A New Beginning

Levels of Meditation

libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:12:00 +0000

Every time I meditate, I become overwhelmed with euphoric bliss. My head becomes light, without thoughts of intellect. My sinuses seem to clear and will do so even more the further that I become enveloped in a trance. My body becomes filled with an unusual scattering of energy in which begins at my base chakra extending upward. I look forward to receiving this invigorating energy and power that fills every cell in my body. I have experimented with different types of stimuli, such as sound, smell, mantras, visions, positions, and prayers. Each time I meditate brings a new experience, some more extensive than others. I keep a journal to record the great moments and inspirations of my meditations. The insight I have gained has brought much learning and motivation. Morning is my preference since I am well rested and ready to start my day. I enjoy the lasting effects of meditation throughout the day bringing me peace and serenity. I meditate by my altar for about 30 minutes every day, making sure that all interference is impossible.
After listening to Chef Jerry’s relaxation and meditation CD, following his guidelines step by step, I decided to meditate awhile longer in silence. This entire period lasted two and one half hours. I found that in this particular meditation, I was experiencing several steps or levels that brought me further into the deep meditation state. Jerry focused on breathing techniques in his CD, in which I especially liked the breathing method where each number, from one to ten, was inhaled and left in the solar plexus. This began my first level and I will list the following levels that I had found to be extremely helpful.

Levels of meditation
1. Concentrate on breathing
2. See forms in your mind
3. Move forward through the forms
4. As you go through, feel yourself swimming through dimensions, one at a time
5. Look for the light, each form opens up to another dimension
6. Once you reach the final dimension, you will see a ball of light where your mind’s eye is.
7. Discover this ball of light, explore this ball, search the surface of the ball
8. Once you are able to immerse yourself entirely into the ball, you are then there with God
9. Ask for your guiding desire so that you can achieve your growth
10. Give gratitude and say Amen to the mighty power of God

After I finished this particular meditation, I immediately recorded my thoughts and actions in my meditation journal. As I was writing them down, I noticed that there were specific steps that occurred. Therefore, I then organized these actions into levels of meditation. Since this certain meditation, I have been following this outline since it was incredibly beneficial to me. I also have been incorporating various stimuli and experimenting with other areas of meditation. I have meditated for quite some time now, although listening to Jerry’s CD somehow seem to take my meditation a little further.
Another meditation that seemed to catch my interest was a meditation that I used with a new form of music. I have many meditations CD’s and most are slow, peaceful sounds or chants. I have used drumming CD’s since they are one of my favorites, although this new CD was a little more intense and rapid with many versatile and unusual sounds. The forms that I usually see in my mind during meditation are soft and swirling in a peaceful, calm way, even during my usual drumming CD’s. I found that because of the loud, strong force of this certain CD, my meditation didn’t proceed as far as usual. I was a little disappointed since it was more difficult to concentrate. Even though this meditation did not take me into a powerful trance like state, I still found that my forms that I see in my mind were dancing with the music. So instead of my usual slow forms transforming into other slow forms, I found that my forms were rapid changing into wild images and even visions, somewhat like a dream. I would have to re-focus myself and begin again every time I found myself in that daydream state. This was most likely the reason that I did not achieve my ultimate goal on this day. I would like to experiment with this further when I have extra time to meditate during the evening. I just enjoy my morning meditations too much to use meditation time as a research method.
During most of my meditations, I sit up straight with my legs extended outward. I always hold props of some sort, whether it is crystals, various stones, or my Shiva Linghams from India. During this certain meditation, I decided to lay flat on my back with one Shiva Lingham in each hand. I used incense and put on a light and airy singing bowl CD. I was incredibly shocked at how fast I became mesmerized by the sounds and feelings. The energy quickly ignited within my body and I was periodically jolting. Random areas of my body would vibrate and quake, giving me a sense of exhilaration. After this meditation, I had an extreme amount of energy as if my adrenaline had spiked dramatically. There have been other days that this has occurred, but this day was exceptional as far as how much of an impact it had upon my physical body. Meditation has become a daily part of my routine and I would actually feel as if something was missing if I had to miss a day. It seems to affect every function of the body for the better. It is interesting to learn about studies that have been done regarding meditation. It truly is a powerful tool!

