Meditation

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Hands up who’s been to see AVATAR. That’s amazing! Did you enjoy it? Tell me – why did you like it? Peter, you put your hand up – tell me why did you like it? Sylvia you put you hand up – why did you like it? Fascinating. I went to the cinema and it was packed – I checked out the website and read the comments on the blog – “I want to be a Na’vi – I want to live on Pandora… etc. WHY? WHY? WHY? How come films like AVATAR, HARRY POTTER are so popular? They fill a gap in that void that secular society has created.

That two and a half hour slip from reality into the world of Pandora was great but I’m back again to REALITY – Monday morning – the week ahead – planning etc. UGH! It’s grey out there – no pink trees, little fairy entities pulsating around me – super coloured birds swooping down to soar me to moving mountains … SO WHAT DO I DO to cope with this dreariness of Monday morning …

It’s Monday morning at it’s 2 am – I’m awake and starting to think about WORK. I sit up in bed wrap a blanket around me (I’m too cold to go and put the heating on) – close my eyes and try and think of NOTHING.

It’s ever so difficult to think of nothing – my mind is full of “…am I going to have enough energy to get through the day – am I going to keep my mouth shut and not say the wrong thing and flare up – will I have enough time to click on to Boiler Scrappage on the internet and try and get the grant for a new boiler – am I going to have enough money to buy a new boiler and get it installed? So I start to concentrate on my breathing: ONE – I breathe in and I breathe out … TWO – I breathe in and I breathe out … THREE – I breathe in and I breathe out … up to TEN. Gradually, I start to focus on the darkness, the white lights in front of my eyes, I hear the whirring of the washing machine on high spin next door and the drip of the tap which I hadn’t turn off quite tightly enough. I better get out of bed and turn it off … NO, NO, NO stay still this is the time for me and QUIET – I can turn it off later. The rubbish – did I put the rubbish out – the collection is this morning – I’m going to forget to put it out. I better go downstairs and put out a reminder … NO, NO, NO stay still this is the time for me and QUIET. You’re getting the picture NOW.

After 10 minutes – thoughts of work, family, money, have entered my mind and they have exited and they’ve become more organised and do-able. I get up turn the tap off – put a note out to remind me about the rubbish. I go back to bed … close my eyes and fall back to sleep and awake at 7 am … refreshed prepared for the day.

That may all sound pretty far fetched to you and simplistic but its TRUE. It’s helped me and it could help you. It’s quieting our minds … it’s listening to YOU, what you are … what you want … making you calm, creative and controlled in your THOUGHTS.

I’ve just given you one simple process to help you through your day or night.

There are other processes you can think about … what about really enjoying your LEISURE TIME. Do you like the ARTS, SPORTS, GARDENING? Next time you are participating in any of these leisurely pursuits – how about really concentrating on what you are doing? Hey there MARTIN come back – come back in to the room – where were you – thinking about that delivery that you have to do tomorrow – heh come back and listen – be PRESENT – the here and now! I’m talking about LEISURE – do you really immerse yourself in the garden, the football match, the exhibition. When you decide to go to see Van Gogh, for example – will you look at the Sunflowers intently – see the petals, see the way the artists painted the flowers with thick yellow oil paint – why did he paint sunflowers, what made them so special? OR will you pass them buy – say you’ve seen them and buy a postcard and send to a friend to say you’ve been. TICKED the box and on to the coffee shop for a cappuccino and muffin. A quick fix for your depleting energy levels.

Next time persuade yourself to spend 2 minutes in front of the painting, jewel, map, antique, tie, shirt, - it’ll hurt to begin with but train yourself to focus for 2 minutes and think hard about the object in front of you – forget that the train will be leaving in 20 minutes. It’ll seem a long time 2 minutes but you’ll awaken refreshed and prepared for the next moment in time!

How about SOUND – have your really listened to SOUND – not the ring tone of the mobile – but BIRD SONG – when did you listen to BIRD SONG and spent 1 minute listening to that beautiful sound. When did you listen to MUSIC – have you concentrated on the instruments that created that melody – DID YOU REALLY LISTEN TO the lyrics or were you driving, washing up, PLEASE, PLEASE, for your own sake just do ONE THING at A TIME.

Enough said I just given you a little taste of what MEDITATION is all about. If you want to know more – please ask me … It’s up to you – those times of sitting quietly by yourself – initially for 2-3 minutes can be built upon and gradually you can build up to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes. These peaceful moments will become a sanctuary. TRY IT and experience it for yourself. The benefits may not happen over night, they may not happen in a week, month but I can assure you that subtle changes will begin to take place in your life. For sure your reasoning skills will improve, your will be calmer, compassionate and more creative in your approach to life.

If we cannot experience the planet PANDORA like the AVATARS or NA’VIs we can at least have glimpses into their world. By slipping out for a few moments, minutes into our own inner world. We can return refreshed, revitalized and with a subtle change in our perceptions – our world becomes more exciting and colourful.

GOOD LUCK and let me know how you get on ….