Life in the Fast Lane

As we journey on the exciting pathway of life we chance upon a variety of potholes, broken bridges, unexpected barriers, seas of unrest, and ditches of failed expectations. These challenges can provide a wealth of opportunity if we only rise to meet them! The meditations in this chapter are designed to help you over life’s little irritations.

Remember to:

• Employ deep breathing
• Stay in the moment
• Use your MindLight
• Be patient and embrace the still point

Tightrope Meditation

A friend of mine lost his partner a few years ago and found himself in an emotional spiral. One afternoon a buddy took him to the circus, and as my friend watched the amazing feats of the athletes skipping across that narrow, wobbling wire he thought to himself, “That’s me! That’s me up there! That’s how I feel! If I could only get through this terrible time in my life with the grace and power that fellow up there has—I know I could make it!”

That evening, as always, the death of his loved one haunted him. Except this time, my friend decided to create a meditation to help himself. He sat back and imagined that the tightrope was his shaky life and that the platform on the other end was a place of calm and serenity. Very slowly he began, in his mind, to walk across the wire. In telling me this story, he laughed, “Just don’t forget to visualize a safety net!” Over the years this simple yet profound meditation has assisted him through many tough emotional spots.

Suggested Variation

If you want to make this an active meditation, hold a broomstick for balance, close your eyes, and walk very slowly across the room, envisioning yourself on that tightrope. Make the wall, a chair, or some other object the “serenity” item. Once you touch it, feel white light and peace enter your body.

This meditation is good for:

• Working through an emotional crisis
• Gaining balance in your life
• Goal programming
• Strengthening your determination

Pentagram Hallway Meditation

This one is excellent for banishing negativity and requires only the space to walk—a hallway is very good. Begin with the right foot, take a step and draw a banishing pentagram (below) in the air with your right hand.

Take a step with your left foot and draw a banishing pentagram in the air with your left hand. It takes a bit of practice, but soon you’ll be off and banishing! As you draw the pentagram, say: “Be gone!” or “I banish thee!” or whatever seems appropriate. This short, but powerful meditation can also be used in a crowd that you need to get through. Take a step, envision the pentagram as a blazing white light in front of you. Take a step with your left foot, envision the blazing pentagram again in front of you. Step, pentagram, step, pentagram, step, pentagram—and soon you will have made it safely where you wish to go!

Suggested Variation

If you are working on bringing balance into your life, draw the yin-yang symbol in the air instead of the pentagram.

This meditation is good for:

• Banishing negativity in a particular area
• Banishing illness where you see the disease as an opponent
• Learning how to physically move while concentrating on a visualization

Stairway Active Meditation

This is a very good active meditation for meeting a situation head-on and overcoming it, while at the same time pushing away negativity to clear your pathway to success. It is also great exercise!

Start at the bottom of the stairs, feet together. Take three deep, even breaths in through the mouth, out through the nose. Look at the top of the stairs. In your mind, see a gateway and glowing, white light. This is the gateway of success. As you breathe in, take a step up (with whichever foot you desire) and as you exhale bring your other foot in line with the first. Inhale, bringing your hands up to your shoulders and push away as you exhale. Do this very, very slowly so you don’t lose your balance! Now another step, repeating the same procedure. Continue to go up the stairs, pushing away negativity until you reach the top. Step through your imaginary gateway and pull your hands toward your heart chakra, celebrating your success! You’ll be through your difficulty in no time at all!

Suggested Variation

If you don’t mind getting your stairs wet, take a small pitcher of empowered water in one hand and a white candle in the other. Take a step and pour a bit of water on the stairs, make a banishing pentagram in the air with the candle. Take another step, repeat the process. Not only does this aurically cleanse your stairway, it feels really empowering! Can’t do stairs? No problem! Walk up a ramp instead. No ramp? Walk from one end of your backyard to the other. Or down the block. Or through a field! Just remember to walk slowly and feel the energy against your hands as you softly push, as if you are pushing your hands through water.

This meditation is good for:

• Learning how to physically move while concentration on a visualization
• House banishing
• Banishing an illness where you see the disease as an opponent
• Banishing an astral nasty

Double Spiral Active Meditation

Not only is this a quick calming meditation, it also helps you to release pent-up energy. You can also use it to empower a specific thought.

