Magda Nell Wenek

Active Meditation Workshops with Drumming
This is deeply connected with body and soul. This is meeting with our Self: with our feeling and emotion – remembering the power of your own breath. There will be drumming, didge and flute and other instruments. We feel more trust in ourself when we do this meditation: we realise how we are guided. This meditation takes one and a half hours. It is a moving meditation as well as mental, so can be very active. We stop thinking too much, so we hear our soul. And we have trust in our body. Mondays from June 11^th 2012 at 7.45pm. Cost £7.

Sensitive Dance
Deep contact with your own body: we allow our body to be our guide. This is creative and spiritual. This dance takes one hour. We hold a circle first, where people say one word from their heart about how he or she feels in this moment. We can draw a tarot card each or an angel card for the dance for each person, then we dance eyes focussed more within yourself: your heart, your spirit. Sundays from June 17^th 2012 at 7.45pm. Cost £4.

Spiritual Clothes Designs for you to order – We will be featuring samples of Magda’s astounding work shortly, for you to commission her garment or bags, for yourself or  as a gift you wish to make to someone else.

Spiritual Art for you – Paintings and Wall Paintings – examples of  Magda’s paintings and wall paintings will soon be available, so you can contact Magda to make your commission.

Contact Magda at:  Tel: 07742844789 | Email: sunflower@tlen.pl 

Magda Nell Wenek

Active Meditation Workshops with Drumming
This is deeply connected with body and soul. This is meeting with our Self: with our feeling and emotion – remembering the power of your own breath. There will be drumming, didge and flute and other instruments. We feel more trust in ourself when we do this meditation: we realise how we are guided. This meditation takes one and a half hours. It is a moving meditation as well as mental, so can be very active. We stop thinking too much, so we hear our soul. And we have trust in our body. Mondays from June 11^th 2012 at 7.45pm. Cost £7.

Sensitive Dance
Deep contact with your own body: we allow our body to be our guide. This is creative and spiritual. This dance takes one hour. We hold a circle first, where people say one word from their heart about how he or she feels in this moment. We can draw a tarot card each or an angel card for the dance for each person, then we dance eyes focussed more within yourself: your heart, your spirit. Sundays from June 17^th 2012 at 7.45pm. Cost £4.

Spiritual Clothes Designs for you to order – We will be featuring samples of Magda’s astounding work shortly, for you to commission her garment or bags, for yourself or  as a gift you wish to make to someone else.

Spiritual Art for you – Paintings and Wall Paintings – examples of  Magda’s paintings and wall paintings will soon be available, so you can contact Magda to make your commission.

Contact Magda at:  Tel: 07742844789 | Email: sunflower@tlen.pl 

Why meditation connects us with  the Source of Creation: According to my understanding of the guru’s talks, by focusing our awareness inside our body (the “head-to-toes” as he kept calling it) we are connecting with God. He explained it like this; you are a part of your parents, because you were created from them. Half of you is a result of your mom’s DNA and half of you is of your dad’s. Your parents, in turn, are part of their parents, who are a part of their parents and so on; and you, as a child of your parents, are also therefore a part of your grandparents and all of their ancestors. If you trace back the lineage of humans eventually you will reach the original “mother” and “father” – the “Adam” and “Eve” of Creation, if you will. The original “Adam” and “Eve” are a creation of some Greater Power (“God”) and in being created by this Power, they are also a part of it. I think that even if you don’t believe in the Story of Creation but conceptualize the existence of mankind in terms of evolution, the same logic applies. Even if we evolved from apes, these apes evolved from something else, and thinking beyond us – the very earth that we live on and that gave us life came from something greater than anything we can imagine – and by being a “child” of this Life Source that created earth and the Universe in general, we are also a part of the Life Source and It is a part of us. Therefore, by tuning into and connecting with ourselves, we are also connecting with the Source of all Life.
Why tuning into the sensations in your body helps you develop an anxiety-free approach to life: A way to connect with the Source of Creation/Life (the guru referred to It as God) is by connecting with ourselves through meditation. While meditating on Monday, we did a lot of contracting and releasing various muscle groups and body parts, as well as other active forms of meditation like shaking limbs and moving them in different motions. Apparently, by becoming in tune with the sensations in our body, we will eventually come to realize that there is no such thing as pain or pleasure. Everything is just a sensation and it is us that attaches meaning to these sensations. We are both the Creator and the creation – not only through our own existence, but also through our experience of the world. This applies not only to what is going on inside our body, but also to what is going on outside of us. The key to happiness and lack of anxiety is accepting things as they are and being content with them without attaching meaning to them. Anxiety is a result of the labels we put on events and situations and of our projections for what is and/or will happen and our perceived inability to deal with it. The moment that we stop judging things that happen around us and just allow ourselves to experience them, like the sensations within our body, is the moment that we begin to live life in a state of anxiety-free presence. This makes me think back to the parable of the Taoist farmer – nothing is good or bad, everything just is.

I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from Swami Shree Yogi Satyam. Although I feel that he is not the spiritual teacher that I have asked Universe for, he gave me some interesting ideas to gnaw on… and some further insight on the importance of meditation, connecting with oneself, and experiencing life without labels and judgments. Further, by seeing what I don’t want, I also have a better idea of what I am looking for in a spiritual teacher – someone whose energy I feel when she/he walks past me (especially when my eyes are closed); someone whose eyes and Being radiates of compassion, patience, love and kindness for all of Universe’s creations – big and small and whose teachings are grounded in this; and someone who sees the Universe with the joy and wonder of a child, while having the wisdom of an old and wise Soul. Perhaps I am looking for [someone like] Pema Chodron – someone focused on cultivating loving-kindness. Regardless, I am one step closer to obtaining what I have asked for and even more focused on tapping inwards in order to Shine outwards.

“This work has service at its apex not its foundation.
At its foundation it has understanding what our situation really is.”—J.G. Bennett. Fallen Leaves. Private Collection, 1980.

“Tonight when we reached Hopeless Idiots, G was very solemn and after the Addition, spoke about ‘this small aim’ not to perish like a dog, and how everyone must have this. Everyone must have the wish ‘not be taxi,’ but to have real owner, not a succession of passengers. He gave us all the task of learning to distinguish between feeling and sensing*—when he sees that we do this task, and do it often, then he will be able to give us another subjective task.” — Elizabeth Bennett. Idiots in Paris p. 48

*download >> The Distinction Between Sensing and Feeling. JG Bennett, 1949.

“We had one of Madame Salzmann’s extraordinary practices: first we sat for 20 minutes sensing various parts of the body** and then the whole body: then we did a new canon with more ‘active’ sort of movements than usual: then we worked on the arms and legs, separately, of the First Obligatory, and she gave us an astonishing demonstration of how to balance; then we sat, beating rhythms on our knees, then we marched on the spot, and afterwards round the room, and then she teased us because we could not do it properly, and jumped up, with a little bounce, from the piano, laughing, and ended the class.” — Elizabeth Bennett. Idiots in Paris p. 128

“This morning I spent an hour on my knees in the Spring House. After forty minutes, I found I had the power to reach the Collected State. Afterward the pain in my legs became too insistent. But once again toward the end, I began to sense my existence differently. I am not sure that I am doing it rightly, so I hope I shall have a chance of asking.” — JG Bennett. Ibid. p. 12

Anyone who met Elizabeth Bennett—especially those who accepted her as their teacher–knows well and felt clearly her enthusiasm for “sensing”: she lived it! This enthusiasm was once simply-yet-powerfully expressed to us who were at Sherborne on the fourth basic course: (referring to Mr. B.) she said, with a twinkle in her serious light-filled eyes, “In 1949, he came back from Paris with “sensing,” which Mr. Gurdjieff was then emphasizing as the foundation of his Work!”

The rest is history: a corpus of “morning exercises” was developed and introduced by Bennett and his students to thousands. These “active meditations” are founded and grounded in that action of mind-to-body we (today) simply call “sensing.” The without-a-doubt most important experience Bennett transmitted to us during the last months of his life was that of “occupying our own body” through the work of being actively attentive to the organic sensation of life in it!

Wow! is an understatement. We all know and have experienced—or if not yet, then we need to find a source of help to experience—”without a doubt” the equanimous state of attentive mind in which we are present to life in any part, every, all parts or the whole of the body. It’s really simple, this sensing thing—but to come to it “without a doubt” weeks, months, even years of regular practice with right-accommodating guidance from others who have already come to it without a doubt is necessary. Where to find this help?

The intention of this post is to begin a lively conversation on the received benefits of “sensing” and on how to share with others this important human activity for right human development.

—James Tomarelli, February 25, 2012

From physics and trigonometry to the great English classics and music composers, children are exposed to thousands of new ideas, concepts, and formulas each year at school. From the moment they walk through the doors of kindergarten to that momentous day when they toss their mortarboards to the sky they are expected to learn nearly everything they will need to know to be a successful, functioning adult in society. They are even given the skills to study and manage time; however, very few are taught one of the most important skills that can be the difference between ultimate success and dismal failure.

Can you Cope with Stress?

Coping with stress in a productive manner is not something that is taught in elementary school, middle school, or even high school. Children who cannot calm themselves down in times of distress will ultimately fall victim to anxiety, irritability, frustration, nervousness, and even a general fear of the world around them. How can they possibly be expected to study and pass their exams when they cannot even control their own mind? To be successful in both school and life, children need to harness their inner calm so they can turn into teenagers and, finally, adults who have learned to harness both their analytical and creative sides.

Learning “How To Learn”

Achieving success in exams does not require countless hours studying, but rather by using the skills obtained from “How to Learn” that both activate and energise both hemispheres of their brain. After a short period of time children and teenagers will not only learn how to subdue overwhelming thoughts and emotions that lead to stressful situations, but to gain self-confidence that will propel them even further down their intended path of study and, eventually, career. Children who once before grew teary while attempting to finish their homework, transform into those who are eager to complete more.  Teenagers who were unsure about even applying to college now have a dozen letters of acceptance filling the mailbox. The results are simply astounding, all by using a simple method that utilizes the natural mental abilities we all have.

Keys are the Mind and Meditation

Clearing the mind with meditation allows the subconscious to become more dominant in a child’s thinking, behaviour, and actions. Yet meditation is not simply about sitting on comfortable cushions in a silent room. Active Meditation unlocks the potential that is hidden deep within children, teenagers, and adults alike. Through active meditation it is possible to chart one’s goals and desires while also recognizing potential obstacles that might stand in the way. It is possible to achieve what once before had seemed impossible.

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With all of the distractions that exist in this modern world it can be difficult to find the time to actively meditate. However, it is essential to achieving success in school, in work, and in life. It is the difference between staring at a blank exam paper and not knowing the answers, to quickly filling in the blanks with the knowledge that cannot stop itself from pouring out of the mind. Discover the ability within by learning about the powerful secrets revealed in “How to Learn”.

Practicing Meditation can Offer Much More

Sometimes perhaps when we are on holidays or looking at a favourite movie, reading a good book or even in a deep sleep, we can momentarily forget any cares and worries we may have and find some temporary inner peace. Practising meditation can offer much more than just temporary inner peace and harmony.

