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Intrepid, It Keeps Me Going

Intrepid Ant

For most of the past summer, this word, “INTREPID,” has been passing through my mind. Rather than passing, you could say it was stuck there. It was my instinctive response to many thoughts and situations—keep going, diligently, toward the ultimate end goal without regard to the current circumstances . . . that’s what it means to me.

This image has been in my mind for a while. I’ve wanted to share it on this blog because the diligent ant, doggedly finding food and bringing it back to the nest, is an appropriate representation of INTREPID I think. But do you know how hard it is to take a picture of an ant? They move fast! Luckily, there are tons of ants around Sedona, so I had plenty of opportunities. I finally took a clear one that is close enough to see. This little guy was scurrying with his friends on a sidewalk near my home.

Do you have any other symbols you think would work just as well or better? How have you exhibited INTREPID in your life?

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Neither Good nor Bad

Lately I’ve been pretty good about doing bowing meditation every day. I usually do 103 full prostrations. Today as I was doing them, I had a lot of thoughts and ideas. This is normal, because bowing circulates a lot of energy in your body. As a result, old, stagnant energy gets cleaned out and fresh energy comes in. Thoughts and emotions are energy. It’s also easy for your heart to open and for your energy to become strong and stable as a result of bowing.

I was excited at first about all of the good ideas that were coming to mind and about all of the emotional processing I was doing. But then I remembered, is this really the point of bowing? Is just having good ideas why I’m doing this? No, what I really wanted was something deeper: a special time to reconnect and listen to my soul.

After that realization, my focus changed, and I looked deeper inside. In my mind, I laid down all of my thoughts and emotions before my soul. I offered them up to my soul with each bow, remembering once again how I’ve promised myself that I would live for and according to my soul. And with each bow, I could feel my soul more strongly.

I was feeling really good about this—proud of myself.  I became afraid of this pride and self-congratulation and offered that to my soul as well. Underneath that was self-doubt and self-criticism, which I realized was as untrue as my pride. So I laid that before my soul too. Beyond that, there was nothing, which was truth.

“I’m so wonderful,” and “I’m so horrible,” neither of them are really true. I am more than that and I am nothing. That is truth.

This is the type of bowing meditation that I do. It’s a great health practice, regardless of the spiritual aspects. When I bow a lot, especially more than 103 bows, I simply feel more . . . myself.

As  the video says, if you’d like to try bowing meditation for yourself, you can start with just 9 or 21 bows until you build your stamina. Enjoy!

The Power of Forgiveness

Ever since I became sensitive to energy, I’ve been aware of a blockage in my sacrum/tailbone area. A forward bend with my knees straight is the most difficult stretch for me to do. My bladder meridian, which runs through that area, is also fairly blocked overall.

When I was a member and later an instructor at a Body & Brain Center, this condition got better. I could stretch farther and the blockage felt subtler and deeper. Since I’ve been sitting in an office chair for years, it’s become worse, and I feel it’s responsible for a lot of my emotional and mental angst; it prevents enough energy from circulating up my back to completing its natural cycle.

Because of this, I’ve made it a habit to notice what situations and actions open that blockage. It does open for short periods of time. I’ve found that many things open it, although usually with some effort.

Last night, after some bowing meditation and Brain Wave Vibration, although it was still a little blocked, I really asked myself what was keeping me from being fully connected to the full flow of life energy inside me and through me. Once I asked that, within a few moments, I started spontaneously to forgive. I forgave all of my past actions in this lifetime and any others, I forgave all of the actions of all of the other people on the earth throughout history, and I forgave all of the future actions we might take. I forgave anything that was not from love or produced love in some way, large and small.

After that, my tailbone area not only felt more open, but it felt “healed.” I had a deep sense of overall healing. I felt stronger and more secure in myself as well. Even this morning, even though I haven’t exercised yet, I still feel better—freer, settled, hopeful.

I don’t know how long this state of being will last, but I won’t try to hold onto it. Doing that would only cause stagnation and dwelling on the past. I’ve learned not to chase after particular emotions or situations from my memory.

However, I’ll try to stay in the moment, and remember the lesson of forgiveness. I will probably need to forgive many times in my life.

Forgiveness, like gratitude, doesn’t need a reason. It’s just a part of our true self. So when I forgive or feel grateful, I’m expressing that pure and divine part of me. The more I express it, the more I embody it, and that is real healing and hope.