Waking up this week in the darkness of the late fall mornings, I have had a few moments where it feels just too dark to get out of my cozy bed. That little bit of full moon light peaking through my bamboo shades hasn't been enough to wake me up before my 6:30 alarm.
I have been rolling over and pulling my big purple comforter over my head to hide, not quite ready to get up in the darkness.
When I finally gather my energy, I creep downstairs to make my morning tea - and see if my teen has stirred yet in time for high school - I have been so lucky to watch the full moon still shining bright as the sun comes up, lighting a burning fiery red in the sky that turns glorious pinks, purples and oranges.
When my warm tea is steeped and ready, I head up to my sacred space, the one I call home for these early mornings.
The mornings are magical to me.
For years I have said that getting up before my kids and taking some space for myself, has been my secret to parenting.
My morning routine is my favorite part of my day. I guard it fiercely, I revel in it, and I watch it transform with what I am going through, what the season is doing and how I am connecting with my INNER world.
Having time for just ME before I start my day is (what I think of as) essential. At times I have only been able to squeeze out 5-15 minutes before getting both kids up and out the door to school.
Lately, I have had more time. My kids are getting older, and this is the FIRST time in 18 years that I don't have to drive across town to drop them off at school.
In many yogic traditions the 2 1/2 hours before and up to sunrise are known to be the most potent time to connect to the higher realms.
This time is known as the Amrit Vela, or the time of day when the veil is the thinnest to the Divine. Anything you do during this early morning time is considered to be 40x more powerful.
I have some special morning magic secrets to share with you this week + a free recording for you. AAANNND…I would love to hear how your morning magic metamorphosizes your life.
MORNING MEDITATION
There are many, many styles and traditions around how to meditate. I appreciate and honor each of them. Some are very simple and some much more elaborate.
For the sake of reaching out to all of you, I am going to tell you about a very simple style of meditation that anyone can try at any level of experience, and that is not related to any particular lineage.
If you want to check out a recorded audio version sample of this meditation, you can listen HERE. This is a recording from my online program.
MORNING PAGES (journaling)
I adopted the morning pages practice back in the late 90’s when I first go to Boulder, from Julia Cameron and her book The Artist’s Way Morning pages are the practice of writing for approximately 10-20 minutes, stream of consciousness, first thing in the morning.
There is no way to do morning pages wrong. Morning pages are designed to be a way to cleanse our minds (conscious and subconscious) just like we would take a shower to cleanse our bodies first thing in the morning.
There is no need to worry about structure, grammar, or how it would read back to you at a later date. Morning pages are like a chance to purge whatever is on your mind. Be sure to not over think it, just get it out, on paper and feel yourself lighten in the process.
CONSULT YOUR ORACLES
Often in the early mornings, either before or after I meditate or journal, I consult my oracles – AKA my Tarot deck.
I have carried around one of my favorite Tarot decks since the days of backpacking though Central America in my early 20’s. I acquired this particular deck on the beaches of Guatemala in 1993. Since then I have gathered some other oracle type decks and I play with each of them regularly.
Each morning I pull a card and receive a divine message to work with for the day. This helps me to tap into some intentions, some personal inquiry, and some mystical insights that keep things interesting and inspiring. At times I will expand my readings to longer more multi card spreads with more time and ritual involved, especially on certain holidays, solstices, full moons, birthdays etc.
I always appreciate the little (or big) messages I receive this way.
MEDITATIVE WALKING
One of my favorite morning practices is to take my warm cup of tea, bundle up (depending on the time of year) and take a silent walk on the creek path next to my house. The early morning sun is so special, the outdoors is so peaceful, and the movement through the often brisk air, is a good way to wake up my senses.
If taking a walk is part of my morning practice I will usually stay quiet, inward, and focused on my breath, intention, and connection to nature.
I love to hike with my kids, friends or my sweetie, but I do reserve this sacred magical morning time just for me.
Now it’s your turn…
What mystical magical morning practice speaks to you?
If you have your own, I would love to hear about it so I can give it a try.
You can share you favorites and your morning intentions in the comments below.