My first blog! Ideas have popped in my head about what I wanted to share as I start this blog. Yet as I sat down to write, nothing flowed. My mind was blank. All I can think of is what I need to pick up from the grocery store.
I had posed the question and was waiting for an answer. Every question I ask is eventually answered, so I know it will arrive. Yet my mind is blank…or is it? If I were really listening, I know the answer. I’ve had the nudge for 30 minutes to stop looking at a blank screen and go lie down and meditate.
Awakened faith is all about remembering that God is everpresent, ever loving, and answering our every question. In stillness we are able to listen. Meditating (as well as yoga and being in nature) amplifies the dialogue that is always there. It shifts us to a greater awareness of the voice that has never stopped speaking to us.
My greatest moments of inspiration come when I am meditating. The bits and pieces that normal show up in staccato fashion start to flow. In that flow, I am more aware of God in my life. When I meditate, I find I am no longer going through life alone blindly. I am sharing the ride with God. I have had visions of him sitting next to me, engaged in everything I have to say, nodding and taking it in. Other times there is a simply a sense of knowing.
Even though I am aware of that it’s important to stay connected, I find myself going into the world of blogging blindly. The nudges were great enough that I did indeed allow the stillness to enter my being, quieting my mind and allowing the flow.
If meditation is not part of your spiritual practice, you may want to try it. Here’s an exercise that is included in the book, Awakened Faith:
FIND A QUIET place to meditate. Sit with your feet planted and your back straight to prevent you from becoming sleepy. Close your eyes, and turn your focus to your breath.
Focus on our breath and work to tune out everything else. Breathe in deeply through your nose. Visualize peaceful, blue energy coming up through your feet. Pull it up through your body, past your heart chakra, and up through your crown chakra. Exhale through your mouth, and visualize the light pushing any dark or foggy energy through your crown chakra, almost as if there is a funnel on top of your head. Visualize, and like a bellows used to fan a flame, breathe.
As you breathe, use the mantra, “I’m breathing in peace and love and releasing stress and anxiety.” Exhale and consciously let go of any stress or negativity. Feel the energy moving through your body, calming every cell and releasing the fog created by any stressful or negative emotions you may have been holding.
Meditation does not mean just sitting quietly for five or ten minutes. It requires conscious effort to be calm and quiet. If your mind begins to wander and you become distracted, gently bring your focus back to your breathing. It is also important to visualize the process. If you don’t feel the energy moving through you, don’t worry. Visualize and trust.
Awakened Faith, Learning to Live the Lord’s Prayer in the Spirit of Christ is now available on amazon.com. Please follow the link to be taken to the book.
Bright blessings, Mary Clare