Research has shown that most of our feeling of happiness and mental wellbeing comes from the inner self and our attitude.  Your own self talk will contribute to your sense of inner peace and harmony when it is positive. Conversely, when it is negative it will lead to anxiety, fear, hate, anger, doubt and so on.  That little voice inside our head is always switched on and we talk to ourselves many times each day. So being aware of our self-talk and nipping in the bud negative internal chatter is beneficial to our wellbeing.  Reject the negative self-talk and avoid negative people. Doing meditation is a great way of using your own self help methods and subconscious mind.  Be grateful for all that you do have in life, even if it is just for things such as having warm clothes, a roof over your head, food on the table, the beauty of nature.  Do not hold grudges and learn to forgive.  Practise patience and tolerance and don’t harbour feelings of jealousy.

Learn to Accept Change

Learn to accept what cannot be changed and do not dwell in the past in order to move on.  Take care of your mind and avoid exposing yourself to negative stories in the media.

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We have so much more power in our lives when we do not allow our feelings to control us.  Set yourself realistic goals and work towards their achievement.  Practise deep breathing and spend time each day meditating.

People sometimes mistakenly believe that amassing material wealth will lead to happiness and therefore inner peace and harmony. The pursuit of material wealth can result in people becoming increasingly busy with no time to relax and develop the inner mind and cultivate a loving heart.  Other problems can arise such as anger and resentment. Stilling the mind with meditation is the key.  Learn to practice meditation. Even a few minutes a day will make a change in your life.

]]> http://selfimprovementdeals.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/enhancing-creativity/ Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:29:57 +0000 selfimprovementdeals http://selfimprovementdeals.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/enhancing-creativity/ Most people probably have memories of being creative in their childhood and absolutely loving it.  Using our creativity is one of the first ways we learn –  using playdoh, plasticine, paints, crayons, colouring in, threading beads, French knitting, gluing mosaics, cutting out, making small pottery items and much more.

As we progressed through life perhaps our creativity was no doubt stifled in favour of the more left brain activities such as mathematics.  Opportunities to explore and express our creativity seemed to diminish if not disappear completely.

Recapture Some Childhood

You may have woken up one day as an adult and thought that you might like to recapture some of that childhood, carefree creativity.  Well you can – creativity is certainly not just the domain of those we call artists.  And whether or not you recognize it, you are probably constantly using your creativity to think of better ways of doing something, to fix a problem around the home,  create a new and exciting meal, knitting a jumper or make a business plan.

Authors, inventors, actors, musicians, singers, comedians, performers,  are all expressing their creativity in an artistic and very obvious way.  These traditionally creative fields are not the only areas of expression of creativity. Also expressing their creativity are business people, scientists, parents.  Indeed we all do express our creativity in some way, no matter how small that may be.  And we all have that spark within us that is capable of being creative.  Creativity can mean something different to each of us and we all have individual talents and interests.  With training and using certain techniques we can all rediscover our creativity.

Be Aware of Your Inner Voice

Creativity is not just the domain of the so-called gifted and there are ways of developing and enhancing creativity.  Research has shown that having a positive attitude can sometimes be beneficial in allowing our creativity to emerge.  Using our own minds with guided imagery and meditation can help to stimulate and encourage creativity.  We talk to ourselves many times a day and that inner voice can sometimes be negative if we are unaware and allow it to run unchecked.  We can be our own harshest critic and we need to turn around any negative self talk to be positive and reassure ourselves of our confidence and abilities.  Your inner voice may be trying to protect you from being judged or from failure or embarrassment.  However you may be surprised by just how much you can achieve when you have the added assistance of your own mind.

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Try Something New

To release your dormant creativity be prepared to try something new and be open to change and variety.  For creativity to flourish we may need to leap out into uncertainty and be prepared to a risk.

Reading can help to enhance your knowledge and range of skills in preparation to relaunch your creative self.  Listening to inspirational music or DVDs or CDs of successful and motivational people can be helpful.  Keep a journal and make mind maps.  Keep an open mind and allow your curiosity full rein.

Sometimes creating a separate and stimulating environment in which to meditate or to work can be helpful.  There are many colours and shades in this world, so lash out and experiment with using colour in your environment.

Hesitate no longer and seize the day.  Remain positive and go for your dreams.

How can we Accept and Let Go?

Here’s an interesting monkey story about Letting Go because it illustrates that it is important to identify negative habits and change them. There are areas of thick vegetation in the desert – like an oasis. Monkeys abound and of course there must be water, but that water is very difficult to find. The Kalahari tribe want the monkey for two reasons – to eat, and to show them the location of the water.

First the tribesman finds an ant hill positioned so that it can be clearly seen from the edge of the oasis. Then using a spear to drill a hole and then expand the bottom of the hole by rotating the spear. The monkeys watch and see a glass crystal catching the light disappearing down the hole. You know that the curious monkey loves shiny objects.

The monkeys come forward and one plunges its arm down the hole and grabs the crystal. Its hand is now a fist big enough for the fist to fit into the bulb at the bottom of the shaft, but too big for the shaft. The Kalahari tribesmen, who have been hiding, come forward – the other monkeys scamper, but the one with the crystal, it just won’t let go of the crystal. That’s all it has to do to save its life – let go.

The monkey is tied to a post in the sun and near it is placed a block of salt. In a few hours the monkey is literally “dying of thirst”, having licked the salt. With the Kalahari tribe in position, the monkey is released and they watch the monkey go straight for the water.

There Comes a Time to Let Go

There are circumstances where monkeys must let go. So too with many of our old habits, our old ways of doing things, our old opinions, our old attitudes. All of these things may have served us very well in their time. But there comes a time to let go.

Acceptance and letting go can be extremely challenging – especially when dealing with a loved one who is no longer on this physical earth. Ultimately one is able to think logically about all the circumstances surrounding the death – especially when it has been a violent death as in the case of murder. This includes the fact that the loved one is physically dead. In other words accept what had happened as a fact – to stop denying it – and look for the lessons in adversity. In this way one is co-operating with the situation and more likely to learn from it. Eventually one comes to terms with the situation and then one can work on letting the loved one.