Simplicity And The Modern Day Woman

libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:09:00 +0000

Lets see...Should we e-mail, fax, text, g-mail, walkie-talkie, voice mail to get our message across town? Should we wear a dress, skirt and blouse, jeans with a tee, trousers and sweater, a mini, Capri's, leggings, or hoodies? We must think about products to help us look natural, products to help us get rid of what nature gave us, a skin softener, a skin tightener, merchandise for hair removal, merchandise for hair attachments, a push up bra, an adhesive bra, a girdle to suck in our fluffy tummies, a bustier to make our breasts a chin rest, a bustle to add to our rear, and a body shaper underwear to firm up our buttocks. What happened to things becoming easier? In the good 'ol days we just tied a note around the leg of a bird. This was like an e-mail, although a tad bit slower. We would make a smoke signal, send a telegraph, or we even used Morse Code to get our point across. We sealed notes in bottles, hoping to get that bottle back in our lifetime. The note in the bottle is kind of like the modern day chain letter. You never know who is going to get it, what they will do with it and who will get it next. Word of mouth hasn't changed much, although gossip does seem to spread like viruses. Everyone seems to be sick with the virus you gave them; the only thing is, you never even knew you had it. Women in the olden days had just two sets of clothing; their working dress and their dressy dress. Women never had to think about food that was too processed, low carb, high protein, fat free, high calorie, or whether their time only allowed them to get fast food which still may not be fast enough. They just made a meal out of what they had, pulling frozen food out of storage when needed. What happened to getting all our errands done at one time, once a week? Every week they would make a trip into town to get their essential items, although it wasn't like they had to visit a mall or a town with three malls and several strip malls competing for their business. They usually just had one type of business that handled their needs in just one certain area. In the modern world, if we do not get out of our house at least five times a week, we are considered boring, lazy, or a downright homebody. Back through time, there was only one way to make your coffee. You would just percolate it over the fire or over the stove with real lumber, not a duraflame log. Now you have a variety of machines that will make it for you. You can set it for any time you would like, any flavor you want, with seven different types, and even go out to get a double decker with triple shots, flavor in it, whipped on top, with caramel or the chocolate syrup and sprinkles. If we would have told the towns people a century ago that they could drive to a window and get an incredible coffee with the strength, taste, sweetness, and temperature all in the breath of one sentence and the wave of a hand, they would have had us burned at the stake for being a prophetic witch. They would have thought the sprinkles was the newly fresh rain that came in unexpectedly. If you had lived during this time period, what would you have done with all of your spare time? Crafts, hobbies, read, sew, fish, send off chain letters in a bottle? Can you imagine all the left over time you would have to think, without all those gazillions of decisions you would have to make?

From Logic to Insanity or Just Somewhere in the Middle

libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:52:00 +0000

What happened to logic? Where did it go? I have been looking continuously for years, maybe even decades, and once in a blue moon I will come accross some, and then when I do, I cautiously look side to side as if I'm crossing the street, hoping I don't get run over by a speedster that came out of nowhere. There is nothing more pleasing than when I hear someone tell me that they took the rational approach to handle a situation rather than their first gut instinct based solely on emotion so that they can ruin possiblilities in their future, taking pity on themselves for decades to come. Why? I have been asking myself this question since I was eight years old. Why don't people think about the consequences that could stem out of the situation before they respond overlooking all the sensibility? I have come to the conclusion that most people are "habitual instinctivers". They rely solely on their instincts. Society has effortlessly instilled in us patterns of our nature of living. Because society has given us restrictions that are unconsciously drilled in our brains, we become almost robot like and only believe that certain standards can alleviate the problematic situation. We are unknowingly controlled by our own societies limitations, therefore we do not believe that we have the capabilities to expand our thinking and we cannot imagine coming up with alternate solutions that may trigger a harmonious outcome. Habitual instinctivers become caught up in the drama of their lives. They live the drama for a variety of reasons. Some like the attention they get from others and some like the natural highs and lows from unsteadiness they can gather within themselves. The other habitual instinctivers are not taught the skill of logic or have not had the skill presented to them by parents, teachers, or mentors. If one wanted to acheive the skill of logic, they should first start thinking outside the lines, especially when a situation occurs where logic is needed. They may want to think about what outcomes that could occur if the actual predicament was handled in other ways. Another way to learn logic is to acquire a mentor. It is proven that when enough time is spent with one whom you admire, you will learn much more effectively. Logic can also be learned when you think of yourself as logical. If you hear yourself when you listen to yourself talking, you can consciously watch what is being said and you can concern yourself more with your logical presentation, rather than being caught up in the moment. Your self esteem must be at ultimate levels in order for you to feel as though your logic is optimal. The way you think about yourself can completely change your whole presentation, first impression, and confidence. So, if you find yourself leaning towards being the habitual instinctiver rather than the logical one with all the common sense, then you may want to stop the continual, non-stop talking and start growing a non-pesticide, all-natural, environmentally safe, composted and chemical-free listening ear.

