Embrace Fear and Let Go
|
|
Before I started meditating several years ago with CDs using audio technologies, I estimate I hadn't recalled much more than tiny snippets of a dream in, gosh, at least ten years and probably many more than that.
One of the things I liked immediately when I began using meditation CDs was that I started sleeping as soundly as a puddle of snoozing cat and dreaming vividly and often. For the first time in years I could clearly recall in the mornings my imaginings of the nights before.
Well, right after I started using meditation CDs, I dreamed that I was in the atrium of a large bank-like building, the front of which had huge plate glass windows. Granite columns rose from the polished floor to the top of the atrium, some four stories above my head.
I was walking through this atrium, minding my own business, when a man suddenly ran past, shouting, "The storm's coming, the storm's coming. It's headed right for us!"
He evaporated from my sight as only dream people can do.
I walked toward the plate glass windows, looked outside, and, sure enough, a terrible storm was headed right for the building, a perfect storm with tornadoes, hurricane force winds, lightning, and driving rain.
I started to run as fast as I could toward the interior of the building, but then a voice screamed, "We're all going to die!"
I looked back and, yes, the tornado's winds were driving uprooted trees and debris straight toward the plate glass windows.
I could feel myself panicking, sweating, shaking with fear, going zero at the bone.
I collapsed to the smooth, polished floor, worrying furiously about what I could do to protect myself. For lack of anything better, I crawled to one of the granite columns and then wrapped my arms around it even though I knew the force of the terrible winds would laugh at my feeble hold on safety and easily toss me about like an egg shell.
My eyes squeezed shut to avoid the glass fragments and flesh-piercing slivers that would be headed my way any second now.
I felt fear flooding through my veins.
My heart pounded as I clutched onto that column for dear life.
Suddenly, for no conscious reason in that dream, I calmly took a deep breath, opened my eyes, totally accepted the storm, and then watched in calm fascination as glass and trees and street signs and driving rain and other storm stuff flew past me, leaving me untouched, calm, relaxed, and utterly at peace.
Seconds later, I woke up, happy, smiling, almost in tears because of the wonderful experience of completely letting go.
For the first time since 1980, when something similar happened to me, I felt completely at one with everything in the world -- the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the violent and the peaceful.
It's been many years now since I had that dream experience, but I still reflect on it several times a week to remind myself of the way I'm prone to attach to things I really don't have to attach to and fear things I really don't have to fear.
As a result of what I experienced while clutching the granite column in my dream, I've become a better witness of what I say and do -- an observer who can now better embrace the still calm around which the storms of life swirl, bluster, and blow.
Chet Day embraces the still calm in rural North Carolina. You can experience this calm too by learning "A Classic Breath Counting Meditation." Visit http://meditation101.com to get a free copy.
MORE RESOURCES:
Guided meditation and talk at UU in Davis Daily Democrat Join Heather Sundberg for a guided meditation and a talk on working with judgments at 7 pm, Thursday, April 1, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, ... |
'Meditative Gardener' aims to cultivate good nature Rutland Herald By Kevin O'Connor Vermonter Cheryl Wilfong remembers a 2005 meditation retreat in which a Buddhist nun sought to weed everyone's minds of wild, ... |
A guided meditation for a new perspective AnnArbor.com Continuing with the theme of getting a new perspective on whatever is bothering you, this week's blog is a guided meditation putting yourself in the bubble. ... |
6 Week Meditation Class Pleasanton Weekly In the Flow-Opening the Pathways of the Energy Body is a six-week meditation class that will focus on the flow of life force and earth energy through the ... |
How transcendental meditation can prevent war and terrorism Sify A new research paper has pointed how militaries worldwide could use the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, founded by Indian spiritual guru ... |
A Matzah Meditation Chabad.org Matzah, the cracker-like bread, round or square, made by hand or machine, that we eat on Passover. True enough, say the Jewish mystics, ... |
Vandals Damage Public Church Meditation Area Fort Smith Times Record A community meditation area at a Van Buren church has been vandalized, a church member said Thursday. Bob Perry discovered the vandalism in ... Church Property Vandalized in Van Buren |
Spiritual events for March 20 The Olympian Olympia Zen Center: 3248 39th Way NE, Olympia offers daily meditation in the Soto Zen tradition and monthly one-day retreats. ... |
Common Misconceptions of Yoga and Meditation Revealed PR NewsChannel (press release) It is a practice that has been around for five thousand years, and still there are several misconceptions about yoga and meditation. The Isha Foundation and ... Tapping into your inner silence provides health benefits |
Answers from Deepak Chopra Times of India I am 28 and have been into meditation for the five years. Initially, it helped me a lot but gradually, I realized I had become addicted to it and it is ... |
Cultivate a Positive Mind-Set Through Meditation
You have the ability to create your own mind-set. Whether your attitude is positive or negative, is up to you.
