Stoic Visualization Exercise - Premeditatio Malorum

With this guided meditation, you prepare to meet unexpected losses with mental clarity, courage, and personal elegance. No matter what life will take from you, you'll be ready to face it (and have the last word). You will use the ancient stoic technique "Premeditatio Malorum" to cultivate an appreciation of what you have in your life and be ready to let it go if needed (with a genuine smile on your face). Use it with caution if you have a history of depression or strong anxiety.

Transcript

Find a comfortable seat and close your eyes and take some deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.

And come back to breathing through the nose,

Your body knows how to breathe naturally,

You don't have anything to do.

And let go of any tension,

Maybe in the face,

In the shoulders,

The arms,

The belly,

The legs.

And let's get ready for the day.

So visualize your morning and what are the things you want to do and what setbacks may appear today in this morning.

Take time to visualize not just the setback,

The problems,

But also how you will face them.

And imagine doing so almost as though you're facing a test from the stoic gods.

You want to keep your elegance,

Your clarity,

A smile on your face,

This is a test.

And you're being tested because the stoic gods want you to be strong,

To have virtue.

They,

In a certain way,

Love you.

Use this psychological trick to imagine how you may face problems that may arise this morning.

And gently move with your visualization to the second part of the day,

After lunch,

In the afternoon.

And what are the things that may happen that might prevent you from doing the things you want to do,

You plan to do?

And visualize how,

Again,

This is just a test.

And you can face it with a smile on your face,

With elegance,

Calm.

And now visualize your evening,

The things you want to do,

Or you plan to do.

And the setbacks you might face,

Unexpected events.

What is likely to happen?

And visualize how you meet these problems with a smile on your face,

Elegance.

You are ready to be tested.

And in general now visualize what unexpected problems you might face,

What setbacks are likely to happen today.

And setbacks are natural,

It's normal to face them.

What's important is how you face them.

And remember,

Destiny,

Life,

You don't have control over it.

Life has control over the events around you.

But Lady Fortuna doesn't have control over your reaction,

Over your behavior.

You have the last word.

You can decide to face problems,

Unexpected events,

Randomness,

With elegance,

With personal elegance,

A smile on your face.

It's within your power to do so.

And that's freedom and courage.

It's being truly human.

Wish you good luck for the rest of your day.

Reviews

My takeaway: being tested by the stoic gods but I can maintain control of my reaction. This is one of my fav listens on IT that I return to. :) KEY: 5*Insightful 4*Interesting 3*Okay 2*Not For Me 1*Irritating

🙏great idea. I wil try this.

Thank you for this thoughtful meditation. It helped to silence the chatter of my control-seeking mind. Today, I aspire to bring personal elegance to every situation I encounter.