Enlightenment — Blog — Francis Briers

OK, so the likelihood that your crown chakra will spontaneously combust with spiritual go-go juice and you’ll become an overnight guru and world-saviour as a result of playing this game is slim, but this game could help you breathe more deeply, love more fully, see your everyday world in a new light, explore life more freely and live more vividly. If that’s not worth investing a little attention in then I don’t know what is. Just take it one day at a time and know that as long as you put in a bit of effort, there is cake at the end of the rainbow… mmmmmm … cake…..You will need a notebook and pencil, or phone (etc) to keep note of your score on each day and the following instructions for the 7 days:

Dolphin Breathing: Did you know dolphin’s have to consciously breathe so they don’t drown? Crazy huh?! So on day 1 your mission is to pause and consciously breathe as often as you can during the day (without it becoming debilitating!). Score a point for every time you pay attention to your breath.
Hello: Day 2’s mission is to say hello to each new experience, space, moment that you can. So, for e.g. when you enter a room, go outside (having been inside), see someone, sit down at your computer… Just internally say a really present and aware “hello” to as many things and people as you can. Score a point for every time you do it.
Gratitude: This one is simple, but not easy… Notice and be grateful for all the gifts in your life. Big things like home, friends, job, etc… And the little things like lunch, the traffic or crossing light being green, a spring in your step. Score a point for every moment of gratitude.
Counter-Blessing: People think certain words with asterisks where letters should be are curses (like F**k) but they’re not really. The real curses are the million ways we trash-talk the world in our thoughts. All that negativity builds up! Today is for counter-acting that: every time you have a negative thought (even if it is a justifiable one like “Man, I hate that political policy”), counter it with a positive one (it doesn’t have to be the same thing, it’s about the balance. So you could counter the politics comment with “look at that beautiful flower!”). Score a point for every curse you notice and counter.
Blanket Blessing: Next step is to just bless the bejeesus out of the whole world! Choose things as you make your way through the day and get really specific about what it is you appreciate about that thing. What qualities make it fantastic? It’s great practice to choose things you either don’t like or that you find mundane or boring. Ask yourself what makes even these things wonder-full. Score a point for each thing you bless today. Everything has value, if can’t see it yet, keep digging until you find the gold! Score a point for each blessing.
Breaking Enchantments: You may by this point have noticed in your mind a negative story you carry about yourself (usually some version of “I’m not good enough”). Today is for turning these around. Choose one of your personal enchantments and invent a phrase that’s the opposite (like “I am wonderful”). Whenever you hear that curse in your head, break it wide open by asserting your opposite statement – your self-blessing. Score a point every time you do it.
Goodbye: The end is here so it’s time to practice endings. Just like the day saying hello only this time you are saying “goodbye.” Whenever you are leaving something behind (even if it is just leaving a room) pause inside yourself and say goodbye. Score a point for every time you do it.

If you score 70 points or more then you rock – go buy yourself a piece of cake to celebrate your own awesomeness! If you score 140 points or more then you rock da house, go and buy yourself cake and ice-cream! If you score 280 points or more then buy a whole cake, invite some friends round and share your wisdom – you are clearly a spiritual legend! If you score more than 350 points then you are about to transcend this life, turn into a beam of light and join the enlightened masters in the heavenly realm of cake-y wonder. Hang tight where you are, cake, and eternal life as a bodhisattva is coming to you.

For more games and resources to make life more awesome visit www.fudoshin.org.uk and check out www.ask-the-rev.net for spiritual responses to life’s questions.