Category: mindfulness

Life is a journey of moments

.Reading time 8 minutes.

A few years ago I was inspired to live intuitively where every sensation, feeling, thought and action would come out of my inner knowing confirming my movement towards what is right for me in any given moment. It transformed everything and since then whenever I veer away from this way of living I notice a huge difference in what manifests in my life and how I feel. It doesn’t happen often as by now it’s become natural for me to be this way and to be frank it’s like a dream where everything makes sense because everything is filtered through the light technology of my own inner wisdom. We all have this ability.

Intuitive way of living is always in line with doing, seeing, speaking and thinking in compete observance, mindful of every nuance of any given experience. It is rooted in the now and grounded in the present moment in its most sharp presentation. Over the last two months what’s been profound is my growing into an ability to be present hundred times more than before even though I was present before but this is up ten levels of embodiment ability of experiencing a moment.

I also found what these times are disproving more clearly that making plans is a part of an old script/story in the collective. It is a tool of the earthly, a part of a control narrative. It is not necessarily bad, more that it is missing the point. What got confirmed more is that planning takes away from the moment in time; yet another operation/technique that takes you away from what we are and where we are. Planning is different to dreams. We all know what is said when plans don’t go according to plan and dreams are often laughed at as something unachievable and silly in the construct collective narrative.

My experience of being in a moment during this time showed me just how different it feels to be truly present. Interestingly enough, in line with that, my addictions/bad habits started to fall away naturally, the things that kept me away from being present.

Life is a journey of moments. I have been saying this for years and what I mean by it is it doesn’t matter what we do or think the moment has its own intention, direction and purpose and when we align with a particular moment we experience something beyond, something that either lifts is up or brings us down but what it does most of all it puts us in touch with ourselves like nothing else can do. There is only now, here, plans are pointless, therefore, as we only truly know what’s now and not what is coming tomorrow or next month or next year. Happiness for me works this way. When one is asked ‘are you happy?’ I think it’s impossible to answer yes or no. In fact it’s odd. Happiness is not this constant, shining thing that continues regardless, separate from experience of multitude of things. It is not possible. Happiness is moments, fleeting yet very noticeable through how they makes us feel. Those moments are rare and far and few between but that is how happiness is. Anything else is just content or satisfaction but even those are better described when pinned to the present moment. You see nothing is separate from now, it seems. It is only in the present a true evaluation of life is possible. Happy life is a journey of moments that never leave you. You always remember those moments and a happy person is a person, who can say that they felt, saw, experiences pleasure, joy, ecstasy, warmth of a certain quality that it got imprinted on their memory as being truly happy. If you had those moments you know what I mean.

You can’t plan these, catch and bottle them or predict them. It appears when it appears and if you live a life of presence and intuitively, i.e. in tune with your feelings at all time, you are more likely to be presented with those moments. You can certainly go in search of them or rather adopt a way of being that is observant in every moment – awareness in other words.

I have been recording those moment lately and yes, sometimes they happen every day and other times nothing happens for some time. In recent year through experience and intuitive life I experience these moments more often or rather I am more aware of them and able to take them in, because, you see often they can be missed, very often. It is worth mentioning that moments can be joyful but also the opposite and that is also valuable as a representation of life as a whole experience in all its colours.

Examples of good moments can be seeing your favourite flower bloom for the first time in spring; that was my moment yesterday with a foxglove. It made my day, as they say. It can be seeing a moment captured perfectly by someone else in a photo and when you see that image something in you signs. It can be a word someone said that rang in you loudly and led you to an important vibrational resonance and an insight. It can be a programme that made you laugh out loud, out of the blue (again mine a couple of days ago).

On the other side of a spectrum we can experience painful moments like seeing an animal skinned or a landscape once blooming burnt to ashes. Those tells us of compassion within us, a desire for a change however small. It is not about avoiding but becoming aware of all that is present and intuition is very good with both spectrums when it comes to directing us towards a certain experience. It really is a gold mine of possibilities, all residing within each of us.

See if you can start noticing moments of your life that change everything in your experience be it as simple as switching a mood or taking you away from an unhelpful thought or as big as making you decide to do something radical.

On meditation

.Reading time 5 minutes.

