Tag: self

How do you Meditate

lizaaitken

Everybody meditates nowadays, there are umpteen classes for it and millions of guided meditations on the net, but is that always the best thing, does it work in a class of twenty other people or through the medium of technology. It doesn’t for me that’s for sure, for me to really be in a mediative state it’s better if I’m alone.

Meditation isn’t about sitting crossed legged and reciting a mantra, even more so if you don’t cross your legs naturally and you’re aware of the discomfort in your legs. If I meditate sitting down it has to be in a high backed easy chair, a chair that I might take a nap in, not one in which I’d eat my dinner.

For me to meditate, I have to be alone, but saying that I could be doing anything which includes cooking and cleaning. When we are focussed on something like peeling and chopping vegetables it’s the ideal time to settle the mind. I have often brought a meal to the table and wondered where I’ve been to get it. You see, I loose myself in cooking, I go off somewhere else and in doing so I somehow find myself. Cooking and cleaning are good for me, because I watch what I’m doing, remaining focussed without letting my mind wonder. It’s not something I’ve practiced, just something I’ve come to realise.

Walking in nature is probably one of my favourite meditation techniques, just being, with mother nature around me, not as myself but part of everything. I love to be in the woods, parks or beautiful gardens and away from anyone else. The seashore too, watching the tide come in and flow out again, letting everything else fall away.

I’m not a fan of guided meditations, it might be something to do with my imagination, I have always walked down the steps, along the shore, looked at the sky or whatever it is before I am instructed to do so. This totally throws me off and brings me back into the room quicker than you like.

Daydreaming is different, allowing your imagination to take you, that is something I can do quite easily. I just send my mind off somewhere else and see what comes up, it’s like telling a story, but the interesting thing is the story often has a message I wouldn’t have found outside of my daydreaming.

People beat themselves up because they haven’t meditated and they should have, I used to, I felt terrible that I hadn’t practiced. Now I just live, I find time for myself, time to go deeper in all the things I do each day. The key I think is finding time for yourself outside of life, being at peace with yourself and the world and taking that deep breath.

So how do you meditate?

~

lizalizaskysaregrey©2017

A Single Wave

lizaaitken

 

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A single wave cannot change the sea any more than the weather can change the sky. They remain as they are whatever appears to be happening on the surface, the sky and sea will always be. We are just the same, life brings changes, clouds and ripples to our lives but we remain as we always were.

We are more than the people we think we are, we are as constant as the sea and sky, we are eternal. The things that happen to us, the things we think are important cannot really affect us, they affect the person but not the presence inside, the awareness that is our true nature.

The sun continues to shine behind the clouds, as our light continues even on the darkest of days. The sea moves as one beneath the waves, unaffected by what happens on the surface, as what happens to us each day is on the surface. Deep inside and all around we are greater than what happens. What happens, happens but we continue.

The person we think we are will age, will feel and will eventually die. We are all on the same journey, we are all heading towards death as the wave that crashes to the shore and is no more. Only then will we discover the true self that is constant, eternal as the sea and sky, only then will we understand the dream of life.

Whatever happens, know it will not change you, the real and constant being, it is just a ripple, a cloud, nothing more.

 

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To Die to the Ego

lizaaitken

Our lives a vast illusion,

as it’s to die that we are born.

To die from all we believed in,

attachments must be torn.

To die inside and surrender,

realise that there is no ‘I’.

Only a falsehood of the ego,

and a fundamental lie.

To die to all we’ve created,

is to find our way to life.

Being only as the observer,

with no ownership of strife.

The ego will battle to exist,

we’re taking on a hard fight.

Moments every now and then,

we’ll know we have it right.

The slaughter of the ego mind,

is to die without hanging on.

It’s a fight for all humanity,

to find where we all belong.

~

lizalizaskysaregrey©2017

Finding Buddha

lizaaitken

Do you ever ask ‘who am I’ or ‘why am I here, what is my purpose’ or any number of questions that might establish what an earth we are doing here? I know that a lot of people don’t, many are more concerned with the everyday, how much money they have or where they are going on their summer vacation, but it’s a question I’ve always asked, it fascinates me.

I believe the purpose of life is to find ourselves, mature along our spiritual path, find our true selves and that is not the self we create in this body. I believe it is in realising ourselves, our real identity and inner spirit that is our ultimate goal here, to find ourselves in this labyrinth we call life.

We create personalities based on our experience of life, environment, relationships and the things that happen to us along the way. I believe we have travelled many lives and therefore inhabited many different personalities but there is a true self that travels with us, a self separate from the ego, yet often out of reach.

When I ask who am I, it is because I am questioning what I am outside of the ego, outside of life. I’m looking for my spirit, the one that travels through time, space, thought and lifetimes. This body I’m travelling in now is just a vessel, it holds my spirit while I’m here, but that’s all. If I wasn’t in this body I think I would still be here but in a different form, a purer, more knowing form maybe.

I practice past life regression, I’ve been regressed a number of times now and regress others and one thing I have found interesting in all of these regressions I have never found myself knowing who I am. I have never regressed anyone else to a point in their past life where they felt they had the answers. I still hope to find myself somewhere knowing more than I do now but I’m not sure it’s possible. Maybe we keep coming back until we find ourselves and then maybe move on elsewhere, if this is the school of life maybe we move onto university on another astral plane. Some of the personality traits, fears and beliefs come from past life experiences and it’s useful to recognise and understand these to release blocks we might have now.

