That was the theme of a meditation class I taught recently and it was accompanied by synchronicity before class even began. I arrived about 15 minutes early to open the yoga studio and found one of my students sitting by the door. She said she was glad I arrived early because she had a question. She seemed anxious and said she was worried about going too deep into meditation.
I asked why. It seemed an odd question for a beginning meditation class, since most of the students were having a difficult time quieting their minds and getting into a meditative state. She spoke rapidly in a quiet, accented voice and told me that when she was 16 she was put into a deep trance by a man who did something to her. She didn’t say what, but said that maybe she would tell me later. I think she was waiting for me to ask, but I didn’t. She repeatedly said that she was worried about going too deep because she might re-live the experience. I thought that was what she was already doing.
I told her that the class was going to focus on overcoming worries and anxieties and it should help her overcome her fears. A couple of minutes later, another student arrived and the first thing she said was that she was worried about something. I can’t recall what it was – something about her teenage son -because I was too amazed that people were not only bringing their worries to class, but were talking about them. I hadn’t begun the class or told them that we would focus on dealing with worries and anxiety.
I’d brought a book along called, Matrix Meditations, and had marked a couple of passages in a chapter called Worry – Uncertainty and Anxiety. What I’d noticed about both the worries presented to me before class was that they probably weren’t worth worrying about. Certainly, the first woman had experienced something traumatic 25 or 30 years earlier, but if was so worried about reliving it, why had she signed up for the class?
The very first lines of what I read to the group actually reflected my thoughts. “Worry and anxiety sometimes reflect inner conflicts that need resolution, but many times they have little basis, and can waste a great deal of time and energy. Mark Twain remarked, “I’ve seen many troubles in my time, only half of which ever came true.” Worrying can be purposeful, but often it is not. Psychologist Fritz Perls called anxiety “the gap between the now and the later.”
I like that line. “The gap between the now and the latter.”
I had decided to make use of whatever the students were worrying about by turning it into a visualization for something better, what Maxwell Maltz, author of Psycho-Cybernetics, called constructive worry. Maltz recommends that you imagine the possibility of a positive event that you would like to see happen “so clearly that it becomes real to your brain and nervous system.”
So I told the class to create an intention – something that they wanted to see happen that would overcome any worry or anxiety. (Worry is a mental process while anxiety is a whole body process. When you’re anxious, you muscles tighten, your breathing changes, a furrow forms on your brow.) The second step is to give it attention. Not the worry, but the positive resolution. Create the details of what you want to see. Then, no tension – release it, let it go.
So the mantra for that particular meditation was intention – attention – no tension. Over and over.
Hopefully, the meditations helped. But I had feeling that I was going to hear more about the woman’s trance experience before the course was over. That last part – release it, let it go – can be the most challenging aspect of overcoming a negative experience.
After class, she approached and I was hoping that she would say something about how the exercise relieved her worry. Instead, she said something odd. “I’ve been in your house.”
Huh?
“Did you write a book about the Bermuda Triangle?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s what I thought. I remember my client talking to you about it. That was years ago. I’m a realtor and he was interested in your house.” Apparently, he was more interested in the Bermuda Triangle, because we’re still living here.
I’m a Cap as well, and the past two weeks have been unprecedented for me in terms of my own behavior, and of things emerging to the surface and spewing out of me that I’ve kept buried under wraps for decades. I don’t know if finally verbalizing thesethings will have a positive or negative impact for the long term. In the short term, I’ve astonished myself by the sudden blurting out of “stuff” that I’ve held inside for such a long time.
Cleansing? Probably. But cleansing can be really, really difficult before the “good” settles in and we step into a new and better state of consciousness. Be that as it may, I’m not sorry, and I’m “blaming” the stars on my actions…including that recent Full Moon that wasn’t great for ANY sign!!
That full moon was a bitch. I think what you’re actually dealing with, though, is Pluto in your sign, Uranus square to your sign, and Saturn now in Scorpio.
Remember that “Belief” leaves room for doubt. “Conviction” leaves no room for doubt. Between these two there is an immense difference, and I think it takes unrelenting open-minded searching to reach beyond Belief and find Conviction, in any aspect of life. I agree, however, that Balance is the Key, and the Key is to continue to search and never cease being open to expanding our consciousness, and never be fearful of investigating and even accepting ideas that may, at first, seem
foreign and objectionable. Good post….good comments. Thanks, Guys.
Great distinctions, Math.
I liked that quote by Mark Twain too.
Nancy, I agree, I think many are letting go to lighten our energies.
Very interesting post though.
Yes, you could be right.
People are having a hard time right now with things from the past. People, events, memories, etc. All sorts of issues are surfacing in people we know. Maybe we’re going through some kind of mass consciousness cleanse.
Nancy,
Trish,
Rob,
How true…
In my life so many of my girlfriends had traumatic events as they hit their teen years. They would just come out and tell me. Maybe they read the traumatic aura around me or sensed my hurt.
I guess right now the process would called: cleanse to heal.
Be well
Laurence
Synchro. I was just thinking of you tonight, Laurence.
Trish,
Life has been a ride…
Be well
Laurence
p.s. we are connected, synchro or not…
Saturn entered scorpio today, after more than 2 years in libra. Take a look at what susan miller says about it.
Rob,
Trish,
Just spent some time at Susan Miller’s site. As a Cap, the last few years have been hard, discouraging. I will do that tweet thing concerning Sept.27th- Oct.4th. I let go of so much. It is all a process, you have to go through it…
Be well
Laurence
Pluto in cap.
Fascinating post. I think Mark Twain got it right. Most of our worries never actually materialise. But to dismiss them is still easier said than done. I like the idea of visualising a positive event instead. It is, after all, up to us what we accept as being true.
Twain is one man I would love to have met!
I happened to stumble across a commentary today that fits nicely with our current post.
https://www.unknowncountry.com/journal/meditation-and-dark-side
In the article you refer to above I like how Whitley says –
” It is of key importance to leave the question unanswered, because as long as we do, spiritual search can continue. The minute we decide we have the answer, search becomes its dark twin, belief. Better to respect the triad: search is the active state, belief the passive state. Spiritual intelligence enables us to keep the two in energetic balance. ”
I was just reading a similar passage in Neil Kramer’s book
“The Unfoldment” where he writes –
“Despite any unappetizing conceit emanating from either the faith based or secular approach,it would be imprudent to totally discard either of them.Both have wisdom at their core.They each bring their own skills of analysis,intuition,and devotion.They offer legitimate departure lounges for those who feel too overwhelmed by the big questions to arrange their own philosophical passage.The faith-based approach offers a yielding experience with the unknowable.The secular approach give steadfast experience with data.We need both to attain real penetration and crystal-clear vision.To be always yielding or always steadfast is to create imbalance.The way of unfoldment is to move gracefully between the two as the flow of consciousness moves through us. “
I also like how Whitley writes –
” Right now, we have a task: find our own joy, and connect it to the joy of others and the greater joy that fills the heavens. “
sounds like a good plan to me!
Adding unfoldment to my list!