In the spring of this year, I was feeling particularly frustrated by some aspects of my life. These aspects didn't feel easy to resolve, and at the same time I was having difficulty "accepting the things I cannot change".  A perfect recipe for depression, anger, anxiety and sleepless nights. I had all of those things, and on a few occasions, the sleepless nights became real waking nightmares of anxious circular thinking where I even considered that the only way out might be to end it all. No, don't worry, I was a long way from the verge of doing so, but let's just say I can now better understand the hopelessness that can make that decision seem like the best one. That said, I was getting on with my life as best I could the rest of the time - as one does.

On a day, my friend Linda and I decided to visit our local new age fair. My intention was simply to walk around and see who/what I was drawn to. I was aware that I could use some help, and hoped I might get some. Almost immediately I did feel very drawn to a fellow offering Peruvian Shamanic work. He didn't look Peruvian, that's for sure, but there was what I can only describe as a really good vibe coming from him. I eventually headed over and had a session with him. He did some things with my chakras which made absolutely no sense to me, and also suggested that I needed to have some cords cut. Well, I had heard of chakras, and this cord cutting idea before, and he did what he did - which still didn't make a great deal of sense to me, and I didn't really "feel" anything, but I did feel a bit better, perhaps.

After we were done, he gave me a piece of paper with some prayers on it. One was a prayer for cutting cords, another a bedtime prayer. I kept the paper, but somehow, just didn't feel comfortable saying some of the words that were on it. It just wasn't me. However, I was feeling better. Afraid that I was going to slip back into my personal misery again, I decided that I would do what felt right for me, and after a couple of days, I re-wrote the prayers in a way that did feel right for me. It was an interesting process, remembering to do small things (like say these prayers) on a regular basis. I wrote a couple of pieces about this at the time, called Salmon in the Weir and Accepting the Salmon's Gift.

As it turned out, this process was the beginning of my creation of the meditation and prayer cards that I sell in the shop. Having re-written my prayers, I printed them off on the computer and glued them to some pictures I liked. Pictures which embodied the kind of natural beauty that feeds my soul and that symbolises what I am moving toward.  I put these on the walls of my bedroom. The cord cutting prayer is by the mirror which I pass every time I go through the bedroom door. The bedtime prayer is above my bedside table, where I will be sure to see it as I'm getting ready for bed. My life has improved a lot, I believe, because I took the time to put those pictures on my wall. I felt inspired enough by them to put in the time (just a few minutes a day) and it has made a difference.

Ever the entrepreneur, it occurred to me that other people might like something like that. It is such a simple thing, but something beautiful, with some beautiful words to say, or (as in the meditation cards) a short, easy, thing to do, makes it so much easier to take action! I have wanted to make cards for those two original prayers for a long time. However, it didn't feel right to do that until I had talked to my shaman friend. I needed to know that he was okay with it. Well, I finally had that opportunity last month, and he was very okay with it. Yesterday, I felt inspired to get the graphic work done, and the results are what you see above. I haven't written the material for the backs, yet, or given much thought to whether I am creating another set of four cards here.

Hmmmmm... that might depend on your feedback. What would you like to see?

I love the way the world of meditation has opened up over the past few decades. I am old enough to remember the excitement, back in the 1960s, when "Transcendental Meditation" (or TM) became popular after the Beatles discovered the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. There was a lot of secrecy and controversy it at the time. One thing is for sure, though, it brought the idea that meditation might be a good thing to the average westerner.

I never learned TM, but by the early 1980s I did take my first meditation class. It was an evening class at a local community college, taught by a lovely young woman, who assured us that there were many paths to the meditative state. We explored a number of different approaches, so that each person could find out what worked best for them. I love variety, and I'm so glad that this was my first experience with meditation. Over the years, I have not been a particularly consistent meditator, but I have never abandoned meditation altogether for very long, either.

Of course, meditation is such a broad concept, that several people can use the word and mean quite different things. Meditation might mean trying to empty your mind or to focus on one thing - such as an idea or something like a candle flame. It might mean deeply contemplating something, being mindful and aware from moment to moment, or repeating a mantra. It might even involve an activity like walking or singing. Then there is guided meditation.

Guided meditation can also mean a few different things, but basically means that someone takes you through a particular meditative practice using words. This might be simple guidance on how to quiet your mind and relax your body, or it might be an elaborately scripted inner journey involving a detailed visualisation.

