Meditation

Spiritual Wellness

I just want to take a moment  and talk about meditation. I am sure that most of you reading this know about it but 7th D Wellness is about encouraging everybody.

Meditation is the art and practice of total mind and body relaxation. We do it to better ourselves in a multitude of ways and even connect with the greater universe as a whole.  I started meditating in highschool because I couldn’t sleep. I suppose that’s typical of a teen but sought to do something about it. Now, keep in mind I was 16 and didnt have a clue but I did what I thought was best. I must have done something right because here I am today.

I started at night, laying comfortable in bed, keeping my eyes closed in darkened silence and just trying to ficus and see beyond the darkness of my closed eyes. Looking back, I can tell you that this is the wrong way to go about it but I eventually got it to work and started to get answers to questions and even discovered a whole head space with doors.

Note: If you’re meditating and you start finding doors, please DO NOT attempt to open them; you don’t know whats on the other side.

Use meditation to calm yourself, lift your spirits and decompress from the days stress.  Now don’t be like me and lay there at bedtime, 9 out of 10 times you’ll just fall asleep.

So if you want to learn to meditate to help with stress here’s what you do:

1. Sit in a comfortable position ( couch, chair, bed etc,) If you lay down, like I said, you could fall asleep.

3. Take deep, relaxed breaths.

4. Use those deep breaths to clear your mind.

5. You can either focus on an object or repeat a mantra   ( a sound or short phrase ) or even just your breathing. This just gives your mind something to focus on without thinking about worldly issues and help prevent you from falling asleep. You can listen to calming music or ambient noise. I like rain and ocean sounds but you can listen to whatever you want; it’s your meditation.


And that’s it. It is that simple. Mediation is about relaxing your mind. Do this for as long or little as you want.  5 to 10 mins is a great place to start. Personally I like the shower. You’re alone, its quiet, you have the shower noise, its warm and steamy – I think its the perfect place.  If you have an area or space that resonates with you, use that. That is what’s great about meditation; its yours. There are those basic steps to follow but everything in those steps are yours and unique to you. 

The journeys and paths that we are on are all unique to ourselves; that is why it’s important to empower each other so that we can each be in charge of those journeys.

The Universe is waiting for you.

Affirm. Believe. Accomplish. Repeat.

The 52 week Savings Plan

Financial Wellness

I’ve been tweeting about Financial Wellness the last few days so I figured I would talk about it more here. This is one where we think about it the most yet attack it the least.  However, I’m a big fan of the 52 week savings plan because it’s great for those just starting out in life or just want to start saving in small steps and life is all about small steps.

Check it out right here:  https://www.money-challenge.com/tools/52-week-money-challenge-printable-chart


I’ve been doing this and it certainly does help because saving some is better than nothing and that’s what this is about; something better than nothing.  Simple savings is always the best way to go. Start with a budget, list out your income vs your expenses and see where you can save. The penny pinching through the year will end up saving you big money.  Even just $20 a month will get a thousand dollars that you can put away for an unexpected situation. Its all about developing good habits early and sticking with it. Sure, this won’t make you a millionaire but its going to give you a strong base-line habit for you to continue and grow with. I’m sure for a lot of people, this is eye opening and shows them just how easy it is to save.

You *should* (in theory) have two separate savings funds:

A:  $1,000.00 for emergency situations.

B: 3-4 months worth of your yearly income for life emergencies.


Start working on plan A, don’t touch it and then when that’s done, start working on plan B. You’ll feel a lot better knowing that you can at least withstand a bump in the road. A lot of this is people just not knowing how to save but using that 52 week savings plan, you’ll be well on your way to a better life and a better you. 

Emotional Wellness

In continuing with basic overviews of the different kinds of wellness, I’d like to touch on emotional wellness and all the ways that it can impact us. All of these wellness practices are linked and when one suffers, the others suffer as well. Emotional wellness can be impacted the most by the shortcoming of the other wellness dimensions. Relationships, work and physical wellness have the strongest bonds to emotional wellness just because they play such a big role in our lives. Some people can just roll through bad times and bad vibes without much impact on their emotional state but it does catch up to them. Unfortunately, it will catch up to us all.

Mental strength is the biggest protector of emotional wellness because the stronger your resistances are to environmental pressures, the longer your emotions will stay in better condition. So I think of emotional wellness as the grand survey of your overall well being.  If you’re emotionally hurting, you’re going to figure out where its coming from rather quickly. There are a few things that you can do to boost emotional levels if you’re just feeling down and lethargic.

