A Stoics Meditation of Evils
The ancient Stoics had a practice, called Premeditatio Malorum. This Latin term translates to “Premeditation of Evils”. It is a practice of imagining all that could go wrong. It is a practice of thinking of all the negative, unfavorable, hurtful, challenging, and not so great circumstances that could happen depending on your choice of action or decisions made. It is an idea of preparation, of always being ready for the shit to hit the fan and life to turn difficult. It is a practice of protection.
The idea of this seems to make sense at first glance. But upon further examination, this theory begins to implode real quick. It is outdated and holds an evil energy of manifesting your future.
Let me explain why…
In the simplest of terms, what we think is how our body responds by way of what chemicals (neurotransmitters, hormones, etc) will be released in order to create the felt sense of what the internal cognitions, thoughts and storyline are. This is fact! In today's age, we know this to be scientifically proven and we can no longer debate this exchange of cognitions to body sensations, feelings and emotions. In the time of Buddha, “what you think is what you become” was based on intuitive wisdom, today it is based on scientific fact.
The power of imagination can either make you or break you. The energy, tone and mood of your imagination, inner narrator, story, beliefs all create the experience of how the body will respond. Once the body is energetically feeling what imagination is thinking, we are emitting a certain energetic charge or frequency out to the Universe. Law of Manifestation tells us that what we put out is what we receive back.
This is power people!!
So imagine, hanging out with visions of negativity, of all that will go wrong. This is creating an energetic frequency that transmits a certain reality out into the world of what you are calling back to you… why would you ever want to fuck with this?
This is a practice of PROTECTION. Of covering all your bases for preparation of possible situations that could harm you, harm your loved ones, threaten existence as you know it in the worst way. It is a practice of self protection and protection of others.
It is driven by the need to be prepared in order to be safe.
However, when we understand the alchemy of manifestation, we must spend more time with the positives than the negatives. More time using our imagination for creating what we desire to play out, not what we don’t. More time intentionally thinking of all that will go right, which then allows the body to feel the emotional experience of victory, success, hope, joy and true happiness.
Those that stay with negatives will experience negatives. Those that stay with positives will experience positives. There is no need to be naive about what could happen, but there is also no need to create the scenario as if it will happen. For every situation there is an opposite situation… The Law of Opposites teaches us this. For every good, there is a bad. It is already implied and in existence, it just is.
If I am learning to dive off a 20 foot diving board, I know there is a chance of losing control and belly flopping. However, in meditation I will only create the vision of diving a perfectly graceful dive that is as calculated and beautiful as an Emperor Penguin. No way would I waste my time envisioning the belly flop and the pain that would cause me, my body and to my ego! Of course it is a possibility, but I will only create the meditation of successfully and smoothly diving into the water below, which then allows my body to experience the joy and pride of such a feat.
I have great respect and adoration for Stoic wisdom and teachings. However, the practice of premeditatio malorum is one that I will not participate in. This theory was appropriate then, not now. You have the power to choose your reality and it comes from practices of intentionally telling yourself what it could be, would be, WILL BE! That deserves positive thinking. Use your imagination for all that is working and will work. The rest is implied, you can handle whatever arises as it arises because you are a badass with badass thoughts and badass actions based on those thoughts.
