that jump and answer for you. No. Do they all have the ability to exercise their psychic sense? We’ve already answered that one. Yes.
So what or where is this knowledge that a psychic has the ability to access with something other than our five senses? Some people believe that the information gained by a psychic is given to them through angels or spiritual guides and sometimes even from our dearly departed but definitely from an otherworldly entity. Others hold a more Jungian belief, that being that we tap into a Universal or Collective Unconscious. Jung stated in his book Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (p.43) “My thesis then, is as follows: in addition to our immediate consciousness, which is of a thoroughly personal nature and which we believe to be the only empirical psyche (even if we tack on the personal unconscious as an appendix), there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals. This collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents.” I think of this Collective Unconscious as a holding “place” of all the knowledge of what was, is, and ever will be. I personally believe in a sort of spiritual soup mixture of the two.
I can almost hear you ask, “Accessing this information is spiritual unto itself, isn’t it?” Yes! That naturally leads to you asking “Well then, what the heck do you mean when you say that psychic’s aren’t necessarily spiritual?” Fair enough. Let me try to explain what I mean. We are all spiritual beings, each of us with an eternal soul, purpose and connection to the divine. Few of us walking around this world today live a spiritual life 100% of the time. Of course there are the Mother Teresa types and the Dalai Lama and others but for the most part, we all struggle with our shortcomings and defects of character, as we should. Huh? Yes, as we should. We are spiritual creatures having a human experience. Being psychic is actually the perfect storm for out-of-control egos. We tell ourselves that we are somehow more special than the average Joe. We have a “special” connection to the other side. We might even have “special powers”. We might even believe that we are never wrong. Not very spiritual sounding, is it? No, it’s not.
Unfortunately, these types of feelings are present and full blown in many people who “work” as psychics. After some time thinking and believing these thoughts, I believe it is next to impossible to suspend the ego and get to that place of using the sixth sense. Not wanting to recognize this, the “psychic” then relies on other ways of getting information. Most of this has to do with making very vague statements or asking you questions designed to gain more information from you. Their intent has gone from connecting in a spiritual manner for a spiritual reason to a completely self focused intent. If you do not tell them how amazing and wonderful they are, they will.
So, where do I think I fall in all this spirituality vs. ego stuff? I’d love to say that I am 100% spiritual, 100% of the time but that would be an ego filled statement! So one cancels out the other there but I do try. I try daily. I try to string together as many of those spiritual moments as possible. I don’t think I’m elite or better than anyone else. I do sometimes get a little too pleased with myself if I give incredibly accurate information. I forget that it just came through me, it was not of me. I heard a friend of mine say “Please don’t feed the psychic” meaning do not feed them information but, I take it a step further. Don’t feed their ego crazily either.
The reason I wrote this was so that people don’t make the mistake of putting a psychic on a pedestal. It’s no good for you and it’s certainly not good for them. Each of you has the ability to access this place of information. Each of you already does, even though you might not recognize that. So please don’t make the mistake of giving anyone, including psychics, too much power. They probably aren’t a walking angel and if they are, their wings have been clipped. If a psychic tells you that you need to do something, check in with your own gut first. Does it “feel” right to you? Does your inner psychic play well with theirs?
Psychic are people too.
Big spiritual hugs to you! ;)
Michelle
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Resolutions vs Intentions
As with each and every new year, people are all a buzz about resolutions for the coming new year. I've been no different and each year I've resolved to do.... something. Quit smoking, lose weight, keep up with the laundry and on and on and on yet, I always fall short. Truth is that even as I make the resolution, a little voice inside me says "no you won't." Is that the voice of ego trying to keep me down, keep me at status quo? Or is it the voice of experience saying "Yeah, right. Been there, tried that." Doesn't matter what voice it is, it's there and it's loud.
Just the word Resolution puts this pressure on me that I just am not comfortable with! I don't like people telling me what to do, not even myself!! ;) So, this year I changed words. I used the word Intentions. I like it better. It's a softer more gentler word and it really says "Hey, if ya wanna, you could do _____. But, only if ya wanna and if you don't that's okay too." Phew! Pressure off.
Okay, now on to what my Intention was. I only made one. I have to test out this whole resolution vs intention before I put a whole serving on my plate! My intention is to put more action behind my words. I know that I am divinly inspired and intutively know about things that I give answers to or advice on. I feel it in my core as I give others guidance - especially in regards to evolving spiritually or reaching a new place with their abilities or, or, or... However, I don't always do what I say. My issue is that I live inside my head so much that it is difficult for me to take the time for myself that I give others. Not good.
