I’m going to be writing a series of short blogs on using The Practice in everyday life. Most of us have heard the phrase that it’s easier to be Holy when you live on a mountain top but most of us don’t have that luxury. We have jobs, family, cellphones, bosses, soccer games, hockey games, yoga classes, … That holy thing would be easy if we didn’t have to interact with the modern World.
Distractions and the Energies Around Us
There are all kinds of distractions in life. Lots to pull us off balance. It can take a lot of focus and conscious effort and energy to stay balanced in this World. One of the common themes that will be running through these blogs is the use of energies in our daily lives. In my daily life I use The Practice a lot to know when or when not to do something. It’s tied into being open to listening as well as being aware of the energies around us.
Using Listening and Awareness
One of the places that I use the listening and awareness of the energies around me the most is in my craft work. I knit, crochet, do cross-stitch, needle point, spin wool, bead work, jewelry design and a host of other things. Using energy in these crafts can be frustrating and most of the time is very rewarding. When selecting yarn to work up or wool to spin I don’t work with the material until “it” tells me what it wants to be or for whom it wants to be for. This may sound strange, but I’ve learned to listen. If I try to “force” the material into becoming something I had in mind. It usually ends up in a battle (with me losing!). When I pay attention, the energy in the material tells me what it wants to become. A pair of mittens, a vest, a sweater, shawl etc. When selecting yarn for a person I pay attention to the energy of the material and make sure that it fits that person. This can be frustrating because sometimes the material takes years to decide it wants to be worked with.
My Energy and Its Energy
When spinning the wool into yarn and knitting the wool I have to be careful of my own personal energy because what I’m feeling, the energy I carry about whatever’s going on in my life, will be imparted into what I create. Just the act of spinning helps to center and balance me, it’s very meditative. I do a final rinse of the material in water with either Lavender or Patchouli to help even out the energies and protect the material from moths. It’s a dual purpose.
Things Tell You When They’re Ready
Waiting until the material tells me what it wants to be can be frustrating as I said before, it can be years…and years before I’m made aware that it’s time. But it’s worth the wait. There’s no fighting the material, the pattern suddenly makes sense where before it didn’t and the finished garment is just right.
Having the patience to wait is part of the practice that’s useful in everyday life. I so want to work with some beautiful Alpaca wool that I purchased, but I know it’s not the right time. On the other hand I’ve collected some small rocks and shells from a beach my family would go to every year. I just had them on a shelf in a bowl as a reminder of the ocean, which I love. Some of the stones called to me to be made up into yarn spacers I use when knitting. Every time I use them it’s a great reminder of the beach and the great times we had. Just now, getting ready for the Holidays, another idea for them came to mind. They’re eager to be made into bracelets for my family so they can have the same reminder of our times at the beach.
It’s Best to Wait
Being patient can be tough and I’ve found that it’s best to wait, rather than force things.
That’s one way to put The Practice to use in everyday life, off the mountaintop and into your home, with your family and friends.
My next post in this series will be about using The Practice during the holidays.
I’ll publish it soon and remember, it’s best to wait.
One of the most incredible things to witness is Susan, sitting and spinning. Makes you a believer in quantum energy transfers at the macro level. Okay, I studied physics. What I’m offering is that you can feel, sense, see, hear, et cetera, Susan manipulating energy manifolds, forming, shaping then working them into what she’s doing.
It’s amazing.
I can feel your frustration. For me, I can best relate to what you are describing when I am writing. Writer’s block doesn’t exist for me, it’s recognizing when the words are ready to be put on paper. When I am ready, the words are ready, the Universe is ready…the words flow, sometimes so fast I can hardly keep up. I am learning through the Practice that sometimes all it takes is to be patient, and in being patient, you allow what’s supposed to happen, happen.
I love this series of posts already, and particularly your take on distractions. One of my bigger struggles – and realizations – that you and Joseph have led me to, is the importance of bringing the Practice into my “everyday life” and not just the part of my life where I’m in a quiet room meditating.
I was often pulled off balance by the demands of daily life, and often still am. But now as my awareness has grown, and the Practice has become more integrated into my life, I’ve become aware that I’m being pulled off balance, and everything has gotten a lot better.
For example, I always set aside time to do Walking Meditation when I’m near a nice park with lots of wilderness, but that’s not always convenient since I live in the middle of Silicon Valley. So now I do the same thing walking into and around the building I work in. Whenever I find myself stressed out and distracted, I don’t have to drive an hour to a park, I can walk around at work and get the same sense of calm.