Donna May MA Ed, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Stress Management and Pain Relief Specialist and a practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), Reiki and Yuen Energetics. She utilizes spiritual principles and A Course in Miracles teachings in her counseling. She is available for classes, public presentations or private consultations. Donna can be reached at (248) 626-4859 or email: DonnMay27@comcast.net

It is easy to see the balance in nature. The sky darkens at night and brightens in the day. Occasionally, it rains but then it is sunny and dry again. Months of cold, dreary winter are always followed by the warmth of spring and summer.

What you probably tend to forget, however, is that you are also a part of nature. When you are busy and stressed in your daily life, you might begin to think that you are somehow outside of the planet and her reliable rhythms.

As you know, it is difficult to begin and sustain a regular meditation practice. Many things interfere with that special time you’ve carved out for yourself – screaming children; unexpected work assignments; traffic jams; procrastination. These obstacles can easily make you neglect your meditation time. Unfortunately, these are the times when you have the most need for inner centering.

Other discouraging factors in meditation are those pesky fluctuations of nature. Your mental state is just as “natural” as the sky. On certain days, your mind will be like a happy, sunny day and your meditation time will be easy and effortless, fun, even. Yet the next day your head might be like a wild thunderstorm. When you can’t concentrate due to the distraction of ridiculous thoughts, you may want to give up completely, but don’t.

These variations are normal and “natural.” Have a shorter meditation if your head is like a wild tornado, but please don’t perceive yourself as a failure. A stormy day doesn’t make you give up hope that you will ever see the sun again. You don’t decide to never go outdoors again. You just think, “Gee, what a lousy day.” Try to apply the same concept to your mental state. There’s no need to blame yourself for being a part of nature. And there’s certainly no need to give up your attempts to meditate.

The moon’s cycle can also alter the quality of your quiet time. You might have beautiful visions and the new moon and encounter resistance and the full moon. If you’re a woman, your hormonal cycle will also be a factor. And as you know by now, these moods do balance themselves out.

Remember you will occasionally come upon many days or weeks of frustrating meditations. These seasons of “spiritual winter” mirror the balance of seasons in nature and they can really make you feel like giving up. But if you persist, you will experience a springtime blossoming in your consciousness. Your efforts will be worth it, so hang in there.

It may seem corny, but think of perennial flowers that sleep in the cold, snowy ground. Your spiritual “seedlings” are waiting for just the right time to sprout in your mind. It is easy to feel spiritually abandoned or neglected as you wait for results. Try to remember that these times still belong to a natural cycle and that you are right on schedule. Accept that you are in a dormant time and release self-judgment.

Releasing worry, anger and discouragement will help you feel that you are in the flow. You are always being gently rocked in nature’s loving arms. Don’t give up on your attempts to tap into your spiritual center. Reach out to other people with similar goals, since they’re certainly having the same back and forth experiences because we’re all in it together.

Aluna Michaels is a second generation astrologer and soul evolutionist practitioner. She also holds a Masters in Spiritual Counseling and has been teaching and consulting for more than two decades. Aluna is available for appointments in her home or by phone. Call (248) 583-1663 or visit www.ascension.net/aluna.