Meditation: Lightness, Variations 1 & 2

I wanted to write about a shift in my meditation practices and took two very different approaches. They both speak to appreciating lightness in various forms. I decided not to decide.

Lightness

Inspired by Goethe’s assertion that a man of culture should begin his day by contemplating a work of art, a German journalist meditated every morning before a statue of the lovely Quan An (literally “attentive to all sounds”, a Bodhisattva), in the But Thap Pagoda.

I had been reading about Buddhism in Viet Nam just before heading out for an afternoon walk, so this image was fresh in my mind. The sun was low and slanting, inviting. The air, with that crisp edge promising it would get cool, fast, as the sun continued to set. The sky, full of starlings moving in a pulsing mass from tree to tree, seeking the best perch in the fading light.

In transition in my mediation practice, I found myself thinking about this idea of meditating on beauty – on natural beauty, in particular. On light in nature, most especially.

I am drawn to the light shining through things, through leaves and grasses and clouds. I think about how light shines though us as well, if we allow it.

I think: lightness.

~ ~ ~

Moving On: OMG – I quit Andy P!

Before I begin, can I just ask: is “quit” a Philly thing?  As in “she quit him” = “she broke up with him”? I grew up with “quit” and I just never knew: is that a Philly thing?

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Yesterday was the last day of my paid subscription to Headspace. I’m moving on.

This was a most amicable ending, so maybe I didn’t actually quit Andy Puddicombe, but I have decided our moment has passed. I will always have a special fondness for my First (Meditation) Love and will cherish the rituals we developed together, but the fact is I’ve outgrown him.

And that’s OK – this isn’t a heavy thing. Change is good, evolution even better. I can love him and still let him go.

Daily meditation is now a reliable part of my morning routine. I have listened to every one of Andy’s sessions, many more than once. But for months now I’ve been doing the “unguided meditation” modules. The annual subscription just doesn’t make sense.

Given I might not be alone in this evolution, I would worry about his business model and the future of what I think is a great vision, but he doesn’t need me – he’s got about a gazillion people meditating with him now. I’m proud to have been an early adapter.

Thanks, buddy. See you around. xox

p.s. I just got a Headspace subscription voucher to share with a friend – free to whoever contacts me first. Yours for the asking….