While these mindful practices needn't be exclusive to Libra season, that's their design simply because it is Libra season and I'm a Libra who benefits from mindful practices. Of course, we all benefit from mindful practices.

So, without further ado, here are some mindful practices for Libra season (and beyond), for your consideration.

Daily card draw

I didn't draw a daily card for the entirety of the Summer months. It wasn't planned. It just happened that way.

That all changed on Sunday, the first full day of Autumn and Libra season. I got out of bed and could feel the magnetic call to draw a card and journal its message. I did that, and it felt delicious.

Starting my day that way is like issuing an invitation to the mindfulness fairies. They gather - oh, how they gather - and they sprinkle their mindfulness dust and then the magic truly begins.

Entering into a state of mindfulness this way truly opens the pathways of inspiration, intuition and universal support. Whatever your divination deck of choice may be, consider the benefits of this daily practice for yourself and for your life as a whole.

The question I hold when I draw is, "What will be of benefit for me to know today?"

What would your question be?

Journaling

This is another practice that slipped apart from my every day. Guess what happens, though, when you draw a card for the day and you journal its message... You're journaling. And if you're anything like me, once you start journaling, the flood gates open.

Yesterday, I filled five pages in my journal over the course of the day. That was unexpected, to say the least.

The thing about journaling is, it offers an opportunity to put to paper - or screen - what's lumbering or buzzing around in our heads and hearts so we can either heal it, or send it on its way, or create more of it. There's a magical sort of clarity to be found through filling blank pages with our own words, and viewing our train of thought or our heart's voice in that tangible way.

I'm considering how I might take my journaling to the screen, because it will save on paper usage and therefore on waste. Insert a wee sigh here, only because I so very much love empty lined notebooks, begging to be filled, and the colorful pens filled with ink to do the filling.

It's more important to me, though, to be environmentally conscious and active. I welcome any opportunity to reduce the waste I produce. Every little bit helps our beautiful planet Earth.

Does your journaling need a restart or a renewal? It's a beautiful time to do that.

Listening

Mindful listening is deep listening - the sort taught in life-coach training. It's listening taken to a more multifaceted level.

Through mindful listening - deep listening - what the ears hear is only the beginning. This practice draws upon all the other senses to intuit more than is said through the spoken word.

It's through mindful listening that we learn the how behind the what, the when behind the why, etc. We find that deep listening equals deeper conversation, because we're diving far below the surface of the words to behold the emotions, the patterns, the energy of it.

I find it easiest to practice mindful listening with my eyes closed, because it shuts out all the peripheral "noise" my eyes might pick up. Easiest doesn't equal best, though, because I miss cues and clues my eyes might otherwise pick up if they're equally at attention.

How might mindful listening support your relationships and you?

Meditating (also listening?)

Meditating... We're all meant to be doing it. Right? I mean, it's scientifically proven to be hugely beneficial. (Ha! It's 3:11 as I'm writing this. Talk about mindfulness. 😉) 

I confess to being less than superlative - or even mediocre - at meditating. I understand its benefits and have received its benefits when I've managed to stick to it for several days in a row. Something always seems to get in the way, though, whether it's my own mind, busyness, or a clear lack of commitment.

What's intriguing about meditating is how much it supports tuning in to everything around us. We're likely to hear (deep-listening style) what's happening both within ourselves and also without ourselves; above and below and within and without.

In a meditative state - even if it's a mere five minutes with focused intent - I can download a whole lot from the ethers, my guides, angels, etc. That alone would be enough incentive for a lot of people. Would that I was one of them. There's my challenge for myself, this Libra season.

Do you meditate? Do you want to? What are - or what might be - the benefits for you personally?

Observing (also meditating?)

Observing is a state of being. When we're really observing, it's our exclusive focus. We use our eyes to see past the surface of it all and observe what underscores it; what orchestrates it; what engineers it.

Observing, by its very nature, is a meditation, because we slip into a state of quietude and alignment that permits us to see beyond the seen and hear beyond the heard and feel beyond the felt. It's another way of using our intuition; a fantastic intuitive exercise, in fact.

When we observe, we engage with the entirety of the whole - the whole being the universe, which includes Earth and all who call her home. The engagement is powerful and rich with a soundless dialogue that feels like a sort of celestial dance. It's fluid and flowing and enchanting. Beautiful. Open.

The simple act of sitting on a porch or a deck chair without any distraction, observing the immediate surroundings, can give us myriad insights into what's happening around us, and what our part is in it. Magical. Provoking. Mysterious.

How might mindful observing support you in Libra season, and beyond?

What other forms of mindfulness might you practice during this season?