Daily Meditation

My Morning Routine

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Being that I’m away from home for the week this week, I figured today would be a nice day for some nostalgia.   Well, nostalgia concerning my normal routine, that is.   So I thought you might like a peek at my regular morning routine.

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I usually work on the farm at least six days a week, and I wake up VERY early each morning to head to the farm and get there by 5am for my shift.  I very literally pick my ass out of bed, put on  my crappy tattered farm clothes, grab my keys, a handful of protein bars, and my phone, and head out.  I don’t bother with a shower or brushing my teeth, or even combing my hair.

My shifts on the farm are usually between 4 to 7 hours in length depending on what needs done that day and if the owner needs any extra help.

Once I get home, I immediately toss my clothes in the washer and hop in the shower.  I do all of my washing, flossing, tooth-brushing, plucking (because I do not grow enough hair on my face to bother shaving), hair combing, other intimate grooming, etc in the shower.   I get out and apply lotion, then apply emollient bar to the various scarring on my body to keep them supple so they don’t crack.  Deodorant, ear cleaning, all that good stuff comes next.

I then get dressed and spend about 30 – 60 minutes on the floor doing yoga.  Once this is done, I move to my altar and do my daily devotional.

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What is a Daily Devotional?

Every morning I stand before my altar.  I take a few minutes to center and ground myself, and then I light the candle on my altar.   I touch each of the corresponding spheres on my altar as I go through this invocation in my mind (obviously, I can’t speak these aloud).

Energies of the North, Earth, and Body… I welcome you
Energies of the East, Air, and the Mind… I welcome you
Energies of the South, Fire, and the Inner Spark… I welcome you
Energies of the West, Water, and the Emotions… I welcome you

I then touch the Gaia statue and continue…

Energies of creation, evolution, and balance… I welcome you

I touch my father’s kila and the mirror of my grandmother and continue…

Beloved ancestors that wish to bestow love and wisdom… I welcome you

I light incense.   Usually this is a combination of Nag Champa and Frankincense. I then stand before my altar and take a minute to center myself again so that I am not distracted when I decide to continue.  Gratitude comes next…

Thank you for this beautiful new day and all of the opportunities it presents to me to improve myself and the world around me.

Thank you for my safe and secure home, my beautiful and loving sister, my trusted friends, my lovely Luna, and my beloved partner.   Thank you as well for the love of my mother and loving care others around me.

Please guide my feet along today’s path so that I may…. (changes from day to day)

Examples:  Enjoy the day to the fullest, have safe travels on today’s journeys, have a productive day filled with accomplishments and small pleasures, etc.

I then pick up my daily draw deck for the month and I begin to shuffle.  As I shuffle, I am requesting…

I ask that you provide me with a positive message to carry with me throughout my day and foster perspective.

I repeat this as I go through riffle shuffling then switch to a seesaw overhand shuffle until a card falls out (or jumps out).   Sometimes more than one card comes out (as you’ve seen in my daily posts).   If it is more than two cards, I will put them back and ask for an answer that involves less cards.

Once I have my card of the day before me, I will take a moment to sink into the image and really -feel- the card, then return my attention to my altar to close things out with…

Please accept my gratitude as I strive to learn from your messages and follow your guidance.  Today, and Every Day.

I then blow out the candle to close things out, and snuff out the incense.

From there, I will go to the bed and lie down with my legs up the wall.  I will settle into a piriformis stretch position, and then meditate (usually to the guided meditations provided in the Calm app on my phone).

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Once my meditation is done, I will then head out of the bedroom and feed Miss Luna, get my tea made (complete with collagen peptides added), make a couple pieces of toast with peanut butter, and get my probiotic yogurt out.  With tea, toast, and yogurt in hand, I then sit down to take my morning medications and eat.

From there, my day diverges into whatever else I have to get done or do throughout the day, any other shifts I need to work, business tasks that need completed, etc.  But, my mornings up until that point?  They’re pretty much the same every day except Saturdays.

Creating Small Spaces

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and ten seconds long, and focused on how we perceive time, and enjoying our time more.

The guided meditation discussed how it is the times in our life when we forget about time entirely that are our unforgettable moments, and how we need to seek out more of these moments to incorporate into our lives.

It was very early when I did my meditation this morning, and I did a repeat of it later in the day just before my nap. In both cases I found it to be a really nice, peaceful process today, even when E (the eight year old girl I told you about) decided to join me for the second one.

Today’s draw is the Hermit card, which is the ninth card in the Major Arcana, and deals with overall themes rather than specific aspects of the human experience.

