As pagans, we often look to each other for advice when it comes to energy work. Among the new and old practitioners alike, the answer is often, "Meditation could help you with this." While this statement is true about 90% of the time, there are times when stilling your body and mind is not what is needed to produce more awareness. (Even if all of the new age hoo-ha tells us that meditation is the ultimate.)
So, when is meditation not the answer? Meditation is not the answer when you need to be more aware of your Self. A recent conversation I participated in online is a good example. The poster wanted to know how to strengthen his will. He recognized that it was more iron-clad when he was angry than when he was not and stated that he had a difficult time holding his intent. This is an excellent example of meditation not being the answer. (Have you ever stopped yourself from being angry by meditation? No? Join the club!!) Meditation will teach this posted how to recognize triggers that make him angry and it will teach him how to not react to those triggers unless he chooses to.
If the poster knows his will is stronger when he is angry, then he recognizes that it has a different sensation. Our emotions create physical sensations in our body. The problem we have is that we are usually too emotional to feel them, so we ride along that roller coaster. When we 'get into our feelings' we become enslaved to our emotions for that moment.
When we begin to cultivate self-awareness (first through meditation and then through life), we begin to notice these triggers. We begin to notice the physical sensations that go along with fear, anger, jealousy, joy, love, gratitude and even resentment. We begin to notice the physical sensations that trigger the emotional response. When we discover the trigger and the sensation, we can choose (eventually, at least) how much energy we expend on that emotion. This is the essence of cultivating the will and while this process begins with meditation, it can not be fully realized through meditation alone.
The moment we begin to choose how to spend the energy we have built up emotionally is the moment we, as practitioners, can choose how to wield our intent. Recognizing the physical sensations that go with certain emotions is the first step to that. How does one do this? It is both simple and not.
First, one must cultivate an awareness of one's body. To do this, I use a simple exercise taught to me by a very wise elder. I call it the "Let It Go Technique" and it is 4 steps:
1. Sit at a table, such as the dining room table, and hold a coin in the palm of your closed hand with your arm out in front of you, larger is better than smaller (such as a quarter or half-dollar instead of a dime).
2. Feel that coin in the palm of your hand. Close your eyes for this if you choose, but feel its weight, temperature, texture. Read it with your physical senses.
3. Turn your hand palm down and open it, dropping the coin. Notice the sensation.
4. Pick the coin up and repeat.
You will know you are successful in this exercise when you can feel every muscle, tendon, and ligament move, the pressure of the coin sliding from your hand, and if any of the tiny hairs on the backs of your hands and wrists are affected.
This simple exercise cultivates awareness of your body. If it is done enough times, one will begin to notice the tiny movements of one's hand or forearm muscles during other activities. This awareness then will translate to noticing the various sensations of our bodies as we move through life. Ultimately, this exercise opens up our awareness to the physical sensations that go along with emotions. Once one can feel the emotions physically, meditation is a good time to recall the sensation and explore it. This will also help to cultivate the will.
As practitioners, we tell each other to meditate all of the time. Meditation is not the answer for every situation. Meditation is not even the answer for most situations. Realistically, most practitioners these days don't actually do true meditation, so what we are suggesting to each other are different techniques for different practices that we all just call meditation, but that's for a different blog.
Have a blessed Imbolc. May the seeds you plant in the coming season flourish in the coming year.
Blessings,
River
So, when is meditation not the answer? Meditation is not the answer when you need to be more aware of your Self. A recent conversation I participated in online is a good example. The poster wanted to know how to strengthen his will. He recognized that it was more iron-clad when he was angry than when he was not and stated that he had a difficult time holding his intent. This is an excellent example of meditation not being the answer. (Have you ever stopped yourself from being angry by meditation? No? Join the club!!) Meditation will teach this posted how to recognize triggers that make him angry and it will teach him how to not react to those triggers unless he chooses to.
If the poster knows his will is stronger when he is angry, then he recognizes that it has a different sensation. Our emotions create physical sensations in our body. The problem we have is that we are usually too emotional to feel them, so we ride along that roller coaster. When we 'get into our feelings' we become enslaved to our emotions for that moment.
When we begin to cultivate self-awareness (first through meditation and then through life), we begin to notice these triggers. We begin to notice the physical sensations that go along with fear, anger, jealousy, joy, love, gratitude and even resentment. We begin to notice the physical sensations that trigger the emotional response. When we discover the trigger and the sensation, we can choose (eventually, at least) how much energy we expend on that emotion. This is the essence of cultivating the will and while this process begins with meditation, it can not be fully realized through meditation alone.
The moment we begin to choose how to spend the energy we have built up emotionally is the moment we, as practitioners, can choose how to wield our intent. Recognizing the physical sensations that go with certain emotions is the first step to that. How does one do this? It is both simple and not.
First, one must cultivate an awareness of one's body. To do this, I use a simple exercise taught to me by a very wise elder. I call it the "Let It Go Technique" and it is 4 steps:
1. Sit at a table, such as the dining room table, and hold a coin in the palm of your closed hand with your arm out in front of you, larger is better than smaller (such as a quarter or half-dollar instead of a dime).
2. Feel that coin in the palm of your hand. Close your eyes for this if you choose, but feel its weight, temperature, texture. Read it with your physical senses.
3. Turn your hand palm down and open it, dropping the coin. Notice the sensation.
4. Pick the coin up and repeat.
You will know you are successful in this exercise when you can feel every muscle, tendon, and ligament move, the pressure of the coin sliding from your hand, and if any of the tiny hairs on the backs of your hands and wrists are affected.
This simple exercise cultivates awareness of your body. If it is done enough times, one will begin to notice the tiny movements of one's hand or forearm muscles during other activities. This awareness then will translate to noticing the various sensations of our bodies as we move through life. Ultimately, this exercise opens up our awareness to the physical sensations that go along with emotions. Once one can feel the emotions physically, meditation is a good time to recall the sensation and explore it. This will also help to cultivate the will.
As practitioners, we tell each other to meditate all of the time. Meditation is not the answer for every situation. Meditation is not even the answer for most situations. Realistically, most practitioners these days don't actually do true meditation, so what we are suggesting to each other are different techniques for different practices that we all just call meditation, but that's for a different blog.
Have a blessed Imbolc. May the seeds you plant in the coming season flourish in the coming year.
Blessings,
River
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