Ask and Ye Shall Receive - Ice Cream for the Soul by Joy Koenig, MD - Personal Growth, Wellness, Healthy Lifestyle, Meditation, Inspiration

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE
CATEGORY

        Mindful Meditation

DESCRIPTION

        Take a walk after asking your spirit to show you an answer to a question.

INSTRUCTIONS

        Start with a QUICKIE, then head out on your favorite walk. As much as possible, stay in a quiet, contemplative state with your mind focused neutrally on your question. Unless the answer to your question is "Wait" or "Patience," you should see something or meet someone that has part of the answer for you.

        Be sure to ask the right question, and word your question positively. "Why can't I ......" is better worded "How do I .............." For instance, if you feel like your life has been stuck, ask "What do I need to know or do in order to move my life forward?" If you ask, "Why am I so stuck?" you might only be shown why you are stuck. Shira Block's book, "Step-By-Step Miracles" goes into the concept more completely. Here's another way of explaining this concept, from a personal growth workshop I attended. If a chair is standing in your way, understanding where the chair was made, who made the chair from what type of wood, and why it's in your way right now, only helps you better understand the chair. It doesn't move the chair out of your way. You are more likely to get the chair out of your way, if you ask for instructions on how to move it.

RELATED IDEA

        Ask a question, then open a book to a random page and see if your answer is there.

JOY'S JOURNEY

        I listened to "A Return to Love" on audio tape about eight years ago. Marianne Williamson said something that had to do with "asking", and how we don't do enough of it. I thought that would be a great quote for this activity, but couldn't remember her exact words. I no longer have the audio tape, so I went to my local library. Normally, I'd have a starting place -- since I'm a visual learner, I often remember where something is on the page and whether its in the front, middle or toward the end of the book. I didn't know where to start, so I scanned the sections that seemed probable. I came up with nothing. I became more systematic, page by page, scanning the whole book. I still couldn't find it. By now, I'm a little frustrated. It's taken me a half an hour, and I don't feel any closer to the answer. I wonder if I'll have to check the book out and read the whole thing again. I decide that this is a good idea because I love this book, then remember I don't have a library card yet. I close the covers and say, "Please open the book to the page it's on. I don't know how else I'm ever going to find this quote." I open the book and started scanning. I still don't see it. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, breathing out my frustration. I decide to slow down, and read instead of scan, trusting that I've turned to the right page but just can't see it yet. Sure enough, there it is, on the very page in front of me. I just had to slow down to see it.

        I laughed because this behavior pattern so mirrors my life. I suppose it's false pride. I think if my spirit finds it, I somehow cheated or took the easy way. So, I have to do it with my brain first, like a small child refusing the help of its parent. "No! No! I can do it! I can do it! I don't need your help." When I reach the point of giving up, frustrated and exhausted, I ask for help and there it is, simple and easy.

QUOTES
Hope against hope, and ask 'til ye receive.
James Montgomery

We are told that we don't ask God for too much;
in fact, we ask for too little.
Marianne Williamson, "A Return to Love"

Dr. Joy is available to present playful workshops (playshops) at your corporate training retreat, non profit organization gathering, or club membership meetings. She is located in Denver, Colorado, and travels throughout the US to deliver Serious Fun ™ Programs for personal growth, wellness, and inspiration. Please see the program pages for details and contact information.

This playful meditation activity is COPYRIGHTED. If you are a professional trainer, coach, human resources person, counselor, or therapist it is not ethical nor legal for you to use it or share it with your clients or those you supervise/train as part of your job. See the copyright notice on the front page of this e-book. Remember, character is what you do when no one is looking. Please take the high road, and pay me appropriately to use these materials professionally, even if you work for a church, school, non-profit or the government.