Various types of meditation techniques.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I mean, if they're going to consider one thing abominable even to this day.....

And this will make you feel WAY better than meditation will.   

I am a bit curious to see what sort of penance I'll get. Very very curious.

(I'll do it too  )

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I mean, if they're going to consider one thing abominable even to this day.....

And this will make you feel WAY better than meditation will.   

I am a bit curious to see what sort of penance I'll get. Very very curious.

(I'll do it too  )

Please to report on findings.

Oh, and if he says that shit isn't important anymore, quote Matthew 5:17 at his ass.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I mean, if they're going to consider one thing abominable even to this day.....

And this will make you feel WAY better than meditation will.   

I am a bit curious to see what sort of penance I'll get. Very very curious.

(I'll do it too  )

Please to report on findings.

Oh, and if he says that shit isn't important anymore, quote Matthew 5:17 at his ass.

:cracks open Bible:

[Nephew Twiddleton]

It will have to wait until next week. I will be in Providence during confession this week.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Dude, if you have to do something religious-flavored to make your mind STFU you can get the same effect with mantras and mala beads without the "YOU FUCKED UP NOW GROVEL"  paradigm.

I mean serious. Catholic God is a B&D motherfucker.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Also, you can confess all manner of shit, and then have the last thing be...

"And I get too much of a boot out of pulling priest's legs."

They love that shit.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Dude, if you have to do something religious-flavored to make your mind STFU you can get the same effect with mantras and mala beads without the "YOU FUCKED UP NOW GROVEL"  paradigm.

I mean serious. Catholic God is a B&D motherfucker.

It's not so much the fact that it's religious (I already have one), it's that the pattern is already very familiar to me. I'll mess around with Eastern stuff too, once it becomes useful to me.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Also, you can confess all manner of shit, and then have the last thing be...

"And I get too much of a boot out of pulling priest's legs."

They love that shit.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

DO IT.

GET AUDIO. 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

DO IT.

GET AUDIO. 

Portable audio recording might take some time but is also tempting.

[Telarus]

I approve of these shenanigans.   



Twid, nicely articulated in the OP. Really, the method used to "catch" that focus doesn't really matter. But you've discovered the next portion of Mindfulness meditation.. i.e. what the hell do you do next. Personally, I find the Breath to be a key focus, as it's the one 'unconscious' reflex that we can apply conscious control over pretty consistently. I would start with a simple in-out [think "ONE"], in-out [think "TWO"], etc. Try to make the breathing regular. Once you get to TEN start back at ONE (the number is simply there to serve as an abstraction to focus on while you feel the effects of a long period of breath regulation while in a meditative state... otherwize, your mind will jump to the random sights and suonds around you and stay externally focused.. the counting helps refocus inwards, and we use the circular ten count to avoid "loosing the count" or subconsciously considering  it a contest or something).

Sitting or lying down both work. If lying, try to breath deep into the abdomen (your stomach should rise and fall more than your chest). If you do note an internal sensation (I feel XX on my skin, I feel certain muscles tense/untense, etc), a knowledge the feeling and return to the count. Once you train the rhythm into the muscles you can drop the numbers (but most system usually replace them at this point, with a memetic to focus on, like "OM" ... yup, that's the purpose of that silly meditative device).

Once this is comfortable, the next Pranayama advice is usually to alter the length of each portion of the in-hold-out-hold breath cycle (yes, the breath cycle has 4 parts, not two). But the basics of Pranayama are what pretty much all 'eastern' meditations start from.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I approve of these shenanigans.   



Twid, nicely articulated in the OP. Really, the method used to "catch" that focus doesn't really matter. But you've discovered the next portion of Mindfulness meditation.. i.e. what the hell do you do next. Personally, I find the Breath to be a key focus, as it's the one 'unconscious' reflex that we can apply conscious control over pretty consistently. I would start with a simple in-out [think "ONE"], in-out [think "TWO"], etc. Try to make the breathing regular. Once you get to TEN start back at ONE (the number is simply there to serve as an abstraction to focus on while you feel the effects of a long period of breath regulation while in a meditative state... otherwize, your mind will jump to the random sights and suonds around you and stay externally focused.. the counting helps refocus inwards, and we use the circular ten count to avoid "loosing the count" or subconsciously considering  it a contest or something).

Sitting or lying down both work. If lying, try to breath deep into the abdomen (your stomach should rise and fall more than your chest). If you do note an internal sensation (I feel XX on my skin, I feel certain muscles tense/untense, etc), a knowledge the feeling and return to the count. Once you train the rhythm into the muscles you can drop the numbers (but most system usually replace them at this point, with a memetic to focus on, like "OM" ... yup, that's the purpose of that silly meditative device).

Once this is comfortable, the next Pranayama advice is usually to alter the length of each portion of the in-hold-out-hold breath cycle (yes, the breath cycle has 4 parts, not two). But the basics of Pranayama are what pretty much all 'eastern' meditations start from.

The breath bit I can do- Breathe in for a four count, hold for a four count, breathe out for a four count, hold for a four count.

I must be doing something wrong with that though- I tend to tense up about half the time, usually in the shoulder area.


