Tools
Exercises and practices that help us shape our world.
Affirmations
Affirmations are short, positive statements that help reframe thoughts and reinforce desired beliefs and intentions. By repeating them regularly, we can affect how our consciousness perceives ourselves and the world around us. Since affirmations are typically used to shift thoughts and perceptions toward positive outcomes, they can be seen as a light work technique. - Choose an affirmation that reflects a belief, intention, or quality you want to strengthen - Keep it short, present-tense, and positive (e.g., “I am a source of calm, strength, and hope.”) - Repeat it regularly It is even possible to create a mantra out of your affirmation and repeat it over and over to focus your mind on it even more. Affirmations are not inly relevant on the individual level. We believe it's very important for the collective to use them to envision a better future. May our affirmations be as bold as our imagination allows. Examples:
Journaling
Journaling can be a helpful practice for recognizing patterns. - Finding the right medium: Try out different methods to see which one presents the least resistance and is most sustainable in the long term. Do I prefer writing by hand in a notebook, typing on my phone or laptop (e.g., using a tool like Obsidian), or does it work better for me to express my thoughts and emotions through drawings or voice memos? - Structured data: It can be helpful to track some things in a more structured way. For example: What was the weather like that day? What did I consume? What rituals did I perform? - Perspective and depth: Your perspective can evolve over time. What might start as "What did I do that day?" (external view) can deepen into "What was on my mind that day?" (internal view). - States of consciousness: Through which different states did I go? How much was I present, how much did I spend in other time states? There are different types of journaling, for example: - Free-form, for example using stream of consciousness writing - Guided, for example using prompts - Focused on a certain topic, for example gratitude journaling
Low Dopamine Morning
A Low Dopamine Morning is a morning routine that aims to minimize exposure to external stimuli and distractions. This practice is based on the insight that the amount of dopamine released immediately after waking up influences how much dopamine our brain will seek throughout the day. An important part of a Low Dopamine Morning is to avoid checking your phone or other notifications right after getting up.
Om Dzambhala Zalendhraye Soha
Om Dzambhala Zalendhraye Soha is a Tibetan Buddhist mantra used to invoke Buddha Yellow Dzambhala, who stands for prosperity, generosity, and wealth. Om Dzambhala Zalendhraye Soha has helped us a lot with being more present during walks and experiences in nature. It helps us see and appreciate the abundance and depth that we already have in our lives. - We often listen to this version on YouTube.
Awe Walk
In his book Awe, Dacher Keltner describes an exercise called the awe walk. It is a form of walking meditation with the goal to evoke and deepen the feeling of awe by embracing nature and surroundings. Go on a walk and: - Try to see your surroundings with fresh eyes (feel, hear, smell...), as if you were a child discovering the world for the first time, cultivating a childlike sense of wonder. - Take new paths and expose yourself to new stimuli. If you walk in the same location, make it a goal to discover something new each time, something you haven’t noticed before. We've also had great effects when combining the walk with singing a mantra, especially Om Dzambhala Dzalendhraye Soha. For a study, researchers sent two groups of people on regular walks over the course of eight weeks. One group was assigned to do awe walks, while the control group received no special instructions—they were simply told to walk. In Awe, Keltner highlights three effects observed in the study: - The more often people went on awe walks, the more awe they felt over time. Awe is an emotion that can be cultivated through practice and experienced more deeply with repetition. - The more awe participants experienced, the less anxiety and depression they reported in daily life. They also reported greater life satisfaction. - Participants were asked to take selfies after each walk. Over time, in the awe walk group, their faces became smaller in proportion to their surroundings in the photos, whereas this ratio remained unchanged in the control group.
Om Ami Dewa Hrih
Om Ami Dewa Hrih is a Tibetan Buddhist mantra used to invoke Buddha Amitabha. - We often listen to this version on YouTube.
Om Mani Padme Hum
Om Mani Padme Hum is a Tibetan Buddhist mantra that can be translated to "the jewel in the lotus," symbolizing the union of wisdom and compassion. The mantra is associated with Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. - We listen a lot to this version on Spotify
Cord Cutting Meditation
This meditation from the book Ritual by Lorri Davis and Damien Echols helps cut energetic cords of attachment. It supports us in acting according to what feels right in the present moment and in letting go of unhealthy attachments, desires, and expectations. We recommend practicing this regularly as a form of energetic cleansing, for example as part of a morning routine. - Find a comfortable position and relax with a few deep breaths or a short meditation. - When you feel calm, call upon Archangel Michael, represented by a shining, powerful red light carrying a sword. - Say: "Please cut all my energetic cords that I have formed to other people, places, situations, to future dreams, and to the past. And all energetic cords that other people have formed to me. Free me from all my attachments, free us all. Thank you." 🙏 - Visualize Michael using the sword to cut through all energetic connections around you, on each side of your body. Notice any memories or associations that arise during the cutting, and gently let them go. - Close by saying: "I am free. I am free. I am not dependent on anyone. Everything I need, I find within myself. I go with the flow, I trust in the Universe. Thank you, Michael."
Grounding Meditation
This type of meditation helps with grounding, getting more centered and back into presence.
