Hello hello,
The offering today is a meditation and a chance to experience your thoughts in a contained space. Being able to observe your thoughts in a moment of anxiety only comes from practicing when there’s nothing going on.
You wouldn’t strap on a pair of sneakers and run a marathon, we have to start with a brisk power walk. Take a thermos of tea! Enjoy the scenery!
Before I let you go, I announced this in Sunday’s dispatch but I want to remind you:
I’m introducing a new segment for paying subscribers (YOU).
Over the course of the month you can send me specific questions or suggested topics to write about, by responding to the Friday emails.
At the end of every month I’ll be answering a handful or taking a topic suggestion and writing a lengthier piece in response. As this rolls out I’m sure it will adjust to what you all send me, but I’m really excited to open this channel to interact with you all on a regular basis.
So feel free to respond to this email or any Friday email going forward. This is an experiment and I’m looking forward to trying it out with you all.
Hope you have a lovely weekend,
James
Today, we will practice watching our thoughts, so that we’re ready to do so when our emotions begin to escalate. This meditation will be a little different from what we normally do here. In a few moments, I’ll leave a space for you to listen to whatever comes up in your mind.
Every so often, you’ll hear the chime of a bell. This will remind you to recenter if you have drifted off in the landscape of thought.
There is no wrong way to do this, and most important to this practice is not to judge how well you think you’re doing. The only goal is to engage with an open heart, present with possibility.
Watching your thoughts is very similar to watching organisms under a microscope. You are separate from the squiggles and splotches illuminated between the glass slides. Observe the form and movements, without identifying what you see. If anything, there is a detached curiosity driving the experience.
This is key to reducing the chaos of emotional narratives. Rather than striking back with seemingly solid logic, allow the words to arise and fall away in their own time. As their waves rustle the surface, you remain the constant sea, flowing ever deep.
Before we begin the process of thought watching, let’s get in touch with our breath.
As always, the breath can be called upon as a landing ground when you have drifted off in the daze of the mind.
Start to find the shape of the inhales as they enter the lungs. Is there a roundness in the stomach from the air filling the body? How does the hollow space in the chest feel as you exhale?
Allow the breath to lengthen slightly, deepening the bowl of the belly. As you exhale, the air flows out of the nose with ease.
See if you can find a small space at the top and bottom of the breath, where there is no movement at all.
Take a moment to settle into the sound of your breath.
When you’re ready, begin to survey the mind for thoughts. See what comes up, creating space with detached curiosity.
If you begin to wander, let the sound of the bell bring you back to the breath.
Start to gather yourself, preparing for the end of this meditation.
Let us close with 3 intentional breaths. On the inhales we welcome in divine energy, on the exhales we release what is no longer serving us.
Send any excess air out of the mouth,
Then inhale through the nose,
exhale through the mouth
usher in new life on the inhale
exhale release what is stale
inhale, embrace the joyful energy
exhale whatever is left over
Thank you for being here today. I’ll see you next time.
Observer's Practice