Letting Go Does not Mean Forgetting

You can never forget, however you can dull the pain. Letting Go does not mean ‘not thinking about the people involved’, it does not mean ‘not having photos of your loved ones around’ it does not mean ‘not talking about them’. Letting Go can be done after acceptance so that any tragedy or adversity suffered is not in the forefront of your mind so that you can move on in my life. When you now think of your loved ones you can smile about the good times and remember them as they were – never aging!

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There are many circumstances whereby it is best to “let go” – examples are the death of someone close to you, a relationship, children as they move on in life, one’s status in life, any resentment or jealousy, a pet, or perhaps life itself.

Use Active Meditation

Meditation is an excellent way of taking action to achieve Acceptance and Letting Go. With Active Meditation using guided imagery and visualisation you imagine the challenge as a sack of sand that you have to carry around with you … you have to take it everywhere with you. Beside your bed at night, on the car seat when you’re driving, on your back when you’re walking. It’s a huge weight to carry all the time and you feel more tired … the sand somehow feels heavier … and more unwieldy … you feel worse … you must get rid of this burden as it is effecting every bit of your life. You start the process of “letting go” the sand – letting go your challenge by acknowledging different components of your challenge. You can imagine the sand as a sand castle on a beach with the waves gradually levelling the sand and that’s similar to Letting Go.

]]> http://wonderingmindstudio.com/2011/08/23/the-serious-pleasure-of-doing-something-for-its-own-sake/ Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:26:24 +0000 miriam louisa simons http://wonderingmindstudio.com/2011/08/23/the-serious-pleasure-of-doing-something-for-its-own-sake/ http://reginaverow.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/back-to-the-garden/ Tue, 31 May 2011 15:55:24 +0000 Regina Verow http://reginaverow.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/back-to-the-garden/ http://seriousjoy.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/active-meditation/ Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:38:05 +0000 i am joey http://seriousjoy.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/active-meditation/ Thursdays 5:30n Hatha yoga class at Semperviva’s Sun Location was amazing.  Taught by Brenna, it is great for all levels of yogis.  I had two friends come in to visit who are not new to yoga, but have not been practicing and only have been to very few beginner yoga classes back home.  They have both never experienced anything like it.  It was challenging but she has a way of making everybody feel capable of doing the poses. I can’t help but smile throughout her whole class.  This was my second class with Brenna and I was thrilled that she did her active meditation again.  About two thirds into the class she gets everyone to sit straight on their mats and we think about something we want to achieve.  Where do we want to be going, and what would we like to get away from.  Maybe stressful financial situations, something you have been putting on hold for awhile, maybe you want to become healthier, practice more yoga, maybe all of these things or maybe something completely different.  We start swimming.  Swimming towards something and away from negative things.  Our arms are up doing the front crawl and we close our eyes. Then she plays fun upbeat music by Lykke Li and Florence and the Machine.  So for two full songs we swim and dance towards focusing on what we want in life while we concentrate on feeling free and moving our arms.  It’s a great mind over matter exercise, because you can do it if you want to.  Don’t drop your arms and if you don’t put your arms down it becomes easier. You realize that you can keep going, keep moving your arms as long as you don’t give up. You do this practice while you are thinking of what you want in life. You can make anything happen for yourself.  You just have to know that it will take time. Nothing worth achieving comes for free but the reward at the end is worth the effort. You put time into anything and you’ll become better at it.  It’s amazing, this meditation.  It’s motivating, stress releasing, and it feels damn good!!

I highly recommend this class!

We hear of meditation so often in our lives yet many of us are still unfamiliar with what it really is.  Even a dictionary’s definition is vague.  The reason is it is hard to define what meditation is in just a few words.  And even after reading any given definition, it is still difficult for one to understand.  Because in order for you to understand, you must experience it yourself

I am no meditation expert.  I have not reached Nirvana, nor have achieved spiritual enlightenment (Well, that’s debatable).  I have not been able to hear or see anything outside our “normal” dimension.  But it’s likely because I don’t meditate consistently enough to have this experience.  What I can testify to is that when I do meditate, there is a positive effect.  And over the past 6 or 7 years since I’ve started practicing meditation, I’ve created my own explanation of meditation. 

From my experience, I have learned that meditation is a process, much like any other exercise.  It is a matter of starting with basics and slowly strengthening the ability. The more you exercise those meditative “muscles”, the closer you get to a meditative state.  The more you’re in a meditative state, the closer you are to those experiences I talked about.  Don’t get me wrong, it takes a long time to get really far.  But going through the process is certainly worth it.

 This process affects people in many different ways.  For myself, I find that during the first while, the changes are imperceivable.  But as I continue to meditate daily, I discover more clarity and serenity and my emotions go through, a “sort of”, evolutionary process.  It’s a bit difficult to explain but imagine your mind is similar to a tangled ball of yarn.  Over the years, that ball of yarn becomes more tangled and knotted from all the thoughts and experiences that go through your mind/conscience.  When I meditate, it’s almost as if those mental tangles become slowly unknotted, strand by strand.  The more untangled my mind is, the more clarity I have with decisions, feelings, judgments, etc.

When I meditate, I am also able to get closer to the core of who I am.  It’s not because I become more in tune with a higher power (although this is also debatable), but because I am able to filter out all the doubt and insecurities and fears and all those other feelings that keep me from my truth.  This certainly doesn’t happen overnight, but with consistent practice I am able to see through those mental distractions. 

