Week Five – Master Meditation Practices

Day Twenty-Nine

Last week we ended our weekly meditation practices by setting up the meditation practice that comes to us most naturally. Making meditation easy and accessible is a great way to begin meditation practices. Still, the part of meditation practices that improve our brain function the most is when our meditations challenge our consciousness. What I would like you to do today is to make a list of the practices that were most difficult for you.

Trying to approach the practices where we struggle daily could be detrimental to our meditation practice. If you challenge the brain with situations that cause discomfort, it will find ways to avoid those practices. However, we still want to bring something challenging to our practice around once a week.

Today, as you do your Phase One and Two practices, be mindful of creating a very centered space. Use one of my meditation videos if you need it. When you are fully centered, please choose one of the practices from the list and try it. Don’t expect to succeed. Just be willing to try a method at which you do not typically excel.

Remember, it’s not the success of your practice, but that effort that matters. Think of your brain as a muscle. The more you challenge the muscle – like with heavy weights – the stronger the muscle becomes. Think of today as a day to work a muscle in your body that isn’t yet strong.

Be sure to keep your practice to a time limit, and after you are complete, reward yourself with a Stage One Practice or something you consider a reward for your effort. You’ve finished the practice for the week.

Day Thirty

Each day this week, we will have a focus. Today is day thirty. Congratulate yourself. For the past few days, you have been engaging in advanced meditative practices. These are the same practices monks and master meditators use. Today, I would like to focus on the correlation by discussing the meditation practice of Philosophical Writing.

The state of Active Listening introduced by ancient meditative practices is equivalent to those presented through philosophy practices. As a species, we tend to think some are good at contemplative questions and that others are not. The idea isn’t necessarily wrong, but it’s not entirely correct, either.

Being able to think innovatively does come naturally to some, but out-of-the-box thinking is more a matter of brain function than capability. In meditation, we are training that brain function.

Today, we will attempt meditation practices focused on philosophical contemplation. Before you begin your practices, I would like you to select a book you have read or plan to read on self-improvement. Whether the book is philosophical, spiritual, or more in the realm of self-help doesn’t matter. We’re just looking for something in the area of self-improvement. Along with the book, grab something for articulation, a pen, and paper, computer, or audio recording device.

Once you find the book and have your tools, do your Stage One Practice only. Find a comfortable place, put on soothing music, or take a walk in nature- whatever you do for your Stage One Preparation. However, don’t follow it with typical Stage Two Practice. We’ll use the book for Stage Two.

Once you’ve completed Stage One, set a timer and find a comfortable place to read. As you begin reading, allow yourself to relax and not expect anything in particular. Your reading today is a Stage Two Practice, so allow it time to exist. Enjoy the words, absorb the intent.

If there is a point in your reading where you become inspired by a thought, set the book to the side and begin writing your inspiration. Why does it inspire you? What might be possible through it? Does it change your perspective of yourself or the world as a whole? Follow the train of thought, articulating it until you feel complete.

If the time isn’t complete yet, go back to reading. Repeat the cycle until you have finished your 20 minutes. You can continue for as long as you like. Record your inspirations below, along with any notes you have about the experience.

Day Thirty-One

Today, I would like to talk about articulation and why it is so important. There are many studies about engaging different senses in the body and how all of us learn differently, but beyond this, understanding the relationship between the left and right hemispheres becomes key. Intuitive Mythology aids in the early development of that relationship.

Throughout the week last week, you tried many different ways of connecting with nature as you imagined it. Today, I would like you to continue that journey, but I want you to be sure you do not remain in one place.

The most important aspect of meditation is the aspect of observation. Whether you are experiencing a Stage Two mindfulness practice or a Stage Three practice of active listening, observation is the key to success in those practices. Silencing the mind is as simple as learning something new.

The mind is either processing information or taking in new information. When the mind is processing, it is thinking. It makes noise, using thought and analytics to reason through what it has already stored. When it is taking in new information, it is silent. It is said, “We can not speak and fully listen at the same time.”

When it comes to an Intuitive Mythology practice, it is essential to be observing. So, what I would like you to do this week is to go for a walk. Wherever you visit in nature, walk along a path or a trail. Follow the sun or a wayward butterfly. Whatever you do, be sure to observe, to follow. Do not contrive. Do not decide to go. Allow yourself to be led by curiosity.

Record your journey in the space below or take notes. I hope you enjoy the exploration.