Begin with your hands in the prayer position about six inches from your heart chakra. Close your eyes and take three, deep even breaths (more if you are upset). Keeping your hands together, begin making a spiral in the air with your hands from the center out in a clockwise direction as you breathe in, then, when you are ready to exhale move your hands up in front of your third eye (palms still together) and draw the other half of the spiral from the outside in. Then reverse. With your hands still at your third eye, make the clockwise spiral from the inside out, then move your hands (still together) down to in front of your heart chakra, and as you exhale, make the second spiral from the outside in. Do this three to five times for best results.

This meditation is good for:

• Learn how to manipulate energy with positive flow
• Stress or anxiety relief
• After a physical workout for continued health
• After a sudden shock

The Right Thing

In this crazy world we live in, it isn’t always easy to do the right thing. Sometimes the right thing entails that we will accept a loss of some kind. We know what we should do, but facing up to it isn’t always so simple and the fear that gathers around us fogs that “right thing,” occasionally paralyzing us from moving forward in the way that we know is proper and moral. Indeed, we intimidate ourselves. I’ve discovered that in these situations, there are often several players on the field, each following their own agenda, which is adverse (or at least not particularly helpful) to your overall wants or needs. Doing the right thing takes an immeasurable amount of courage. If you find yourself in this type of situation, then try this meditation.

Sit comfortably in a quiet place at a quiet time. I would like you to think of someone you know who has performed heroically in the past—whether dead or alive, this is not important. What is vital is that you admire this individual for the courage they have shown in the face of unbeatable odds. Mythical characters and creatures are acceptable as long as you believe they have power and courage.

In your mind, I want you to visualize that the individual is reaching out to you with a smile on their face. Visualize yourself touching that person’s hands, and when you do, warm, powerful, joyful energy begins to pulse through your body. See that energy as pure, white, incredible light. When you feel very good inside, break the connection and physically cover your heart chakra with your hands. Give thanks, and then allow the vision to fade. Take three deep, even breaths and open your eyes.

And move forward with grace and vision.

This meditation is good for:

• Finding courage within the self
• Self-empowerment when facing a negative group mind or individual
• Choosing wisely what is best for universal flow

Calling All Angels

Over the years I’ve heard many astounding stories about how the beloved dead have reached out from beyond the grave and assisted us when we are truly in need. Sometimes we have asked for help, and other times help has been there when circumstances were incredibly dire. I’ve written about several experiences in some of my books (my own and stories from individuals I met while on tour), yet I never cease to be awed and amazed at the incredible mystery we call our universe. If I had any doubts that the dead had power beyond the grave, they were completely squashed while I was writing this book. Once upon a time there were two very unlikely friends—an eighty-year-old nun and a forty-two-year-old male Witch. This nun was an interesting and larger-than-life character who always carried a big, funky pocketbook. On a cold and snowy morning, the nun was murdered as she made her way to a volunteer establishment. When they found her, she had two things clutched tightly in her hands—her rosary and her purse. Her friend was devastated.

The months passed, bloomed into summer, then turned to autumn gold. On one particularly vibrant fall day, the male Witch stepped out of that same volunteer establishment (he donated time there) with a co-worker. In the blink of an eye, the nun was there before him and with one swooping, mighty blow, she smacked him as hard as she could with her pocketbook, sending him reeling. The Witch, shocked and stunned, hit the pavement. The co-worker immediately stooped to the rescue and drew his hand away, covered in blood.

“Have you been shot?” asked the Witch.

“No, you have,” came the reply.

“My stars,” said the Witch in utter awe. “She pushed me out of the way.”

“Who pushed you?”

“The nun!” (Actually, he said her name, but I’m not listing it here.)

The co-worker shook his head. “No, man. Wasn’t nobody else on this stoop, least of all a nun. Just you and me. I didn’t push you out of the way. But I clearly saw the guy who shot you. I did see you stumble before the shot hit. If you hadn’t lost your footing . . . you’d be a dead man.”

The world we live in is a fascinating one. If we agree to allow ourselves to think outside the box, to reach beyond common, ordinary assumptions, to touch and accept the things we cannot see—miracles can occur.

The next time you feel that you are in a lot of trouble, or feel inundated with daily, petty problems (or even big ones), go visit your ancestors—particularly people who loved you. Meditate at their resting place. Talk to them aloud. They will hear you. Help is on the way!

You simply have to agree to believe.

Breathing Meditation for Patience

When we are impatient we have a tendency to hyperventilate, or breathe quickly and shallowly, which directly reflects on our thinking process in a negative way. Learning to breathe deeply and enjoyably not only clears the mind, it immediately puts us into a pleasant altered state. Think of deep breathing exercises as a banquet table for the mind and body, filled with the most delectable delights!

