Remember the Basics
No matter how long ago your learned your abc’s, they do not lose their value.
A) Are you meditating?
Before you groan or roll your eyes, remember that meditation is taking even only a few minutes to be in stillness within. Listen to the Source within you that lets you know whether how you are meditating or what you focus on, is appropriate for you.
Several weeks ago I finally had my hair cut. My housemate has been hinting at how, let’s say, “scruffy” I’ve been looking lately. She would never say as much directly, but there had been massive hints involving grooming tips. So, I found a salon. The stylist asked the dreaded question, “What do you do?” That used to be so easy when I worked in IT. Now that my inner being is my day job, answering this question is not only cringe-making but, if I‘m honest, truly boring. I’m tired of pretending to fit in with a world that, by and large, doesn’t want to understand and does not value what is on offer. But, I digress. I typically answer that I write and teach. That satisfies some. I should have known better in this case. A typical Chatty Kathy, the stylist wanted to know.
When I told the young woman that part of what I teach is meditation, she snapped her opinions shut immediately. “Oh I tried that. I can’t do it.” I smiled soothingly, saying that it takes practice. “Nope!” she asserted. ‘I can’t meditate.” I wondered, as our conversation meandered to other topics, how many people have said that to me over the years. I wondered how many more have thought or felt it and not said anything for fear of being, what? Ridiculed? Shamed? Please. That’s another wearying projection. I am not “yo momma.”
This is why I sometimes recommend Abraham-Hicks’ definition of meditation. “Just spend a few minutes, maybe 15 tops, listening to something neutral, like an air conditioner.” While this is not classic meditation, nor does it produce a deep meditative state, it is a viable beginning. Neutral, non-reactivity stops thought. Stopping thought connects us with our Source Essence, which we can then listen to for guidance. Try this, before judging the technique as too simple or beneath you. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Quieting the mind is a beginning, and an important one.
Then, when the thoughts return, as they inevitably do, it’s time to practice discernment. Is that a mental/egoic thought pattern, one to be shifted, or am I being impulsed by Source? Only practice builds the discernment muscle. Quieting the mental chatter and being led by Source, and Source alone, is what works. Keep at it! All life changes begin in stillness.
B) Are you mindful?
When I was a newish youngish student, I, like so many others, thought mindfulness meant to beat the shite out of the noise in my head until it died. Oh honey! If I had only realized then, as I did over time, that thoughts create things. Thoughts are not evil. Thoughts are the beginnings of manifestation. Their source, however, is the end-all and be-all of the issue. See meditation, above. Where-from are your thoughts sourced? If Source, then follow the impulse as guided. If mental/emotional baggage, shift gears, immediately if not sooner.
How to practice:
When the monkey mind goes rogue, as they all do at times, it needs training. Discipline and commitment of the heart show the mental gymnastics they are not helpful and need to change. When the mind presents a thought pattern that is not useful or just noisy, move the mind to another activity. It is like training a puppy or educating a tantruming child. “No. This is not helpful,” or “this is unacceptable at the moment. Here is the chew toy, or the idea you can chew on, instead.”
Move. Your. Mind. away from the noise and haste. You don’t have to meditate constantly to accomplish this. Hear the thought that is not the vibration you wish to radiate, and shift your focus. Focus on a task, cooking, cleaning, or your job. Take a walk, read a book, or put on a movie. A warning about those last… zoning out in front of media tends to encourage the mind in having the upper hand. This is why I do not suggest listening to music as a way of being mindful, unless your bodies are already conversant with the process. Binaural beats and the Solfeggio scale can be quite helpful in meditation and healing. Most minds, however, take the opportunity to zone out once headphones are applied. If you can listen to a particular piece and focus on it, especially on its sacred architecture, then no problem.
Or use toning/humming to help quiet your physical body, as these vibrations calm the Vagus nerve. All yoga has science behind it!
Don’t just do something because someone said to… feel into the vibration any practice creates.
The only way to be fully present and fully in all of your bodies is to be the conscious awareness they require As with all things, this becomes easier with practice.
C) Are you Moving?
As in, moving your body, your mind, and especially your consciousness, into higher octaves of frequency any time you are able, any time you think about it, or, eventually, as a matter of consistent course correction.
Moving the physical body, in any way that is fun for you, is paramount. It doesn’t have to be a “serious workout.” Maybe, for you, it does. Maybe high intensity interval training works for you. Occasionally it still works for me, though the intensity of the current waves typically indicates ‘not.’ Maybe your body {especially during the current transit} likes quiet walks, or to move more fluidly as with tai chi, chi gung, or dancing. What works is to move, however it works for you in the moment No rules. No routines {except the dance steps that make you grin}. The movement arts are many. Enjoy! Your body will thank you for it.
“When you read you begin with A, B, C, when you sing you begin with Do Re Mi…“ ~ The Sound of Music
Beginners’ Mind is not only for beginners. Then again, we are all beginning again in these unknown, uncharted waters, writing our parts as we play them. Don’t assume something won’t work until you’ve tried it. Don’t assume you know what is working until it does.
Remember to breathe. “…Like the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here…” Don’t let the noise and haste get you down!
Much love ~