Books may also contain instructions for self-guided meditation. Sometimes, people like to record these for their own use by reading them aloud, but many of them are simple enough to read through and remember how to do, especially if you do them a few times in a row. I have learned some of my favourite meditations from books. Like many things, this may depend on your learning style, but I would say that it's good to have a few meditation techniques that you can draw on, so that you don't always need to rely on an audio device.

You may wonder how listening to someone talk can be a form of meditation at all. It sounds a bit too easy, like a gimmick. There isn't an easy answer to this. Many traditional meditation practices involve time spent sitting in silence, or perhaps chanting. These are very valid approaches, and useful to many people. They can create a great deal of inner peace, mental discipline and order. Of course, many of these ways of meditation are taught to newcomers through verbal guidance, until the student is ready to "fly solo." The more modern concept of incorporating guided imagery or visualisation can be a little "fluffy" or insubstantial at times, but it still offers many of the benefits of relaxation and mental focus that other forms of meditation do, and has an advantage of being themed to suit the needs of the moment.

There is plenty of evidence that meditation is a beneficial practice, both to the mind and the physical body. This study by MIT is on how meditation helps people ignore chronic pain, but I think it also give a clear idea of how it helps us ignore all kinds of distracting things in our lives - from mental "pain" to manipulative advertising and annoying people! Here are two more articles - one from the Mayo clinic, and another from Psychology Today.

But do all types of meditation benefit us equally? No, probably not. Or at least, the benefits will be of different kinds. However, quieting your mind and relaxing for a few minutes will have more benefits than you think, right off the bat. If you meditate frequently (not necessarily even for very long in a session) those benefits will really accrue, partly because you will get better at it, and partly because you will gain a little more control over your mind. Control which you can begin to apply when you need it - whether in stressful situations or to aid concentration and focus.  Each meditation session will probably slow your heart rate and breathing, lower your blood pressure a little and have other good physical effects.

If all your meditation practice is based on the more traditional "quiet (or empty) mind" stuff, while the benefits may be immense, you may also miss out on some of the good things that guided imagery has to offer. In balance, if all you do is listen to a guided imagery MP3 every evening, you will also benefit - probably more or less depending on the quality of what you listen to. Hopefully you will also be learning to relax and stay focused, plus whatever other content your choices of listening are offering you, but if there is no period of quiet built in to the meditation, you may not be gaining much skill to meditate by yourself. If you have tried one kind of meditation and it hasn't worked, rather than give up, try something different.

If a quiet, more traditional, style of meditation hasn't worked for you in the past, try something that is a little more active - mindfullness, walking meditation or yoga might work better for you. If learning from a book didn't work, maybe going to a class will. If you don't want to spend money or leave the house - there's loads of stuff on YouTube.  If you don't like the first guided meditation you listen to, shop around! There are voices you will like the sound of, and some that may grate on you, just as there will be content that appeals to you and some that doesn't. Just begin somewhere!

Many people avoid meditation because they are afraid it won't work for them! They are afraid that they, of all people, just won't be able to do it. Well you can, and if you feel like you can't then I would say that guided meditation of some type, or taking a class, is the easy way in! Keep it simple at first. Choose a class that is definitely for beginners or recordings that are not overly long and involved. Definitely don't get hung up on whether you're "doing it right". You might want to look at it more as a form of recreation (which it should be) rather than putting labels on it like "spiritual practice". Also, if you have concerns about silencing your thoughts, because they might be blocking out things you are not ready to deal with, a guided meditation that simply takes you somewhere nice and relaxing and "recreational" will be perfect for you.

As I said earlier in this piece, some of the techniques that I fall back on the most are ones that I learned quite quickly from a book or that someone just told me about. They are uncomplicated and appeal to me because they are portable and they work. This is why I created the little guided meditation cards that I sell in the shop. I originally began making them for myself, knowing that I could salt them around the house or carry them around with me. The instructions for each meditation are right on the back of the card, but after doing these meditations a couple of times they are easy to remember, anyway. The great thing about them is that they remind me to actually take action! They are pretty and I enjoy picking them up and looking at them, and that also makes it easy to stop for five or ten minutes and actually use them.

I don't claim to be an expert on meditation, but I am always happy to help people if I can, so if you have a question about this topic, don't be shy about leaving a comment or contacting me.

