Athenaeum
A Place for study of the arts
In ancient Greece students of the arts gathered
in the temples of Athena to exchange ideas, philosophies, and techniques.
The purpose of the Athenaeum in
Ravenwynd is the same. Here you will find things from many different
traditions. And we hope you will find something useful to you on
your path.
A Meditation on Balance
Most of us think of the Equinoxes
as a time of balance, but the balance involved in reaping a good harvest
was addressed in the Raven's Roost of this issue, so I decided to include
this meditative practice here too. It comes from a Tibetan Buddhist
practice of finding balance not within yourself or in your breathing, but
in the simple act of walking and being absolutely conscious of each part
of each step you take.
To begin, wear either VERY
comfortable shoes or nothing at all on your feet. This exercise is
best done out of doors, but you can do it indoors as well. Stand
as you normally would when you are about to go for a walk. Even this
may be harder than you think as consciousness of your posture at this point
is not something you can not think about. Rather like being told
not to think of pink elephants. So stand normally and really feel
your feet and how they come into contact with the ground or floor.
Raise one foot very slowly, feeling the flexion of the tendons and muscles
involved. Step forward a normal step and, again slowly, place the foot
on the ground. Again, feeling every part of the step as it takes
place. As the foot comes down to complete the step, begin to raise
the hind foot to take the next step. It is amazing what you can actually
feel your feet doing. It becomes quite obvious what our big toe is
meant for and why it is so important to walking. Continue on this
way, usually progressing in a circle. This avoids bumping into walls
if indoors or walking off somewhere if you are outdoors. Once you
have mastered the art of conscious walking, you can incorporate breathing
techniques into it. With an intake breath at the beginning of the
step and an outflow breath at the step's completion. I hope you find
this an interesting and enlightening exercise.