Vacuum Grounding Meditation
This grounding meditation is called Wet Vac in the book Ritual by Lorri Davis and Damien Echols. It offers a very helpful visualization to vacuum away any kind of energetic and emotional debris that has been accumulating over the day. - Bring yourself into a comfortable position and relax with a few deep breaths. You can either stand, sit, or lie down. - Visualize the floor below you opening up to reveal a hole. This is the end of a hose that extends all the way to the center of the Earth, where a powerful vacuum awaits. Feel the strong energetic pull as the hose connects to your energy field.
Deep Listening
Deep Listening is an exercise for sharing and listening with presence and compassion. - Sit in front of each other in a comfortable position. - Set a timer (e.g. for 5 minutes). - Depending on the setting, a prompt can be used to make the sharing a bit easier. For example: How are you arriving today? - One person shares whatever comes to their mind until the time ends. Silence is appreciated. The other person practices deep listening and is encouraged not to say anything during that time. - After the timer goes off, switch roles. It's interesting how it often goes deeper after short moments of silence. The length and the setting of the exercise allows us to practice sitting with the often perceived discomfort of silence and see what's bubbling up without being interrupted. This effect is similar to stream of consciousness writing.
Deepest Fear Inventory
Deepest Fear Inventory is a stream of consciousness writing exercise popularized by Carolyn Lovewell in her book Existential Kink. The goal of this exercise is to: - Write down all fears that are currently holding you back from making a specific change in your life - Accept these fears by speaking them out loud - Letting go by tearing the sheet of paper to pieces On a sheet of paper, write something like: "Dear Universe, I refuse to have/do [add your desire]" Then write down a liste of bullet points with everything that could be holding you back: - "because I have deep fear that I..." - "because I have deep fear that I..."
Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling is a type of journaling that focuses on regularly writing down things we’re thankful for. By noticing and recording even small moments of joy, connection, or beauty, we train our attention toward what’s working rather than what’s lacking. Over time, this light work practice can shift our perception and deepen appreciation for everyday life. On a sheet of paper, write down things you're grateful for, starting sentences like this: - "I love..." - "I love, when..." - "I'm grateful for..." - "I'm grateful, that..." We recommend using explicit examples that help really feel the gratitude. For example, instead of "I love nature" you could write down "I love how the forest smells on a beautiful summer day." - Medium: Gratitude journaling can be used as part of a larger journaling practice (for example in Life Beyond Suffering) or in a dedicated space. We both use a dedicated journal for gratitude.
Idle Mode
Idle Mode can be a helpful practice when other forms of meditation feel a bit forced and structured. It can help take the pressure off. This practice helps you give yourself permission to do nothing and let your thoughts wander freely. A notebook can assist by allowing you to write down your thoughts and process whatever arises during the experience. In this way, the method is also a form of stream of consciousness writing. - Make yourself comfortable, for example with soothing music and pleasant lighting. Have a notebook and pen ready. - Sit or lie down in a comfortable position and do nothing. Just let your thoughts wander. Stare at the ceiling. - Try to tolerate boredom when it arises. Resist the urge to check your phone. - When thoughts come up, write them down without judging them too much.
Stream of Consciousness Writing
The technique stream of consciousness writing helps tap into the unconscious by writing down whatever comes to mind, ideally circumventing the conscious mind. The goal is to focus on just writing without questioning the content that is coming out. This technique can be beneficial for many things, including: - Processing emotions, for example writing about feelings of sadness or anger - Shadow work and communicating with the unconscious - Working on setting intentions and visions, like future journaling There are several things that can help with stream of consciousness writing: - Get into a relaxed state that lets you write without overthinking. For example, a form of meditation or embodiment practice can be used. - Set an intention before you start writing. This can either be part of the meditation or in a step right before writing, for example using prompts. - You can set a timer (e.g. 10 minutes) and try to keep writing until it goes off.
Eat the Frog
Eat the frog is a productivity method that is inspired by a quote attributed to Mark Twain: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” The goal is to tackle the most unpleasant task first as part of a morning routine, allowing you to start the day with a clear mind and a sense of accomplishment. - Make a list of tasks for the day, ideally the day before. - Identify the ones that you are most dreading, which you would most certainly procrastinate, with the result of them staying in the back of your mind all day, costing you energy. - Tackle these uncomfortable tasks first. This will let you start the day with a sense of accomplishment and free up energy that was previously locked by having this task on your mind.
Countdown Meditation
This meditation helps practice single-pointed focus. The goal is to count from 100 to 0 in your head without being distracted. There are different forms of this exercise available. We first discovered it in Psychic Witch, where it is called Preliminary Focus. - Put yourself in a relaxed position - Start with a deep inhale and exhale. You can also say an affirmation before starting, for example, Psychic Witch suggests "When I'm at 0, I will be in the alpha brainwave state of consciousness." - Count from 100 to 0 in your head - When you realize that you got distracted, start at 100 again
Timeline
A timeline can be a great visual tool to reflect on the past, for example as part of a year-end reflection. It allows you to take a step back and think about everything that happened. The timeline is a very approachable tool, because you can freely choose the level of detail and how much you want to put into the visual aspect of it. And it's also a lot of fun! Here are a few suggestions to get you started: - Start with big events and milestones and then add more detail - Add different layers, for example colors for various emotions - Besides adding text, you can also draw icons or images to make certain events stand out - Ask yourself what the not so obvious important experiences were for you in that period of time. As a result, you not only have a visual representation of the year (for example) that can serve as a beautiful memory, you also spent time reflecting and maybe even had the opportunity to find some closure. The timeline can also be a really helpful tool for pattern recognition.