I have had a reflective Sunday today on the subject of meditation. I felt I just could not let it pass without doing one and it was a good and interesting experience. I am a strong believer in everything coming at the right time and today aligned intuitively with meditation subject, which also turned into some intuitive healing spell work, which I had sensed was on the cards last night. It took me on a long journey through very beautiful chakra colours. I had a meeting with the elements and crystals were pointed out in a way of integrating energies. Flowing, simple, incredibly soothing and perfectly aligned.

People talk about how meditation changes lives, removes fears and blocks, rids us of frustration and anxiety and so on. I wonder how interesting it is that by going within, which is essentially what meditation does, things become better. Why haven’t we always been going within, which would make the most sense to turn inwards for answers. It speaks loudly about our collective avoidance of ourselves, devaluing of our own resources and qualities. If it is a tool to know ourselves better. If that’s the case why doesn’t everyone do it?

External has dominated so many aspects of our lives for so long, concepts made up by men, rules of the society, ideas based on social conformity and abandonment of self, there is no wonder. It is incredible to think that we would turn away from the gold that lies ready and available within ourselves for the things that shine on outside, but have no depth or real value. It makes me very sad to think about it that way.

Meditation is going within, observing and honouring that breath that keeps us alive at all times. It is, indeed, powerful to notice our thoughts and patterns in which they come and go and most importantly where they go. We also notice how most of us don’t breathe, forget to breathe. We hold it, which creates all sorts of restrictions, blocks and anxieties within our bodies. We find sitting still difficult just as we find being alone difficult without external stimulation. Instead we aim to avoid and shut down. It is curious to imagine that it is easier to be without yourself than to be with yourself.

Meditation is a wide term for what your relationship is with yourself, it seems. We all can find our own way of meditating, practicing stillness and awareness. For me, it seems, meditation is just that being with myself as I am and where I am. Just there, present with all there is. Meditation can be done any time anywhere, as we speak, walk, sleep and sit with another. It is not just one way of relating to yourself, it is unique to each. For many years I was unable to meditate, afraid of what I would find within. That’s just it, it is that fear I referred to earlier of being with and avoiding is much more habitual. I suspect it is similar to many. I remember wanting to cry every time I sit in meditation, which was hard, so I would abandon and distract myself with other things rather than paying attention to what was asking me to be present. I also at times had some powerful meditations, which left me in wonder and distress at the same time. There was too much within for my external self, adapted self to hold. Just think about that. We are proficient in being in our adapted selves positions yet our true self is hard to relate to. After years of therapy I am able to meditate and really understand what it means for me and what it does for me. It is once again an inclusion of the whole self just as it is, true and adapted, positive and negative, wounded and healed. As practice develops one becomes more curious, more at ease with experiences, feelings and lessons that come through sitting with oneself and in time it becomes soothing, comforting and full of wisdom. That wisdom that lies within each and every one of us is open and available if only we allow ourselves to go there and become aligned with what we were always meant to be.

Many blessings!

Lessons from today’s meditation

.Reading time 4 minutes.

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Today I had a pleasure of being taught meditation again in a Buddhist Monastery. I love the variety of monks that take sessions. Each one is very individual with unique personalities and I can’t help but smile most of the time I am there. There’s this sweet calmness about the place that is really relaxing. It also feels authentic rather than constructed or forced. It is there naturally. Simplistic and clean environment is so inviting and conducive to a practice of meditation.

Today’s lesson was to be curious, wonder about your mind and allow it to be whatever it wants to be. Another aspect is to recognise it as a part of you, hence being self-loving means not judging your own thoughts but let them be. Everything is impermanent. Thoughts come and go and we don’t need to attach ourselves to any of them. We are observing and being curious about our mind’s nature.

I really understood this today and it opened my eyes to a possibility of actually being able to implement this into my practice and my life on a wider scale. I do think Buddhist meditation is a very intelligent system at regulating our thoughts and emotional responses. I am curious to know more on outside and within. Today was all about getting to know our minds through being inwardly aware.

What I observed was that my mind is often very obliging. One might say it is trying too hard and there’s a lot of energy spent, often unnecessary, on creating thought patterns that are not needed. It also gets confused by its own ‘trying hard’ and runs away with it, so to speak. It felt amazing to be able to obtain that information through meditation.