  I have read books and researched online for different categories ever since I started meditating, and just as there is no good definition of meditation, there are no defined categories of meditative techniques.  In other words, many techniques overlap eachother and are very similar.  Here are the techniques I am aware of:

• Basic/Thoughtless Meditation- Exactly how it sounds.  While sitting in a comfortable position, you quiet your mind, and don’t think.  This sounds very simple, but I assure you, it’s incredibly difficult.  We are always thinking, even in our sleep.  To be thoughtless, is definitely an effort.  To do this technique, you need to be aware of any thoughts.  As thoughts come in, try to let go of them and focus again on thoughtlessness.  The great thing about this technique is that you’ll eventually see how much of that incessant “voice” is in your minds.  By blocking those voices and staying thoughtless allows your mind to take a rest from all that background noise that can potentially have a negative impact on us.
• Focused Meditation – This involves sitting in a comfortable position and focusing on something that has little or no movement.  Candle-watching (focusing on the flame) is a good example, or your own breath (I recommend this), or imagining ocean waves/waterfall.  Focusing on only one present thought allows the mind to be temporarily free of the mental noise.  This I find is relatively easier than Thoughtless Meditation.
• Awareness Meditation – sitting in a comfortable position but instead you are staying aware of your body.  For example, you are aware of the breath going through you into your lungs and back out; or the beating of your heart.  Note that you are only aware of this, not analyzing.  Another method is to feel the energy passing through your body inch by inch.  This is particularly helpful for people who have trouble sleeping.  While lying down, be aware of your body from the bottom up.  Start from the toes, to the feet, to the ankle, to calves, to thighs, to hips…and so on…eventually working all the way up to the top of the head.  I recommend this to people with insomnia or who have trouble sleeping.  It’s very effective for sleep.  You’ll find that you will fall asleep before you complete the whole practice.
• Visual Imagery Meditation – visualizing guided images (whether self-guided or auditory-guided).  Generally, this involves visualizing a play-by-play story or a series of colors, or both.  This is great for improving visualization and visual memory. 
• Prayer Meditation – when you say a prayer and then be still and focus on that prayer.  I believe that prayer is very powerful.  When you say a prayer, that message is propelled out into the universe and will empower that prayer.  This is so useful for people who need strength to endure or overcome a situation.  I do believe that the universe does respond (sometimes in ways we don’t see) to our prayers.  But most importantly, prayer strengthens our faith and reinforces our good intentions.
• Repetitive/Mantra Meditation – this involves having a mantra (a single word or series of spiritual/religious words) and repeating that mantra throughout the meditation.
• Active Meditation – when you are engaged in an activity that calms and stills your mind.  Yoga, Tai-Chi, gardening, and artwork are examples of this.

 Now that you know the many different techniques, you need to decide which one is suitable for you.  It’s difficult to recommend which one works best because everyone is so different.  What I do advise is start with simplicity.  You would think that the Basic Meditation is simple but you will soon find that it’s not easy to stop thinking on command.  In fact that skill alone takes much practice.  Focused Meditation is probably best to start with; more specifically, focusing on your breathing and nothing else.  I know you think this sounds easy but try it right now, take 10 deep, controlled breathes and mentally count the number of breathes in your mind.  Think of your breathing and nothing else.

 You probably found that it was not easy to only focus on the breathing.  Did you find that your mind wandered?  Maybe you were thinking about what you need to do, or what you did?  Although you continue counting, you probably lost count at 3 or 4, or digressed to other thoughts and came back to counting  

I suggest continuing this for some time starting with 5 minutes (whatever you prefer), then I would then suggest adding more minutes.  When your mind is “still” enough for all 5 minutes, add a minute each time.  Don’t worry about timing your meditation.  Somehow you will stop at the time you decided on.  Once you have gotten to a comfortable time, then try something different – maybe begin to “Om” (saying that word out loud in a slow and stretched out way like “oohhhhhhmmmmmmm…” repeatedly) and/or just to still your mind (pure thoughtlessness).  Sounds funny but this has been reported to help concentration and most importantly, help with thyroid function. 

Whatever your meditative journey is, keep in mind, the primary purpose of meditation is focusing on the present.  It gives your mind a mental break from the average 70,000 thoughts that bombard your mind.  By giving you this break, you are allowed to clear out the mental clutter and tap into the true mental alertness that everyone has.

Again, I want to stress how this process will take you some time to achieve.  But enjoy the process.  The changes, day by day, are not obvious.  But if you continue meditating daily, you will notice changes in your memory, thoughts and emotions.  Many people go through changes in different ways.  The transition is very different for everyone, but it is magical.  Each time you finish your meditation, sit for a minute and reflect on it.  This will allow you to absorb the exercise.  I assure you, if you keep at it, the meditations will be transformative.  So happy meditating and keep it up!

Move in order to meditate

Meditation is often used as a tool to free oneself from the chains of doubt, fear and limitations. Undoubtedly it sounds like a soulful Shangri-la but in my case, it is not an easy destination to get to. For those who have tried to sit still and allow their thoughts to just melt away and let bliss take over and failed, you are definitely not alone. True meditation takes practice and a lot of it; ironically, the harder you try to meditate, the more the state of “peace and quiet” will elude you. So what can you do if you can’t sit still, or get cramps while trying to be motionless in order to achieve a meditative mood? Move.

Active meditation is a good practice to get into the habit of having control over your mind rather than it having control over you. Though there are many descriptions of meditation, its true essence is focus, a focus that is so pure and rich that it cancels out everything unnecessary — pouring energy into whatever it is you’re doing and provides, at a pivotal point, enlightenment. You may have already achieved a Zen-like state when you were once engrossed in an activity that you found so joyful that all your attention was consumed by it. I rediscovered this state during a recent 10k “fun” run. I never thought I’d be a runner, much less join a race before sunrise, and as I crawled miserably out of bed wondering for the nth time why I even signed up, it (literally) dawned on me that if I wanted to win the war with the mind, I had to get moving. I’m not saying that running is the best way to actively meditate but it certainly takes focus and a lot of determination to go the distance. Early on, the mind already begins putting up barriers to prevent you from running: it’s too early, it’s too far, it’s insane — so the first thing you should do to distract these “complaints” is to warm up. Stretching makes you mindful of your breathing, and the slow movements do relax you and since you don’t want to topple over as you try to touch your toes, you have to remain focused on what you’re doing and not what you’re thinking.

