Tag: meditation

What is Your Medicine?

The rain is falling gently as I write and the distant rumble of thunder sounds in the background. How these healing waters soothe me! They are like soft Goddess kisses falling from the grey sky, sent to fill my heart with joy. For the last few of days I’ve surrendered to my spirit’s urge to walk out into the garden in the midst of the late spring showers, wet grass beneath my feet. Just to feel the cool drops fall on me. Being washed with the cleansing tears of the Earth is such a sacred way to honour the light of a new day.

This morning, I set my meditation cushion out on the stoep (porch/veranda) to watch the rain. I spent a few moments mindfully drinking buchu tea and reading from Mary Oliver’s House of Light. Then I drew an oracle card and found myself dissolving into the peaceful essence of mystery as I called out to the Goddess, meditating on what guidance she had to offer. I drew the Medicine Woman card and when I listened intently for the wild whispers that came, a question surfaced – What is your medicine?

 In my stillness, a soft inner voice responded – The wild Earth is my medicine. The healing rain. The quiet trees. Steamy cups of warm tea. The smell of cinnamon, jasmine blossoms and the subtle scent of chamomile is medicine. The sound of the ocean. The gift of words – written and read. Heart soothing poetry. The love of the Divine is my medicine. And allowing my fragile feminine soul to space to exist, breathe, create and take in the beauty of the world.

These are the things that nourish my soul, the medicine that brings flow, peace and freedom to my inner landscapes. These are the gifts that I heal myself with. What I’ve also noticed is that some of these are also the things that I inevitably integrate into the medicine that my inner Medicine Woman offers as services to the world for the healing of others.

What is your medicine?

Discovering what your medicine is valuable because it nourishes your wild essence. It is the balm that pieces the fragmented pieces of your soul back to wholeness. And what I keep learning over and over again is that what heals and nourishes you brings you closer to your authentic path. It informs your life purpose. And what heals you also becomes soul medicine that you share with others to help them nourish themselves.

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Becoming Empty

Winter has set in here in the Southern hemisphere. Although the part of South Africa where I live is blessed with sunny winters – the mornings, late afternoon and evenings are still chilly by our standards. For comfort, I light candles in the afternoon, burn warm cinnamon scents in my oil burner and of course drink hot cups of tea more frequently throughout the day.

Over the years, having a cup of tea has become a part of my spiritual practice. I love the variety, exotic aromas and adventure that every new flavour and type of tea brings. I love that it can be healing, soothing or energising depending on what you need. But most importantly, it offers me an opportunity to be present and mindful.

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pic via Pinterest

Fellow tea essayist, Frank Hadley Murphy, described the ceremony of drinking tea beautifully when he said that: “We make tea in an empty vessel and then we become a vessel to receive it. The practice of maintaining this emptiness runs through all the world’s mystical traditions.”

Zen philosophy uses the empty bowl in a similar analogy. In Zen, the empty bowl is a powerful symbol used to describe the state of emptying yourself and your mind of the things that present barriers to your connection with your inner world and Divine Spirit.

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Pic via Pinterest

Adopting this idea has thus allowed each cup of tea to become a form of meditation. To allow spirit to flow through you, one must first become empty by releasing all preconceived ideas, thoughts and charged emotions. Each time I prepare to do a reading, healing session or meditate I allow myself to become empty. Whenever I have a cuppa I am reminded of that. Bringing meaning to ordinary activities in my day has a lovely way of grounding me in the present. It helps to take me away from busy thoughts or activities and to just shift my consciousness back into a soulful state of peace and love.