I have never heard of a regression therapist finding Buddha or anyone else like that, usually we are just normal everyday people, please let me know if you know any better. I was a doctor once, I found myself after on the internet, I looked exactly the same as during my regression and the story was the same yet I didn’t know any more about life. I might have had a fantastic brain when it came to medicine but I didn’t know any more about myself. Those people who think they might have been Cleopatra or Nelson usually just lived in that era and probably never met them, the recollection of the past life is just connected to the time and not the figure.

I also practice future life progression (FLP) but I have only ever wanted to move forward in this actual life, I haven’t wanted to explore lives ahead, not just yet anyway.  I think FLP is a great tool in helping us see our way forward, I think we can bring things back that help us get there quicker and understand the way but for me this life is enough at the moment.  I have witnessed and taken others forward to future lives, one guy described being able to communicate telepathically and travel by thinking he was there, it is fascinating but not for me yet. You see a small part of me believes that if I find myself in the future it will mean I’m still searching for meaning. I’m not suggesting that I think for one moment I will understand all there is here, reach enlightenment and never have to come back but I’m hoping I’ll get closer.

I have moments of awakening, in my dreams, in meditation and on walks through nature but then the ego steps in and says ‘oh no you don’t’! I’m hoping to get there at some point, I’m hoping to get closer to knowing who I am but for now I’m just on the cusp.

Daily Prompt – Cusp

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Awareness

lizaaitken

 

 

There are moments of awareness,

but just usually a glimpse.

My eyes wide open and I can see,

but just as quick it shrinks.

Who is the ‘I’ that sees this place,

so what part of me is real.

Why can’t my heart protect itself,

why can’t it always feel.

When I relate from ego’s mind,

my blinds are quickly drawn.

Blinded then by my humanness,

truth can never dawn.

But in these precious moments,

when the lights turned on.

I can know the truth inside,

that’s been there all along.

~

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lizalizaskysaregrey©2017

 

The Old Boot

lizaaitken

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Life here on earth is a game of sorts and each of us has a different part to play. As much as we can make decisions and have free will, things will change, obstacles will get in the way and we will be presented with challenges. You see, as you might have realised, we are not entirely in control of the next move or the outcome.

Somewhere in the universe, or another one completely, this game is being played. Each player makes the moves that will change our lives for better or worse. We can prepare for this by understanding that things will change, being prepared and not clinging onto possessions of any kind, and that means people too. Because our turn will come around again soon and we will each feel it. Each move effects one of us, but each move is felt by those around us too. Sometimes the things that happen to us are wonderful, we move up the ladder, sometimes we go down the snake or into jail and miss a turn but the game continues.

It’s not a game of chance, because those that are playing understand that the object of the game is to help us grow, assist us in moving up to our best possible selves. Their goal is to take us to a place in which we can realise and meet the true self.

Think about it if you will, I’m sure you have played a board game or two in your lives. Think how you sit around a board, all with your own counter or figurine and your task is to move this around the board. Now think about the counter, imagine yourself as the old boot on a monopoly board, two steps forward, two steps back, miss a go. How does the boot feel, bored I imagine, stagnant and certainly not heading anywhere. A change is needed and the person who chose the boot to play with needs to make some right moves, their intention to get the boot to the end of the game. Okay so maybe monopoly is not the right game to choose as it’s all about amassing wealth but if money and property were lessons can you see where I’m going?

In this game, the players work together, not against each other because they know that each counter needs to get around the board. It’s a poor game if only one succeeds and anyway this is not possible. Let me explain, one player might decide his counter needs a job, house move, lover or any experience and during their turn put the plan in motion, but they are totally reliant on who plays next. So, the idea is a job and they get their counter to apply for this job, now they must wait to see what the next player will do, will they work together and agree with the game strategy or will they go against it, you see it will depend on what it means to their counter, maybe the job would have been good for them too.

Each move changes the board totally, the change for one effects each counter, therefore our lives are constantly changing. Things don’t come out of the blue, although it’s not a bad phrase if it’s blue where the game is being played.

Now for the mind-blowing part, who do you think is responsible for your counter?

It’s yourself, the self that we really are, the self we are in search of that knows all, the true SELF. You see we are spiritual beings, it is only the humanness that prevents us from seeing the truth, this game is being played within each of us and by each of us, only we don’t know it, because we haven’t really discovered ourselves.

So you see the importance of knowing ones self, connecting at a deeper level. See how you can influence and invite things into your life by being connected to the game player, spending time getting to know them, realising their purpose. 

Take some time out today and think about how the game is being played for you.

lizalizaskysaregrey©2017

Self Doubt

lizaaitken

 

My soul’s not fat at least in pounds,

my soul is gigantic and all around.

It’s just my body that’s gone to pot,

my souls full up as she loves a lot.

Funny when you consider your size,

that fat comes up is not a surprise.

We are so focussed on what we see,

forgetting that there’s more to me.

No room for doubt that’s for sure,

there’s an all to me I must adore.

If I only focus on one of these bits,

I won’t see the picture, it’s a trick.

So when I look in a mirror next time,

I’ll like what I see and know I am fine.

I am much more than word can say,

so I’ll carry that with me every day.

~

A bit of a theme here for the Daily Prompt word – Doubt

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At the Centre

lizaaitken

What is real is at the heart centre of each of us, it is the pure self. The self that is emptiness, the self that is timeless and beyond anything else. To be truly aware of oneself, one should attempt to seek the silence within, the pure state of consciousness that is at the centre of everything that is.

Easier said than done with the constant chatter of the mind to distract us. How many times do we put off meditation because of something external that distracts us. The walk in nature interrupted by thoughts of the city or just pure self sabotage. How often do we actually breath with awareness and take time out of life to find ourselves.  

The heart centre is the very essence of being that the mind does not want us to find.

~ Liza

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Daily Prompt Word – Centre

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