What the heck is a still point? It’s what I call the moment when everything about you is still. When your thoughts and emotions are shut off. The moment when you achieve a literal moment of peace. Your mind and body are relaxed, and you feel connected to everything. It has been years since I last got anywhere near my still point.

Real life has a way of keeping us on our toes with the everyday BS. A lot of people will say it’s selfish to take time for yourself, but it’s necessary. People who give too much of themselves eventually run out of things to give. The people around them, so used to receiving, have no idea what to do as they have never been asked to give anything. If that is your life, then you better change it while you can. If not, when your tank is empty, there is no one around you who can help fill you back up.

Meditation is a way for you to fill yourself up or, rather, to top off your tank to continue with the fuel analogy. For me, that’s all it is, a topping off. Expecting meditation to keep you full all the time is a losing battle. Time is limited, and most of us can’t spend a lot of time sitting in the lotus position focused on our breathing for hours. If you can, God bless you, but most of us don’t have that kind of time.

Therefore we have to fill up in other ways like doing things we enjoy, taking a few moments to read or enjoy a cup of coffee, or tea in my case. Take a walk, talk to a friend, or write a blog post :). It’s the accumulation of little things that will keep you at the top of your metaphysical game. If you can meditate for a few minutes every day as well, then you are knocking it out of the park.

For those of you who are like me, and life is kicking you in the teeth at the moment, and your mind is like a marching band with members who haven’t practiced in months, little things don’t make a difference. The cacophony that is your current state of being is running the show. This is when meditation becomes a stern-faced band leader, raising his baton with a whistle between his lips. 

When you are unbalanced, ungrounded, and downright confused, a concerted effort to meditate can help. The drawback is time. It takes time to fall into a state of meditation where your spirit can get something done if you’re not used to doing it. I know people who can sit down, close their eyes, and boom, they are there. The still point. Everything about them is relaxed, and their energy feels like velvet, smooth and warm. Then there are people like me who have to sit for a while, squirming, trying to get my brain to shut up, and feeling anxious about it. Lotus position on the floor? Forget about it. Don’t give me one of those little round pillows to sit on. I will put it against my back for lumbar support in my chair.

Here’s another thing, people always think that unless you can fold yourself up like a pretzel and chant “Ohm” correctly that you can’t meditate. False. Daydreaming is a form of meditation. Whatever “I have-to” beliefs you have about meditation, throw them out the window. Anyone can meditate at any time, anywhere. Period.

The exception is when it’s hard for you to reach the still point. Then you’re going to have to put in a little more effort. If it takes you a while to settle down as it does me sometimes, you will have to find a space with few distractions at a time when you are least likely to be disturbed for whatever amount of time you can spare. Sit or lie comfortably, and try not to fall asleep, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Side note on the falling asleep thing. It used to annoy me that I fell asleep when trying to meditate, but then I noticed that I usually dreamed of something. It told me that my mind was working to do whatever I needed to do without my conscious mind getting in the way. Let’s face it, sometimes we are our own worst enemies. I’ve accepted that if the universe needs to knock me out to get business done, I’m okay with it.

The first few minutes are the hardest as we are thinking of all the things we need to do or should be doing. Quieting those thoughts can be difficult. Focus on your breathing or your heartbeat, something steady and rhythmic. If you have a heater or the AC on, focus on the sound until it becomes white noise, and you don’t really notice it anymore. Use any consistent sound around you to help you focus. Sometimes what I’ve described works to get me into a calm, receptive state, and sometimes it doesn’t.

 My latest foray into reaching the still point was achieved with the help of an angel. Specifically, Gabriel. I’ve been reading the angel series by Richard Webster and communicating with each of the four archangels. Once I get through them, I will probably write a book review on all of them. Each book was helpful to me in different ways. In Gabriel’s book, the author states that one of Gabriel’s “talents” is purification.

My first instinct, of course, was to say, “I’m a practicing healer. I don’t need that,” but of course, I did. Every human does. We accumulate energies that are not for our highest good. Every time I hear an energy worker say that they don’t need energy maintenance of any kind, they make my list of people I will never allow to work on me. Why?  Because energy passes through us. Think of it this way, you wouldn’t drink clean water from a dirty cup, would you? Same thing. Energy workers are the vessel that holds pure energy and distributes it to someone else. The energy passes through us and picks up the “flavor” of us.  I don’t let people who refuse to wash the cup attempt to give me clean water. Call it being a snob or whatever, but I have enough issues with my own energy not being right. I don’t need anyone else’s.

So, I asked Gabriel to do a purification on me while I was attempting to meditate, and voila! Still point achieved.

What was that like? My mind was clear, my spirit was calm, and the feeling of being pressed flat like a pancake was gone. I felt suspended, as if I floated in midair. It was comfortable, like I had settled into something familiar and safe. I was able to maintain the still point for about fifteen minutes. Since then, I’ve had small moments of being still. I’ll probably ask Gabriel to do a purification on me again, not to reach the still point again, but to make sure I am as clean a vessel as I can be right now. With everything going on in my life and in the world, it’s important that I stay as balanced as I can.

Would I suggest calling on Gabriel to do I purification? Absolutely. It’s not hard. Just ask. Webster’s book has a lot of suggestions for ritualistic ways to contact the angels and if that’s your thing, go for it. I would rather call their name, wait to feel their presence, ask them for what I need, and wait for their response. I haven’t been told no yet, and thank them when they’re done. How you construct your relationship with the angels is up to you. Do whatever you need to do, but never give up on reaching for your still point.