Meditation: A friendly, meandering journey of finding the infinite within

Simply the mere idea of meditation is enough to get people to resist internally.  There is something frightening, to most, about the idea of being present with one’s thoughts.  It’s as if just being quiet and allowing one’s thoughts to rise is going to lead to insanity.  Or maybe somehow bring forth dark or “evil” thoughts.  So what we do instead is distract, repress, and fill with all sorts of things that mean absolutely nothing.  We then call this sanity. 

Becoming aware of one’s thoughts is reaching to the place inside in which change is possible.  It never leads to a bad outcome.  It may feel unpleasant for a spell, but ultimately one’s awareness is what allows one’s thoughts to be released.  Pretending they are not there is not the same as letting them go.  If one wishes to become lighter in thought and body one simply needs to develop awareness.  A moment to moment awareness is the goal but you don’t just start there.  Meditation is a skill developed over time.  Patience is needed to allow for a deepening of mind awareness.   One engages in techniques specifically designed to build powers of concentration in order to gain insight into the workings of one’s mind.  The techniques are numerous.  The individual effectiveness is varied.  One must chart their own course, but tools are available to show you the path. 

As one develops greater awareness of self, patterns of disharmony emerge.  You become aware of how certain types of thoughts make you feel.  You become aware of which foods nourish you and which foods do something else entirely.  Over time, with greater experience, you began to see what emotions or thoughts lead to craving certain types of food, beverages, and intoxicants.  You then are in a greater position to make a different choice, one that comes from a place of empowerment rather than one of reaction.  As you learn to navigate the unfolding mystery of all the varying nuances of being that you as a complex unit of memory, thought, experience, intellect, emotions (love and fear) make up, you can than begin to understand what your triggers are in life.  What motivations exist behind all the decisions you make in everyday life.  Once you can witness these things as an observer rather than the subject you then find yourself comfortably seated in the driver’s seat.  Your choices need no longer be reactionary.  You can now tackle the challenges life throws at you with greater levels of clarity and peace.  That doesn’t mean life will always go the way you want it to, but that your peace of mind will allow you to weather whatever storm comes up on this meandering journey we all tread.     

Releasing the Junk that Surrounds You

Everything has a vibrational frequency.  

When you look around your home, your office, or your car whatever you notice has its own specific frequency.  The artwork you have in your home speaks to you vibrationally. The furniture you sit on. The lamps you use to light your home.  The plants, trees, and flowers in and around your home share their frequency with you. And not just the things themselves, but even the arrangement of things can carry a specific frequency.  The clutter on your desk, the unmade bed, the curtains closed or open, the dirty clothes hamper open or shut, the toilet seat up or down. All these things impact you to some degree. Most of the time we are not aware of how different things impact us.  Well, at least not consciously. You may not notice the clutter on your desk, but subconsciously it speaks to you all the same. If you take a moment to consciously focus on it you will find it does indeed create a sensation within. You may say to yourself, “Oh, I really need to do something about that.” Or, “I should really organize some stuff in here.”  

It’s not only an eyesore, but the cluttered aspect also holds a frequency that overlays your environment and you can feel it.

It’s important to surround yourself with things that are uplifting, make you feel good, or at the very least are neutral in how they make you feel.  Most of us have so much stuff we have collected over the years. All with varying types of vibrational frequencies which impact us in various ways. There can be frequencies that are carried in the things themselves which have nothing do with the objects own inherent frequency.   Maybe a memory is triggered on seeing a certain object that carries its own type of frequency for you. Maybe a piece of furniture holds the frequency of an ex lover and triggers you in certain ways that tend to be more subtle than obvious. Maybe you picked something up at a garage sale or an antique shop and its blend of frequencies is a mystery.  The possibilities are endless. The idea isn’t to eliminate all things but rather to be aware of how the things around you are impacting you. Pay attention. Become consciously aware. Anything that throws you off or makes you feel less than ideal let go of. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve had it. Or how important it was to you at one time in your life.  If it feels off, it’s time to move on.

Here’s an example from an experience I had almost 20 years ago.  I was once gifted a colorful painting from a friend. She told me I was the inspiration for the work.  It was a beautiful painting. I was elated to be given such a gift. A number of months after receiving the artwork we had a falling out.  Shortly thereafter I moved from Seattle to Santa Fe, NM. I kept the painting in the move. At some point I became aware of a heaviness I felt every time I looked at the painting.  I didn’t get rid of the painting because I felt I had a responsibility to keep it since it was a gift. A couple of years later I tucked it away in the closet to avoid the heaviness I was feeling.  Oddly (or at least I thought so at the time), for months afterward I was still sensing the same heaviness from time to time even without actually seeing the painting. Finally I decided to part ways with it.  That same day the heaviness was gone. I felt it just one more time after that. About a week after getting rid of the painting I received an email from the friend who had gifted me the artwork in the first place.  She let me know that she was still hurt and angry over the fallout we had years ago. I then realized her energy had been tied to the painting. It was a link between us. She had felt when the link had been removed.  She needed to share her unhappiness with me in some other way. I was grateful for the realization that things carry a vibrational frequency for a number of reasons. Some of those vibrations uplift me, while others bring me down or lower my vibration.  It is important to recognize those that bring you down and remove them if possible.

Activity:  What junk do you have that needs to be released?  Take some time to scan your home and your work place.  Notice how things around you make you feel. Is there any heaviness or discomfort?  Does anything make you feel anxious or unsettled? Angry? Unworthy? Guilty? Etc. Are there typical areas of clutter in the space around you?  What would it feel like to keep these areas organized and tidy? Play with it. Feel into it. Look around you with the idea of releasing stuff.  Are there things weighing you down?

If so, it may be time to let some things go.