For this meditation please choose:

• 2 pleasurable aromas
• 2 pleasurable sounds
• 2 pleasurable sights
• 2 pleasurable tactile objects

Write them down on a piece of paper.

Close your eyes and breathe deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth. Take your time. No hurry. No rush. When you feel ready, think of the first tantalizing aroma. Let’s say it’s Thanksgiving turkey. Open your nostrils and really allow that full breath to enter the body. Enjoy the breath. Savor it. Now, let it easily flow out of the body with a pleasured state that visualization can bring. You can even say “Ummmmmm,” as you let go of the breath.

How about newly mown grass on a summer day? Breathe in the memory of the aroma, and let it go after you have truly savored it. Perhaps this scent will also bring visions of sunlight, bright green, or vibrant blue skies. That’s okay.

Now the next breath. This one is sound. I chose the windchimes I have hanging on my back porch. Breathe in the sound of those chimes—how pleasurable they make you feel. Exhale slowly, with that same wonderful feeling. You can even say “Ahhhhhhh,” as you let go of the breath.

Go onto the next sound. Breathe in the sound, and let it go. If positive associations come to the mind, don’t dwell on them, just let them go with pleasure.

On to the two pleasurable sights. I chose the horizon at dusk and the sun on the New Mexico mountains at midday. Be careful here. You may have seen something beautiful in the past that you will always remember, but at the same time, sometimes delightful sights are linked to unpleasant memories. Choose a visualization that does not have negative strings. You can even say “Ouuuuuuuuu,” as you breathe out.

Finally, choose two tactile objects. Something that you like to touch. Often it is an object that brings memories of security for you. I chose petting my dog—his soft, warm fur on my fingertips—and the memory of running my hands across a still pool of water. As you breathe out, you can say “Ohhhhhhhhhhh.”

Take three deep, even breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth and open your eyes. Don’t you feel so much better!

Suggested Variation

If you are running a group meditation, have objects representing the four senses represented above for everyone to experience while they are meditating. When you are finished, the room will be filled with delightful energy!

This meditation is good for:

• Learning to control panic attacks
• Incorporating the senses to bring balance
• Teaching yourself to slow down and enjoy life

Meditations for Restful Sleep

All of us experience periods where our minds are so full of chatter that we have difficulty sleeping or falling asleep. Over the years my family and I have found various visualization techniques to assist us in achieving peaceful, restful sleep. As we all have different personalities, it is interesting to learn what works for different people—all of the ideas that help us involve a visualization where you put yourself in the picture. All of the techniques, whether the people realized it or not, are an act of “letting go.” Here are visualization ideas:

1. In your mind, sit beside a stream and visualize yourself picking pebbles out of the water and tossing them into the center of the stream. Set the scene at dusk and mentally hear the running water. To help with this meditation one family member put a fountain beside her bed.
2. Visualize the “dream boat.” In your mind, stand on the shore of a lake at dusk and imagine a beautiful, small boat with bobbing lights coming toward you. When it docks you see that it is your dream boat filled with lots of soft pillows, sumptuous covers and sweet smelling flowers. The lights are decorative lanterns. There is a “protector” on the boat to ensure your safe passage into the dream world. The “protector” is never seen fully, but they have an aura of safety and warmth. Step into the boat either on your own or assisted by the protector. I use a lavender-scented dream pillow to help with this meditation that leads into peaceful sleep.
3. Another family member rides a white dream horse to a place of the ancient ones. Sometimes, he says, he falls asleep before he gets there. At other times he reaches a beautiful mountain top with colorful pennants waving in the breeze. A wise person touches his hand, and says, “Sleep now, for your dreams will bring you . . .” and the blank is filled in with whatever concerns him at the time. Sometimes it is wisdom, sometimes healing, sometimes answers to specific questions.
4. Finally, one person simply counts. He begins at 100 if he is not really tired, or 25 if he’s tired and just wants to relax, and counts down, seeing the number in his head as he does so. On occasion he uses a step visualization where each step has a number on it and the step lights up as his imaginary foot touches it and he moves down the staircase.

All of these sleep visualizations have the following in common:

1. The individual stays in the moment of the visualization by focusing only on the imaginary scene—and not on anything else, such as life troubles, worries, or fears. Stay in the moment.
2. All of them let go, allowing their bodies to relax as they move into the visualization.
3. All found that the more they practiced the visualization the faster they went to sleep. Once you have set a familiar pattern that you know works for you, then relaxation takes over and you drift into a peaceful sleep.

