Inside the Little Plastic Castle

I was raised as a stone atheist by first-generation secular Jews. Their parents escaped the Pale of Settlement at the start of the 20th. Which is to say, no spirituality in my upbringing.

And I’ve been meditating daily for the last eight years, starting with a secular MBSR course.

Most recently I've embraced the Metta "loving-kindness" meditation which has proven helpful through some difficult times.

The Metta practice offers good will and compassion through set phrases applied in widening circles. First my most loved one, then friends, then folks I don’t really know, then people with whom I have difficult relationships, then to myself, and then the planet. I’ve encountered hundreds of variations in the phrases. Many say "May [they] be healthy," which strikes me as unrealistic. Over the years, I’ve developed an eight-line version which I can both remember and say with full belief.

May you be happy
May you be calm
May you live easily
Free from all harm
May you be hopeful
May you be kind
Floating in love for
Your body and mind.

Since music helps me remember lyrics, I paired these phrases to the Irish tune "Do You Love an Apple." I learned it from Trapezoid’s exquisite harmonies on their album Now and Then.

on YouTube

( Do You Love an Apple )

Nothing lovely in the original lyrics: woman loves man, gets pregnant, misses him while he’s out drinking

Have you found spiritual sustenance in this cursed decade?

I adored Ann Patchett's early fiction — The Magician’s Assistant, The Patron Saint of Liars, Bel Canto, and Run. I was fascinated by the parallel experiences of reality gained from Lucy Grealy’s Autobiography of a Face in conversation with Patchett’s meditation on their friendship, Truth & Beauty.

But she fell off my radar. Then this outstanding 20,000 word essay fell into my eyes

These Precious Days in January 2021 Harper’s Magazine

It’s got a big twist, just like she enjoys writing in her novels. It takes its form from the current moment, so there’s lockdowns and air travel and Tom Hanks and more air travel. Along the way Ann encounters Hanks’ assistant Sooki. Ann recognizes that Sooki radiates beauty and competence, and offers her a place to stay during cancer treatment. In return, they develop a true friendship. It’s heartening to learn these magic moments can still lie ahead.

A few quotes: ( 400 words )

https://harpers.org/archive/2021/01/these-precious-days-ann-patchett-psilocybin-tom-hanks-sooki-raphael/

alternative backup

I am so grateful for Hannah Leatherbury's guided meditations. She's a yoga teacher (who's recently gone back to school). Her voice is beautiful. Unlike many guides who focus totally on thinking, she supplies hand motions and novel breathing patterns, as well as nifty bits of poetry. Her technical quality is outstanding—like a morning bird whispering in my ear. They work well when I'm lying down, and I return to her meditations whenever I feel lost.

Sample: You Are Enough https://www.hannahleatherbury.com/audio/you-are-enough-1500-min

( well worth purchasing from BandCamp )

If so, Emanuel Feld has made browser extensions for you. They replace the “post” button with a “breathe” button. Once clicked, you’re guided by a pulsing blue circle to breathe for a while (you can modify duration and pace) and then get another chance to read what you’ve written and commit with the post button for real.

Calm Twitter - for FireFox - for Chrome

Calm Metafilter - For FireFox - for Chrome

A year ago I enthused about the joys of meditation, in particular "Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction." I've continued my formal practice of MBSR (15 - 25 minutes nightly before bed. I meditate lying down, to minimize pain crosstalk.) But wait, there's more!

I'm now learning about "Self-Compassion Meditation," which has been even more helpful for me. (I'm sure spending a year directing a kindly, curious attention to anything floating through my brain and body has enabled me to apply SCM at any time.) I can now do "informal practice" whenever I need it. The key to SCM is it rides along with the acknowledgement of pain. The fact that I'm beginning to lash myself on my perceived defects, or enduring the throbbing of my augmented ankle, or weeping over the daily news— that pain itself triggers my SCM response.

Self-Compassion Meditation—Kristin Neff
http://self-compassion.org
Dr Neff's site and book support a meditation practice for folks who live with mental, physical, and psychic pain. Her approach is firmly grounded in Buddhist spirituality, but is very accessible to those of us who bounce off religion.
In the brief month I've been using it, I've developed the skill of responding to negative events with compassion, not fear, anxiety, self-punishment, or despair.
The whole site is well worth reading: this resources page offers free downloads of guided meditations and writing exercises:
http://self-compassion.org/catego/exercises
She also provides a self-compassion test which helps you to realize when you may be suffering needlessly, and how self-compassion could make your life less painful.

( Resources mentioned last year )