creative practice, inspiration, instinctive meditation, meditation, mindfulness, Personal Development, Personal growth

If You Think Meditation is Hard…..

Image shows purple artichoke flower in front of tree that has deep red leaves.

I can’t clear my mind.
Focusing on my breath is boring.
I can’t sit still.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor is too uncomfortable.
I’m worried that it’s against my religious affiliation.

These are all things I’ve heard recently from people about meditation. Thing is, you simply might have not found the right meditation practice for YOU.

I specialize in the practice of Instinctive Meditation®. This practice holds that meditation is an innate instinct in all of us, just like eating or sleeping. The relaxation response is just as natural as the stress response. Our modern lives often call on us to push aside relaxing and regenerating, which can result in a number of things such as stress, poor sleep, boredom, etc.

Meditation can be as simple as gazing out across the horizon at the beach, merging with your favourite music while dancing, looking at a piece of art, journaling, cooking, taking a nap.. and so many other things. You’ve probably been meditation already, and just didn’t know it!

Potential benefits of meditation can include entering a state of relaxed awareness more easily, decreased stress, enhanced communication skills, better sleep, easier access to your creativity, and a richer engagement with life in general.

I would love to meet with you and help craft a practice that is right for you, and support you on your meditation journey.

Right now you can experience one on one meditation coaching for free via Zoom as part of my practicum for my advanced meditation teacher certification. Send me a message, and let’s get started!

I also need two of these participants willing to be recorded on Zoom. One person once, and one person twice. The recordings will only be used internally as part of my completion portfolio, and you’ll need to sign a waiver.

Can’t wait to play in the land of meditation with you!

creative block, inspiration, instinctive meditation, journaling, meditation, poetry, writing

Writers’ Block

Image shows black and white photograph of a hand holding a pen, while resting on paper

I sit at the table
and time drifts by.

The weight of the pen is loose
in my fingers.
The paper
cool, and rough.

No matter how long I stare,
thought do not appear.

So I scatter words
across the page

Like bones

And wait
for the Oracle
to reveal
her Wisdom.

inspiration, instinctive meditation, instinctive meditation, journaling, meditation, mindfulness, spirituality

A Mystical Meditation Experience

Have you every meditation about your meditation? I did today.

I did one of my favourite urban hikes that ends for me at the grounds of the Self-Realization Mother House near where I live. I wandered behind the main building so I could see the vista of mountains, covered with more snow than I’ve seen in my entire time living in Los Angeles.

And I thought– this is my image of sovereignty. Not in human form, but in the quiet solid ancient strength of mountains. The roar of water. Gnarled tree roots that I imagine were braided by faeries. Not in human-created deities. I felt filled with the beautiful power of Nature.

I wandered over to the Temple of Leaves to sit a bit. Another person was sitting down as I arrived, and he was loud and purposeful in his breathing. I sat and listened to the birds and wondered more about sovereignty as I fell into the delicious comfort of meditation.

I began to sense a light deep in my brain, and then I could see it, and it had a faint, indescribable. sound. Bells made of water is the closest I can come.

I got curious about the light, and inwardly said “I would like to see more, please.”

The light grew and I could feel it both inside and outside more forehead. Like the looking glass Alice fell through.

My eyes still closed, the light moved and was hovering in front of me. It looked something like the Sun, but more- with a wavy ribbon candy corona, and rays flowing out. So beautiful.

I felt a pull to the center, and the image grew to encompass my whole consciousnesses.

I moved towards the center and was hearing “In the center is a jewel. and the jewel is the center.” So many indescribable feelings.

And then “Your heart is the jewel, and the jewel is your heart. Your heart is all hearts, and all hearts are One.”

All of me was filled with light that felt like carbonated water. And the breeze around me blew tendrils of light and energy off of me.

Right around then something growled in the bushes, and I could hear a crack as I was startled back into ordinary consciousness.

Once I determined it was frisky squirrels and not a threat, I sat there a few more moments. Thinking about how humans have tried to describe the Undescribable through myths and religions- through art, and music.

And how, if one is very lucky, one can enter and experience a glimpse of what is beyond ordinary human consciousness and bring back a beautiful impression and memory that can be opened again at any time.

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Image is a photo I took on my walk.

inspiration, instinctive meditation, meditation, mindfulness, Personal growth

Cultivating a Sense of Awe

Image show bright green moss growing from grey rocks. I stood and looked at it for the longest time.

Cultivating a sense of awe is an important skill to have.

Instinctive Meditation® is one of the ways to increase this sense of awe. It doesn’t require large block of time, uncomfortable postures, or memorization of mantras. It’s a practice that is unique to you, and unique from day to day.

Awe doesn’t have to be a goosebump moment. It can simply be a deepened sense of appreciation and wonder.

“On fMRI studies, awe quiets the default mode network in the brain, which results in the quieting of our internal and self-referential inner voice, hence a smaller sense of self and greater sense of connection.”

More good stuff in this article I found via The Good Life Project. It’s geared towards those in the caring professions, and has much good in it for the rest of us, too.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/is_awe_a_path_to_resilience_in_caring_professions?fbclid=IwAR19dCjICvJ3oJucvvIYQ6GUGeQMyZ_d87Lm7LFjYDBkBKuJOfRzXeY7kTg

I would love to collaborate with you in creating your own instinctive meditation practice. Send me an email at craftingthespirit1@gmail.com, and let’s begin our adventure!


creative practice, Creativity, inspiration, instinctive meditation, journaling, meditation, mindfulness, perception, Personal growth

The Texture of Light

This morning on my walk suddenly came to me the phrase “the texture of light”… hmmm.. ok.. that seems a bit vague, and intriguing.  I’ve just gotten used to the concept of the texture of breath, so let’s explore the texture of light as I walk.  Mostly I let my body feel the idea of “light” as I walked, and then came home sat with “the texture of light”. And all my senses came out to play.

How a sunny day can feel like plunging my hand into honey, or a pocket lines in something fuzzy and soft. The laughter of butterflies. Exuberance. The smell of a puppy’s head, or chamomile in summer fields. Bright light can reveal, invite growth, and it can be searing, desiccating and deadly. It can sound like trumpets, or a party.

Light bouncing off water- dancing on a wall and feeling like cold rippled glass. The shimmering of chimes.

Shadows like voluptuous velvet, or digging my toes into crumbling dirt. A deep and distant hum.

Cool light like the tickle of mist or snowflakes. If I stand still with ears and heart open, I can hear the mist settling on my skin.

Moonlight- mystery, magic, connection, and cycles. Coldness. Sorrow.

Candles and firelight invite me inward.  Into story time, coziness and sleep.

Considering something from outside its usual perspective or sense can not only enrich experience with something, in this case light, but can also serve to spark creative thinking in other ways.

What in your world might you explore with this approach? What fresh insights did you gain?

I can’t wait to explore more this idea of the texture of light.
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Image is a close up photo I took of my dish scrubber. It’s all a matter of being willing to experience differently.