Meditation for Authenticity and Magic
Engaging in our spiritual lives is the path to world peace
Times are tough. It seems we are at a critical juncture of life on earth as we know it. There’s so much anger, fear and righteousness and I can’t have much small talk these days as conflict seems to be at every turn. And so I go back to the practice of mindfulness meditation, chanting, writing and exercise.
I remind myself that I am safe. Breathing, “I am safe, I am safe, I am safe.” This keeps my adrenaline from speeding up, blood coarsing through my veins, heart racing becoming paralyzed and taking me down a dark road of self destruction.
It may be when we no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey.
—Wendell Berry
The heaviest burdens are the thoughts we carry in our heads.
Whether the thoughts be from my own inner-critic or from reading the news, they morph and grow into my body. I take on the pain of those suffering in wars all over the world. For me, the gaslighting of Jewish voices continues to wreak havoc on my system on a daily basis.
Ever notice how your shoulders go up into your ears or if they slightly hunch forward or your back begins to hurt? It might not be from lifting the bag of groceries. I’ve been taking out my phone way too much lately, again, despite the time limits I’ve put on myself, the various apps I’ve put on and then taken off so I can get to the social media, I know it’s a problem. Noticing my nervous system and irritability gets jacked up, I realize I need to stop. It’s a cycle.
And so I begin again.
We know that our society isn’t designed for peace and wellbeing. We know that sadness, loneliness and depression are universal defining characteristic today. So what are we going to do about it?
We have the power to change our mindset and live happy lives. It is our birthright despite our circumstances and world events.
Our minds keep both internal and external company simultaneously. Our egos protect us, keeping us safe from danger and always assessing a million things at once from things in our vision, blocks us from active listening thus decreasing empathy and we become unconsciously reactive.
All of this takes us away from the truth of our human nature blocking us from the authenticity that can only be accessed when in relaxed and grounded states of mind and body.
There are health benefits in living a spiritual life and finding meaning with purpose can enrich our lives. It has been scientifically proven the link between mental health and spirituality.
Research shows that spirituality can benefit both the mind and the body. Whether someone is coping with cancer or clinical depression, spiritual exercises help them increase acceptance, decrease negative emotions, find meaning, and deepen their relationships with others. — McLean Hospital
I often tell my students, it begins with you. We can only change ourselves. We can cultivate a more awakened brain through the practices. Spirituality can contribute to a sense of meaning and purpose in life. Having a sense of purpose has been associated with better mental health outcomes.
Practice makes progress.
Interconnectedness through mind, body and earth:
Scientifically:
In one study at the North Hawaii Community Hospital, healers from the island of Hawaii each selected a person whom they felt a compassionate bond. These people were placed in fMRI scanners, and the healers were in a separate room. No sensory contact. But when the healers sent healing intentions to their subjects at randomly selected intervals, 10 times out of 11, at that exact moment, specific areas of the receivers’ brains activated. The probability of that happening by chance is less than 1 in 10,000. We are deeply part of one consciousness.
Naturally:
Do you like apples?
Consider the fact that when you eat an apple you are taking a bite of the sun. The sun participated in bringing that apple to you. The soil, water, insects, trees, the carbon dioxide you gave the tree and it gave you the oxygen to breathe, the farmer who harvested the tree and picked it for you to bring it to the store for you to purchase and enjoy.
We are all connected and we need to remember our place in the world, to be of the world with wonder.
MAGIC HAPPENS - Believe it, what have you got to loose?
We can truly alchemize a world that may feel like it has lost its soul. A world that has lost its way needs people to be the drop in the ocean to permeate into a sacred world. Our time is short and we need to treat every single human being as if they are sacred until the sacred in them remembers. Only love through meditation or prayer or whatever gets you anchored and heart centered, just do it.
The magic happens once you accept
that you can’t regulate
others’ emotions or experiences
That’s when you begin to live your most authentic life
your most authentic life
some people will not “get” you,
but what matters is that you get you
be kind,
help others,
and don’t forget to live for yourself
—Yung Pueblo from The Way Forward
What does magic look like to you?
Is it thinking of a friend and then they call or you see their name on t.v.?
Is it seeing a hummingbird or your favorite bird fly into view?
Is it dreaming about specific places, animals, or people and then seeing them in awake life?
Being in the right place at the right time?
Synchronicities are incidents of spiritual significance that ask us to momentarily dampen our self-obsession and consider the possibility of the divine. Synchronistic experiences leave us with a curious sense that we should pay attention.
Will you join me in practicing mindfulness in 2024? How about conspiring with me to engage in conversations for well being? Or joining a parent meditation group?
Practice makes progress. The world needs your best most authentic version of you because only then will the magic begin to appear and so will life in a new way.
upcoming for 2024 - changes ahead
Meditations & Musings is expanding
I want to engage with you further. Join the conversation and community.
Much of what my writing has been about is my own blogging finding my way in my identity. My identity as a wife, mother, parent, friend, sister, daughter, writer, teacher, office worker - all these roles I play(ed) in my life and how it informs my spirituality and growth. We all have roles we play depending upon the person who has the expectations.
How do we move from roles to souls?
I will be bringing you a series of interviews focused on this theme of Identity.
Identity: From Roles to Souls -
Interviewing artists of all mediums to discuss spirituality, mental health, relationships and art as a form of expression.
I am excited to have already booked author, Jay Michaelson to discuss some of these topics and to discuss his new book “The Secret is not a Secret” and visual artist Virginia Shepley to name a few.
Teaching Meditation Offerings:
I am always available on Insight Timer with more offerings there to follow with a self-paced online course coming up in February:
“Meditation, Journaling, Using the Power of the Enneagram”
For those in-person, I am still teaching at Two Bunch Palms, the exclusive spa and hot mineral springs.
Upcoming in Palm Desert (California) at Lavender Soul Studio:
Thanks for making it this far with me on the adventure. Know that I’m on it with you.
Shelley