Do You Need To Meditate? Part 1

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

There are so many beautifully written books on the subject of present moment awareness, my personal favourites being the Eckhart Tolle books, ‘The Power of Now’ and ‘A New Earth’. But I would like to touch on it a little bit in this blog.

Why must I be still?

When we are still, we are in the present moment. When the continuous noise of the mind is silent we experience present moment awareness.

“We use mantras and meditations as ‘training’ wheels to the stillness that is at the very core of our soul.”

Easier said than done, of course, but it can be mastered. With regular meditation (this just means breathing and quieting the mind for as little as 5 minutes a day) and proper breathing techniques and mantras, one can easily become a master of ones thought pattern. We use mantras and meditations as ‘training’ wheels to the stillness that is at the very core of our soul.

Once you have mastered this you will no longer need the ‘training’ wheels as you will be able to attain stillness instantly.

The Art of Letting Go

For those of you who are new to these practices, some of the techniques used to bring oneself into the present are very helpful but always bear in mind that you will never need anything to realize this potential whenever you want it.

“…when you feel the need to move onto something else or perhaps nothing else, as the case may be, then trust your intuitions.”

Some people cling to their mantras and meditation techniques and this can become a very stagnant practice as the Earth shifts into a new gear. Some practices will already be felt as outdated and one needs to change with the times, so to speak.

So when you feel the need to move onto something else or perhaps nothing else, as the case may be, then trust your intuitions. As practices for the sake of keeping a ritual going is of no good if you are not progressing.

The STOP Signpost

A useful tool to use is the STOP signpost. Clearly see a stop sign in your mind’s eye, now use it every time you identify yourself wondering into the terrain of useless or negative thought.

STOP!

Hold up the sign to your mind. When you do this it is a distraction to get you to stop dead in your tracks. Try it for yourself. Be the ‘lollipop lady’ of your mind by holding up the STOP sign and bringing the traffic of mind noise to a halt to let the helpful and positive thoughts across the road.

For what purpose do I need to get to this ‘Present Moment Awareness’?

Now that you have an idea of how to get to the present moment – what does it do?

“If we could all operate in this space a lot of problems would be alleviated.”

Well, it is the grounding force that enables you to truly live. The present moment is bliss, peace and tranquility. It is a tool to help you to find clarity. But intrinsically it is the place where we are most at peace with ourselves and the outer world. If we could all operate in this space a lot of problems would be alleviated.

When you are in the moment, there is no thought pattern about past or future there is only the ‘now’. You experience life as it is now.

When the constant stream of mind-numbing thought is detached we have no fear/stress of future or regret/anger about past. We are supremely concentrated in the ‘is-ness’ of the now. It is as simple as it sounds. When you attain this degree of inner peace you will find out just how perfect you are and everything around you too.

Problems will lose their potency and you will be able to laugh in the face of fear.

What could harm a being as perfect as you?

You are a soul with no beginning and no end. What a marvelous space to be in! That is why some people are addicted to meditation and forget to live! But the true master finds the balance in-between.

“There are so many basic things that we, as humans, have forgotten.”

We are still human and have to face the outside world but through the practice of being in the present moment and through awareness itself, you will be able to operate in your current reality with a more peaceful and accepting demeanor.

There are so many basic things that we, as humans, have forgotten. We don’t forget to eat or drink – so why do we forget to breathe correctly? We don’t forget to sit on the couch and turn on the telly – so why do we forget to be present?

I am scared of stopping for fear of having to confront what it is I really need to address

Most of us are nervous about being still and we try to occupy every bit of spare time we have in filling it up with nonsense. All this is really just a cover up for the fact that we fear what we may face when we quiet our minds.

We fear the psyche and all the hidden corners that we have not explored. We fear the clutter that we have stored in there, packing it in boxes and labeling it for another day that we know, deep down, we don’t ever want to face.

We must face these fears if we are to move on.

Read Part 2.

Excerpt from Part 2:

“You can plaster a wall over and over but if there are cracks of unresolved past issues hidden in the concrete, they will always break through leaving imperfections in your wall…”

The above blog has been taken from an extract in my latest book ‘Divine You — Redefining Love in the New Earth’, which is available at all leading bookstores. For more information please click here.

You may also be interested in reading this article:

Wherever You Go, There You Are: A Short Course in Mindfulness and Meditation

Take The Test — Are You a Slave to Social Networking?

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

This is not going to be an article bashing social networking or shouting from the rooftops that it’s from the devil. No, I find it an extremely helpful, if not detrimental, modern-day tool. I utilize it socially — to stay in touch with friends and family — and I use it for my business.

