Meditation Facilitation Skill
Interactive knowledge consolidation. Dream is the MRI; meditation is the surgery.
Meditation vs Dream
| Dimension | Dream (Automated) | Meditation (Interactive) |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Command / schedule | User says "meditate" |
| Depth | Structural validation | Semantic understanding |
| Output | Health metrics JSON | Enriched memory files |
| Analogy | X-ray machine | Surgeon with the X-ray |
| Decision-making | None (report only) | Yes (create, update, prune) |
Session Types and When to Use Each
| Type | Duration | Trigger Signal | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Reflect | 5-10 min | End of coding session | Session record in episodic/ |
| Topic Deep-Dive | 15-30 min | "I learned something important" | Updated SKILL.md or new insight |
| Full Meditation | 30-60 min | End of sprint/feature | Memory file updates + synthesis |
| Self-Actualization | 45-90 min | Monthly or architecture change | Comprehensive assessment report |
The 4 R's — Expanded
Review — What happened this session?
- •List concrete actions taken (files created, bugs fixed, features added)
- •Identify surprising discoveries or unexpected connections
- •Note what was harder or easier than expected and why
- •Quality check: If the review is all "I did X, Y, Z" with no reflection, it's too shallow
Relate — How does this connect to existing knowledge?
- •Which existing skills/instructions does this session's work touch?
- •Are there cross-project patterns? (→ global knowledge candidate)
- •Did this session reveal a gap in the architecture?
- •Quality check: At least one connection identified, or explicitly note "isolated learning"
Reinforce — What's worth remembering long-term?
Filter aggressively. Not everything is worth persisting:
| Signal | Worth Remembering? | Store Where |
|---|---|---|
| "I'll forget this by next week" | Yes | SKILL.md or .instructions.md |
| "This was non-obvious" | Yes | Global insight (GI-*) |
| "I keep rediscovering this" | Definitely | .instructions.md (procedural) |
| "This was specific to today" | No | Session record only |
| "Everyone knows this" | No | Don't store |
Record — Persist the right things in the right places
| Learning Type | Location | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Repeatable process | .instructions.md | Step-by-step procedure |
| Interactive workflow | .prompt.md | Guided conversation template |
| Domain expertise | skills/*/SKILL.md | Reference knowledge |
| Cross-project pattern | global-knowledge/patterns/ | GK-* pattern |
| Timestamped observation | global-knowledge/insights/ | GI-* insight |
| Session narrative | .github/episodic/ | Dated session record |
Facilitation Techniques
Socratic Probing
Don't just list what happened — ask why it matters:
- •"What would you do differently next time?"
- •"Is this a one-time fix or a recurring pattern?"
- •"If you saw this in another project, would you recognize it?"
Diminishing Returns Detection
| Signal | Action |
|---|---|
| Repeating the same insight in different words | Move on |
| No new connections after 3 attempts | Close this topic |
| User energy dropping | Wrap up with quick record |
| Tangent detected | Bookmark for separate session |
Depth Calibration
- •Too shallow: "I learned about testing" → probe for specifics
- •Right depth: "Property-based testing caught an edge case our unit tests missed because..."
- •Too deep: 30 minutes on one function's implementation → zoom out to pattern level
Session Record Template
Store in .github/episodic/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md:
markdown
# Meditation: [Topic] **Date**: YYYY-MM-DD **Type**: Quick Reflect | Deep-Dive | Full | Self-Actualization **Duration**: X minutes ## Focus What this session was about. ## Key Learnings - Learning 1 (→ stored in [location]) - Learning 2 (→ connected to [skill/instruction]) ## Updates Made - File X: added/updated Y - Synapse: connected A → B ## Open Questions - What still needs investigation?
Synapses
See synapses.json for connections.