There are never enough days, and there are always enough days.  A day, comes and goes, and comes back again.  Whereas, to a human in a physical world, a day seems to have some sort of finality to it.  That is, each day, seems to begin, and end, but in reality there is no separation between the days.  It is one continuous stream of moments.  To you, the day ends, when you retire for the evening, and go to bed in an attempt to sleep, but in reality, that is just the beginning of your next wave of moments.

During sleep time, the body can find a way to reset itself, except for those who do not let themselves relax and let down.  For example, some people, grind their teeth, and fester about the day that they wished they would have accomplished.  Or, they worry about the day that lies before them when they arise.

In reality, what they should be doing, is enjoying the opportunity for your inner self to communicate with you, during your sleep state, when many people dream.  Dreaming is a way for your mind and your inner self, to play out events and roles, and realities that have no limits, no boundaries, no inhibitions.   When you dream, you are completely free to dream about anything.  It is during that time, you can practice other realities, and getting used to looking at the world in a different way.  The dream state, is practice for seeing your own so-called reality, in a new perspective.

For example, how many people, read the newspaper, or watch the news, and walk away with the same perspective.  The economy is tanking, the housing market is in the dumps, I might lose my job, gas prices are sky rocketing, etc., etc.  However, how many people wake up from a dream, and feel like they’ve dreamt the same thing as everyone else?  Quite the contrary.

Let yourself, relax and enjoy the part of your “day” that is sometimes the most important.  The part, where your mind gets to take a break, and your consciousness gets a chance to play.  Too many people deprive themselves of this important sleep period.

How do you recommend people fall asleep, let go of their day, let go of their worry about tomorrow and be present during their sleep?

In a word.  Meditation.  We understand that many people say, “well, when I meditate, all I can think about is work, or the scratch on my nose.”  At first that may be the case, and that is okay.  Like anything, it takes practice, and eventually, you will wear down and let your mind be at peace.   After a while, there is nothing more to think about, or you get so tired of thinking about all of those chatter thoughts, that a moment of silence, and “mind’s peace”, will occur.  When that happens, no matter how brief; you are having success.  Eventually, with practice, those ‘mind peace’ occurrences will be more frequent, and longer in length.  However, you must remember to not worry about the length, for the amount of time is not important.  For some, a few minutes is enough, and for others, they prefer to meditate for hours.  Each person is different, and will require differing amounts over their lifetime as they gain expertise.

Meditation, is a great tool, that people use for many different things.  In your case, you use meditation to clear your mind and allow for us to connect with your thoughts, and transcribe our teachings and writings through you to your keyboard.  You also use meditation, without your keyboard to work on healing your body and your mind.  There are times when you use meditation, to enter that still place, where you know you need to go at times, and help yourself work through calming techniques.  Meditation has hundreds of uses, and techniques.  No two people use it the same way, and no way is more correct than any other.  They are just different.

In the ancient times, meditation was a common practice among the masses.  In the Eastern world, meditation is still a common practice, and is growing in popularity among the western world.  However, there is much work that can be done to help people understand the benefits, much like brushing your teeth, or eating healthy.  Meditation, is one of the ‘food groups’ for a healthy diet. If you will.

Story: The Boy Who Wanted to Meditate

There once was a young boy who was wanting to study meditation.  He went to the library and researched the subject.  To his amazement, there were hundreds of books that he could read.  Some were thick and some were thin, and some looked old, and some looked new.  He felt exasperated , when  a young librarian, asked if he could use some help.

“Yes, I am looking for a book that will help me learn how to meditate.”

“Oh, I see, yes, we can find something”, said the nice lady.

The two of them went to the area that had several shelves devoted to the subject.  The librarian asked, are you interested, in “eastern thought”, or the “Zen of meditation?”  the boy shrugged his shoulders, for he didn’t know what any of those terms meant.

“That’s okay, we’ll keep looking”, she said.

Pretty soon, the boy, saw a book that caught his eye.  It had a picture of a bonsai tree on a hillside, in the dusk of the night.  The title, said, “Meditation and you.”   The boy, drawn to the book, picked it up and said, “what do you think about this one?”

The librarian, wise as she was, said, “I think that one would be perfect for you.”

The boy, excitedly thanked the librarian, checked out the book, and ran home to start reading.

At first, he didn’t tell his mom or his dad what he was doing, he told them he was working on an assignment for school.  After dinner, he went up into his room, and sat on his bed, to read his book.

The book explained the health benefits of meditation, and the history of meditation, and why it is such an important part of so many people’s lives.

The boy read, late into the night, and every night, until he completed the entire book.

In the book, there were exercises for getting started meditating, and the boy practiced those along while he read.