You don't have to be Pagan, Wiccan, or any other kind of religious to do this. It isn't about calling up the dead or anything spooky, really! Perhaps you'd like to take a walk somewhere nice near your home. If you'd rather not, indoors is fine, too.

Try to give a little thought to the following three things -
Ancestors of place - those who lived before you in this area. This could go right back to antiquity, and equally could include previous generations who lived in your house or village, etc.

Ancestors of kin - That would include your blood relations but might also include those who go back in your family history via ties of marriage, adoption, fostering and very close friendships.

Ancestors of your heritage or culture - this could be ethnic, cultural, religious... Those with whom you perhaps still align yourself, or to whom you owe a debt in this area of life.

If you like, you might light a candle of remembrance, or set an extra place at the table (or not) - just whatever feels right and easy. Think about your gratitude to these groups of people, think of sending them loving and appreciative thoughts down the years, and know that they send you the same. And if you don't believe in life after death - the gratitude will still do you good!

Monday night being the Hunter's Moon, I had plans to spend some time outdoors enjoying nature, honouring my ancestors and communing with any spirits who came my way. However, in a quiet moment on Monday afternoon, while I was thinking about my plans, some very strong impressions came to me. They unfolded almost like a story in my mind, as if someone was telling me this. I found it quite odd, and to be honest, wondered whether my writer's imagination was filling in the details a little, although I did my best to avoid that.

This is the story -

I was hardly more than a boy. I was walking up the hill from the river. The moon was as it is now and the sun had set in silver and coral. As I walked, the grass tops, before my eyes on the horizon, were like many small crescent moons. Deer had been seen. My older sister was to be married and I wanted a soft skin for her. She had always been kind to me.

The land was not as it is in your time. The land was whole and beautiful, like the skin of a fine animal, shaggy with autumn grass. Now it is a confusion of trees and the false rivers and streams that white men make. They sicken the land with water and salt and big machines. I know you do not like this. I think you can see a little into the old time.

I could find no deer. Not even a rabbit or badger moved about. I never saw the bear before she ended my life. I travelled to the world of spirits and it was a good world. I asked to be an eagle, and I think they laughed quietly at me. I became a sandhill crane, and lived a good life until I was old and sick, when I froze to death. After that I lived many lives and saw many wonderful lands. I have not walked the earth in a breathing body for a long time. There is other work to do. But you reached out to me, so near to the place where I was looking for deer.

Can I just admit, upfront, that I find it hard to explain the things I have to offer? I don't like to be pushy, but on the other hand, I need people to buy things - and these cards are only $3 each. So here is my very own "info-mercial", because if you don't know what I'm offering, and you don't know whether it's something you might like, we both lose.

Meditation and other spiritual practice should be a joy, not a duty. These cards can really help you get into the habit of doing a little meditation on a regular basis. They were a joy to create, and I really want to share them with people. That's why it was important to me to make them affordable.

Click here to buy cards.

One of these could look great on your desk, your fridge door or your bedside table. So is it just like a postcard? Oh, no no no! The front of the card is just the beginning...The back of each meditation card has a simple, short and clear meditation that you can easily do. There are two with nature themes (one is designed to do while going for a walk), another is great for worry and anxiety, there's one with repetitive phrases that's helpful if your mind tends to wander when you meditate, and one to do at the end of the day - to help you create a better tomorrow.

There are also prayer cards. One is a bedtime blessing of the household, taken directly from the Carmina Gadelica (a collection of traditions from the Scottish highlands) and the other is a charm for the protection of horses, which I adapted from the same source. The backs of these cards feature a little cultural background material, and some thoughts for bringing them into the modern lifestyle. The bedtime prayer is addressed to "The Sacred Three" which could mean the Triple Goddess or the Holy Trinity. It could easily be changed to suit your beliefs. The protection charm is addressed to Epona, the Celtic goddess of horses. If you love horses, you will love the beauty of the poetry in this one.

Click any picture to enlarge.

Did I mention that these cards are only $3 each?
Flat rate shipping ($3 US/$5 elsewhere) - no surprises at the checkout!
The cards are even less expensive if you buy them in sets.

Even if you only find time to meditate occasionally, these cards should help and encourage you. However, regular practice has its benefits. Several of these cards are well suited to the end of the day, and if that's the only time you can find, it's definitely worth it. You will sleep better, if nothing else! These are short enough to complete when you are tired, without it feeling like a chore.