September, 2021
For four years, I lived in the same city as my grandmother. When I visited her, she would greet me at the door, fully dressed as a Southern lady, with her hair coifed, her dress down to mid-calf, and wearing her black pumps. But if there was a basketball game on, she would tell me to sit down and wait until the basketball game ended before we would visit. She would be sitting on the edge of her seat in her rocking chair with her head about two feet from the television, totally focused on the game. She looked like she was going out somewhere, but at that time, the game was her priority, not me.
I understood her priority, and I always finished watching the game with her, and then we visited. I would assume that someone in my grandmother’s family was a sports fan, because in her generation women didn’t generally become sports fans.
I’m a baseball fan – especially this year when the SF Giants are leading the Dodgers to be the division winner. I didn’t grow up watching baseball, because I didn’t grow up in the U.S., so it’s weird that I love baseball. But my Dad was a big time fan. When he lived in the U.S., he would be would be watching baseball if he didn’t have other priorities, like the church or a civic project he was involved in, or writing a book. He was very much able to focus on what he wanted to focus on.
I’ve been watching a lot of baseball this year because it’s been exciting, and because I love it. Given that my father and grandmother were avid sports fans, I decided that I came by it genetically! But this year it has been a priority for me, a conscious decision. It allows me a different head space, and is very relaxing.
We can look to see where our attention is, and then ask ourselves: “Is that my priority?”
The same thing is true for all of us. We can look to see where our attention is, and then ask ourselves: “Is that my priority?” or “Is that what I want?” If you’re distracted, or worried, or anxious about something, or if you’re thinking about the future, you can ask yourself one of those questions. Is the worry more important that what you’re doing, or more important than staying present? Does your distraction take priority over your conversation with the person you’re talking to?
There is someone I know who is present in our conversation if we’re talking about her life, but as soon as the topic changes to something else, her attention goes away. She is distracted, her thoughts elsewhere. In those situations, I would rather not be having that conversation, because she is not present and not really in communication.
One of the most valuable things about the meditation we teach is that you have a place to put your attention. In many meditation practices, the meditator doesn’t know where to put their attention, so it might wander around.
Whether in or out of meditation, the center of your head is where you can put your attention.
Whether in or out of meditation, the center of your head is where you can put your attention. This way you are in charge of your attention, and your thoughts, your distractions or your worries are not in charge of you. It gives you permission to be where you’re at, in affinity and acceptance with yourself. It also gives you your own perspective, not that of anyone or anything else.
The center of your head is the only neutral chakra in your energy system. Your first chakra, for example, is your chakra of physical survival, so when your attention goes there, your energy could be in thoughts like, “how am I going to make it financially?” or “my kid might not be doing well at school, what should I do?” Then you begin to feel pressure, anxiety or worry, and you might lose your space to that pressure or worry. You go out of your centeredness, and that worry takes over. This is especially true these days, when covid has again become an issue in everyone’s lives.
You can stay centered, yet conscious about what’s going on with you.
But from the center of your head, you can be aware of those things without losing your space to your worry. You can stay centered, yet conscious about what’s going on with you. Then you can look at it in your meditations, or look at what decision you need to make without going into a survival mode. You have made being centered your priority even as you handle what’s going on.
I talk about the center of the head in virtually every class I teach, whether it’s a beginning class or a graduate level class. In most cases, regardless of how advanced the class is, most people have not practiced staying centered very much. Frequently they have practiced being centered in meditation, but not out of meditation.
This needs to be a practice whether you are in meditation or in your everyday life. You will find that your life is much calmer with less drama, and that your relationships improve because you’re not as reactive. You maintain your own perspective regardless of the circumstances. You are in charge of your own space. It’s one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself, and for those around you.
Say hello to your practice of having your attention in the center of your head!
As always, thanks for supporting Psychic Horizons & the Church of Natural Grace with your sustainable giving! It truly makes a difference, both for us and for you.
Best regards,
Rev. Laura Hopper