I also observed that I do well in meditation and succeed in calming my mind when focusing on an object (It was caramel cake today. No idea why) or a word (again it was cake) and repeating it over and over. Image and word today were spontaneous, but I imagine it can also easily be chosen specifically for a meditation. I also realised that I do best with guidance rather than on my own, i.e. guiding meditations help me.

I am yet to master the right posture and position when meditating. I am too uncomfortable but when I am not focusing on my legs or engage with thinning about how uncomfortable it feels I am able to sit still and be calm. That is a good demonstration of how it IS possible not to get attached to a thought that a mind is trying to focus on and as a result to remain calm.

I also noticed quite clearly how my mind naturally wants to grab onto negative thoughts rather than positive. That was great to realise and I feel I might sort of understand a way of changing that too going forward with a lot more practice. It does explain my nature very well and wanting to attach to something positive naturally is going to take some time. Once I try that the aim is not to attach to any forms of thought and simply remain in curious observation.

I am thrilled to be able to continue with my learning in such a beautiful and peaceful place.

When familiar is no longer working 

.Reading time 4 minutes.

 When familiar no longer works you are ready for the next step, upgrade, adjustment.

I had an experience this month where I was left suspended in a vibration, which felt uncomfortable and unsolvable. No tools I have accumulated over the years could successfully be applied to that situation. I fought against it, resisted, projected my frustration onto external and that is normal human reaction when we are up against something that is problematic yet feels like it can’t be fixed. I understood my reaction well to that state as a natural push against something that I felt needed to be fixed or changed. Also to mention that surrender to a situation or a feeling state (one of my tools) also didn’t work.

In terms of elements, which I often use as a model when working with situations and parts of myself I couldn’t describe for the first time which element I was manifesting in my reality. That was the thing that really struck me as the elements always work for me in a simple way to help me understand what is distorted, what I am lacking and what needs to be introduced into the mix. Nah, not this time. There was suspension of all possible ways I have gotten to know to work for me so far in my life. I should also mention that my ‘magic’ seemed to have gone to sleep. There was access to that either.

I became curious about,firstly , what it was about that didn’t allow my known methods to work. It felt like there was an opening for something new to come in. I was meant to learn a new way, take a different step towards resolution and wholeness within myself. I was ready to engage with material completely new and it felt like there would be risks involved, super sharp mindful awareness in every moment and not abandoning myself under no circumstance, which simply only delays the process of learning and integration.

At this moment in time all I have is an awareness of the above having taken place. I am curious to what this will lead to. It feels like I am working through something on my way of becoming something new. Nothing is new within us, of course, there can only be something that we forgot or rejected perhaps. What’s coming up is more shadow work, I feel and whenever that happens I feel excited. Why? Because shadow work always leads to liberation, unleashing of what has been hidden yet can be used in a valuable way. It’s like fining a black box and feeling the excitement of opening it and not knowing what one would find yet it feels like home, you, a gift. And the work is to work out what that is.

I now remember feeling this way back in summer 2016 when all tools were taken away and I was forced to look at my physical reality manifestations. It forced me to get engaged with myself on a serious level, really look at myself in the mirror as the only thing available. I felt I didn’t quite get it that time and therefore, missed an opportunity to upgrade. Now I am being given the second chance and I am ready!

Always question how you feel, observe how you behave and what your thinking is like. Be with yourself always and whenever something doesn’t feel right stop and explore it’s meaning. It’s not that we are doing something wrong it’s about  becoming something new. Something is always growing within of us to be known.

Blessings!

The beauty of saying nothing

.Reading time 7 minutes.

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Too often we engage in exchanges with someone being completely unaware how what is running through our heads is a response to what the other person is sharing. We are focused on our own response ready and waiting and not listening to the other. What about if we stopped and just listened and not only that… With awareness of our inner commentary in that moment not only we decide not to pay attention to that ‘noise’ but also make a decision to say nothing when the other person is finished. This is particularly useful in emotionally charged situations. Instead of jumping in with what’s in our heads we decide to pause and hold that space in silence, allowing the other person to breathe into what they just expressed and shared. I heard some calling this a practice of ‘sacred pause’. It is a truly transformative experience and such a learning in awareness not just of what we do unconsciously on a regular bases, but what effect it might have on our conversations and relationships in a wider context. This can be changed in a way that is beneficial to all and, yes, it requires practice like anything else that is worth doing. However, you never know, you might just like it, just like I find myself liking it more and more.