Day Thirty-Two

Today, I would like to return to another practice we did last week, the practice of Dialoguing.

As I mentioned in the video, to continue this practice, we will continue our conversation with whoever has come to the place of comfort we have imagined. For those of you who are new to this practice, it is essential to do a strong Phase One and Two Practice before you begin.

In addition to your preparation, I would like to remind you of some of the guidelines for this practice. When you articulate the words of the other person, don’t write what you think they would say. Write what you observe them saying. Second, don’t try too hard to direct the conversation. Allow their answers to guide your next question.

The way I explain the relationship between the right and left hemispheres of the brain is this; the right brain is trying to tell you something you don’t know. However, it needs to use something you do know to do it. If you try to direct your experience, you limit it.

Finally, don’t make plans with the information you get. Meditation is information, not instruction. It is telling us what is available for us that we may not be noticing, but we don’t need to bring that experience into existence. We simply need to open our eyes to see it.

You can write your experience below or use it for notes. Please allow yourself to enjoy the journey. Some of the best books I’ve read are ones I’ve written through Mythology.

Day Thirty-Three

The other Stage Three Practice I mentioned in the video will be the last new practice we will explore this week. We will explore it in a two-day process.

Today, upon the completion of your Stage One and Two practices, I would like you to explore the concept of Intuitive Art.

There are a couple of ways to do this. In one, you can open yourself to the physical expression of art. To do this, I recommend a large piece of paper (cardboard boxes work well) and some finger paint. You can also use markers or crayons if that is all you have available.

Lay the paper on a large table or the floor. Close your eyes and allow movement to flow through you, manipulating your work with the media. I’ve seen beautiful art done with full-body practices. For now, just let your hand move or your whole arm. If you can get there, allow your full body to become engaged in the movement.

Intuitive practices are about connecting with the feeling body. They go beyond decisions to create and become an expression of the soul. Don’t worry about the result. Surrender yourself to the practice of movement. Remember, the meditation is in the movement, not in the product you create. If you don’t like your art in the end, you can throw it away, but what you compose might surprise you.

Share thoughts on your experience below or notes you would like to use in the future. For now, I hope you enjoy the experience.

Day Thirty-Four

The second intuitive practice I would like to explore this week is Intuitive Movement. While there are practices like Intuitive Dance, intuitive movement is not necessarily bound to these practices. It can be practiced through exercise or physical expression. It’s about being able to connect with the physical desires of your body.

It can also be practiced through I call intuitive walking. Intuitive walking is a practice of learning how to listen to your body. So, it is a great place to begin. Since this is a practice that requires us to go outdoors, I recommend including that in our Stage Two Practice as well.

Begin by simply walking. Set a timer on your phone for a minute or two. Then, as you feel ready, transition into a mindful walking practice by observing your foot as it lands on the earth. Pay attention to each step, where the heel lands and the toes. Notice your muscles flexing and relaxing. Notice every aspect of your experience of walking.

After a few more minutes of mindful walking, put aside the other practices and connect with the Stage Three Practice of Intuitive Walking. To do this, with the next intersection, you experience, pause. Ask yourself which way you “feel” like walking. Don’t decide analytically. Feel into the decision. Do this with every intersection you encounter. The practice of observation is an excellent exercise for the brain.

Final note: don’t try to understand the internal motivation as you walk. This practice is just another form of articulation. The subconscious mind is what drives desire in our bodies. Longing is not an outward craving. It is an inward message telling us something is available to us that we are not consciously seeing. It is not our responsibility at that point to then create it. We can’t. It is the subconscious mind that told us it was there. We must now use the subconscious mind to tell us how to get it.

To build the relationship between the conscious and the subconscious mind is the most powerful thing we can do. Be sure to note your experiences below.

Day Thirty-Five

Today, I would like you to return your focus to the practices of this week and ask yourself what naturally blends with the meditation practice you have established in this course.

Were you comfortable challenging your mind? Did you prefer philosophical contemplation, or was mythology more comfortable for you? Would you like to use intuitive movement in your practice?

Organize and implement your perfect meditation practice today. Do this one for you. If you have successfully completed any of the practices this week, you are now an advanced meditator. You deserve to enjoy the results of your work.

Remember to take notes below, and I’ll see you tomorrow for our final class. In it, we will discuss the master practice of contemplation and how to continue with the Stage Three Practices we discussed this week.