Meditation Transcript

  • Know that no matter where you are and what you may be experiencing, this is only “one” moment, in the midst of many.  By the time you finish reading this message you would have traveled through several moments.
  • Take the next moment to get comfortable and settle in. 
  • Imagine that the next moment is one in which you are safe, peaceful and content. 
  • Bring the attention to your shoulders and allow them to relax (just drop them), allow your chest and belly to expand and contract by simply by taking 3 long slow deep breaths, tighten your arms and allow them to drop, tighten your buttocks and legs and allow them to drop. Squeeze your entire body, as tight as possible and then drop it. Notice the entire body relaxing further with each breath.
  • Notice your body relaxing and feeling supported. Allow your entire body to continue to relax.  Give it permission to let go for this moment.  Perhaps whispering to yourself, “let go, let go, let go”.
  • Close your eyes and for the next few breaths, just notice the inhalation and the exhalation of your breath.  Notice how your belly rises and drops with each breath. Allow each breath to take you deeper into that moment in which you feel “safe, peaceful and content.”   Stay in this “moment” for as long as you wish.  Know that thoughts will come to you.  If those thoughts are not supporting your “safe, peaceful and content” space, just observe them and let them go, pretend they are a cloud passing through. Continue to notice your inhalation and the exhalation. Bring your attention back to your “safe, peaceful and content moment” at the core of your self, over and over again. Be gentle and patient with yourself.
  • Open your eyes softly and gently,  coming back to this moment, in the hear and now.  Know that at every and any moment that you choose,  you can make your next moment one of “safety, peacefulness and contentment”.
  • Set an intention to visit and notice those moments of “safety, peacefulness and contentment”,  more often. Perhaps you can commit to visiting this page again today and everyday of the week.

serenity-alter

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022