Meditation for Thursday 24th March 2022
From time to time like many people I review my activities with the intention of letting some things go. When you find yourself busy from dawn ‘til dust with family, special interests, hobbies, home maintenance and a squillion other things you begin to question which things you will maintain and which you will let go. This is often called ‘taking stock’ and I find that often I find myself unwilling to give up any of these activities.
Meditation is useful when ‘taking stock’. I look at those things that I feel less inspired about, but often feel I have to do. In the quiet of meditation I feel I am gaining control and therefore able to make decisions that otherwise would prove difficult. Meditation gives me the facility to question whether I actually have to do things, or whether this is an attachment I can let go. I liken this to a ‘soft-landing’. Without meditation I might worry and fret and be anxious about change. The tranquility and calm wrought about by meditation in conjunction with some active reflection reveals a positive; in this case more space in my life.
There are times when I clearly don’t want to give something up. When this is the case meditation can help. There are a couple of meditation and mindfulness tools that can help at these times. Firstly I fill my day with moments of meditation and secondly actively look for opportunities to be mindful.
Just stopping for a short time can affect my mind-state for the rest of the day. I like this quote….
“We describe our activity as either ‘busy’ or ‘not busy’ either productively working or taking a blissful break from working. But actually it is possible to experience both ‘busy’ and ‘not busy’ simultaneously to reach beyond the labels and connect with our work in a way that is deeply satisfying.”*
*Darlene Cohen ‘The One Who Is Not Busy: Connecting with Work in a Deeply Satisfying Way.’
Some of us worry about change particularly when we let go of some long-standing activity. The word ‘worry’ comes from an old German word meaning ‘to strangle’ because when we worry it often feels like we are being strangled or constricted. With meditation and mindfulness practices at the centre of our life we can actually make the choice to set worry aside or at least to observe it at a safe distance.
Now let’s meditate in the fashion to which we are accustomed…..
MEDITATION
Check the Carmelite Centre website; www.thecarmelitecentremelbourne.org
for zoom programs that might be of interest.