Turning Daily Tasks Into Meditative Vehicles

One way I found to keep myself from slipping into a funk when problems threaten to overwhelm me is to turn the daily tasks I find myself stuck with doing into positive meditative vehicles. When we do repetitive processes, like sweep the floor, cook dinner, or even physical exercise at the gym with all the fancy equipment, we are not working our minds. When that happens our wonderful, imaginative mental faculties haul out the mind-trash and start rummaging through it, just to keep itself occupied. Because we are usually in a light alpha state while working at a repetitive process, these worries, fears, or oppressive thoughts become magnified and cause more damage than we realize. It is best to stay in the moment and create an affirmation that negates the worry. For example, when you peel potatoes you peel away from yourself. Your mind wanders all over the place because peeling a potato is less than absorbing. If you aren’t bothered by anything in particular, a general banishing statement will do. With every whisk of the peeler, you might say, “I banish all negativity from my home,” or “Only harmony and healing remains in my heart.” With that outward movement of the hands and arms, you could even say, “I open the pathway to enlightenment,” with every stroke.

If you work on a packing line, for example, packing books, or toys, or whatever, you could say, “With every book I place in this box I send love and blessings.” Your good energy—your chi—will bring a wonderful gift to a stranger. Believe it—and it will be. How about customer service? What could you do there? Let’s say you work at an airport dealing with passengers. Why not make a MindLight of joy and happiness and place it over the customer’s head before they step up to your window? The trick is always to “stay in the moment” and to “agree” to allow the positive energy to exist.

This meditation is good for:

• Turning boring routines into positive energy
• Understanding that repetition in affirmations create a powerful energy boost
• Training the mind to focus easily on the positive

Getting Things Done

Ever have one of those weeks where innumerable things seem to crop up on you and suddenly, you’re sitting there and saying to yourself, “Oh blast! I forgot to . . .” and then you think of another thing you let go, and another thing that slipped your mind, and you are sitting there with all this stuff you need to do. Hate those moments, don’t you? Your mind goes tearing off in several directions and you feel burdened, grumpy, and irritated and you have no idea how to prioritize anything because they all need to get done.

Stop!

Stay in the moment. And pick one thing, do it, and go on to the next. Just remember to stay in the moment with each thing. Or, you can have a little fun and do it this way:

Go find a bunch of quarters and a piece of paper. On the paper, write the different tasks in a haphazard order. You can write them upside down, in circles, or whatever. Make it fun. These are tasks you put off because you didn’t want to do them, remember? When you are finished, you have tasks scattered all over the paper—a perfect representation of how your brain feels at this moment, right? Shake the quarters in your hands and drop the quarters on the paper.

Look for the highest concentration of quarters. What task do they cover or are in close proximity to? That’s the one you do first. When you are finished, go to the next highest concentration of quarters. Quarters all over the place? Not to worry. Start with “heads up” tasks. When they are finished, go to the “tails.” Sound stupid? Not really. You see, your mind likes to confuse itself when it is bored or dislikes a task. By writing down the tasks and tossing the quarters, you have eliminated some of the boredom and have told your mind that you are preparing to do the tasks. Sort of like revving up the player before the big game. Not only that, you’ve begun to create order out of chaos—which is how we accomplish things anyway!

Or, write down your to-do list and beside each item write down a reward you’ll give yourself when it is completed. Make the rewards reasonable (not “I get to watch three football games in a row” after the first task because then you won’t achieve the other ones. Or not “I get a big, fat ice cream cone” if you are on a diet). You can even make the rewards dovetail into the next task. Sometimes we really don’t mind some of those items on the to-do list; it is just a matter of getting started because of the time you know that duty might take. If you “stay in the moment,” the work goes faster.

It’s all a matter of perception.

Plus, you get to keep the quarters.

This meditation is good for:

• Release negative thought patterns that have attached themselves to specific tasks
• Find courage and determination within the self
• Learning to move the mind in a positive way

Staying Centered

In the Basic Meditations Chapter we worked on a centering exercise. This meditation takes a step forward based on the same premise. One of the most difficult aspects of moving through this life is learning to stay centered. By keeping our inner balance, we naturally begin to exude balance in our lives and in the world around us. Your energy center lies about one inch below your navel. This particular exercise can be done once a day, several times a day. If you are very brave and truly want a change in your life, do it all day long (which is more difficult).

