July 2011 Air: The Element of Ideas, Inspiration, and IntentionOur bodies, like our world, contain air, fire, water, and earth. We breathe in air; it fills our lungs and expands our chest. The speed and duration of our breath reflects our mental and physical wellbeing. Air is associated with the east, the direction of the dawn and new beginnings. Like the other elements, Air has positive and negative aspects. In balance, Air brings joy, ideas, inspiration, and gentleness. An excess of Air causes indecisiveness, incapacitation, and weakness. Getting UnstuckAre the goals you set six months ago still unmet? Then energize your chi, your life force. Dance until you are out of breath. Drum. Walk a labyrinth. Walk your dog. Feel the mental fog disperse and clarity return. Do you feel like the days keep slipping by and you haven’t accomplished anything? Do work, family, or financial pressures overwhelm and paralyze you? Are there so many ideas zinging through your mind that you can’t settle on one and see it through? Then ground. Stop. Set aside fifteen minutes. Slow your breath. Meditate and focus. Once grounded, spend another fifteen minutes on an activity that furthers your goal and makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Small chunks of highly focused time act as steppingstones. Before you know it, you’re on the other side. In my Goddess Camp workshops (Click here for details), I introduce students to various goddesses associated with Air that they can call upon for help. If Animal Totems resonate with you, meditate on Hawk or other high-flying birds. Easy Crafts For Focusing IntentYou have an idea (maybe too many of them) or goal. Perhaps your idea is for a story you want to write or a business you’d like to create. To focus your intent, try one of these meditative crafts: Prayer or Intention Arrow Silently or aloud, ask a tree permission to cut a branch about twelve to fifteen inches long. Be sure to thank the tree for its offering. Or, gather a fallen branch and cut it to size. If needed, shape one end of the stick into a point. Then consider the idea or goal you wish to bring to fruition. Choose a long, narrow ribbon or yarn in a color you feel corresponds to your idea or goal. (Or you may use twine.) Secure the ribbon, yarn, or twine to the branch, about four inches above the point. Then, begin to wrap the cord clockwise around the branch. As you wrap, chant or think your goal. Keep wrapping. If possible, leave no gaps. Wrap and chant or pray until you feel the intention is set or you run out of space. Tie off the ribbon. If you like, leave some extra cord dangling, and use it to tie on embellishments. The extras should further the intention. For example, tie a feather to your arrow to symbolize giving your idea flight. The finished arrow can be kept indoors on a meditation altar or whatever placement inspires you. Outdoors, push the arrow into the ground facing east if you desire a new beginning. To give your idea a spark, place it in the south. To make the idea flow, place the arrow in the west. To ground your idea, place the arrow facing north. Meditation Mobile Meditation Mobiles are three dimensional vision boards. Imagine making a wind chime, but instead of chimes, you hang pictures that represent the achievement of your goal. The top (base) of the Meditation Mobile can be made out of many things: two sticks tied together to form a cross, driftwood, or a sturdy paper plate with holes punched in it. Use your imagination! Don’t worry if you aren’t artistic. The meditative process and focused intent is more important than how the final product looks. Cut pictures and slogans from magazines. Paste the cutouts on pieces of colored paper (card stock or 65 lb. paper works well) that has been cut slightly larger than the picture. Use a hole punch to create a hole at the top of each picture. Use ribbon, yarn, or twine of various lengths to tie the cutouts to the top of the mobile. Tie a separate loop to the top of the base to use for hanging the mobile. Holes can be punched in the center of a plate for threading a cord. Hang the finished Meditation Mobile in whichever room of your house corresponds to your goal. For example, mount near your computer a Meditation Mobile for finishing your manuscript and becoming a best selling author. In the kitchen, hang a Mobile for weight loss. In your bedroom, hang a mobile with pictures of happy couples to send forth your intention to find romantic bliss. Next Month: Fire |