Calm a frazzled mind through motion

Then the race begins and you are now brought into awareness of your surroundings, you can now choose to look to the ones who pass you or on the ones who drop behind you. Decisions have to be made: Will you sprint ahead while you feel fresh and strong or are you going to settle into a comfortable pace and gather strength? The best way to gauge is to focus on your breathing: if you feel out of breath, slow down; if you feel comfortable then you can pick up the pace.

There are going to be points of frustration; your mind tells you to stop and not even finish because (it rationalizes) it’s too far, takes too long, you’re too tired. Like meditation, running is an easy activity to quit. All you have to do is stop and walk away. If you get to this state, stop and take a quick break; be aware, though, that your mind at this very moment has prevented you from achieving a goal. This happened to me at the 5K mark, and I was sorely tempted to tuck my tail in between my legs and just go home. The thing is, my body didn’t hurt and I was not out of breath; it was just my mind telling me I couldn’t do it. So, this may have been an “Aha” moment for me because after about a minute of walking, I decided to start running again, this time with the focus on crossing the finish line no matter how long it took; I wasn’t going to stop. I redirected my attention to just putting one foot in front of the other, listening to my breath regularly. So the rest of my run kind of went like this: foot, foot, breath, foot, foot, breath, foot, foot, breath.

Meditation takes practice

This simple technique, almost like counting 1-2-3, is what eventually got me across the finish line without stopping again and all the mental agony I had undergone halfway through the race melted into oblivion. The body was tired, but I was elated. I got my mind to shut up and if I could do it once, I could certainly do it again.

Walk if you can't run

Walk if you don’t want to run, and lose the iPod if you can. Pay attention to your feet, the sound your shoes make when they hit the road and always be aware of your breathing. Every time your mind strays to a useless thought (read: distracting and detrimental), focus on where you’re going (recommended so you don’t crash into something — like, let’s say, a moving car) and then back to the action of putting one foot in front of the other. Active meditation will never take the place of real quiet time and being able to sit in silence but in the meantime, if you move while you meditate, you could shed some unwanted emotional (and physical) baggage.

This is true power and inner strength.

This is the purpose of meditation, yoga, and holistic healing. Each aims to improve our happiness, health and inner strength. And every time we feel more happy, peaceful, confident, and secure, the life of our dreams comes closer to us experiencing it. This program is a short cut that keeps us in a positive state and therefore attracting what we truly want.

If ever we feel victimized and feelings of powerlessness, blame, or shame arise, we can observe this undesirable state and shift our focus to what we want (happiness, satisfaction, joy, excitement), rather than what we don’t want (shame, guilt, fear, doubt). Even if you aren’t sure why certain unwanted experiences keep happening, if you are suffering at all, you know somewhere a limiting program is running in your mind that is distorting your perception. in short, a lie is being told, and that lie is holding your dreams outside your experience of life.

When we can feel good about things we don’t like, this is the first step to getting what we want. One way to do this is to feel gratitude because each negative experience holds the seed of what we DO want within it. The next step is focusing as much energy and attention to what you truly want and never ever ever giving up! You can and will have the life of your dreams. And even if right now all you want is to feel better, develop more self love, compassion, acceptance, peace….and maybe a new car and the partner of your dreams. All this and more is possible and I will totally show you how to do that.

I credit meditation to being the most significant transformative agent in my life. When I started meditating, I was lead to incredible awakenings that drugs and alcohol pale in comparison to.  I found a new purpose. I found the strength, focus, guidance, motivation and determination to pursue my new dreams. This all began only 6 years ago while I was in my first year of University for nursing. At the time I was just using basic meditation (focusing on the breath), and I still do sometimes. But these days I prefer the turbo charge method. There are several amazing programs that combine the brilliance of meditation with new brainwave technologies and actually induce meditative states in order to access the subconscious more directly. This is similar to removing viruses and installing programs that you enjoy using on your computer. In my opinion, it’s the fastest and most effective way to becoming a successful, happy, confident, and peaceful person who knows their purpose and gets what they want.  This is a very effective program that is only a $1.00 to try out and you get to keep the program materials even if you don’t want to continue on with the actual program. It’s called Meditation Manifestation and it can change your life in a very meaningful and profound way. May you achieve the life of your dreams and experience happiness, success, joy and wealth.

Much Love,

Theo

However, I would be remiss in not mentioning it here as well. Intuition is stimulated by connections. One part of the brain actually creates knowledge based on associations and connections. You see someone you know and also begin to process how you know that person because the brain will automatically feed you images from the past, memories, that are connected with that individual.

Have you ever been a part of a group that has known one another for a long period of time, maybe years? The conversation will often be interrupted, or fueled by words such as, “Do you remember when?” That is just one example  of the process of associations and connective links.

Synchronicity is when two or more things come together and enhance our already established knowledge. It is an experience, more than a process. Some would call it an “Ah hah, moment,” while others might say it is “a coincidence, serendipity, or a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous.” However it is defined, it is there to enhance our knowledge and it works on the Intuitive faculties.

Can we make synchronicity happen? This blog is about enhancing intuitive abilities, so needs to address that issue. We don’t so much make synchronicity happen, as create a space for it to do so. When we open ourselves to the enormous number of possibilities, synchronicity often takes place as a part of that openness.

What I’d like to discuss today is how we can prepare that space for synchronicity to inform our world. There are several means of doing that. Meditation is one of them. Meditation is putting oneself in a relaxed state and clearing the mind of all the clutter that constantly accumulates because we are thinking, reasoning creatures. Eastern forms of meditation are somewhat difficult for the Western mindset to embrace. Not impossible, but difficult because the Western mindset is somewhat based in the idea that an empty mind is a wasteland. We have a tendency to resist the main ingredient necessary to do that form of meditation.

