Meditation

Open Focus

 

3D Magic Eye images are computer-generated pictures that contain hidden three-dimensional images beneath a surface of really busy patterns. To successfully see the image, you have to be able to shift your focus to a more relaxed gaze and see “beyond” the surface into its depths. I used to do this with physical posters in high school, but you can also buy Magic Eye books or, most easily, google images on your phone. Whatever format you choose, know that you will probably be physically moving your eyes and the images away and toward each other until you find the sweet spot where the image suddenly emerges. As I wrote in the minutes, “To successfully see the hidden images in these sorts of [pictures], you really need to shift how you look at the [picture] by softening your gaze and looking past the surface details and finding the hidden depths.”

Interestingly enough, barring any eye or brain conditions, what gets in the way of us seeing the hidden images are many of the same things that get in the way of us connecting with our own internal sense of vision: inflexibility, impatience, and doubt, for starters. (more…)

By Ysette, ago

October 2017 gathering

 

Getting to know you

This month we checked in on our intuition journals (or just what we noticed about our intuitive connection) over the past month. One thing of great note was the one of our participants noticed that she had gotten an intuitive hit about something, but then proceeded to downplay it or ignore it, and then when things panned out as her intuition had warned her, she had that awareness of having gotten that message. She said that in the past she might not have even noticed that she had gotten that warning, but because we had trained our attention to our intuition over the last couple of months, she was able to notice the connection working for her.

I think lessons like this are really important, and just as valuable as all those times when we follow our intuition. It’s all a part of noticing and understanding how are intuitive connection works for us, and how we still operate under free will to weigh the risks or effort of taking the advice of our own intuition.

My own observation about my intuitive connection this past month was how illness affects it. Even though I “only” came down with a slight cold, it was much more difficult for me even just to sit in meditation, let alone work in the Akashic Records. I had to drum up self compassion to stave off the self judgment that can come up in these kinds of situations. It was a wonderful experience being held by the circle as I recounted this process.

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By Ysette, ago

The songs of your soul

This was the closing exercise we did to unwind from the previous exercise. This is inspired by something I did with my friend Jennifer Urezzio in a workshop called “Voicing Your Vision.” I posted about this on Instagram, but am reposting here. The full exercise involves taking the second song that comes to you and then singing that karaoke-style in front of a group. When I did this I got paralyzed part-way through and then I started to cry. Since the last activity was so intense, I took this one down a notch and just suggested that we just do the first part of finding our songs.

In Dreamers & Schemers, we’ve done many meditations similar to this where we turn inward to connect to an aspect of ourselves / a source of knowing / flow of energy to find our truth. The advice I always give is to play along and act “as if,” even if you don’t feel or see or hear anything special. If you aren’t used to this sort of exercise, your ego might try to get in your way and tell you that you’re just making it all up, but to that I respond that your imagination is not your enemy. With wonder, curiosity, and beginner’s mind, your imagination will lead you to the very depths of your truth.

SONG OF YOUR SOUL

So here’s a quick meditation exercise that is a lot of fun! (more…)

By Ysette, ago

What is a quality Akashic Record reading? 4/6: STILLNESS

If you’ve been following this series, you already know that I aim to provide quality rather than the moving target of accuracy when I offer Akashic Record readings. I will eventually explain what I mean about the pit-falls of “accuracy,” but for now, I’m working through the elements I strive to include in every reading. They are:

  • Purity of intention of reader (allowing client’s intention to drive the reading)
  • Presence (reader shows up fully without external concerns)
  • Peace and stillness (of the reading environment, both external and internal to the reader)
  • Open mind (humility, beginner’s mind, discernment)
  • Open heart http://mindsonfire.org/2017/08/17/what-is-a-quality-akashic-record-reading-66-open-heart/(courage, trust in the flow, joy of discovery)

In this post I talk about how to bring peace and stillness into a reading. Much of the advice I gave about being fully present applies to this topic, so if you haven’t already, I encourage you to read that post, as well. Peace and stillness, indeed, facilitate this quality of presence in the reader. There are several ways to establish this. (more…)

By Ysette, ago

Other as Mirror of Self

The tools I share are really effective in helping you shift your energy in one way or the other. Some are really handy (many of my meditation tools can be used while you’re out walking to the train or are actually riding the subway), while others require more quiet and reflection. Other as Mirror of Self falls into the latter category. It is worth the work, however, because in my opinion (and from experience bringing it repeatedly into Dreamers & Schemers), this is one of the most incisive ways to identify your growth edge (which is another way to say “your issues”), and work through your issues from an angle that goes beyond the usual fodder of talk therapy.

In other words, this is not just about identifying your wounded inner child and blaming it on some external cause, but taking for your ALL emotional reactions. This might sound hard or yucky because it’s a lot easier to blame other people for how you’re feeling, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find this to be a tremendously useful and empowering life skill!

To be perfectly honest, learning this process was no cake walk, and I experienced a lot of tough love from my Akashic Records learning to do this. I spent months in resistance, clinging to my anger and self-righteousness, until one day something shifted in me and I experienced the transformative power of this habit of mind. This is a habit, so it gets stronger with practice. When it becomes second nature, you will ask yourself why you spent so much time suffering over something you actually had control over: your own emotional reactions.

If you’re feeling resistance now, take a moment to soften and open yourself to something new. Yes, we’ve all heard some variation of the old chestnut that you can’t control others, you can only control your reaction to them. Sure, you’re thinking, easier said than done. But let me break down the process into manageable steps so you can see that this is actually easier than you think.  (more…)

By Ysette, ago