Guidelines for Leading Whole-Body-Mystical Awakening Meditations
You may be new to leading guided mediations or experienced in whatever forms you have learned from the past. ICN’s Whole-Body Mystical meditative prayer is a very specific form of guided meditation based on ICN principles and values.
The purpose of WBMA meditations is to help guide others into their own embodied awareness (four centers) and experience of God (each of the Three Faces).
We focus on the four centers because they are the primary centers of spiritual knowing within us—integrating these ways of knowing/experiencing beyond the dominant head-center is nearly always the primary challenge and therefore guiding principle. Other centers/areas of the body are present and have spiritual energy, but are not the main focus of WBMA meditations because of this dynamic.
Here are five guidelines in support of this purpose:
1. Our meditations are a blend of guiding words and silence. We should allow about a minute of silence while in each center, in addition to briefer periods of silence.
2. Leading WBMA is not primarily about offering a guided meditation full of concepts. Ideas and concepts, no matter how brillant, guide us to connect with our thinking rather than our embodied interiors. We can easily get caught up in concepts, especially those phrased in lofty, eloquent terms. Conceptual statements cannot be avoided in guiding others, but they should not predominate. It is necessary to point out the four centers and the Three Faces of God using conceptual statements. However, even these can be surrounded by invitations to “notice” how each is experiencing these in the moment.
3. Directions and invitations about how to resonately connect should be the major focus. Guiding WBMA is about offering multiple invitations to connect with and resonate with through our four embodied centers of spiritual knowing. From there the path is to lead the group to connect and resonate with one another, our spiritual guides, and all forms of divine spirit in our midst.
4. A brief description of each center should be surrounded with invitations to rest in that center, to soak in it. Above all, give instructions to notice what is happening in your body in that center and then let them experience. Do not use words that most people would not easily understand. This invites moving from feeling/experiencing to thinking.
5. 15 – 20 minutes in length seems to be the optimal time for moving deeply into all of our centers, our whole being, and the WeSpace. More experienced groups may need less time, but given more time can also deepen the process and engagement. Focused meditations may want to engage extended time in one center, allowing for greater deepening.
Basic Individual Whole-Body Mystical Awakening Practice – used for 2nd meeting
(Introductory Version) START TIMER
The meditation we are about to do is an important part of the evolution of Christianity and the world.
Introduce as practice that can be done anywhere and anytime.
Teaching on the 3 faces will be done during week 2
Get into a comfortable position in whatever way fits for you. Let your heart face of the group if you can and be able to put your feet on the floor later on. You can close your eyes or whatever you ordinarily do in meditative prayer. Feel free to open your eyes whenever you want to make a visual connection with the group.
Be mindful of your breathing. As you breathe out, let go of all expectations, all deadlines, all the things you have to do. Things you have to be. Just release all of that and let go. WAIT
If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breathing. I’ve been doing this for years and my mind still wanders, especially at the beginning of a practice. WAIT
Now, if you wish, let your mind sink down to your heart.
There are three things you can do to help with that. You can do any or all of them. First is tap on you head with a finger or two. Then keeping tapping while you tap down the side of your face, your jaw, your throat, and finally you heart. Keep tapping there until you sense your mind dropping down to your heart.
It can also help to move your awareness to your heart if you put your hand or hands and arms on your heart space. This can increase the energy flow there since your arms and hands are part of your heart space.
A third thing you can do, is think of someone you love, are grateful for, or find important in your life. Feel love from your heart for them. When that is flowing, release them to focus on you own inner flow of heart love radiating from your heart.
If you have even a small, fleeting, loving feeling, focus on it. Let it intensify by sinking down into it. This is the love and bliss that always resides deep in your heart center of spiritual knowing. It can radiate out to your whole being. Notice, as you rest in this, you’re resting not only in your heart, but you’re resting in the heart of God. God is love. This is the Inner Face of God Being You. Amazingly, this is what God feels like deep within your heart.
WAIT
Now, you can let your awareness drop down to your feet. You might wiggle your toes and move your feet around to draw your awareness there.
You can also see roots coming out of your feet, reaching down to the earth. They can reach all the way down to the center of the earth. You might see yourself hugging a tree. Feel your body up against the tree as you draw that grounding Christ energy from its roots. Let yourself feel anchored and rooted in your material incarnation, your divine embodiment. Let yourself feel how stabilizing and grounding this center of spiritual knowing is. WAIT
God is in all things, including the material reality of your body and the cosmos. Let yourself be aware of this stream of Christ energy and any sensations and impressions that come from that flow. WAIT
Now, you can draw that grounding, sacred earth energy up into your gut or spiritual womb. You might put your hands on your tummy and even move them around. That can help activate your awareness of you spiritual womb space. We all have a spiritual womb whether we have a physical one or not.
Began consciously breathing from your abdomen. Notice your tummy moving up and down while you’re breathing. There are no thoughts or feelings in your spiritual womb. Rather, there are sensations, intuitions, symbols, and sometimes images that our mind becomes aware of. Notice them. WAIT
Our spiritual womb center of spiritual knowing is home to our mystical self, our deepest core identity, our enchanted divine self. Rest here. This, too, is the Inner Face of God Being You. The divine energy field that has always resided there is a creative, transforming, magical energy that liberates us personally and hopefully the world around us. It flows with the healing power that Jesus called rivers of living water flowing out to the world. You can direct it now to any part of you and to anyone or situation in the world that comes to you. WAIT
Now, you can move back up to your heart and God’s heart for a brief stop to soak in the love radiating there. WAIT
Next, you can move on up into your head center of spiritual knowing. Rest in that vibrant stillness. WAI
At any point, if you want to, you can move on up and out to the vast space above you that is symbolized by the metaphor of endless cosmic space that is above you and all around you. Let yourself simply be in this transcendent dimension. This is as Paul said, where you “live, and move, and have your being” in the Infinite Face of God Beyond You. WAIT
Now, one last essential stop in experiencing God as the Intimate Face of God Beside Us. Move back down into your heart and God’s heart beating close together as one.
Be open to noticing any divine spiritual presences that are there with you. Let yourself connect with this realm of the presence of the Face of God Beside You, close to you. This can be God’s motherly, fatherly presence near you, holding you. This can be Jesus, your transforming, loving friend. He will make himself known if you are open to it.
Mary may be there as the feminine presence of God as well as and other loving spiritual guides and beings of light. Most people do not see them visually but they sense them present. They communicate God’s presence to us – the Intimate Face of God Beside Us. Just rest in the awareness of any that are there with you. They are there for you. They love you. WAIT
When we open our hearts to those we are close to, we often touch them. Jesus touched others while in his physical body. Jesus, Mary, and your other friends in the spiritual realm will touch your physical body if you’re open to their touch. Become aware of any sensations you have anywhere on your body and the possibility that that is their touch.
In a meaningful relationship with loved ones and friends, we also say “I love you.” Feel free to say that to Jesus, or God, or any of these loved ones. “I love you.”
Notice how it feels to say, “I love you.” WAIT
One last thing. This is really fun to do. Ask any spiritual presence with you if they would give you a gift. It can be an object, an image, a word, or words. Go with the first thing that comes to you.
When you are ready, open your eyes and gently come to back to the present.
One of the things that helps connect us to one another is sharing what we are experiencing. First, I invite you to share anything you experienced in your head, heart, gut, and feet space – and the gift you received. We will take each of these one at a time and end with our gift. Let’s begin with our heart space. Who will be first to share what they experienced in their heart space?