Funny how it always seems easier for me to do spiritual things when my life is in turmoil or when things seem to be spinning out of control. Meditation and mindfulness seem to be the last thing on my mind when everything is going well. I guess when I'm in trouble I make the time, but when all is good, I get content. As with any practice, we must do it regularly if we are to advance and improve at it. The benefits come when we give it an honest attempt.
I know, at least for me, preventative is much more cumbersome than when I desire something or need a burden lifted from me. When I was first learning to meditate, I worked with someone that I considered to be my mentor. When I was finally able to see benefits from the efforts, he shared that I never have to lose my pink cloud, but I would have to do what is required to keep it. The truth is when I practice often and I experience the true freedom to be able to live my life to the fullest, I need to be mindful that I don’t have to lose that connection. I just need to trim those hedges and water the roots of it to keep it in proper maintenance. It is much easier to justify going to the market to get supplies when we are out, but to keep the shelves stocked so we can continue to function unabated was a new concept for me.
Some of the things I suggest doing include setting up a specific space for your meditation and truly making it yours. I converted an under-the-stairs closet in my last home and found pictures to hang on the walls and put items that held special memories all around. It made me feel safe and loved. In my new home, I painted the walls of the room and hung prayer flags, blown glass ornaments in the window, and I invested in a meditation pillow. It is about the size of a medium pizza and about six inches thick and it is firm. I put this at the base of my spine, so it assists with my posture, and I’m easily able to sit cross legged for longer periods of time. Some people like to invest in a small chime or singing bowl to help them aurally change channels when they are ready to engage. I’m a candle freak so I have one candle for the feminine energy of being loved and cherished that I need desperately since I lost my mother, and one for the masculine energy to give me strength and direction. I also have one for my higher self. I will normally light them to help me allow my thoughts to not be so self-centered and be less internally focused.
When I was young, my mother sent me to piano lessons. The lady was poised and pristine, but when my mother left, she was ill-tempered, hostile and unforgiving. Often, she yelled and banged her fists on the keys when I would get notes wrong. Although my mother played beautifully and I loved to sit next to her and watch her make music, I never practiced and even though I understand the mechanics of the process, it never gelled for me. Even the best or sternest instructors cannot make this happen for any of us. This is the same concept here. In the words of Morpheus, “No one can tell you what the Matrix is, you have to see for yourself.” Quite simply some of the very best things in life are not things that can be purchased, taken or received as a gift, but are things that pay back ten-fold in honest and true investment of self.