Module #4 - “MONOLOGUES“ - Spring 2021

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

Welcome to the Module 04 "Monologues" thread! Consider what you've written down from your brainstorm in the Meditation portion of our exercises. What jumps out at you that's wanting to be explored a little more deeply? Come up with a topic based around these meditations and write an essay about your personal perspective on the matter ("Scroll-and-a-Half" / 150 words). This could be a single aspect or multiple elements from your list. In addition to sending in via e-mail, if you feel like sharing with your peers go ahead and post here with or without including your "Meditation" and/or "Mindfulness" responses added in together. This is voluntary and will not effect your points one way or another, however it will add to our community vibe and could stir up conversation for any "Mingling" points you may wish to accrue as Extra Credit.

[Prof. Will Lestrange]

Meditation
Meditation session four: I prepare my Muggle heating box, measure the five minutes, and take a seat inside the box.

There's a dull stomach pain that eases, but I find myself enveloped by comforting warmth. I want to lean forward, and I do, but that moves me away from the warmth. Leaning backwards, sitting straight up, brings warmth back to me. After a few rounds of this I finally settle into a position where I'm sitting straight up and leaning against the back edge of the box.

The minutes pass quickly, but towards the end I finally notice issues with my feet: my right foot near my fourth toe starts itching... and my big toe on my left foot then feels a little numb. But I still feel comfort from the heat until the five minutes are up...

Monologue
Many of the feelings I remember from previous meditation sessions come to mind here: from my normal pains (the aching of my stomach and the issues with my feet, all of which I think Muggle medicine helps me understand) to my sheer love for comforting heat (my preference for heat over cold, along with my relatively low internal body temperature, has caused others to describe me as "literally cold-blooded"). What was new this time was the notion that I had to move my body in a specific way to allow the comforting heat to have its effect on me; there was definitely a metaphoric feeling of "love is there for you, but it may require some discomfort to get there." And I can't really finish talking about love without mentioning how I obtained that Muggle heating box in the first place: it was a gift from someone very important to me who knew me well enough to know that heat is much more comfortable than cold. And every time I'm inside the box, it reminds me of that specific gift and the associated feelings involved... the power of love definitely shines through!

Mindfulness
At first glance, I would think that the power of love is very much in balance in my life. There are definitely people I feel love from, and those people feel love from me too. But love is tricky because unlike the other powers discussed in this class, it's really a two way street: having love truly in balance requires a good understanding of the people we receive love from and send love to. And understanding other people can be even harder than understanding one's self... but I find that the better I understand myself, the better I understand others (and the more balanced the power of love becomes for me)!

[Carrie Warts]

Meditation and Monologue:
This was a very strong meditation for me for I have lost many people in my life. I'm not talking only about people that have passed away, but also people that I once cared about, that once were my friends and now our paths are far apart.
My meditation state took me back to my first days in elementary school, where you normally meet people and become friends immediately. Which happened to me but not in a good way. My grandfather would give me some coins for me to buy some snacks during school break and people started approaching me, calling me 'friend' and then demanding me to buy them snacks as well. Being so little I thought this is what friendship was about, giving and buying things for people. Little did I know that I was taking advantage of. Then I went a bit forward in time to my first friend. We did everything together and one day she was being bullied by other classmates, I went up to help her and she thought that the way for the bullies to stop harassing her was to throw someone else under the bus, so she made up a lie that turned the bullies towards me, I was heartbroken. Flash forward a bit more and I'm at a new school, first day, and the moment I step into the new classroom a classmate approaches and calls me and makes fun of my appearance, second later another classmate steps in and calls him off. He quickly became my best friend and has been ever since.
The meditation went on for like 30 minutes and it was intense but I wanted to share this part with you.

Mindfulness:
This month's topic is very aligned with me. This pandemic has made me discover things about myself that I thought were lost or non-existing. I discovered meditation, spirituality, and the power within me to make strong and life-changing decisions. I have never been more proud of myself than now, I am overjoyed with what I have accomplished and I believe this is the path I must walk from now on. Of course, there are still many things to work on in me, but I believe that with love, communication, and understanding everything can be achieved.
With all this growth I've had and love I've experienced I can tell I'm very different from who I used to be. I'm more at peace, calmed and can now analyse things with a more flexible and calmed mindset. It's been quite amazing this journey and I can't wait to see where it will take me.