The book suggested that the person find a quiet place to sit and meditate, so the boy decided he would wait until Saturday, when everyone is away.  His mom would be at his brother’s soccer game, and his Dad was playing golf.  That should be the perfect amount of time, he thought.

Saturday morning, when he awoke, the house was empty.

He went back up to his room, shut his door, lowered the blind, and sat on his bed in the lotus position discussed in the book

He closed his eyes, to find that he entered another world.

He saw beautiful colors, and had images of calm, peaceful settings.  The boy was a bit startled, because he didn’t realize that this is what meditation is all about.

He opened his eyes, to check the time, and went back to the deep place within his mind’s eye.

He learned that he could imagine anything and everything.  He could let his mind take him by the hand and tour him around the universe.

Just then, he heard the voice of a calm elderly man.  “Justin.  Are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here”, said the boy without speaking.

“You are always able to come here if you want.  I am your spirit guide, and I have been assigned to you, during your lifetime.  It is nice to finally meet you.”

“My spirit guide, I didn’t know I had one of those.”

“Oh yes, you most certainly do.  My name is Genevieve, and I am with you whenever you would like to talk with me.  Just meditate, and ask for me to come.’

“So what do you do?”

“I help guide you throughout your life, and am there to help you if you ask me.”

“What kind of help do you provide?”

“I help you make decisions about what is better for your higher good.  I try to help encourage you to stay on the path that is best for your higher good.  I try to gently guide you, like the wind blowing on a sail.”  Very gently, and subtly.

“Would you like to see the universe?”

“Ya, that would be neat,” said Justin.

With that, Genevieve led Justin deep inside of his mind to outer space, and beyond.  In an instant they could go from Miami to Los Angeles, to the moon, and to Mars.  Time and distance was of no issue.

When the tour was over, Genevieve told Justin that he would be there any time he wanted to talk or needed his guidance.

Justin, opened his eyes to see his room the same as he had left it.  The blind was shut, the door shut, and the room in a state like most 14-year-old boys.

However, now when he looked around his room, for some reason, everything looked different.  The colors were brighter, the things that he never noticed before, were capturing his attention.

He stood up, and walked out of the room and down the stairs.  His dad was back home sitting at the kitchen table eating a sandwich.

“Hey sport, how are you doing?”

“Great, dad, I’ve never been better” replied Justin.

He then walked out the back door, and climbed up his tree house in the back yard.

Justin spent the rest of the day, sitting in his tree house listening to the birds, the traffic, and watching the butterflies.

He would continue to visit Genevieve and take trips around the world all from the bedroom in his house.

Years later, he was nearing his college graduation, when he called up his dad.

“Dad, do you remember years ago, when you were eating a sandwich and I told you I’ve never been better?”

“Well, sort of, I guess.”

“Well, I have never been better every single day since then, and do you know why?”

“Why, Sport, what’s your secret?”

“I let myself listen to myself.  I’m able to close my mind and open up to an entirely new world.   Dad, I can meditate, and travel the world all without moving a single step.”

His dad, was a bit confused, and asked Justin if they could talk in-depth about this when he sees him next in person.

A few weeks later, the two of them met at a pub for a beer and some wings.

Justin, told his dad everything, and his dad sat in amazement.  He didn’t  question, or judge, he just listened.

The next day, the dad went to the library and looked for the book that Justin spoke of.

He asked a librarian for help, and she took him to the area where the books on meditation were shelved.

He found the book with the bonsai tree, and the cover just as Justin had described.

The librarian said, “That’s interesting, many years ago there was a young boy who picked out that same book.”

The dad said, “Yup, that was my son, who said this book changed his life.”

“Thank you for your help.”

And with that the man walked out with his book in hand.

Ω

The boy had an inner yearning to meditate, and was being called, most likely by his spirit guides to meditate.  He was drawn to that book, and the librarian knew that books often choose the reader, and not the opposite, so she encouraged him to read the book he was drawn to.   The boy, felt a need to tell his dad about his experiences, and his dad was wise enough to know when there was a need for a face to face conversation.

He also, was open and non-judgmental even though he found the material hard to digest.  However, Justin had a need to let someone know what he was experiencing, and his dad was very receptive.

The dad, even took it upon himself to read that book and begin his own attempt at meditation.  There are no accidents, and everything is in perfect order, which is illustrated in this story.

InspiraCard

Meditation is a tool, and only a tool, but it is so powerful, if can move mountains, and open doors to unknown lands.  It can create an environment where one person can use their mind to literally create anything that they care to see within their reality.  Meditation, is peaceful, calming and a requirement for a healthy, balanced, life.

Written Mon Jan 12, 2009,  7:13 – 7:59 PM