Social networking is a great device for spreading information and touching base. However, it can also be abused.

All too often I see people with their noses stuck to their iPods, even when they are publicly with someone else. Does anyone else find this extremely rude?

What is it that keeps the populace stuck to other people’s dramas or, in some case, tedious actions? Are we craving attention? Is it the need to feel connected? Is it that ugly ego rearing its head and wanting to be seen or to compare?

I feel these actions can inadvertantly drain our inspiration and drive. However, if used properly, they can be great tools of motivation and new ideas.

Let’s Get Real

I think we will all have different reasons for using social networking but if you are finding it hard to keep those nimble thumbs off your key-pad, then let’s dive into a bit of introspection — answer these questions honestly:

Control – do you have command over how much time you spend on social networks such as facebook or twitter, or does it have an irrepressible hold on you?
Breaks — can you go without it for a long period of time and not be bothered? Have you ever tested yourself on this?
Loss — do you feel disconnected if you don’t ‘plug in’? Are you just itching to be updated again? Are you feeling like you are missing out on something?
Time – how many moments do you waste scouring news feeds only to find that 2 hours have passed and you have not really found anything of true value?
Question — how are you using it? Is it benefitting you in some way? Or is it serving as a distraction? Or both?
Limits — can you set yourself boundaries and time limits?
Trimming —Hone down who and what you give your energy to. Are you wasting a lot of time on engaging in a drama that really doesn’t involve you? Are you helping or fueling the situation? Or are you just filling empty space?
Clarity — are you using facebook for friends and people you actually know? Or do you befriend any Tom, Dick and Harry that requests your precious time? Get clear about which social networks are for what. In other words, use facebook or twitter to stay in touch with interesting people, friends and family and sites like LinkedIn and facebook business pages for your associates, promotions and dealings. Be clear about the reason you are using these sites and don’t just give your time away willy-nilly.
Allocations — assign specific times to go on for personal and business use and be liable for those periods — keep to that schedule.

Rudeness Concealed as ‘The Norm’

At all costs avoid whipping out your iPad in real conversation with bona fide friends and colleagues – nobody appreciates this and you may end up losing a tangible friend or business deal for one moment of digital gratification.

The friends who are willing to meet up with you in the flesh are the ones that will be there for you when you need them. Give them your undivided attention and respect.

If someone has taken time out to be with you, they should take precedence over any electronic device that is beeping for your attention — learn to turn it off if it’s a distraction.

Take the Test

If you find that social networking is controlling you and you can’t let go, try this out:

Alert your connections that you will be taking one weeks (or however long you feel you need) ‘vacation’ from the net.
Hold yourself accountable for it, no matter what juicy adventures you want to share – be present with that urge to splurge and be at peace with telling no-one.
Observe how remaining silent makes you feel – do you feel a certain tranquility or are you chomping at the bit? Really question yourself — do you truly need to share that photo of your dinner last night? Do your friends need to know how long you were at the gym this morning? Possibly not.
If you are experiencing more calm and ease without social networking, then this exercise has worked. You will be more aware of how to limit your time dedicated to it in the future. Work out a viable timetable and stick to it.
If you are edgy and feel anxious, then this exercise has also worked and you need to go into why you are feeling this way. Social networking has a hold over you and there is something there that needs addressing. Dig deep and follow the thread of answers to this question: Why do I feel the need to be distracted? You will be taken to the core of your inability to ‘let go’ of being in the loop about every little detail, or keeping people in the loop about every endeavor you undertake.

You Are the Center of Your Own World

When you take a break from your social networking sites, I can bet that you most likely will not be missed — however, this will not be from the lack of love your friends and associates have for you.

The reason is, in all actuality, you are not going to be the center of their worlds and they will most likely have many other diversions to keep them busy. Don’t take offense at this — it is helpfully indicative that everyone has a ‘life’. You are at the center of your revolving world and they are conducting their version of reality too — learn to honor this and be grateful when your worlds collide for the greater good.

This can give you a clearer perspective of how you identify what is important and hone down what you feel you need to distribute that will benefit others. It will aid you to ascertain what needs to be shared and what can remain private.

Call to Action

I want you to work out approximately how much time a week you spend on social networking and then compare it to your new timetable. Let us know how much time you have saved and what you now do to use that time more creatively.

Use social networking responsibly and you will have the best of both worlds.

Use social networking to see the beauty in life, to get inspired and to spread good vibes — don’t let it use you to become a slave to that lower vibrational world of gossip, drama and bullshit.