Is it working? Yes. I've started on something small and easy to do. I was given this greek coin that dates back to the year 325 BC!! approximately. I feel a strong connection to this coin but I have kept it for over a year in a small leather pouch, just put away. I'd bring it out occasionally but not often. I have felt the desire to establish a closer relationship with it. For what? I'm not sure but the desire has been there. So, for the last week and a half, I've kept it under my pillow and as I lay down I slide my hand under the pillow and I hold the coin. I even started placing it on my 3rd eye. What seems to be happening as a result of doing this is the coin is feeling like an extension of myself. When I reach for it, I almost feel it reaching back. I've also started to remember more of my dreams which is something I've struggled with. But what I'm enjoying the most is something I didn't expect or see at all. I have this little bit of joy within me because I am doing something for myself. Im treating myself well. I am proud of myself.
I have other things I want (intend) to do and I will but for right now, for someone who isn't quite used to doing for herself, it's baby steps.
Michelle
Just the word Resolution puts this pressure on me that I just am not comfortable with! I don't like people telling me what to do, not even myself!! ;) So, this year I changed words. I used the word Intentions. I like it better. It's a softer more gentler word and it really says "Hey, if ya wanna, you could do _____. But, only if ya wanna and if you don't that's okay too." Phew! Pressure off.
Okay, now on to what my Intention was. I only made one. I have to test out this whole resolution vs intention before I put a whole serving on my plate! My intention is to put more action behind my words. I know that I am divinly inspired and intutively know about things that I give answers to or advice on. I feel it in my core as I give others guidance - especially in regards to evolving spiritually or reaching a new place with their abilities or, or, or... However, I don't always do what I say. My issue is that I live inside my head so much that it is difficult for me to take the time for myself that I give others. Not good.
Is it working? Yes. I've started on something small and easy to do. I was given this greek coin that dates back to the year 325 BC!! approximately. I feel a strong connection to this coin but I have kept it for over a year in a small leather pouch, just put away. I'd bring it out occasionally but not often. I have felt the desire to establish a closer relationship with it. For what? I'm not sure but the desire has been there. So, for the last week and a half, I've kept it under my pillow and as I lay down I slide my hand under the pillow and I hold the coin. I even started placing it on my 3rd eye. What seems to be happening as a result of doing this is the coin is feeling like an extension of myself. When I reach for it, I almost feel it reaching back. I've also started to remember more of my dreams which is something I've struggled with. But what I'm enjoying the most is something I didn't expect or see at all. I have this little bit of joy within me because I am doing something for myself. Im treating myself well. I am proud of myself.
I have other things I want (intend) to do and I will but for right now, for someone who isn't quite used to doing for herself, it's baby steps.
Michelle
2010 Through The Veil Event and Show!
Well here we are into the New Year, 2010! Very exciting for a number of reasons, including Through The Veil; A Paranormal and Metaphysical Gathering is now in the current year! I don't have to say "next year..." anymore. In fact, we are a mere 5 months away!
Who will be speaking at TTV? We have such an incredible line-up and it includes Chip Coffey from Paranormal State and Psychic Kids; Children of the Paranormal, John J Oliver from TruTv's Haunting Evidence and is just one incredible human being, John Zaffis, Godfather of the Paranormal, Christopher Moon and The Telephone To The Dead, Mark Patterson, two of the gifted teens from Psychic Kids.... and on and on and on! And we aren't done yet! Visit the event site at www.throughtheveil.org for updates and to purchase your tickets. Once again, an entire weekend of education, enlightenment and empowerment for 99.00! Tough financial times? use our lay-away plan and pay 1/3 at a time! You want to be there, we want you to be there.
For those of you who don't know.... my amazing friend Susan Rushing and myself host a live video show on Thursdays nights at 9PM EST. You can watch and join in chat with us through the Through The Veil site - linked above. We chat about everything including paranormal and metaphysical topics. Tonights topic, Jan 14, to include 2012!
Hugs!
Michelle
Who will be speaking at TTV? We have such an incredible line-up and it includes Chip Coffey from Paranormal State and Psychic Kids; Children of the Paranormal, John J Oliver from TruTv's Haunting Evidence and is just one incredible human being, John Zaffis, Godfather of the Paranormal, Christopher Moon and The Telephone To The Dead, Mark Patterson, two of the gifted teens from Psychic Kids.... and on and on and on! And we aren't done yet! Visit the event site at www.throughtheveil.org for updates and to purchase your tickets. Once again, an entire weekend of education, enlightenment and empowerment for 99.00! Tough financial times? use our lay-away plan and pay 1/3 at a time! You want to be there, we want you to be there.
For those of you who don't know.... my amazing friend Susan Rushing and myself host a live video show on Thursdays nights at 9PM EST. You can watch and join in chat with us through the Through The Veil site - linked above. We chat about everything including paranormal and metaphysical topics. Tonights topic, Jan 14, to include 2012!
Hugs!
Michelle
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