Ishaya Ascension

For years I've wanted to learn to meditate but never taken the time to find out how to do it. I've read books and most say you have to clear your mind of all thoughts! Well, for me that's almost an impossibility! My mind goes a million miles an hour, with thoughts jumping in and out constantly! How on earth would I clear them away or at least deflect them?

It appears that the "traditional" forms of meditation, like Transcendental Meditation, are not the only ways. Teresa, my Body Talk buddy and long-time friend, told me that she does this meditation, or Ascension, every day, and that you can do it with your eyes open, too, during the day and it helps deflect stress.

When I looked at the web site, one of the things that attracted me was that it works on stress, the root stresses of life. And as stress has been a major factor in my life, and I believe, a huge part of why I got sick, I decided to take the First Sphere weekend.

Now, I am a skeptic. I wanted to learn the techniques and get the tools but hadn't really thought about it much further than that. For once, I hadn't researched the new endeavor and went into it fairly blind!

Although I'm a Science of Mind person, believing in the One Universe, not a figurehead god, my beliefs have always been sort of behind the scenes, and not for public consumption! But when you go to something like this weekend, thoughts and things are put to the test! And why pay the money if you aren't going to participate fully?

So, I did - well, to the best of my ability.

Susan was the only other newbie, and Teresa and David were there (seeing at they were sponsoring the weekend and it was held at their house - our old house) and other more advanced Ascenders as "we" are called, came and went during the weekend. Our teachers, Parjanya and Vidya are called Red Ishayas ( there are red, white and black Ishayas) who work from the space of Unconditional Love.

Friday evening was the first part, and I went early as Teresa was to do a Body Talk on me - I had missed the mid-week session because the weather was so crummy and I didn't want to drive at night on icy roads. When I got there, David was in the kitchen cooking up a storm! A long time ago, Teresa came home one evening and said, "I have no more recipes to cook, you can do it now," and since then, David has done the cooking, and he is good! We had a good spaghetti dinner and I had my BT session and then Susan arrived and we started into the weekend.

We were instructed on the basic concept behind the Ishaya tradition and began our first Ascension. From then on, throughout the entire weekend, it just got better and better, and I learned how to deflect thoughts that creep in, and doing it without effort. It was an amazing experience and the skeptic in me was shamed into submission!

Of course, there is the side of the it that affirms that the more people practise this teaching, the more peaceful and in harmony the world will become. And I do believe that, yet this is where my skeptic is currently living! But I believe that if I practise this teaching ( at least once a day for 20 minutes - but recommended 20 minutes three times a day) I will be putting out good vibes into the Universe that can only help.

But the main thing for me is relieving the stress, which I know it does. It was a physical feeling when I Ascended - a sinking, or dropping off, the tightness in my chest just fell away and that's where I carry stress. It also gave me the tools to deflect darkness and negativity during normal activities, doing it with my eyes open. Now this is going to take some practise, but they say if you just say the words, it works. So when I run into road rage, out come the words and away go the nasties! Ha! We'll see, or maybe I will just be able to kiss off their rage and go my own way without getting caught up in it. Or something like that!

Now my normal morning routine will include a meditation. It works out well with Zoze's daily remote Reiki so I sit in the recliner, usually with Hinckley in my lap, and get totally zenned out! Most relaxing and very good for me. I am feeling so much better these days - whether it's just time healing me, or the holistic measures like the reiki, body talk and meditation, supplements and slower pace, or the prednisone doing its thing, I don't know. And I don't really care as long as the recovery continues and I keep getting better and better.

It doesn't hurt that the weather has been better the last two days, with sun and brightness! Still cold, but the plum tree is blooming, the pink plum trees are in flower all over the county and I even have a few little hyacinths popping up. So spring is sort of here and so there is hope for a summer!