I did a meditation retreat (at Spirit Rock, a wonderful place, including for workshops). One evening as we walked out of the hall after the last sit, I felt rattled and discombobulated. (One of the benefits of a retreat - though it can be uncomfortable - is that it stirs up the sediments of your psyche, which can muddy your mental waters for a while.)



I'll tell you what came to me in the How section below. Right here, I want to make the point that it's the question that matters most - and that the answer(s) will be different for different people.



What's the light that will guide you out of your own tangled woods - both the woods "out there" in the world and the ones "in here" inside your own mind?

The Practice.


You could also just hold the question in the back of your mind over the course of a day and see what comes to you. Or, while doing a pleasant task with your hands (like gardening, knitting, or stroking a cat), ask the question and see what arises.


Some people (including me) have several North Stars, though usually they are lined up in the same direction, so there is no conflict among them. And sometimes, a person has a single North Star, one aim, one principle, that draws together all the threads of his or her life.


This means keeping it in mind - perhaps with a yellow sticky on the refrigerator or by jotting it down (maybe in a coded way, for your privacy) at the top of your "to-do" list for the day. Or you could (as I do) often recommit to your guiding light(s) when you first wake up.

Notice or imagine the rewards that do or will come to you and others following your North Star. What trouble will it keep you out of? What joys and gains will it bring to you and others? Keep letting these good feelings and knowings sink into you, linked in your mind to your Star.




Author's Bio: 

Rick Hanson, PhD is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His six books have been published in 29 languages and include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha’s Brain, and Mother Nurture - with over a million copies in English alone. His free newsletters have 215,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial need. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on the CBS, NPR, the BBC, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. He and his wife live in northern California and have two adult children. He loves wilderness and taking a break from emails.