While you are standing comfortably, move your feet shoulder-width apart. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply several times until you feel comfortable. Imagine a golden ball centered just below your navel. When you have a strong image, open your eyes. You are going to walk with your “center.” Rather than leading with your head, you are going to lead with your original power point—that area just below your navel. This may take a bit of practice, but soon it will feel very natural. Walk forward a few steps. Lead with your center, not your head. Turn. Walk several more steps, concentrating on walking with your center point as the lead guide. See how different and comfortable that feels? Practice this for at least a few minutes, remembering to breathe deeply and stay in the moment.

Whenever you walk anywhere, try to remember to walk with your center as the lead. After a bit of time, it will be a totally natural movement for you.

Should you try this technique all day you’ll find your life extremely interesting. You will remain much calmer; but, on the first day, my students tell me, all sorts of things tend to erupt around you for the first few hours. This is natural. Your energy field is changing to calm and stable; therefore, negativity will arise to challenge that state. Every time this occurs, take several deep, even breaths and stay in the moment, continuing to move as best you can from the center point. By the end of the day you will realize what an amazing time you have experienced. Enjoy it!

This meditation is good for:

• Learning to overcome feelings of impatience
• Training your mind to maintain balance
• Banish negative circumstances around you
• Very good to incorporate in healing work

Moving Through the Blocks

I am sitting in a high school auditorium with my daughter and her best friend. We are there to see my oldest son in the talent show. My son walks onto the stage. There are a few catcalls and nasty comments. I am extremely proud of him. He looks neither right nor left. It takes courage to stand under those lights and face the world with your talent in your hip pocket.

Behind us, several young women begin to titter. We are the “Witch family” and therefore the object of much (negative) attention. The three of us sitting together look at each other. We don’t want to make a scene, yet we’d love to turn around and say something—the Virgo, the Aquarian, and the Scorpio. We don’t, because this is my son’s time in the spotlight. We demur.

My son takes his position and the auditorium dips to a hush. Before him are stacked cinderblocks. The lights dim. He prepares himself. The girls behind us dummy up. You can feel the anticipation electrify the air. My heart is beating wildly. I know how important this moment is to him.

There is a tremendous “crack!” and shards of cinderblock fly across the stage as the crowd jumps to its feet and roars. He has done it: he has seen through the blocks, and he has destroyed them. I realize I’ve dug my fingernails into the armrests of my chair. The smiling kid who walked off that stage wasn’t just the winner, he was the owner of his personal success.

All of us run into cinderblocks in life. These problems seem so solid when we first observe them that it is difficult to think of anything else. What we must do is remember to stay in the moment and see through the blocks. Believe the problem is porous, stay in the moment, and move through the block as if through air. If we become angry, we lose our power. Instead, relax into the flow—regroup by collecting your power through meditation and the four agreements I talked about at the beginning of this book. Walk forward from your center, vaporizing the problem. Remember, the purpose of meditation is not necessarily to solve a problem, but to find peace so that the problem will be solved as a direct result of finding your center.

This meditation is good for:

• When a negative person or situation keeps you from moving
• When a negative person or situation keeps you from thinking
• Removing blocks you have created yourself

Overcoming Delays

There is nothing more irritating than the red tape of our society, waiting for a check or money that is rightfully yours, or a delivery that should have been made weeks ago. What I have found most interesting is that if you sit down and consider where you are stalling in your own life and then move forward to deal with that issue, the delays will also disappear and what is due to you will mysteriously appear. When you tackle and complete a project that you have put off, the universe opens a gate to bring in balance for your actions.

The meditation part of this particular section entails the contemplation of issues (not in a negative way) where you have “dropped the ball.” Rather than being upset about it, just write them down and consider which situations have the highest priority. Take care of them. In my experience, in about twenty-four to seventy-two hours you will be rewarded in some way. Continue to work through that list until all the duties are completed, using other meditations in this book to clear out any frustration or angst. In short order you may be delightfully surprised at the equal benefits you receive, and at the same time you can take pride in the fact that you have finally completed something you’ve put off for eons!

This meditation is good for:

• Learning to prioritize
• Reviewing one’s thought patterns to make positive change
• Owning up to responsibility and moving forward, regardless of obstacles

The next chapter focuses on the energy of the heavens and how we can use that power within our own lives. Even if astrology isn’t of interest to you, you may find the meditations themselves incredibly helpful in your daily life. There’s a lot of information there—let’s dig in!