I know I sound so crazy and stupid to non-meditators and non-magical people when I insist that meditating always helps - no matter what we are going through.
But it is true.
And even though our society has really drilled home the idea that meditation is hard to do, practicing meditation is actually easier than it seems.
I KNOW this has been a COLORFUL time, full of intensity and instability and muddled information. (Are you enjoying all my euphemisms here?)
I BELIEVE the near-future will be even more distracting, intense and potentially chaotic.
Which is making me want to double-down in my efforts to get us all practicing.
A regular meditation practice is an excellent way to get and maintain our bearings - it helps us see/remember where we are and keys us into the currents of the collective and where we really want to go/be/create within that greater landscape.
Right now, I know you are reading this on a computer or phone screen. And, maybe, right before you came to this message (and likely right after) you will see a lot of imagery and messages from corporations, influencers and celebrities, or even “your” government, friends, workplace or clients.
Knowing all of that, I have to ask, what if we, took this moment - right now - and dipped into a meditative state of being - so it can CHANGE how we receive and interact with whatever else comes our way for the rest of the day - visually, on screen, AND in real life.
Meditation is a palate cleanser and makes us a little bit psychic. It avails us to wide swaths of energy and information that we otherwise would not be privy too. It can also be a respite for rest and recovery; a moment to turn our monkey-minds off and then on again.
When we meditate we access what I’ve been calling the “true world” (as opposed to the “real world”).
The true world that a regular meditation practice gives us access to is an environment where everything means something and where magical actions can be taken that then DO have their effect in the “real world”. It is a place where we become both visionary and healed. The true world is a space where we can access flows of energy and information that are often off-limits to us in the “real world”. The true world is where we practice our magic and also - SEE what the energy of life itself wishes us to know.
So… if I have piqued your interest, I recorded a very casual, basic practice to share with you today. It’s not fancy - I recorded it this morning at home and added no background music. You can listen to it with your eyes open or closed and with your body in any comfortable position (even standing or walking). If you can “afford” 13 minutes to practice, I am practicing too and more than happy to be your guide.
FRESH PLATTER practice with JESSICA SNOW (meditation starts at 00:53)
Enjoy, leave comments, like this post, share with a friend, etc…
Until next time,
Jess
“WHOEVER YOU ARE, the more you meditate and become attentive to the world, the more magic (or coincidence, or synchronicity, or "hey, that's weird") will show up in your experience. Furthermore, you can intensify and increase this magic by looking for it and asking for it.
Become your own random magic generator. Find meaning everywhere you can. Arrive fully for all your life experiences, keep your senses alert to the wonder of life and occasionally let yourself be amazed.
Also, magic likes to be acknowledged. If something magical happens - even a small miracle - really notice it, offer some gratitude, show the universe you witnessed it, enjoyed it and you are open to feeling it again.”
“I believe the energies of life are asking us to upgrade our “operating systems” on both the collective and individual levels.
Evolution is picking up speed and we have to continually delete our “old code” in order to receive our “new code”.
Which means that we - just like our friendly computer - have to sometimes shut down and then restart.
When we enter the dreamtime consciously, in those few moments when we are “off”, our psyches integrate and rest.
The slate is cleaned.
I know that with everything going on in the world it feels hard to meditate or spend time in our inner realms. There might be grief in there, there might be rage.
But that is where the new ideas are going to come from, that’s where we’re going to access the highest foundational visions for our future.
As we travel through the important current events happening now, I believe that this dreamtime state is the premier beneficial state for both individuals and the collective.
Not only for the healing that happens when we are “off”, but for the new ideas and inner strength we inevitably discover as we emerge; as we are turned back “on”.
Every time we “restart”, we are fortified and have full access to the new “operating system”.
Our code is upgraded.”
- Jessica Snow (this is from a post on October 20, 2023. I have paywalled all Substack posts older than 6 months - you can access all of them with a $5/month or $50/year paid subscription. IF money is so tight you can’t afford the paid tier, but want to be there for the archives AND our Friday weekly practice space, please reply to this message and I will do my best to get you free 90-day access to the paid space. If you CAN afford it, joining the paid tier is a wonderful way to show your love and appreciation; I get excited every single time I see someone choose this option.)
“We are not doing magical/spiritual things for approval from others. We are not meditating to look cool or be thought of in a certain positive light. This is not what these things are about. Meditation and other contemplative practices are here for our benefit - they are not meant to be one more thing to beat ourselves up about.
Your meditations don't have to "look" like meditation to anyone else. No one (including you!) needs to be judging the logistics or manner in which you meditate.
Your spiritual practices do not have to match anything you see on Instagram (in fact it is probably better if they don't).
Your inner work should feel like one big long adventure; where you are exploring new terrain and discovering all kinds of treasures that mean a lot to you, but don't necessarily need to be shared with anyone else.
You are free. You can sculpt and craft and create your own practice with no need for approval from anyone else.
We all go through phases and passages in life, at different times we require different spiritual experiences and input. The idea is to not get carried away by what other people are doing and instead, make your own way that feels nourishing and elevating to you at this moment in your life.
We live in a beckoning world, rife with distraction. My dream is that every person is able to access the relaxation and connection with their guides necessary to maintain big-time confidence in their own ability to know what will really make them happy as opposed to what other people (or worse, corporations) say will make them happy.