When we empty our mind of all the clutter in any given moment and allow ourselves not to speak, not to respond and just hold that space, it feels expansive. I find myself I am able to breathe evenly and deeper when I am aware I am in my ‘say nothing’ space. It also feels wonderfully liberating and peaceful. In terms of conversations that allowing of space in return becomes an even flow of exchange, the other person relaxes just as much as you do and there is an understanding that you are truly listening and there with them, which allows them to share more honestly and more openly rather than rushing through sentences trying to cramp as many words as possible into a conversation, because unconsciously we all feel it when the person opposite is about to jump in with a response. When that energy is diminished or switched off to a different vibration all together, it is felt by the other in return.

In relationships it creates trust, it makes us feel held, felt, seen and understood and isn’t it what we all want deep down? We are often caught into projecting on to one another and it creates misunderstandings, which then builds into conflicts and all sorts of distorted defensive positions where nothing gets resolved yet a lot of energy is spent on it. When we tell ourselves to ‘shut up’ no matter what comes our way, it is not that we invite it all in, no, we simply hold it in-between the two. In that in-between pause it becomes a choice of whether to take that projection in, react, throw it back or allow for time to pass in ‘silence’ for the other and yourself to process what had happened and wait for a natural resolution whether it is deciding to turn around and walk away or embrace one another.

I give you an example. My husband came home the other night in a bad mood and began making comments and moaning, i.e. projecting his frustration on to me. I felt myself preparing for a battle in my head, ready to throw some stuff right back at him. Taking projections is very hard, by the way, and requires practice and most of all self-awareness. Because I was aware of what was happening within him and within myself I was able to ‘pause’ and make that wonderful decision to be silent and say nothing. Once I took that stance I felt my chest filling up with space, I felt more relaxed and allowing for whatever my husband needed to let go off come out. It is important not to take it personally, as if you do, you have taken on their projection and would inevitably be triggered into your own inner drama, which would then produce proejctions back. I embraced his rigid body and with my holding him in my arms I allowed that space and he continued to let things out with no judgement on my part. When he was done he felt better and appreciated that space to be with what he needed to be with. It avoided a potential argument and we both benefitted from that experience. We were able to get on with our night in peace and harmony.

Silence is very soothing. It has that vibration of allowing spaciousness. Often it is better to say nothing than say something inauthentic, not nice or simply unnecessary. There is so much unneccesary noise that goes on around us and within us. Silence speaks in its own way and we don’t practice that enough. It takes away from real listening to one another, from being intimate with one another, feeling, seeing and understanding one another. Next time something similar comes up, try ‘saying nothing’ and just being in the space. It might just turn out to be a game-changer.

I love today

.Reading time 2 minutes.

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My heart beats with warmth and love today. There is a dizzy feeling of comforting intoxication. I like many things today. I appreciate many things today within and without and it feels contained and safe. Today I am in love with the process of writing and reading about nature and people, who are in deeply sacred relationship with it. I snuggled into the feeling of belonging, understanding and sharing. I am in a place of acceptance, kindness and compassion. I smile and laugh with my parents today, I talk softly to my partner and shower my son with love and affection. I love today. I love my house, a place of safety, comfort, joy and beauty, I smile as I walk from one room to another. I am aware of everything within me. I hear an internal song, a whistle of a jolly soft tune my heart is humming carefree and settled. I go to my garden plot where my vegetables are in wonderful growth, they are blooming into a wonderful green picture of deliciousness. I stop to admire it all, I smell tomato plants and run my fingers through beetroot tops. Cucumbers are looking beautiful. I love cucumber leaves and yellow flowers. I free potato plants from a sea of weeds, which feel soft and wet under my feet and in my hands. I get into the rhythm and hear that humming jolly song again within my heart. I pause, breathe in, strengthen my back and stretch my arms high to the sky with gratitude and oh, such peace within me. I love today!