THE CONTEMPLATION PACK

The ideas on these cards are designed to elicit memories, reflection, resonance, or resistance. They  might remind you of something relevant to your life or the life of someone you know. Do you disagree with the content that's offered? Get curious! Why did your energy guide you to this card? Ask yourself questions!

  • Is this a theme in my life or the life of someone close to me?

  • Is there a current situation in which this is showing up?

  • Is there one sentence that jumps out at me?

  • Does it feel like something that prompts you to think back on the past?

  • Does it make you angry, sad, tired, afraid, shameful, proud or happy?

  • Do you notice your body or thoughts contracting and getting tense or do you notice your body feeling expansive and relaxing?

Some of the subjects deal with profound emotions and while they may not mean anything to you at first sight, often the subconscious offers information related to them throughout the day. The Action cards create a context within which related issues can come to the foreground, while the Intention cards provide the attitude/energy to bridge the theme from the Contemplation cards with the awareness activities of the Action cards. The intention cards provide the deliberate energy that can support you in letting it rustle in the back of your mind before the relevance becomes obvious, or even if it’s just a difficult subject for you to look at.

TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS PACK

  1. Keep an eye out for the subject coming up with people, on TV, in articles, or in entertainment.

  2. Is there a memory or a theme of thoughts that start surfacing at odd times?

  3. Notice your internal dialogue and where your mind wanders (your daydreams, or even night time dreams that you recall)

  4. If you notice resistance to the card or a particular statement on it, be glad! Resistance is a valuable signal that there is some juicy self-awareness information behind this. Don’t fight it but don't glorify it either, just witness and let the day unfold. Resistance can look like this: You don't’ remember what you just read even though you want to; You find yourself strangely angry a the person who wrote the card;You find yourself vehemently declaring the stupidity or irrelevance of the card; You feel sort of numb physically or like you’re not connected to your body.

  5. If you don’t want to contemplate the topic on that card, allow yourself the right to NOT focus on it and choose another one. Notice and name the choice not to, but always give yourself permission to stay well within yourself and be kind to yourself. Some days we just don’t have the energy to go too deep!

A NOTE ON RESISTANCE

There is a section I’ve prepared regarding resistance and how to use it as the source of information it invariably is. For now, if you’re proceeding without wanting to deep dive into the other information, I encourage you to respect resistance. It is there for a good reason, or at least it HAS been there for a good reason. Part of your being determined that avoiding something around that theme was protective. You can slide up to it gently and see if it wants to talk to you and tell you what it’s about, but I don’t suggest going at it with a sledgehammer.

If it feels really frightening or the emotions are really charged around it in a way that feels like you’ve lost control of your emotions, back away and pick another card, or stop altogether if you’re not able to calm yourself. If you wish to continue, notice, and flag that card as something to potentially investigate later.

Read the sections on resistance where you’ll find suggestions on how to approach it kindly. One of those ways is to get professional help from a qualified practitioner of your choice, but if it’s just a little bit of ‘ick’ or ‘stupid author’, you’re probably good to continue. Follow your gut and don’t force it!

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