To anyone out there with a calling to create meditations for your communities: today I’m sharing a Youtube video with a walkthrough of my entire process for creating meditations every week for 25k monthly listeners.

I know for a fact that many of you out there want to share more of your spiritual side with the world. I think this is so awesome.

Story time:

In the midst of the pandemic 3 years ago, I made my first meditation. I had zero training or background in this. My imposter syndrome was having a field day, to say the least.

I kept asking myself, “Who am I to guide a meditation? Who am I to build a community?! What business does a photographer have with any of this?”

It was intimidating, but I made it through.

Fast forward three years: every month 25,000 people meditate with me on Insight Timer and YouTube. I receive over 2,200 reviews every month, with an average rating of 4.85 out of 5 on Insight Timer. This blows my mind.

And every Friday 70 to 90 people join me on Zoom to meditate and journal as a community at www.ArtistMorning.com.

I have also started generating decent money from the meditations. I never expected this and it keeps growing, which is such a nice bonus.

This unexpected spiritual “side hustle” has become one of the greatest sources of joy in my life.

I am sharing this story with the intention of inspiring one of you out there. And today’s video is for anyone on the fence or unsure if they’re ready to dive into their own spiritual self-expression.

If this is you, take a look at today’s walkthrough of my creative process. Hopefully there are a few tips you can use for your own process in this video. Full length YouTube video is now live.

LINK IN MY BIO —> @dariusbashar

Big love,

D

PS: When I use the word “spiritual” I do not necessarily mean religious affiliation. It can be connected to religion, but I am referring to spiritual in a much broader sense.

For me, spiritual can refer to any practice or belief that acknowledges that we are more than humans. That there is something beyond us that is guiding, inspiring and supporting our lives.

You can call that God, Spirit, Soul, Universe or many other names.

The specific words we use are not very important for me. What DOES matter to me is that each of us gets an opportunity to explore our spirituality in our own way.

Want to have some fun this week? Instead of asking people, “How are you?” try asking them, “What’s the most interesting thing happening in your life right now?”

Don’t compare yourself to their answers or judge what they say. Instead stay open and curious.

When I think about this question, I imagine that my soul is an actor and he’s playing a role called Darius. I believe that my soul came to Earth to play this role because he wanted a thrill and to explore the richness of the human experience, including all of the emotions and even the hardships. My soul is having a blast with this art project.

When I sometimes get lost in the details or forget that this experience was supposed to be fun, I lose perspective which can quickly lead to me feeling lost and alone. My soul loves the thrill of this “method acting” and enjoys being fully immersed in the character.

So what’s the most interesting thing happening in my life right now?

I am dating someone new.

This person has a powerful way of reflecting her perspective back to me. She witnesses me. Her approach is so gentle but also so penetrating. Maybe it’s her tone. Her frequency. Her eyes. Who knows?

She’s shown me things about who I am that I’ve heard before from others, but there is something about the way she reflects that breaks through all my doubt and imposter syndrome. Her reflections wake me up to who I am and who I have always been.

She’s reminded me that this character called Darius believes in the power of truth and vulnerability. He knows that going deep and being honest—even when it’s scary—brings him closer to love and connection. It’s also challenging for him to open his heart up to others and it takes a lot for him to show up and speak his truth. This experience is an emotional rollercoaster ride, both thrilling and exciting.

It feels vulnerable sharing this with all of you, but that’s the most interesting thing happening in the life of this character called Darius.

So, my question to you is this: what’s the most interesting thing happening in the life of the character your soul is playing right now?

Big love,

D

If you are feeling stuck.

If you are feeling trapped.

If you are losing hope.

If you feel like the walls are crashing in.

If you feel like it’s all slipping away through your hands.

There is a good chance you are zooming too far into a particular experience.

When we zoom that far in we can quickly lose perspective of who we really are.

Each of us gets the privilege of defining who we truly are (and what that even means).

But if we don’t actively define ourselves, the world will quickly jump in to fill the gap. And usually that’s not a good thing.

This world uses numbers to measure our worth: the money in our accounts, the amount of friends we have, the number of lovers we have, our height, our age, our clothing size—

—fuck that noise.

No number could ever measure your worth.

If you would like some support zooming out and remembering who you really are, I made this guided meditation on that exact theme.

It was a big hit during our Friday Artist Morning Live session a few weeks back.

Here’s the link —> “Support for Anxious Days - Zooming Out Meditation”

My dear friend Sal Talon is one of my greatest collaborators and someone I not-so-secretly call a “secret weapon.” She shared a powerful life lesson with me yesterday during our photoshoot.

I have not been able to stop thinking about this incredibly powerful lesson. So today I recorded a short podcast for all of you to share this lesson Sal gifted me.

To anyone who feels stuck, or feels as if there are important things you need to do and dreams you want to bring to life but you can’t seem to find the energy to do them… this lesson might just be the missing piece.

There is a much easier path available.

Listen to my podcast here —> DAY 71

This lesson can help all of us prevent burnout and also bring more joy into our lives.

Without Sal I’d be a very different artist and human.

Thank you Sal for broadening my perspective, for helping me believe in myself, and for supporting my journey as an artist. You’re one in a billion.

Love,

D

PS: Sal’s also an amazing singer and songwriter. Here’s a link to some of her music.