Day 11: Meditational Walking

I woke up feeling really sluggish today.  Must have stayed up too late watching movies with my sister-in-law (who I am lucky enough to also call my best friend).  I still got up before the rest of the house (I try to make it a point; with 4 little ones to chase after all day long, some quiet time to start my day is absolutely essential), and I found that a cup of hot black tea ('Morning Thunder' from Celestial Seasonings is *awesome*) and some of yesterday's meditational breathing cleared my head right up and allowed me to get on with a productive day.

Today continues the series on meditation in Timothy Roderick's book.  I have, of course, heard of meditational walking and I have seen images of spiritual labyrinths but I have never had the opportunity to walk one.  I like the idea of meditational walking, because I think that I will be better at a form of meditation that keeps my body active, as I have a tendency to fidget when I try to sit still for longer periods of time (mostly because it gets very uncomfortable).

So, today I had to decide whether I am a "Moon walker," someone who would be better suited to a slow pace, with each small step followed by a pause for contemplation, or a "Sun walker," with a longer, quick stride.  Roderick gives us a list of qualities to help us decide:

SOLAR QUALITIES                                            LUNAR QUALITIES

Firey: Expressive                                                 Mellow: Contemplative

Fast Paced: Active                                              Serene: Sluggish

Impatient: Moving                                                Forgiving: Tranquil

Overt: Frenetic                                                    Discrete: Secretive

Sexual: Passionate                                             Sensual: Emotional

Cerebral: Analytical                                             Empathic: Compassionate

Logical: Reasonable                                            Intuitive: Introverted

For me, I definitely had more qualities in the lunar category than I did the solar category, which really surprised me.  I figured, being a Leo, that I would have tendencies leaning more towards the solar aspect.  Surprise, surprise!  I guess it's amazing what you learn about yourself with a little introspection.  I will venture a guess (remember, Roderick says no looking ahead!) and say that tomorrow's exercise will involve employing whichever method/technique of meditational walking I was best suited for.  I promise, however, for you solar types, that I will include the technique for both in tomorrow's post, if that is what the exercise calls for.