However, all is not lost. There is a thing called Active Meditation. It differs from Eastern forms, because it also includes some form of physical and rhythmic action, or activity, such as walking. Many people take walks, when the weather permits, and do so to clear their minds. That is active meditation.

Writing is another form of active meditation. The rhythm of moving the pen across paper, as well as putting the thoughts on that paper is actively clearing the mind and making room for new and more connections. It also does something else that will enhance and encourage not only synchronicity, but intuition itself.

When we write something down, we are making a note of it. That has a tendency to lodge it into our memory banks where it is far more accessible for ongoing connective links. Yesterday, I spontaneously wrote a poem about shooting stars and a memory connected to them. This morning, the first thing that popped up on my homepage was an article about a shooting star and a picture of one such object.

And no, I in no way think that I made that happen. However, it was a connective link and a moment of synchronicity. The article was about how scientists had tracked this particular piece of matter as it traveled through space and landed in the desert here on earth. They had set out to find whatever was left of it and did so. In the rocks they found, they also discovered bits of diamonds glittering in the black substance.

Think about that for a moment. It really does correlate to what is being written about here. I am discussing the process of tracking connective links in the often desert like spaces of the mind, seeking to enhance whatever knowledge is already present. Those “ah hah” moments are often like glittering pieces of diamond imbedded in the black rock substance of our thought processes.

And that would be synchronicity in action. I wrote the poem inspired by an image a friend had sent to me. An image she created. To see the image and the poem  go to http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/glimpse-of-awareness/  Then my eye is caught by the photo of a similar image and an article that tells a story that can be used to define the subject matter here. And by the way, I had no idea what I was going to write about this morning. As a matter of fact, I almost didn’t come here at all, because I just couldn’t put anything together in my head that made enough sense to write about.

Writing is an excellent form of active meditation. In doing it, we signal our mind that we are taking note of the constant stream of messages it is sending us, like shooting stars that appear out of the darkness, move across our field of vision and are gone within seconds. But there are many such activities accessible to each of us.

Most creative activities can be used as forms of active meditation. I have recently stumbled on coloring Mandalas. Mandalas are circles that symbolize the circle of life. Coloring them is the rhythmic activity that clears the mind, induces relaxation, and therefore the space for new connections to be made. And they do just that. And I make note of those connective links in my journal which is a daily practice.

Physical exercise is another rhythmic activity that will induce both relaxation and connective links for a cleared mind. All of these things, and many more, will enhance the intuitive faculties built into the system, but they will also prepare the ground and space for ongoing synchronicity.

Do you engage in some form of active meditation? Where, when, and how often? Do you make note of those connective links that occur when you do so? Why, or why not? Do you have synchronistic moments and do you make note of those as well? Doing so simply encourages more of the same.

I’ll admit it — sometimes I color. I print out some coloring pages and whip out the colored pencils and plug away for a couple of hours. Often I feel ridiculous afterwards — I’ll sit there looking at my finished pictures and think, “What the heck do I do with this now?” Then I’ll think about how coloring is the least productive thing I could possibly do (aside from possibly watching television). Couldn’t I have done a Sudoku puzzle? There is at least some thinking involved there.

But nope, when I’ve had a really stressful day all I really want to do is color in front of the TV (while watching House, of course). Much to my relief, I am not the only person who does this. Apparently a lot of people (over the age of 10) have used coloring as a coping tool. In fact, I’ve know therapists that give their patients Mandalas to color.

So, I decided that I needed to know exactly WHAT about coloring was helpful…. and this is what I found:

Active meditation, sometimes called moving meditation, is easier to learn, but just as powerful as the Eastern techniques you may be more familiar with. When practicing active meditation you will chose a simple movement, like coloring, drawing, or even walking, to give you stronger focus. The repetitive motions act as a constant reminder allowing you to easily shift your attention back to the meditation, back to the moment, before any fleeting thoughts take hold. Negative images, past regrets and future worries are simply pushed aside as you take the time to enjoy the present.

– Michelle Normand

I think that I like coloring because it is the easiest fun thing that I can think of doing. It requires less mental energy than sudoku (even really easy sudoku) and never feels like a chore. I don’t have to even be creative like with drawing. I can zone out and just color between the lines. There’s also something about keeping my hands busy that relieves anxiety.

I love the idea of counting coloring as “active meditation,” because it seems to justify taking time out of my day to color. The next time my fiance jokes about hanging up my pictures on the refrigerator, I can say, “Hey! This is a kind of therapy.”

Think for a moment about where all the material that you are made from comes from. You take nutrients from your food to make your body, and where do those nutrients come from? They come from the Earth. They come from the plants that grow here. They come from the animals that eat the plants that grow here. And where do the plants get those nutrients? They come from the soil. And how do the nutrients get into the soil? From other plants and animals that leave their waste or rot as dead things. You know all this. You  probably learned it as a child in science class.  Our planet is a (mostly) closed system,  that cycles its elements around and around, giving life to everything on it.

Taken together, you can say that the whole planet is a living system.

I used to live in a place of gently rolling hills, with miles and miles of “nothingness”. There were little towns, but no big cities, and even the closest big cities were pretty small.  Through most of the year the wind howled constantly across the landscape. There were very few trees, and most of the land that wasn’t tilled by human hands was covered by brownish grasses all year.

The place was home to farmers and universities. The farmers would stay year in and year out, but of course, the students, and most of the staff, would cycle in and then leave again as time progressed. Again and again I’d hear people say, “This place is dead. It has no Spirit.” Or even, “There is no magic here.” These words were often said by people who simply missed the bustle of their hometowns, but it was just as often said by people who considered themselves mystics, magicians or witches. But there is no such place on Earth as that. There is no place that has no Spirit. It may have a Spirit that you do not like, or that does not like you, perhaps, but that is not the same thing as having no Spirit at all.

