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Week 643: Tracking Projections and Lovingkindness
One of the things that our brains seem to do, usually without our conscious awareness, is to project our fears, shame, discomfort, beliefs, and maps of reality onto others. Think of the last time you assigned a motive to someone’s actions only to discover that you were completely off base about what you thought was going on with them. It’s a natural human tendency Read More “Week 643: Tracking Projections and Lovingkindness”
![675th Week: Seeing the Good](https://www.nancynapier.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/edited-for-website-Photo-by-Ange-DiBenedetto-used-with-permission--768x512.jpg)
675th Week: Seeing the Good
In a recent conversation with a colleague, she mentioned reading an article that focused on the fact that what we perceive, where we focus our “seeing”, has a concrete effect in our world. The specific statement made in the article was “be diligent in seeing good” and this felt like an invitation to a powerful practice.
The process of “seeing the good” reminded me of the quantum physics findings around the “observer effect”… Read More “675th Week: Seeing the Good”
![912th Week: Responding to Challenges](https://www.nancynapier.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Lotus-photo-by-Ange-DiBenedetto-DSC03393-768x514.jpg)
912th Week: Responding to Challenges
I haven’t posted a practice in conscious living for a few weeks now, as life has intervened with some challenges that have required my deep attention. As I’ve thought about this recent time, I want to share a practice I have engaged that may be useful to describe.
One of the sweet feline family members who live with me has required medical attention and I found myself faced with having to give him a subcutaneous infusion for hydration every day, to support what his kidneys can’t currently do efficiently right now. My relationship with needles has mostly been around experiences of blood draws, shots, and acupuncture, but I haven’t been the one managing the needles. So, I found myself dealing with some anxiety about having to use a needle each day to deliver the hydration to my dear feline.
Moving through this experience reminded me of the importance of grounded, steady presence and of being mindfully connected to this present moment. I decided to take on the daily process as a spiritual practice, bringing awareness, calm, and love to something that would allow my furry family member to survive. Along with focusing in my heart and connecting with my love of this sweet being, I have asked myself to track my internal state so that I am calm and centered during the infusions. Even as I give the infusions, I track my body and go back into calm if I find myself tensing or becoming anxious. Gently breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth helps to return to a more settled state and I sense how that state in me helps my furry friend to relax a bit more.
And so, for this week’s practice in conscious living, I invite you to notice whatever challenge may come into your life that requires you to dig a little deeper, perhaps into your capacities, your emotions, your ability to stay grounded in the presence of something that might be upsetting, etc. Then, notice what you experience when you choose to take on the challenge as a spiritual or psychological practice where you can develop some new or deepened skill or response that helps you move through the experience.
Read More “912th Week: Responding to Challenges”Week 626: Return to Kindness
Given the tone of some of the political discourse these days, it seems worthwhile to revisit the importance of kindness as one of the primary qualities we can choose to express in our day-to-day interactions with other people. Read More “Week 626: Return to Kindness”
![2022 July Audio Meditation](https://www.nancynapier.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IMG_3527-768x576.jpg)
2022 July Audio Meditation
This month, in our exploration of frequencies, we’re focused on the quality and experience of steadiness. As you move through this meditation, allow yourself to explore the presence of steadiness and how your body-mind being receives and experiences it.
If you’d rather watch a video of nature photos as you listen, here’s our YouTube version: