The Citadel

The Cosmic iphone; already built in....

Imagine that Apple invented a brilliant new iphone. Imagine that this iphone
could receive messages directly from the mind and that these messages
could constantly guide you to a better place.

Consider you have already built in, a way to stream all kinds of info, like your
love horoscope, life coaching, future prediction, market indicators and basically
any kind of relevant stuff you want to know.

All you need to know is how to tune your device to receive that and more.

Revolutionize your thinking with the knowledge that the mind already has
that figured for you. Its already presented you with a tool you've always
had at your finger tips. Its called Svadhyaya, the art of Self- listening. The
minds answer to the cosmic iphone.

To use our cosmic iphone we need to rethink how we receive information.
We have been sold, lock, stock and barrel, that the only way to get any useful
info is from outside ourselves. We hand authority over to "outside" everyday.
In doing this, we seriously undervalue our Self.    

But Svadhyaya is going to hand back the joystick of your life. It will help
you navigate to your maximum potential.

To illustrate how the woo woo of Meditation meets something the world values
highly, namely scientific fact, listen to neuro-anatomist Jill Bolte Taylor explain
how she observed her brain function as she had a stroke. See how she explains
the All Knowing, All Connected function of the right side the of the brain. She is
describing something Meditation has always said - there is a part of our mind
outside time and space. We can experience All Knowing there.

Most of us are locked out of our All Knowing side, but meditation unlocks our
access. Inside, there are unopened messages with answers to the questions
we are asking. Often we need to hear our questions as much as the answers.
Just below the chatter of our mind all these things wait to be heard. As we
silence the chatter by meditating, we open our messages spontaneously.

This is Svadyaya the art of Self-listening; actively listening to our own inner
wisdom through Meditation. Even a little practice reaps huge rewards.   

Much love today, Wendy.

"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
For everyone that asketh receiveth;  and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 7; Chapters 7&8.  

Five solutions to common problems in Meditation

"Suspended keystone" Graphite drawing (C)
Wendy Bradtke 2005

This is the first in a 5 part series on common meditation problems and their solutions.
The first problem we tackle is -

Lack of focus.

The ability to focus is a vital skill, and we can improve our focus with
a little practice. The good news is we can reap many benefits in life
from focus. I believe focus is an essential skill for everyday success,
and counter acts many of the commonplace side effects of daily living
like stress, being overwhelmed, even unhappiness.

When we focus we automatically relax our mind. It happens when
we focus in meditation, but also while focusing on any task. It has the
potential of making anything a relaxing activity. Mahatma Gandhi was a
master of this technique. Once asked if he ever needed a holiday, the
Mahatma replied “ I’m always on holiday.” He knew how to be relaxed
whilst focusing on one task.

So how do we focus? We do that by re-directing our thoughts. A thought
is like a small child; you take it by the hand and gently encourage it where
you want it to go. In seated meditation we use tools like a mantram. When
we lose focus we re-direct our thoughts back to one point by using a
mantram. Later as we progress we can do it by simple awareness of what
we are thinking. Through meditating you will learn to be aware of your
thoughts all the time. In tasks we can use tools like post-it notes to
remind us of our focus.

Whichever method you chose, you’ll find focusing on one thing is relaxing
and lessens stress. I have found it increases productivity as well. It also
cuts down on worry which drains our energy. It gives us control in areas
we can have control. Often we cannot control our outside world, but
through focus we can learn to control our mind. We don’t need to rush
at it headlong either, small incremental steps can carry us a long way.

Peace, Wendy xx

 

 

"Look Mother, no hands…I’m meditating without actually Meditating!"

Meditation is the activity of sitting in a painful cross-legged position allowing our mental distractions to drive us crazy. We do this for say, half an hour a day, and snap, we attain mental equipose and never have to frown again.

And that statement is about as true as our mother's telling us, if we ate our crusts, we'd have curly hair.

But meditation can be a cross-legged activity. That form of seated meditation is very  proficient at getting us where we want to go meditatively, and we shouldn't toss it away lightly. The drawback with it is it doesn't suit everyone who walks on two legs, and really there's no reason why it has to, one size doesn't have to fit every single foot.

That leads me to a useful definition. Meditation occurs in any activity that involves sustained focus and awareness. If we try to squeeze our toes into that idea, we begin to step into our comfy meditative slippers.  Now we can conjure up the image of a monk quietly walking in a garden, total focus and awareness of each footstep and the crunch of pebble underneath. The calligrapher, with pen or brush in hand, placing each stroke on the page. The writer writing a stream of consciousness. The rolling of dough under the baker's hands. Think of how present you are in a kiss. Could you be more there?

A meditative attitude transforms anything we do. Riding our bike, we let go of the handle-bars, and let our focus and awareness guide us along.

"Look Mother, no hands...I'm meditating without actually Meditating!"


In oneness, Wendy xxx

Illustration is a painting "Close up girl" from the Black and White series 2007. Wendy Bradtke. Copyright.

Lifting energy

Sometimes you have to wait and wait to move into a different space. It doesnt seem to matter what meditation technique you try, somethings won't shift at all. You feel like you've been tacking back and forth in the pea-souper of your mind for weeks. Then, suddenly you close your eyes and its like lifting up the corner of a dense curtain. Suddenly there is quiet where there was din, sweetness where there was darkness. You listen to the sound of your breath and it becomes everything pure and soothing. You drop into a stillness in which its OK to be a human being living on a planet. Its like a droplet of healing and its so powerful, hours later as you write you can still feel that spreading like an elixir. What makes the karma you are burning up suddenly give up the ghost? It dissolves and you can glimpse the other beautiful shore. Life goes on.

Om.