July 13
Reconnecting with My Inner Child in Meditation
When I took the Exploration 27 program last November and was introduced to the Education Center for the first time in Focus 27, I was given a very endearing and necessary reminder. As I found myself at the Education Center for the first time, I saw an old Victorian-style elementary school, the type near me in the city of Richmond, where I grew up. Rather than studious people being taught lessons, I saw a place of youth. I saw children playing, and there was a strong feeling of innocence—that innocence we tend to lose quickly in the “real” world.
Children are open to all possibilities, and I should still be, too. It’s a terrible thing to lose, yet most of us do lose it by the time we’re adults.
As I meditated on this, I opened to reconnect with the wonder that gets taken from us, that joy to play and feel free. It gets beaten out of us, but it shouldn’t because it’s one of the greatest attributes we have. I was quickly reminded of what it feels like to have that childlike wonder and how to hold the idea that magic still exists. Children are open to all possibilities, and I should still be, too. It’s a terrible thing to lose, yet most of us do lose it by the time we’re adults.
But was magic ever real? Or is magic just a lack of understanding of how things work? Perhaps, if we simply shift our perspectives, we can relive our belief in magic.
Since we don’t understand much of the world as children, we see everything as magic. And there’s an indescribable joy in that feeling. However, the more we understand about the world and the more things can be explained, the more we lose the idea of magic. But was magic ever real? Or is magic just a lack of understanding of how things work? Perhaps, if we simply shift our perspectives, we can relive our belief in magic.
Then, in Focus 27, I saw myself rolling around in the autumn leaves and the grass outside of my special place, and I relived the things that brought me the most joy as a child.
Like a child, I need to learn to be fluid with life again. I plan too much. I need to let go and be unapologetically myself, find joy in everything, stop burning myself out, and play.
As I came out of the experience feeling refreshed, I appreciated this message possibly more than any message I’ve received in meditation. It was a quick reminder to change my perspective on the world. Like a child, I need to learn to be fluid with life again. I plan too much. I need to let go and be unapologetically myself, find joy in everything, stop burning myself out, and play. I need to listen to my guidance sometimes over my logic. Kids think they can do anything because they know they can do anything. And I need to find that within myself again. As adults, we can be our biggest obstacles in the world. Our past experiences and patterns can get in the way of our wants and motivations.
I was reminded that we can quickly and easily change our reality and manifest new patterns just by shifting our perspectives in the moment. This, in itself, is an idea of magic to me now as an adult. It’s easy to do from within our everyday lives with a quick frequency change. It just requires the childlike wonder and belief that all things are possible.
Rather than expecting people to act a certain way, I can allow myself to be surprised and take each moment as it comes, recognizing that all things are possible.
I also realized that I don’t put enough faith in humanity anymore. I used to believe in people, and I don’t. And that’s a problem. That’s why I have a problem contributing to the world and focusing more on myself. And from this starting place, I choose to change my perspective and face each day with childlike wonder again. Rather than expecting people to act a certain way, I can allow myself to be surprised and take each moment as it comes, recognizing that all things are possible. I have felt much more playful since receiving this message and look forward to the new ways in which I can be surprised.
And I’ll leave you with the gentle recommendation that if you’re ever looking for an intention for your meditation, try to reconnect with your inner child and see what your past can teach you about your present. Perhaps, you can have a revelation like I did when you come face to face with your childlike wonder once more.
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Learn MoreMalorie Mackey
Actress, author and adventurer