This work is about showing up and then flowing with what you discover. There are myriad ways to do this and not all of them are featured on Instagram. :)
If we release the temptation to judge ourselves regarding meditation, etc. we allow our practice to constantly evolve. This free-flowing approach is not only the most beautiful and fruitful way to co-create spiritual experiences in our lives, it is also the most skillful way to sustain our practices throughout our lifetime and in our moment to moment experience.
So yes, I'm always going to gently recommend that you show up spiritually with consistency, but it doesn't need to look like a rigorous, rigid thing. It can be as simple as looking up from this email and knowing you are here.
You are doing great, we all are. There is a messiness to life and that is ok, actually that's where a lot of insight comes in.
If it seems fun to you, challenge yourself today to be deeply sweet to yourself as you seek out the most nourishing, delicious spiritual practice that fits the life you are living today.
So much love to you, wishing you a cornucopia of spiritual experiences that feed your soul and make you feel like magic - which you ARE!!”
“This seems like a good time to remind myself (and maybe you too) that all this inner work is just spiritual practice. Which means you don't have to meditate 'perfectly', your new moon rituals don't have to look like anyone else's, and posting mystical things that look 'perfect' on social media will have little impact unless there is something deeper going on there as well.
Here is a great big secret.
YOU ARE ALREADY WORTHY. WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE IN OR QUESTION, SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES FULL OF FEELING AND MYSTERY ARE YOUR BIRTHRIGHT.
So I say to you as I say to myself - stay on guard, awake to the tricks of the critical mind that seek to undermine your magic; ignore the inner judge that tells you that somehow you have come up short, you haven't done enough, there is something more you need to buy, to read, some new privation you must subject yourself to in order to earn your heart-to-heart meeting with All That Is.
That we call this spiritual practice should be not only a great relief, but a great invitation. It means all we have to do is show up just as we are, wherever we are, then breathe and connect to the Mystery. From there, the only thing required of us is to stay awake and SEE WHAT HAPPENS. You can start or reinvigorate your relationship with the higher realms at any moment, even this exact moment right now if you choose to.”
“I'd like to share a question I've been playing with this week. The question is... "is there magic here?" It really shouldn't after all these years - but it still shocks me that when I get present (even for a few seconds) I realize that the answer to that question is always yes. There is always magic here.
And that doesn't mean that things are always easy or 'good' or even how I 'want' them to be, it's just that when I stop and really perceive what is happening - the answer is yes, there is magic here.
As far as my heart is concerned, all of this messy yet somehow synchronized existence can't be explained any other way.
You can experiment with this question too, any time you want. In your car in the morning, in line at the grocery store, sitting across from someone you love, by yourself in a quiet moment - "is there magic here?" If the answer is yes, then consider yourself awake.”
WE BELIEVE...
1. Meditation can be approached in a modern and magical manner.
2. Meditation is not a dry chore, but a rewarding and pleasurable art.
3. It is fine to be physically comfortable while you meditate. You can lay down, you can wear headphones, you can sit in your favorite chair.
4. It is natural for your mind and heart to be active during meditation.
5. Meditating links you up with the purest, most extraordinary parts of yourself and the world.
6. Meditation typically feels pretty good. Even when it doesn't, there is insight there.
7. No one can meditate for you. You are your own direct connection.
8. There is no substitute for being fully awake to your life, as it is happening, in real time.
9. Right now you have everything you need to access the love, light, power & insight that is your birthright.
If you feel like “Jessica Snow” books are a good way to enhance your practice, right now you can get all four - 99 VISIONS, The Field, Dreamworld and Be With - for $60 (regularly $90 for the set).
"I had the privilege of participating in in-person meditations with Jessica, and I looked forward to every Friday, wondering what magical journey she would take us on next. Her energy is serene, loving, and magical, which created a safe space to really let go and see where your subconscious mind would take you, resulting in a room full of beautifully powerful energy."
- Brett
“My absolute favorite meditation-guided journey genius - Jessica Snow! I think her tracks are magic and they are way more complex that your classic ‘still your mind’ stuff. She takes you tripping and always with a specific purpose in mind.
I love Jessica’s tracks and honestly, hers is the only voice I can stand in a meditation narrative. Plus she doesn’t tell you to shut your brain down. She’s like ‘let it roam free’. Plus her stuff works.”
- Mystic Medusa
“Thank you so much for facilitating such a grounding and introspective meditation. We are so grateful!”
- DWC (Downtown Women’s Center) Programs Leadership Team
“I spent a few magical days with Jessica in the desert, working on a creative project that was trying to be born but wasn’t fully realised. She was such an incredible guide and support, conjuring the exact kind of atmosphere and head space to tackle the task of playing in the deep creative realms. We collaged, meditated, walked, talked, documented, playing in the unconscious and having so much fun doing so. I would highly recommend Jessica’s creative midwifery work to anyone who wants to create and explore from a very pure and truthful place, who may be feeling blocked or unsure or even just a little scared of the task of creating. She gently leads you through creative blocks, which can be so lonely, and pulls out your innate magic with effortless compassion, creativity and incredibly useful practical tools and ideas. I love working with Jessica!”
- Natasha Khan, Bat for Lashes
"Your work supports me to be me. I’m deeply widely grateful. Xxx"
- Laura