I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on what it means to feel connected – to God, to Spirit, to Source, to the Magic of All That Is. There are so many possible words to describe this feeling, this grace trust state of being in divine flow. And great poets and writers, artists and mystics, have all tried. To be clear, I’m not about to try to compete with them. I’m just saying that words as much as I adore them are not sufficient to describe the feeling of remembering the Magic, the Divine.
I say feel connected rather than be connected because of course, I (we) am always in fact connected, I just sometimes have a little temporary memory loss and forget about the Magic even when staring right at it. With that thought in mind, here are a few musings or let’s say tips and tricks that sometimes work for me. An anti-forgetfulness spell if you will.
1) Throw away your phone. I repeat throw away your phone. Or well at least hide it for a bit. Phones, email, laptops, social media can all be useful tools in this age; yet they are generally not the most supportive for coming into presence which is a necessarily condition to remembering the Magic. Of course, it’s not practical for most, including me, to throw away my phone and technology nor would I want to as it is an awesome tool for many things including connecting with loved ones who don’t live close by. More it’s the idea of being intentional with phone and technology use. Having set times where perhaps you don’t use your phone or have it nearby. I try not to use my phone right before bed or right when I wake up and like to keep it outside of the bedroom for better sleep. You could also experiment with doing your own mini retreats a few hours or a day where you take a technology break and go into nature or whatever brings you joy and peace.
2) Come into presence. Be aware. Non-judgmentally. Compassionately. Play with your awareness with curiosity turning towards yourself and your surroundings and others with fascination and compassion. This state of compassionate, curious presence is intricately linked with remembering the Magic. When I’m fully here in this moment not wondering off to the past or future. And, when you think about it, these linear time past and future concepts don’t actually exist outside of our minds since we flow from one present moment to the next, each moment incredibly unique, like a snowflake where no two are alike. That’s magic.
3) Breathe. Slow, long exhale followed by a natural easy inhale. Slowing things down. Repeat as many times as desired. Slow breathing is an amazing tool for connecting back to your body and the present moment and from there feeling the Magic is there on your next breath. Isn’t it amazing how your body knows exactly what to do?
4) Kirtan. Kirtan or call and respond chanting with music and sacred mantras is my all-time favorite spiritual practice. And without fail it will always connect me back to the Magic. There are many different styles of kirtan and ways to practice from solo or small group to larger communities so the sky’s the limit. Jai Uttal has one of the most beautiful introductions to what kirtan is, so I am sharing that here since he explains it far more eloquently than I could. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHKO4_VwJcw
5) Hot and cold therapy. Ok this one will be a blog of its own at some point, I’m sure yet it’s hard not to mention. Let’s call it a magic bonus spell. One of my favorite healing modalities is to visit a Nordic spa (there are an abundance of Nordic spas in the Quebec province of Canada my favorite place to visit) and get really hot in a steam room for 10-15min and then jump in a cold plunge (generally anywhere between 50- and 60-degrees Fahrenheit) for 10sec to 10min and then relax after and repeat that cycle 2-3 times. A cold plunge may sound scary at first and it took me a while to work up the courage to try but the feeling after getting out is amazing. Think whole body tingles and energy and an instant hotline connection to remembering the Magic. A home practice that can hint at the healing magic of this practice is simply to end your showers with a little bit of cold (something I’ve been experimenting with lately) or better yet take a very hot bath and then a cold shower.
6) Do something that involves moving your body. Any kind of physical activity (bonus points if it’s outside in nature) will get your energy flowing and I’m always amazed how even if I wasn’t in the best mood beforehand, if I go for a hike or bike ride or play tennis or ping pong, most of the time, I’m going to feel more present after and more connected to the Magic.