Meditation: Life Force

Yesterday was my Day 5 from the book "Wicca, A Year And A Day." The exercise was truly wonderful and I have up until now not felt such a surge of energy and bliss when doing a meditation. Once I got myself relaxed, which for once felt surprisingly easy (I usually have a very hard time doing so) everything happened so naturally.

     It is often hard, especially for beginners, to find meditations that work for them. I know, because in terms of meditation I definitely feel like a beginner. But yesterday was a leap for me. So, I thought it would be nice to share this exercise and the passage that went with it for those who do not have the book. But I would also recommend anybody to go out and buy the book, even if you're not Wiccan (I'm not sure whether I am!) because it has so many great exercises in it and it is also great for beginners who want/need more direction and guidance. I am currently also following the exercises in this book with a group formed by charliesaysgo (who also has some great videos) and there are quite a few who have been practicing for a while that are also in this group. So: A great book for long time practitioners and beginners alike. I will probably post a book review at some point but for now, here is the text from Day 5 (page 8 of the original book).

Day 5

Natural Sacred Energies

While mainstream religions look to a holy book, a central prophet, savior, or religious figure for their spiritual understanding, Wiccans look to life itself; they contemplate and study nature. The earth, the sea, animals, and the heavens are themselves among the many,  living, every-changing expressions of sacredness. Witches learn to pay close attention to the natural world in order to find inspiration and magical insight within each moment. 

     Since Wicca is a nature religion, one important goal of the path is to experience the life force of nature, the animating energy, as it flows within you. Witches believe that this force is, in essence, the divine. Through experiencing this natural energy, Witches come to know that (as author Barbara Ardinger says), “matter is clotted, lumpy spirit, and spirit is finely strained matter.” Once you  recognize this energy within yourself, it becomes easier to notice that this same natural energy shapes the substance of other people, stones, birds, trees, water, and everything else you can see. 

     These are not Witch beliefs; Witchcraft is not a spiritual system of beliefs, per se. It is an experiential practice. You don’t need to believe in the sacredness of the earth. You don’t need to believe that natural energy pervades all things. The practices of Wicca facilitate your immediate and personal understanding of these principles. No Witch worth her cauldron invests herself in beliefs. Beliefs spring forth from limits of the critical, thinking mind. Thinking can help you understand spirituality in theoretical terms, but it stops short when it comes to the experience of spirituality. The thinking mind does have its purposes, its uses. It knows how to do math, how to read a book, and how to make decisions. It knows how to drive a car, make dinner, and not step in front of a bus. However, thinking comes to a halt when faced with whatever cannot be rationalized.

     Critical thinking is limited because it relies on opinions and beliefs. It is locked in the head and does not know how to inhabit the entire body. Spirituality is a holistic experience. It includes not only the head but everything else as well. The full human potential, which is capable of multidirectional, simultaneous experience,  comes to the fore when we literally come to our senses—our sensations and experiences of life. Opening to your full experience of the world, of your body, and of the energies that flow within you are the first stages of awakening your spiritual power. Let’s begin the process.

Practice: Experiencing Life's Energy

You can try this exercise from where you are sitting right now.
Close your eyes and take several deep, slow breaths. With each
exhaled breath, feel your body relax and release all the tensions that it might store. Become internally quiet; try not to allow thinking to interfere with simple breathing and sensation.

     If thoughts come up, simply observe them with detached curiosity. Perhaps you might notice how thoughts are creating  muscle tensions or contractions in your body. Notice, too, how these tensions transform themselves into your emotions. Try not to get involved in the story line of your thoughts and subsequent tensions — that is a trap that can keep you from the experience of this exercise.

     Now, refocus your attention on your solar plexus region (around the lower stomach and navel area). Focus your attention on the feeling of the life force inside of your body within this  region. Most likely it will feel like a humming,  buzzing, or tingling sensation. Now, widen your awareness. Allow your focus to include your chest. Feel the inner body’s energies in the chest  and in the solar plexus regions. Now include your  hips and legs. Feel the sensation of energy buzzing within this region. Now add your feet into your focused awareness. Now add your arms and hands into the awareness. You should now be fully aware of your inner life energy from head to toe. 

     Stay with this feeling for a few minutes. When you sense that you are ready, open you eyes. How did it feel? If you felt “cut off” in any area of  experiencing your body, it is important that you  continue with this basic energy practice several times a day for 5-10 minutes at a time, until you are able to sense a unification of your body’s  energies. 

I hope you enjoy doing this exercise as much as I did.