How to Use White Noise
White noise is: A sound containing a blend of all the audible frequencies distributed equally over the range of the frequency band. White noise is analogous to white light which contains all the colors of the rainbow together.
Parapsychology: Harnessing Your Etheric Energy
It is an unfortunate reality that society has inadvertently categorized the natural abilities associated with bio-etheric energy as a form of entertainment.Classifying skills such as precognitive event recognition alongside amusement attractions such as stage illusion have undermined the acknowledgement of etheric energy itself, impeding the acceptance of a wide spectrum of very natural, very real capabilities.
How You Can Unite Meditation, Divine Essence, And Personal Tenacity to Serve Your Highest Purpose
1. Meditation:Meditation is a sacred practice.
Meditating - Staying Awake
Why is staying awake while meditating important? Falling asleep is certainly relaxing, and can be good for you, but to get the full range of benefits from your meditation you need to have your brainwaves in the alpha and theta ranges. When you are asleep, your brainwaves range from theta to delta.
Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential - Part 2
You can be the creator of your own manifest destiny. Through daily meditation practice and focus on changing your life for the better.
Meditation: How to Enter a Deep State of Relaxation
There are many methods of meditation that can lead to channeling, mediumship, or simply a greater spiritual awareness. Here is the method I use: Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.
Druids and Meditation
It's pretty obvious that the ancient Druids used several forms of meditation. That the Druids were able to still and control their minds is unquestioned, but the techniques they used have apparently been lost to the ravages of time and the lack of written records.
The Art Of Meditation: How Easy Is It?
Meditation is a form of relaxing and a method to spiritual enlightenment that has been around for centuries. Yet with all the different types of meditation as well as the varied methods, how do you know you are truly meditating? Which one is right for you?We are often told that to meditate is to think of nothing and clear your mind, which to me is impossible.
Healing From Within
"We become sick because we act In sickening ways." Louis JourardModern medicine is based upon the notion of battle.
Meditate with Mindful Breathing
Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.
You Can Meditate Right Now
Why Should You Meditate?What if you could close your eyes, then open them a few minutes later and be relaxed, alert, and able to think clearly? Meditation can do that for you, and it's easier than you might think.Documented Benefits of MeditationLess anxiety.
Wireless Meditation: Top Five Tips For Wherever-Whenever Mindfulness
The problem with meditation is attachment.We get in the habit of needing our altar, favorite cushion, incense, CD, certain time of day, necessary length of time, or particular style of sitting.
Meditation: A Path To Inner Peace
Throughout history, meditation has been an integral part of many cultures. Records indicate that meditation was practiced in ancient Greece and India more than 5,000 years ago.
Establishing A Daily Meditation Practice
It's important to establish a daily practice and then stick to it. This doesn't mean dedicating 12 hours a day to meditation, it just means creating a space in your home where you can take a few minutes and meditate and do the exercises.
Meditation and the Monkey Mind?
Some find the term, "monkey mind", upsetting, derogatory, and insulting. This is a shame, as the point is lost, the ego is involved, and a natural human defense goes up.
Subconscious
The subconscious is a scarey thing to comtemplate for some people. We have been taught that it is a dark place that keeps deep dark secrets about ourselves that could destroy our peace of mind at the very least, and our lives at the very worst.
Meditation Supply Items - Can They Help Deepen Your Practice?
Can a meditation supply item help you go into a deeper state of inner awareness? If you choose the right item, there is a good chance that it can help you get more comfortable and allow you to become more relaxed.A common problem with meditation is that many people are not flexible enough to sit in a position for a long time without starting to feel some discomfort in their bodies.
Understanding Meditation
It is impossible to overstate the importance of daily meditation. The benefits are enormous.
Why Should You Meditate?
Everyone's mind needs a little downtime. We all need time to focus on one task, instead of multi-tasking all day and night.