1. Sleep. If you arnt sleeping and being well rested, power naps are your friend but if sleeping is all you want to do, then you gotta fight that urge and get active.

2. Exercise. Pretty much any physical activity that isnt sitting down or laying down. Just getting outside and going for a walk will help your body relax. Being active and forcing yourself to be active is going to be what defeats the overwhelming urge to sleep and lay in bed all day. Do what you feel is fun and if normal activities are no longer fun  and you find no joy in anything for a prolonged period of time, please consult your doctor.

3. Eating habits. Eating a good diet is going to jump start your body , especially if you’ve been all in on that fast food. Eat leafy greens, lower the carbs, up the water intake and you’ll start to feel a difference.

You might be saying to yourself, “ Hey Epitaph, this is what my doctor tells me all the time.” Well, its good advice and it’s not like if you follow this and stumble, it’s all gone forever. Complacency is the killer of good habits.  Telling yourself that all the wellness that you deserve starts ‘tomorrow,’ tomorrow will never come and you’ll just make an excuse and making excuses is not living your best life. We’re all here to live our best life.

If there are people in that life being negative and doing you wrong, they don’t need to be there. Your well being shouldn’t suffer because of someone else’s ego mind, ruling over their life. Those people are so closed minded that they don’t even know that their own ego is ruling over themselves and that they arnt even in control. It’s a sad fact. However, everyone whos on a spiritual journey knows that the ego just wants attention and that attention can drive them down and backwards and we do not go backwards in life; we can only go forwards. Your emotional mind is going to help push you through to bigger and better things because if you’re in a loving and healthy mindset, you’ll get the goodness and the greatness that’s coming to you, that the universe is just waiting to give you.

Some situations need doctors and please go get that help that you need. However, most people just need motivation and if we’re all here together, doing this together, we can be accountable for each other and no one will get left behind.

Let all go get what we deserve. One step at a time. One day at a time. We got out of bed today and we’re facing what life gives us with courage and optimism and that is truly the best emotional step that you can take.

Until next time, my friends. Let’s be glorious together and continue to journey to be our best selves.  

Wellness at The Workplace


I wanted to talk about work; the general 9 to 5 of it all. It is where we will spend most of our time and for the vast majority of us, it is where our main source of stress and toxicity come from. If it is not the job in general, its the customers, co-workers or management. Ever been at a job that you dread, we’ve all been there. Ever sit outside in the parking lot and cry because the stress gets that bad? We’ve all been there. You are not alone.  I worked a job where that happened to me and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I got myself out of there. I always looked at work with the following mindset:

No job is worth my mental well being. I’m not going to be pushed around, degraded, or otherwise abused for the sake of a paycheck. Maybe that’s not as easy for some but you need to have that mindset because if you don’t have that self worth, no one at your job is going to give it to you; especially of its just a job and not a long standing career.

If you are not working a job that has a future then you do not have a future and that is something that needs to change.  I don’t really want to get into what skills are best for who but find something marketable. In 2019 I am sure we can all type and have some knowledge of Microsoft Word; Microsoft makes a certification for that:

Visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/office-certification.aspx

It is about starting somewhere to improve your life and trust me when I tell you because I learned this the hard way, no one is going to make your life easier for you. Its a will and a drive and a determination to better your life and be your best self.  Or better yet, being in my early 20’s thinking life will figure itself out. Nah, not for this guy. It’s all about moving, grinding and going. I am always looking to expand my mindset and skills to be as marketable and professional as I can be while maintaining a certain level of joy and happiness.  I am not a cog in a machine, just a cog to the universe and I am here to play my part and help whoever I can.

If you are in a bad place at work, get out. Do not take a vacation, the problems will just be there when you get back, if not worse. Always climb the ladder or risk falling off it. If your job pays you 10 bucks, go look for 11, look to change fields of you can. If you’re in a good place at work, ask the higher ups how to move forward or research skills needed in that field.  I used to be afraid of the grind, that it was gonna be too challenging but now I want that grind. We don’t have to beat anyone in our lives but each other and we cannot be beaten in life by anybody else.

So if you’re in a bad spot at work, figure out an escape plan (just don’t up and quit your job, make a blueprint first.)  If anything, your happiness means a lot to you and that’s what matters in the end. When you’re happy you’ll be more productive and the money will be there. Trust me, the money will be there; you just have to go out there and get it. 

