Transducers, Tonglen, and Walking Trees

I have added something new to my contemplative practice.  In the morning I usually meditate, and pull 2 cards from the Soul Navigations oracle deck with the question, “What is my soul offering, and what is it asking?”  Then I journal, the amount depending on time, mood, and my pets’ needs!

Lately I have made a commitment to exploring the process of automatic writing and am enjoying the many gifts that arise.  No, my pen is not moving on its own, and I am not possessed. I am conscious.  I bring myself into a meditative state, ask a question and listen very deeply, then start writing.  It feels somewhat like free writing or stream of consciousness writing, however a different voice comes through, the voice of deep soul wisdom.  Each day I ask – “Who am I?” – exploring and feeling the different answers that arise, opening and expanding my knowing, feeling, and understanding, seeing different facets daily. 

“Transducer?”

Today the writing was around descriptors of the energy in my body with the invitation to sense and feel the current of energy.   I was shown a vision of the spiraling energy, of the Chakras as well as how to work with my particular energies. And then the words came: “You are a transducer.” What?  What is a transducer? I wondered.  To be honest, this question shortened my meditation as I couldn’t stop wondering, it sounded like some electrical device and I needed to find out.    

Here is what I found: a transducer is a device that converts one form into another.   Wow! Like trees converting carbon dioxide to oxygen!  Are we like walking trees?  How?  I am not sure how we convert energy in day-to-day experiences, but am reminded of a meditation I have resumed practicing during these difficult and highly polarized times. 

It is a Buddhist meditation practice called Tonglen. 

Tonglen is translated generally as taking in and offering out. It is a compassion-focused meditation in which you breath in the darkness, or negative emotion into your heart and breath out the light of goodness, kindness and wellbeing.  It occurs to me that in this practice we can transform the energy within and perhaps around us through this heart-centered practice.  In this way we become transducers of our emotional and energetic reactions into something lighter and different.  We can become like the trees, clearing and cleansing the energy within and around us. One breath at a time, we become like walking trees.  More trees please!

For more information on the Tonglen meditation see Tara Brach

Leslie Ciechanowski
Soul Voyager Consulting
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