The Hermit card is a representation of taking time to oneself and self reflection. For me, it is in many ways a self-care card, as the kind of “stepping away” and into self that this card represents is almost always a time of restorative healing for me.

This card was very apt for today, and I’ve already ran into a few situations where it’s advice has come in useful. These included staying quiet and restful in the car this morning on the way to the festival, taking E aside at the festival when she had a mini-emotion-explosion, stepping out to go for a walk in the rain when we made it back to the house, and taking a nap because 5am came god-fucking-awful early this morning.

In each of these instances there was a bit of healing involved, mostly for myself but in one instance also for E, who would have gotten in serious trouble if she’d been allowed to go full-on nuclear meltdown as they seemed to be egging her toward with everyone’s insistence on ignoring what was happening.

None of these retreats were particularly long or large, but each was a bite-sized piece of time and healing that has helped preserve a bit of balance.

Deck Used: Morgan Greer Tarot

Stability

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and ten seconds long, and focused on self-soothing. That is to say, finding methods to self-soothe that work for you personally during times of stress and discomfort.

It covered a number of methods in mindfulness and meditation including breathing exercises, counting exercises, visualization, etc.

These are all methods that I’ve tried before, and most of them work for me on some level as long as I’m not overly worked up and toppling into the area of a snickers attack.

Today’s draw is the fourth card of the Major Arcana, the Emperor, which like all of the Major Arcana cards deals with “the big picture” rather than any one aspect of the human experience.

The Emperor card is a representation of authoritative energy, control, and structure. Its appearance today is a reiteration of what you have been saying over the past few days while I ride out the disorientation of my family’s new behavior.

That is to say, keep myself seated in a place of stability and strength. Enjoy the reprieve, but don’t allow it lull me into a place of vulnerability.

Perspectives

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and ten seconds long, and focused on staying present and mindful in the moment as a way of developing better concentration and focus not jus in those moments but in life as a whole. Hi

Today’s draw is the twelfth card in the Major Arcana, which is the Hanged Man. This card, like all Major Arcana cards, is a “big picture” card rather than dealing with only one aspect of the human experience. The Hanged Man is my favorite card in the tarot, snd is a representation of taking s step back in order to gain a new perspective.

Today’s card is another push within the currently running theme concerning new perspectives where my family is concerned. I don’t see this as I would a stalker card, where I’m just not getting the message. Instead, the repeat themes using different cards feels more like reminders and encouragement.

I am doing my best to keep an open mind where they are concerned and not allow their past behaviors to influence my perceptions or expectations. This doesn’t mean I am leaving myself wide open to be hurt or abused, only that I’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Turning Over a New Leaf?

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and twenty seconds long, and focused on the tone of our inner talk with ourselves.

The meditation specifically focused on questions that we ask ourselves, and whether these questions are fostering curiosity and exploration… or if they are self-defeating.

I think this is a good examination of our self talk, but I think it is limiting to consider only the questions we ask ourselves, instead of the inner discussions we have with ourselves as a whole.

The meditation was relaxing, and I even got a little bit of peace and quiet to do it by myself without somebody wandering into the room.

Today’s draw is the lovers card of the major arcana, which is a representation of choices, harmony, love and relationships, and the alignment of values between two or more parties.

The Lovers card is an encouragement to make the choice to give my family here a chance. Something has changed. There are still the occasional snide comment or ugly remark, but the lions share of the venom is missing compared to past experiences visiting this side of the family. Also missing are the sneaky, vindictive passive-aggressive tricks that used to be so common.

Whatever it is that made this change, I’m set a little off kilter by it and keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Today’s card is asking me to consider that maybe there isn’t another shoe. Maybe these changes are genuine and sincere.

This doesn’t mean I need to make up my mind right at this moment… but it is something to take into account and consider.

Taking Time

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on taking time to step out of the hectic and rushed energy we surround ourselves with in everyday life.

It used the story of the tortoise and the hare as an example of how sometimes, it’s not speed but succeeds, but rather taking the slow and steady path.

This is something I often forget, and it’s an apt reminder for today, and a message that goes well with the card that I pulled earlier today.

Today’s draw is the Hermit card, which is a representation of retreat into the solitary, inner reflection, and soul searching. As a Major Arcana card, it does not deal with individual aspects of the human experience so much as with the larger picture.

I am finding being around so many people on a constant basis very draining. Today, my sister and I are being given the opportunity to go off on our own for a bit and have decided that after a visit to the only metaphysical shop in town, we are going to visit one of the local apple orchards for some quiet time.

Today’s card is an indication that it is time for a bit of alone time. I don’t find my twin to be draining on my energy, and I’m hoping that this solitary time with her will help me to recharge a bit.