Say you’ve been experiencing a slump in your life. You know things could be better! In fact, they have been better. You just need to get back to that; back to who or where you were before. The thing is, you’ve tried everything you can think of already to shift it. You’ve tried to pick up a new hobby, tried exercising more, tried pouring yourself into your work, tried pouring yourself OUT of your work, tried journaling and positive affirmations… but nothing seems to really be changing. Not as much as it needs to. 

You’ve heard of meditation and even have a little experience with it, but why sit down and do nothing when everything seems to be caving in on you? 

I’m glad you asked. 

See, when you are stuck in a rut, there’s energy at play causing the slump. If you stay focused on only the physical components of your situation, you’re likely to make small shifts; but you’re also likely to miss the root of the issue. It’s the difference between running around trying to extinguish tons of tiny fires versus taking the time to figure out who the heck keeps leaving burning matches everywhere. You’ll still want to put out the tiny fires, but if you could stop Fred from starting the fires in the first freakin’ place, you’ll have a lot less work to do in the long run. Make sense?

Cool. So now that you get the concept, let’s talk about how to find that match-lighting Fred. I’ve already hinted that the way to find your metaphorical Fred and get yourself out of that slump is to take some time to sit in meditation. But what do you do while you’re there? 

Start by getting your body comfortable. If your body isn’t comfortable, you’ll find any excuse in the book to squirm away from this meditation. From there, ask questions and be open to the answers however they come in. You may have a thought that pops into your head. You may feel flooded with a particular emotion or body sensation. An image or color may flash in your mind’s eye. The trick to remember here is: whatever comes up is valid. If it doesn’t make sense, don’t command it to go away! Continue your questions. 

For example, you can ask: “What’s this about?” or “How is this thought/feeling/sensation/image/color at play in my greater world right now?” This is how you find your Fred. See what you can learn. All your answers are within you, but you have to be willing to listen to them in order to find them. 

Once you’re satisfied with your line of questioning — your investigation, if you will — now, it’s time to shift some things! This is the part of the meditation where you have to convince your Fred to stop setting fires. Sometimes, once you become aware of the root of an issue, the energy will shift on its own! Fred will feel called out and just stop messing with you and your life, and your slump is automatically dumped! If an image, thought, feeling, or sensation is stuck or persistent, though, you may want to ask one more question: “How can this shift?”

Again, be open to the answers as they come in. Maybe an energetic healing tool will offer itself to you. Maybe just asking the question makes the stuckness go away and you’re overcome with a sense of calm. Maybe an idea or epiphany pops into your head for a an actionable step you can take physically to shift that energy. Pro-tip: if that happens to you, promise yourself you’ll do that thing in the next 24–48 hours. This is your healing, after all, and taking that step is how you get the ball rolling!  Again, be open to the answers. If something doesn’t make sense, let that be ok. I know it’s tempting to tell the answers that they are wrong or not helpful. In meditation, though, we’re talking in the language of spirit. Spirit may talk differently than you want it to. If you want to receive your answers, you’ve got to be willing to listen to this new way of communicating: with spirit.

Awesome. Once you’re feeling like you have an understanding of what’s happening and have a way to move forward, you can bring that meditation to an end. I, personally, like to end each meditation with some words of encouragement for myself. Maybe a “You’re doing the best you can,” or the energy of a “#YouGotThis.” Whatever feels true for me in that moment. 

Then, yes, you go on with your day. But the energy you shifted and the answers you received during that meditation time don’t stay on your meditation chair. They go with you wherever you go. In this step, when you’re going about your day, can you continue to embrace the same concepts you had in your meditation? Can you stay open and curious? 

See, energy work taps into an abundant, creative source. So a healing can land in almost any way imaginable! If you attach to a specific outcome or put expectations on the meditation to create a specific result in a specific time frame, it’s like trying to funnel an ocean wave through a drinking straw. While some of the water will flow through the straw and right to the fires you’ve been trying to extinguish, the majority of that wave will flow in a different way. By tapping into the spiritual side of healing, it’s entirely possible that the fires simply disappear. This method of healing can give you something better than you thought to imagine. But if you’re not embracing curiosity, you may completely miss the miracles landing for you.

After that? Well, it’s kind of like shampoo. Wash, rinse, repeat. Meditations are effective! But to get the most out of a healing meditation, you have to be willing to practice your healing. Do the healing meditation in the first place. Be open-minded and curious about what the outcome might look like. Be willing to follow through with whatever insight or next steps you gained through meditation, and do it all over again tomorrow.

This is one of the most effective methods I know to get out of a slump, connect with your own truth, and empower yourself with the help of meditation! Don’t worry. The more you practice, the easier it gets. 

Blog written with love by the Boulder Psychic Institute