Visualize Your Future Self

libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:04:00 +0000

When it comes to weddings, we all want ours to be as close as possible to that dreaded P word....Perfect! As we all know, none of us are perfect but it doesn't stop us from trying our best. Let's face it, it's the day we have been dreaming of since we were 5, the day we will always remember, the only day we have more pictures and videos than our entire life put together, and the day we tell our great-grandchildren about. This is a tip that may help. Get into a comfortable position where you can not be disturbed and focus on your breathing. Visualize your wedding day. It is extremely beneficial to focus on the end result. What does it look like? See yourself waking up and take yourself through each phase of the day. Pay attention to the details. What positive results do you see? Is it the perfect planned wedding or is there things you would change? What do you need to be more aware of in order to make the journey smoother? As you envision your future day, notice your energy and the energy of others. Is everyone comfortable? What do you notice about yourself? This resource is very powerful in order to take the steps that are necessary to achieve your ultimate goal. After you are done visualizing the entire day, immediately take notes on your thoughts, whether they are positive or negative, and keep it within your wedding planner. As you progress in designing your wedding, you can refer back to your feelings to create a flawless day. This tool is also helpful in determining your career, your lifetime goals and can assist in making decisions.

Be A Good Role Model

libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Every couple becomes engaged in arguments from time to time. Arguments can open communication and alleviate stress in our lives. Every person argues differently and some people have a tendency to argue without thinking how it affects their partner. When having a disagreement, try to express your feelings in a way that you would want to have your partner express them to you. Show your mate how to handle an argument by being a good role model. Your mate will learn from you by your positive attitude and by sharing your feelings in a healthy manner. When having a disagreement, try to stay calm and get to the point. Keep your emotions stable and never accuse or use hurtful words towards the other. If the fighting becomes severe and one inflicts insults at the other, there will be a build up of resentment and pain throughout your marriage. In order to avoid harmful statements, stay focused on how you would prefer to have a disagreement. If you start these tactics now, you will be conditioned to use them throughout your marriage and you will save your partner and you from heartache and hurt feelings.

Add A Little Humor

libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Humor is one of the most important characteristics that a marriage should consist of. Instead of complaining or lecturing to one another about why and how something must be accomplished, it is much more relevant and pleasant when one gets the point across with a little extra added humor. It becomes easier for the other to accept the issue and it helps the complication to become resolved without resentment or dread. The person may eventually begin to laugh at themselves and be more willing to change their habits when approached in a loving, amusing manner. If one truly wants to change others actions or attributes, whether it be within a marriage, on the job, or with children or relatives, it is best to hold a comical disposition full of wit to charm those negative traits right out the door.

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libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:19:00 +0000

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My Little Ol' Gremlin!

libraryoflife@sbcglobal.net (Kiya Sakaris) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:37:00 +0000

Everyone has a Gremlin! The little monster inside that talks to you, telling you things that you usually do not want to hear. They are there to point out failures or weaknesses. They do not like change and they come up with many reasons to resist. This monster is in every one of us. Here is a description of my Gremlin. Think about your Gremlin and write your own description. It will help you place a hold on it. Just make sure that you have a firm grip!

For more information, read the book, Taming Your Gremlin, by Richard Carson.

My Gremlin is an energy eater! I noticed that my Gremlin wakes up and goes to sleep when I do. He does not know how to stop talking and even sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night to remind me of some silly, pesky thing. I counted for an 8 hour period and he bothered me non-stop! He was constantly telling me that I needed to get my multi item list done or I will be sorry the next day when he (my Gremlin) becomes twice his size and becomes even stronger. In the 8 hours, I counted 28 times that my Gremlin told me that I needed to do something. That was almost once every 15 minutes!

Name: Willie Wonka Workaholic
Description: He is a gum chewing, popsicle lickin', frantic and anxious little guy that likes to live life in the fast lane. He's always nervous to get the job done quickly and competently. He is a short, hairy, impatient guy that does not have time to get a haircut, shave, or wax. He is about 2 feet high and he runs around not even noticing those around him. He wears old, wrinkled, stinky overalls-no time for laundry or ironing. He is definitely type A and he has a shaky but strong, raspy voice. He used to smoke cigars, but ran out of time to buy them. He has never been married since no one could tolerate him, so he just sticks around and pesters me!
Habits: He always has to be fiddling with something to keep himself occupied. He works like an ant in an ant colony. He is not a big fan of breaks and he doesn't understand the concept of a break room. He constantly has me write everything down so that I do not forget anything he says. I guess he is pretty logical, but very demanding, pushy and bossy. He probably will die from heart failure one day.
Favorite sayings or stories: He loves Chicken Little, about the sky falling and the story about the hen asking everyone to help and nobody is interested, so no one deserves the bread to eat. He loves the saying, "There is a big difference between actions and words."
Skills and abilities: He is a hard worker and shows appreciation for everything that is getting accomplished. He can be organized and efficient, showing progress only when he gets the big black marker out to scratch things off his list.