Affirmations


When starting the spiritual process, one of the first things that I learned was the power of affirmation. For those that do not know what that is, it is your mental power helping to manifest your desired outcomes. It comes from that old adage that negativity begets negativity and Affirmations teaches one to counter that with positivity. You affirm good things and outcomes. YOU manifest those outcomes because you put it out there into the universe and the universe will provide for you.

You say: “ I WILL pass this test”  or “ I WILL get that job.” That positivity and love surrounds you. Whatever you put out into the universe and into the spiritual divine, it will be returned to you three fold. Spirituality is about getting out what you put in and if you put in the work, the work comes back to you.  Affirmations is often hard for those that are stuck or lost but in truth, you are none of those things if you only believe and allow the universe to give you a boost. However, if you are negative, that is going to be your outcome. Truthfully, I am guilty of that. I cannot sit here and clear myself of making mistakes or wrong turns; I am human. Although, it is the universe that has helped me out the most.

I do not believe in coincidence. With infinite worlds and universes, there are infinite outcomes. If I see an old friend at the mall, there is a reason for that and often times it is a test. We are all meant to move forward in our lives. It can be hard and it is easier to sit there and not move because it hurts less than imagined heartbreak but you can do it.  We can do it. All we have to do is affirm and believe.

If you want to find love, you clear your mind and you tell the universe that you are worthy of love and being loved. You tell the universe that you will find that love and experience its warmth. You repeat this over and over with solid conviction.

I am love. I am worthy of love. I surround myself with it and embody it. That is an example of what you tell yourself, the divine and the universe. They are your silent partners.

If you hear yourself saying anything negative, that’s your ego wanting attention.  The Ego can be your worst enemy but it does not have to be. It wants you to feel bad so that it can feel good. It wants to be right and be the center of attention. Heck, my own ego gets in the way right now but I know what I have experienced and learned in my life. I know the truth about myself. I affirm my knowledge and my greatness and I affirm it in each and every one of you.  This is where my journey started and I hope if you have not already, that you begin yours soon.

Until next time, stay glorious and be your best self.

Spirituality in the Information Age


With today being about social media and the resurgence of spirituality in America off its lull from the 1980s and 1990s, down from its hay day in the 60’s and 70’s, multicultural spirituality is on the rise in America as classic religious belief is down with over twenty percent having non-christian or religious identity. With the internet playing a big role in our lives, it is easy to google search any aspect of any religious or spiritual denomination.  Perhaps it’s too easy. All I would suggest is doing due diligence in researching different viewpoints and ideas. Find what’s best for you, your lifestyle and ultimately what you gravitate towards. I certainly gravitate towards Western philosophy on the subject but that does not share a cross section with the interpersonal concepts of Eastern Philosophy. In fact, the rise of spiritual practice in the 1970s came from India and the far East and it helped to break the mold that traditional western religious views held. You could now communicate with the higher powers of the universe in your own way and in your own power. That’s what this is all about and that power grows stronger today because of all the information that we have access too.

It is ok not to be religious. We will all find some sense of morality and inner sustainability from our chosen paths because we are all seeking higher knowledge and higher selves. My journey has been long and it will never end. Rather than feeling overwhelmed that there is no end goal, no graduation date, so to speak; I am excited that there is no limit to my journey or knowledge. So I invite everyone who is reading this to continue reading as more gets posted and we grow together. I just encourage everyone to research as to not be taken in by those trying to make a quick buck off of a gimmick or trend. On social media I have seen a few people take advantage of people thinking that Spirituality is a trend but it is not a trend, mind you but a skill and tool to one’s personal journey. It may put a stain on the community but that stain can and will be washed away with open forum communication and knowledge.

Just because our respective journeys are personal does not mean that we are alone. 

Thank you for staying. Thank you for reading and thank you for taking this journey with me.

Our daily Tarot pull is: Two of Swords. Difficult choices may await some of us but with courage and faith, we can overcome. 

I’ve been on a spiritual path for over 10 years now. I started with meditation and moved on from there. I am a ordained minister, spiritual wellness advocate and Certified Spiritual Counselor. My journey has been long and still going but hopefully now we can take that journey together.

Note: I hold NO state or national certified board licenses in any professional field and make no claims to a certified licensed professional. Certified Spiritual Counseling is not state or board licensed and does not qualify me as a healthcare professional. Please consult medical, legal, financial and healthcare professionals.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a medical doctor, legal or healthcare professional. Please consult medical and mental health professionals for any and all matters. Please do not stop taking any medications without direct consent from your healthcare providers. All information on this blog is entertainment in nature and not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any illness or condition.

You can follow me on Twitter: @EpitaphJones