The personality of a place is built up over many, many generations and is not only about what is happening there today. In fact, in some places, the Spirit of a place has very little if anything to do with the humans nearby. There are, afterall, other life forms and other influences on the land.

If you find yourself in a place that you feel disconnected from, or where you have not yet found the sacredness, there is a way to connect. It can take patience — in some places more than others — and perhaps a bit of diplomacy, but you can and should get to know the Place where you live.

The diplomacy that you need now is simply this: remember that you are not the owner of anything but yourself, that you are not greater than the Land or the Animals or any other Influence that exists in that space. Remember that your life is but a blink of an eye in the grand scale of the Earth’s life, and then listen.

Go outside. Walk quietly and listen.

Listen with your feet to feel the way the ground moves. Is it hard? Is is gravely? Does it roll in places where the roots of trees are pushing up on the ground? If you are walking on a sidewalk, you can still tell a lot about the ground underneath. Pay attention, and see what you learn.

Listen with your nose. What smells are around you? Are there different scents in the day and the night? Different scents after a rain or before it? Are there scents not made by man that you can detect? What are the nature of the man made scents, and how do they affect this place?

Listen to the Earth with your eyes, too. Look around at the plants and the animals. What are those weeds? What are those plants growing by the side of the road? What kind of wild animals live with you? What birds, what rodents, what insects?

And listen with your ears, of course, to all the sounds, the layers of sounds, that make up the place where you live.

Are there bodies of water near you? Listen to them, too.  Are there mountains? Deep valleys?  Explore them. Find out what makes them different. Feel them with all your soul.  Get to know this place, because as long as you live there, it is part of you. You eat its soil, breathe its air, and give your own dead skin cells and your refuse back to it.  You are not so separate from the land as you may think.

• Tarot Card Reading- Tarot cards bring clarity to the NOW. They mirror the very deep sub-conscious. The most important aspect of coaching is to realize and unconditionally accept that each one of us has the power to dream and make those dreams come true. It is all about ‘US’. We are self-contained. These cards mirror that aspect of us that we are unaware of.

The process of tarot card reading is best explained in the words of the great philosopher OSHO-

‘Life is the game of games, the ultimate game. It has tremendous meaning if you take it as a game and you don’t become serious about it. If you remain simple and innocent, the game is going to impart many things to you. All these games are like classes at a university. You pass through each class; you learn something. Then you move into another class. So this game of life has to be played very skillfully. If you are nnot skillful, you will miss much that is available. To be skillful means to be aware. Bring more awareness into each act of your life, into each step of your being.’

Tarot cards is a small step towards such awareness.

• Dream Analysis- There is an old Talmud saying, ’an un-interpreted dream is like an unopened letter.’ Our dream life has a reality of its own. It is part of our ‘living’. During the day, we experience a ‘waking reality’ and when asleep, we experience dreams. Dreams reflect our psychological, emotional and spiritual needs. They help to process and integrate the day’s events and provide clues, often in the form of metaphors, to help us solve some of our everyday problems. They also help us in wish-fulfillment of our desires and goals. They assist in retrieving past events, reminding us of parallels in the present.

The insights gained through analysis of dreams provide many opportunities for growth and change

• Graphology- Handwriting Analysis- When we are engrossed in writing on an issue or topic, the mind focuses on the topic being written. The handwriting is then the function of the sub-conscious mind. Hence, analyzing the handwriting gives insight on the personality traits of the person, deep psychology and current state of mind. It is an observation on the current state of the person
• Meditation Techniques- Traditional methods of Meditation have, until recently, had an appeal as they are so ancient and so many people have achieved enlightenment through them in the past. They were very relevant to Buddha, Mahavira, Patanjali or Krishna. Thus, the traditionalist felt- ‘If Buddha achieved through these methods, why cant I?’

Modern man is a very new phenomenon. No traditional method can be used exactly as it exists because modern man never existed before. So, in a way, all traditional methods have become irrelevant and modern man needs new methods, new techniques.

Another very important thing: the quality of the mind has basically changed. In Patanjali’s (the most famous commentator in yoga) days, the centre of the human personality was not the brain; it was the heart. Before that, it was not even the heart. It was still lower, near the navel. Today, the center has gone even further away. Now, the center is the brain. That is why teachings like those of Krishnamurti have appeal. No method is needed- only understanding. But if it is just a verbal understanding, just intellectual, nothing changes, nothing is transformed. It again becomes an accumulation of knowledge.

What we do in ‘Active Meditations’ is to use chaotic methods rather than systematic ones because a chaotic method is very helpful in pushing the center down from the brain. The center cannot be pushed down through any systematic method because systemization is brainwork. Through a systematic method, the brain will be strengthened; more energy will be added to it. Through chaotic methods the brain is nullified. It has nothing to do. The method is so chaotic that the center is automatically pushed from the brain to the heart. If one does ‘Dynamic Meditation’ vigorously, unsystematically, chaotically, your center moves to the heart. Then there is a catharsis.

A catharsis is needed because your heart is so suppressed due to your brain. Your brain has taken over so much of your being that it dominates you. There is no place for the heart, so the longings of the heart are suppressed. One has never laughed heartily, never lived heartily, never done anything heartily. The brain always comes in to systematize, to make things mathematical, and the heart is suppressed. So firstly, a chaotic method is needed to push the center of consciousness from the brain towards the heart.

Then the catharsis is needed to unburden the heart, to throw off suppressions, to make the heart open. If the heart becomes light and unburdened, then the center of consciousness is pushed still lower; it comes to the navel. The navel is the source of vitality, the seed source from which everything else comes. The body and the mind and everything

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