I really enjoyed Practice 1: Loving-Kindness. That being said I did not care for the mp3 version. I followed the book and did this meditation on my own. The person that I created in the beginning was a combination of a few people that I hold near and dear to me. I guess for my own ethics I do not want to take a part of someone inside of me without their permission first. So I asked the ones that I envisioned and then used a combination of all of them. I like that you have to love yourself first and know how that feels to you. For me starting with loving yourself is the most important. If you cannot love yourself, how are you going to love another? There was one part of this meditation that I would change. I do not like taking in something negative, even if we were to take it in and let it dissolve. We are still taking in a negative. I would rather picture this person and envision them in white light and love them that way. Once again I would be careful with my ethics as I would be performing a healing on this person at this point. I would want to make sure that I have the person permission to help with their struggles. If I am just sending love out into the universe, I am okay with this mediation. Once I start trying to change or help someone then I would need their permission for the healing that I would be sending them.
The mental workout is a time set aside each day for us to practice getting to know ourselves and how we truly feel. I think there are a lot of people in our lives that like to tell us what we should do or how we should feel about a situation. If we can take ourselves out of the situation and sit with our self, I think we will come up with the correct answer to all of our question and issues. This mental workout is something that needs practice and time set aside each day for this to be helpful and for us to understand the difference between self-talk and the information from our true self. This practice shows that we will change our environment so we are not in the self-center of the universe and we can open our self to love and acceptance of others.
Angie,
ReplyDeleteI also do not feel comfortable with taking in something negative (I forgot to mention that in my blog posting). I feel that there is always a potential for any residual energy to linger, so I like to visualize it absorbed in brilliant white light. I agree that it is very important to receive permission before doing any type of healing for someone. I have been told that many times you don't need to verbally ask permission, but to do so through meditation, and to truly listen during your meditation, it will become apparent if that person wants outside assistance with their health and healing.
Amanda
Hi, Angie.
ReplyDeleteI also found this exercise to be enlightening, but a little difficult as well. I had a harder time trying to envision images without emotion than anything else. I do, however, believe that until we can look at all of the negatives and see them in the same love as positives, we will never fully reach our potential. I think we all struggle with that, including me, but it makes sense. Look at Ghandi, Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama. They all have that ability and what a divine life they have lived. I think this ties in with forgiving. Difficult concept the way that we've all been brought up, but not impossible.
~Roz
Angie,
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you on what you said about self-love. It's hard for you to love other people and for other people to love you if you cannot truly love yourself. When you do, you carry that love around with you always and it's easier for you to give it to others.
-Dawn