Meditation & Revelation

I’ve briefly written about meditation before on this blog, but I figured it’s time to dedicate an entire post to the topic. It has changed my life for the better in so many ways, and I think that, especially in western cultures, there’s a lot of misunderstanding surrounding meditation, its purpose, and its applications.

The first time I ever tried meditating, I mean really meditating, it felt difficult. I kept getting distracted. Then, my husband taught me about breathwork meditation, and that was a game changer. Now, I will typically do guided meditations or silent meditations and then finish with a breathwork meditation. Different things work better for different people. Some will feel more drawn to sit in silence and find ease settling into that space, others will prefer guidance, some will prefer breathwork, meanwhile, others may prefer to take a prayerful approach and combine prayer + a meditative practice. The key is finding what works best for you.

I think people sometimes go into meditation with different expectations. Some people may go into it thinking that it will make them very wealthy or that it will vastly change their life. And sure, either of these things might be true, but it’s not your life or circumstances being changed—it’s  you. And as a result, your life and circumstances do change as you change. What I have found is that this change isn’t something that shifts you towards being someone you never thought you’d be. It’s a return and revelation back to who you are at your core. It’s a return to letting your soul take the driver’s seat, putting your ego, overthinking, and self-critical mind to rest.

For example, there were so many things I did to try to impress others or to prove something about myself to them. Meditation has begun to peel away all these layers of fakeness, for lack of a better word. At my core, I have always enjoyed nature, spending time with loved ones, reading, and writing. These things are engraved upon my soul and are things I have enjoyed since I was a very young child, before the world had much influence on me. Through meditative work, I have begun to value these things above all else once again. I value time with my husband and parents and other family, with friends and extended community. I enjoy engaging in conversation with new people and being present in the moment. I’ve been reading and writing more than I have in years, and I’ve also been spending as much time outdoors/in nature as possible. These things never disappeared, they were just buried beneath the image I wanted to uphold for multiple (egoistic) reasons.

And now, every day when I meditate, I am not meditating to drastically change my life or circumstances. I am meditating to continue changing myself. It is a return to self. It is a restoration of all that’s been lost. Every day feels like an adventure. I may decide to sketch or join a pottery class because it seems fun, I learn new things when I can—I feel more like myself than I have in years. And I believe this is the whole point of meditation. When we are fully able to embrace ourselves and love ourselves and be who we are without seeking acceptance, approval, or accolades from others, then that creates all the results—harmony, inner peace, clarity, success, and opportunity. When you build this awareness and better understand who you really are and your true desires, you can then pursue them. Since you are in alignment, the things you are pursuing will be attainable for you. This doesn’t mean hard work won’t be required, but when you pursue what aligns with your soul and what drives you, the opportunities will present themselves and others will see how aligned you are with the work or purpose.