Tantric energy knows no time or space. This is more than just a poetic saying or a philosophical idea. Deep in meditation, called Tantric ecstasy, our spirit can cross the time space barrier and take us forward or back on our timeline. While we aren’t stepping into Mr. Peabody’s Way Back Machine literally, we are entering a mysterious spiritual space where days gone by can seem more vivid and in richer detail than we normally remember. 

Aside from the obvious pleasure of soaking in the juicy, delicious emotions evoked by good memories, especially childhood memories, in Tantra this time travel technique can be put to good use. Consider for a moment that as a child, you pretty much did as you pleased. You played with the toys you liked. You engaged in rich fantasy games, or got lost in a team sport, or dreamed of teleporting onto Alpha Centauri with the Robinson family on Lost in Space. You allowed yourself to become engrossed in a pleasure specific to you, and think back for a moment to where that took you: heaven on earth. 

People have such ferocity around their childhood heaven-on-earth, they are willing to pay big bucks for otherwise cheap vintage toys that evoke those tantalizing memories. Baseball cards, Superman comic books, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, tiny tea sets, teddy bears–remember them from days of yore? They are hot collectors’ items today.

As children we have no pretense about what we love, we just love it, and our love belies an important truth we often forget as adults.

Forgetting this truth creates all sorts of drifting and ungroundedness and confusion and pain. Forgetting causes us to study law because it’s practical when what you really wanted was to drive a semi. Forgetting makes us date someone with physical beauty because she makes a good impression rather than the fun gal you really like being with. What is this magical thing kids know that we lose as adults? It’s really simple: Who We Really Are. 

In the next two weeks we are focusing on time traveling meditation to bring up these childhood memories, to remember what brought us joy, to remember why we loved our toys and games so much. Going back in time, we can scoop up what’s important and bring it into our present for an enriching change.

I’ll give you an example. When I was about 11, I remember visiting my grandmother during summer vacation. I loved playing house with a life-size doll called Jacqueline that used to belong to my mother. I dressed Jacqueline in the morning and put her to bed each night, loving the routine, loving knowing Jacqueline was old and needed to be played with gently, loving knowing my Nana was in the kitchen creating aromas of honey ham and scalloped potatoes. I loved feeling safe and orderly and well-cared for. I loved pouring out motherly energy. When I visited this memory in Tantric meditation, I brought some gems back to the present: it’s important to me to feel cared for, and I need to ask for it more often from the people who love me. It’s important for me to take the art of mothering to heart, to value the way I care for my kids and appreciate myself for it.

I’d lost sight of these important parts of my authentic Leah, and remembering them while in the heightened awareness of Tantric meditation has helped me ground into what’s important to me. Today, I asked for help moving some heavy furniture instead of “just doing it myself.” It felt amazing to make that change! (And my handsome helper got a snogging out of it). This week I invested time into home-baked cookies, took time to hug each of my kids and look them in the eye every day, and traded work hours for watching cartoons with my boys. We are closer at heart for it. Knowing Who I Am and acting from is helps me love and be loved more deeply than I could ever imagine.

In Tantric time travel to the past, we remember in vivid detail the most important thing we can ever know: Who We Really Are. If we’re brave enough to listen and bring the forgotten truth to the present, we create our heaven on earth.

What toys or fantasy games did you adore as a kid? Take a moment and remember, and tell me about your heaven on earth, below.