Thank you by the way. I always have and always will have a complex relationship with the Vatican. I like to describe the Church as an ex-girlfriend. I can complain about her, but if you call her a whore, I'm going to tear you a new one. Unless you're my bro. Then you got my back, and you've heard me complain about her before.

[Juana]

Apparently my OS is Roman Catholic, no matter how many contrary downloads I make.

THIS IS PERFECT PHRASING. Because there's something about it you can never get rid of. Ever.


I might have to try something like this, although there aren't very many prayers I remember (by myself, that is. At an actual mass, I'm 100% good). Anything that will make the noise go quiet for a while would be a blessing.
I'll have to figure out what I did with my rosary.

Dude, if you have to do something religious-flavored to make your mind STFU you can get the same effect with mantras and mala beads without the "YOU FUCKED UP NOW GROVEL"  paradigm.

I mean serious. Catholic God is a B&D motherfucker.

Not all of the prayers are like that.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Apparently my OS is Roman Catholic, no matter how many contrary downloads I make.

THIS IS PERFECT PHRASING. Because there's something about it you can never get rid of. Ever.


I might have to try something like this, although there aren't very many prayers I remember (by myself, that is. At an actual mass, I'm 100% good). Anything that will make the noise go quiet for a while would be a blessing.
I'll have to figure out what I did with my rosary.

Funny thing is, the last big meet up we had with Trip and Cram and Squiddy in Connecticut, I remember talking to Eve about it. It's fucking true. You can be as non-Catholic as you want, but the... mark... is always there. There's always going to be a part of you that says Catholic. Even if it's just a part.

There's no fucking way I can escape it. All of my relatives are Catholic. I am named after a Catholic terrorist/freedom fighter/whatever and my last name has a saint's name in it. I was a Catholic. Technically, I still am a Catholic who is very deep into heresy and apostasy. I never officially quit. I officially joined after I unofficially quit. Because it was lucrative. My youngest sibling is recently confirmed (St. Brigit, after our recently deceased grandmother. She's a lot like me. Except a chick with shittier taste in music and half my age.  ) But you know what? That's her religion. She believes in it. I haven't taken communion since I became my niece's Godfather, out of respect to my youngest sister. (To hell with my other sister's Catholicism. My goddaughter is Hindu. Which amusingly gives us common ground.)

[Telarus]

http://saints.sqpn.com/patrons-against-strife/

see also; Denis of Paris

http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-denis-of-paris/


Also known as

Denis of France
Dennis of Paris
Denys of Paris
Dionysius of Paris
Memorial

9 October
Profile

Missionary to Paris, France. First Bishop of Paris. His success roused the ire of local pagans, and he was imprisoned by Roman governor. Martyred in the persecutions of Valerius with Saint Rusticus and Saint Eleutherius. Legends have grown up around his torture and death, including one that has his body carrying his severed head some distance from his execution site. Saint Genevieve built a basilica over his grave. His feast was added to the Roman Calendar in 1568 by Pope Saint Pius V, though it had been celebrated since 800. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Died

beheaded c.258 at Montmarte (= mount of martyrs)
his corpse was thrown in the River Seine, but recovered and buried later that night by his converts
relics at the monastery of Saint Denis
Canonized

Pre-Congregation
Patronage

against frenzy
against headaches
against hydrophobia
against rabies
against strife
France
Paris, France
possessed people
Representation

beheaded bishop carrying his severed head – the head sometimes wears its mitre, and there is often a vine growing over his neck
city
furnace

http://onionbagblog.com/2011/10/08/patron-saint-of-strife/

Patron Saint of Strife



To firstsite! ...on Friday evening for a particularly crazed pageant to celebrate Sunny Colch's St Denys, the patron saint of town traffic congestion.

Or something.

Actually, a brief bit of online research before entering Britain's Oldest Recorded revealed that yer man Denny is the:
"patron saint of frenzy, strife, headaches, hydrophobia, rabies and possessed people."

Blimey.

It's quite a burgeoning scene apparently, and one that some three hours later, I would emerge out of the splendour that is the Golden Goose of firstsite and find myself not only with a headache, but also be in the very diabolical possession of a homemade Oyster hat.

If the cap fits, Comrades...

Our friends from firstsite helpfully added:
"firstsite reinstates St Denys Fayre which used to take place on the land which the firstsite building now stands. In past times, it marked the start of the oyster season and took inspiration from St Denys."

Expect nudity as well, was the message. I'll show you mine, if you show me yours. We're talking about bonkers homemade Oyster hats here.

Ah yes – about those hats...

Not wanting to miss out on the frenzy, strife and hydrophobia, @annajcowen and I arrived fashionably early, suited and booted from downtown Wivenhoe. A brief look around the Camulodunum exhibition and we saw boobs.

Brilliant!

"They've all got bigger boobs than me," observed the girl. Also helpfully observing was a very fine firstsite attendant, now nodding his head in agreement. It's the personal touch that makes firstsite so special, something that you are unlikely to find at the Tate Modern.

Yer man with the internal radio mic then directed us towards more mammary glands in the grand firstsite auditorium. What was showing for the evening was a most splendid early '80s home made soft porn flick, with birds with big boobs getting all wobbly and painting their Bristol's. I can't see Saint Bob appreciating it.

I'll have a bit of that, I thought.