Meditations

Meditations Archive

Steal These Meditation Ideas

Part of the CEC’s mission is to inspire people around the world to create their own quirky, self-lead meditation communities. To that end, we’d like to share these short descriptions practices we’ve lead over the years.

 

 

The Muses

August 21, 2023

Avi: Of all the gods and spirits honoured in Western antiquity, only the muses remain with us in everyday public discourse. Artists often say that their greatest work does not come from their own being, but from inspiration that is channeled through them. A muse is a personification of this phenomenon, the being who impregnates the human soul with the magical seed that catalyzes the creative process. In this imaginal meditation we’ll create or deepen into an inner sanctuary where your muses are close and may be drawn closer.

Healthy Empowerment

August 14, 2023

Jude: Many of us have learned to make ourselves small; To avoid ruffling feathers, to fit in, to find the path of least resistance in a chaotic and unpredictable world.  We may even have negative associations with power, especially if we’ve been victims to abuses of power.  But there’s a healthy side to power;  A sense of power that opens us to our innate energy and to act in ways aligned with our most authentic selves.  Come explore this healthy sense of empowerment, and what it feels like to own our power in a healthy way.

Whatchoo Talkin’ ‘bout Willis?!

July 31, 2023

Luke: Marshall Rosenberg, who founded the Nonviolent Communication movement, is quoted saying, “Opinions and judgements are tragic expressions of unmet needs.” This CEC Monday night session will give us an opportunity to practice the art of lending a caring and empathetic ear to our critical parts, in an effort to uncover what’s behind the often elusive veil of judgement and opinion.

“these wide black sleeves”

July 24, 2023

James: it’s a line i cribbed from the zen poet, Ryokan. he says something like, “the pain of life makes me want to protect everyone. if only these black sleeves were wider, deeper, i’d put everyone inside.” i like the metaphor because I know the feeling. it is a boundless one. as we open ourselves, we identify more strongly with other living things, their joy and trials, glee and pain. to know this truth in the deepest sense means understanding if you hurt yourself caring for others, they share in the hurt. you see, in the poem, ryokan says IF his sleeves were bigger. they are not. they are only ryokan sized. for this sit we will work on exploring the boundaries of our body, the gauzy interface between it and the room, then showering it with petals of love enough for everyone.