Are you finding it hard to get into a daily meditation practice? Despite your good intentions, do you find you just can't seem to find 15 minutes a day to do something that you know helps you feel better, more calm, and less stressed?

Maybe you feel that you're just too busy. Maybe you just keep putting your meditation off until it's bedtime, and then you're too tired, and you say, "Well, I'll do it tomorrow." Or maybe things just seem to crop up when you are about to meditate... things that seem out of your control, like family emergencies, phone calls from needy friends, unexpected visitors, etc. These unexpected events may seem out of your control... but are they? Being overly busy may also seem out of your control... but is it?

There's an underlying force at work here. Not only can this force produce endless daily tasks and logical reasons for not meditating, but it can miraculously create all sorts of unplanned events that just happen to occur at meditation time. "Well, I was about to meditate, and the phone rang, and it was my friend who needed to talk about a crisis, and by the time we finished talking, I had to take off for work and couldn't meditate." Sure your friend's crisis was real, but why did the call come just when you were about to meditate?

Two Cosmic Forces;

There are actually two opposing forces within you. Force one, is the "Force of Evolution." It pulls you toward growth... toward attaining your highest possibilities... toward greater freedom, peace, joy, and love... toward the light and your true spiritual home. This cosmic force is quite likely what led you to seek out meditation in the first place... even though it may have seemed as though you were just looking for a little clarity or stress relief.

Force two is the "Force of Stagnation." This is the force that resists growth... resists any kind of change. And because meditation catalyzes growth and positive change, it poses a real threat to the Force of Stagnation. This force works through our unconscious mind, so we are usually not aware of its covert operations.

When you start to grow and make positive changes in your life, and when you begin to evolve beyond your old limitations, the Force of Stagnation kicks in. That's when many of these "coincidences" begin to occur. These distracting events may appear to be coincidences, but they're not. The Force of Stagnation is very adept at creating things. That doesn't mean that you are in any way responsible for events like a friend's crisis. But your unconscious mind can cooperate with the time-line... for example, by forgetting to turn off the phone ringer, or finding a little task to delay your meditation for an extra ten minutes. That leaves the door open for all sorts of things to pop up and interfere with your meditation.

Devil or Angel;

Have you seen those cartoons where a person has a little angel on one shoulder telling them to do the right thing, and a little devil on the other shoulder, pursuading them to do the opposite? Symbolically, that's what's happening here. Your Evolutionary Angel is always whispering in one ear... encouraging you to grow... to become your highest self. Meanwhile, the little Stagnation Devil whispers in the other ear, providing you with a fantastic list of ways to avoid meditating. Which one will you listen to?

Of course the purpose of knowing that there's a force behind the problem is not to supply you with the ultimate excuse to skip meditation. The purpose of understanding the hidden workings of this force, is so you won't be so easily controlled by it. Also, I don't mean to convey that these forces represent good and evil. They are merely two cosmic forces... each has a necessary role to play in the big cosmic picture.

Out-Maneuvering The Force;

There are practical steps you can take to out-maneuver the Force of Stagnation. The most effective one is to set aside a specific period each day for meditation... making the committment to yourself that no matter what happens, this 15 minutes is your meditation time. Then do whatever you can to avoid distractions... remember to turn off the phone ringer, inform other household members this time is for you, put a "do not disturb" sign on the door, if necessary. I used to go out and meditate in the car (parked, of course) when it was too noisy do it at home.

After you've demonstrated your committment to regular meditation for awhile, it becomes much easier... the stagnant force seems to get the message. However, keeping your committment does require a bit of courage... the courage to leave your familiar old limitations behind, and the courage to open new doors that lead to the unknown. I can assure you that behind those mysterious doors lie great treasures, but you'll have to discover them for yourself. If you have the courage to stay on your spiritual path, and follow your Evolutionary Angel, you will indeed find the treasure.