— And What a Journey It Was! —
By Viktoriya Starr
I have wanted to write this article for many years, but until now, I never felt I had enough to say.
Today, I do.
I am becoming a meditation teacher. Looking back, I realize that this journey actually began when I was very young.
The Questions That Started It All
Growing up in the Soviet Union in the 1990s, I became fascinated by people who seemed to know something about the world that I didn’t understand.
I remember watching Anatoly Kashpirovsky, the famous hypnotist, and thinking, How does this even work?
Then there was Juna. She fascinated me in a different way. She healed people using what she described as her energy, and I was captivated by her kindness, calmness, and quiet strength. She had a kind of power that didn’t need to be loud. People were simply drawn to her.
I remember thinking, This is who I want to be.
And then there was Allan Chumak, who became famous for charging water during his television sessions. I remember watching him and thinking, How do you even do that?
I didn’t understand how any of it worked.
But I wanted to know.
And those questions never really left me.
From Reiki to Meditation
After coming to the United States, my search continued.
I became interested in Reiki and Healing Touch. Reiki seemed so gentle and beautiful that I immediately thought, This is what I want to do.
Because I was a nurse, I was also drawn to Healing Touch. It was more structured, and it was something I could integrate with what I already knew about the body.
But after learning it, something still felt missing.
Then I discovered meditation.
And suddenly, I understood what had been missing.
Learning to Meditate
I had always imagined meditation as something complicated — something that required enormous discipline and years of preparation.
Instead, I learned that preparation can begin with the body.
One technique I use is based on autogenic training, developed by Dr. Johannes Schultz. Through concentration and repetition, you teach your body to relax.
You tell yourself that your arm is warm, and eventually you feel that warmth.
You tell yourself that it is heavy, and eventually it feels heavy.
Once the body relaxes, we can begin working with the mind.
That was another revelation for me: the mind can be trained too.
We don’t have to believe every thought that appears in our heads. We can learn to choose where we place our attention.
But there is another stage beyond that.
I call it Spiritual Practice.
I Had to Learn the Hard Way
When I first joined a meditation group, I was a complete beginner, but I wanted to do everything perfectly.
I worried so much about making a mistake that it actually interfered with my meditation. My perfectionism was getting in the way.
It took me years to understand that meditation isn’t about performing perfectly.
You have to let yourself experience it.
Eventually, my teachers asked me to lead the group.
I was terrified because I had always been afraid of speaking in front of people.
But I did it.
And afterward, I realized I can do this.
At one point, I experienced something so powerful and unfamiliar that I didn’t know how to describe it.
It continued for hours, even days.
I felt as though I was flying, then diving, and finally bathing in an Ocean of Love.
The sensations were intense, beautiful, and completely unfamiliar to me.
My teachers explained that this was part of Spiritual Practice. I was spontaneously immersed in a dynamic Lotus meditation.
Then I felt a Lotus flower in the area of my diaphragm, glowing as though it were made of fire. Its petals looked like tongues of flame, trembling and dancing with the rhythm of my breath.
It was incredibly beautiful.
The Guiding Light
For me, the Lotus is not just a flower mentioned in religious texts.
It has become a Guiding Light in my own Spiritual Experience — something I practice, feel, and live.
The Silver Thread
One of the most important concepts in my Spiritual Practice is the Silver Thread.
I see it as the connection between the Soul and the personality — the individual self we are in this lifetime, the part that chooses between good and evil.
The Soul, as I understand it, is a portal that connects us to the Spiritual world, the world of God.
I think of the Silver Thread as a channel.
When it feels constricted, we may feel disconnected, empty, or anxious.
I chose abstinence from alcohol and other substances because I didn’t want anything interfering with the state of consciousness I was trying to develop.
I discovered that I didn’t need them.
Spiritual Practice gave me experiences that were far more profound.
Why I Want to Teach
I’ve had many challenges in my life, and I learned that things could have been so much easier if I had had the tools and knowledge I have now.
This is why I want to give as much as I can to others.
I used to think meditation was unattainable.
Now I understand that it is simple, although it can seem difficult at first.
It is a paradox — simple and complex at the same time.
But when you follow certain steps, it becomes surprisingly easy.
First, you teach your body to become quiet.
Then you learn to work with your mind.
And for those who choose to go further, there is the possibility of exploring what lies beyond both.
The Journey Continues
Yes, I struggled and made many mistakes.
And I still have a long way to go.
Learning and Spiritual Growth never end.
I am still being guided, still learning, still discovering.
But I have found my Spiritual Path.
And if I could find my way, you can too.
Viktoriya Starr is a former cardiology nurse and Certified Healing Touch Practitioner with over 20 years of experience. She is now a certified meditation teacher in the Eastern tradition, with a background in Dr. Johannes Schultz’s autogenic training.
