METHODS OF MEDITATION

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METHODS

OF MEDITATION

We must learn to meditate just as we learn to walk or talk or to

develop any physical attribute. We must direct our consciousness through

desire, controlled by will. Sit or lie in an easy position, without binding

garments about the body. Keep the spine as erect as possible. Inhale slowly to

the count of six, hold the breath for a count of six, and exhale to the count

of six. Repeat several times. Breathing is very important for getting into

meditation. The more you practice breath control the more you will be able to

work your way up to a higher count. Start your count at six and gradually work

your way up to the count of twenty. Inhale through the nostrils and exhale

through the mouth. Also, mantras and chants can be used for your personal

meditations but when you get into these areas it would be wise to be connected

to a teacher that knows the experiences which these techniques will bring you

because sometimes illumination comes with them.

EXPERIENCES

1. In meditation some individuals experience a vibratory sensation

which seems to move the body from side to side, or backward and forward. This

may become a circular motion within the body, bringing fullness and whirling

sensation in the head. Or a feeling of weightlessness.

2. Other individuals feel coolness upon the head and forehead.

3. Some sense a pulsation

in the lower part of the spine. This may come from nerve impulses flowing

through the body from the lower genitive centers to other gland centers which

control various activities of the physical body. Let us not force these, but so

conduct our minds and the activities of our bodies as to leave ourselves

channels for such expressions.

4. Others experience a vibration running up through the body and

ending in a sensation of fullness in the head. When we are able to raise within

ourselves vibrations that pass through the whole course of the attributes of

physical attunements to the disseminating center, or spiritual eye, then our

bodies become magnets that may, if properly used, bring healing to others, with

a laying on of hands.

5. A sensation to the eyes is indicative of a healing vibration.

Healing of every sort must come first in self before it can be raised in

another.

6. A voice speaking to an individual is a manifestation of an

awakening within self of the abilities to associate, connect and communicate with

those influences from without self. Then, as given of old, if there will be

held and magnified within the consciousness of self the desire for that voice,

that Presence, which would aid in bringing the various consciousness to self,

the experiences will be from the universal influences from His messenger.

Magnify this in self and for self.

7. Then finally, there is the passing into the presence of that

which may materialize in voice, feeling, sight and a consciousness of oneness

with the whole.

8. You may feel circulation problems in the body in the beginning

stages of meditation. You will have to be patient and work through them. Also,

your mind's eye is likely to open and you will see things with your physical

eyes opened or closed. A lot of people experience this in kundalini yoga and

other yoga practices. The main thing is there is nothing to fear but fear

itself.

MEDITATION AND HEALING

Meditation is the safest and surest way to understand ourselves.

It is the key to the door which is closed to the real world for most of us. Let

us study and know ourselves. Our approaches and results may differ, but the

same understanding, the same point of consciousness, and the same state of

awareness are the ultimate goals.

Two attitudes are essential:

1. A strong desire to seek truth.

2. A constant, consistent effort to move forward.

You must be continuous and regular in meditation. Broken periods

of meditation will accomplish little. Be active in holding the ideal, and be

regular in awakening the inner self. In the end, the reward is well worth the

effort expended. Most of us waste hours each day when just a few moments spent

in daily search within would bring more peace and joy, and more true happiness,

than any physical activity. Then, let us first seek the kingdom of heaven.

Where is the kingdom of heaven? It is within. There are spiritual centers in

our bodies which are points of physical contact between the physical organism

and the soul. These connections are just as real as the nerve centers and fibers

which carry impulses from one of the sense organs to the brain. There is a hold

that one day must be broken, and a cord that one day must be severed from the

physical body of each individual. The ultimate goal of each soul's searching is

a greater awareness of God. Through meditation we may increase this awareness

in daily life and prepare the way for the change called death to bring us

another step forward toward the goal.

THE MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL

BODIES

Our mental and spiritual bodies build our individualities. This

process of building has been going on for ages. The great factors of heredity,

environment, karma, thought vibration and the action of universal law in the

planes beyond the physical all have their influences, just as the desires and vibrations

of the physical organs attract and build the composition of the physical body.

We are the results not only of the development of the race before us but also

of our individual development that has been going on since our creation as

individual souls. We are the sum total of all our experiences in every state of

consciousness.

THE AWAKENING OF SELF

Our physical, mental and spiritual bodies are but shadows of the

Triune. The body-physical is as man. The body-soul is made in the image of the

Creator and made to be a companion in spirit. The physical body is the house,

the home of the soul, during a sojourn in the material world. What we do with

the opportunities that are presented in our various experiences is giving

expression to those powers that are lent to our souls and our bodies in their

passage through the earth.

BREATHING

You should wait at least two hours after eating before entering

meditation. Breathing exercises should be done in a relaxed position before entering

meditation. You should always inhale through the nose and exhale through the

mouth. When you inhale concentrate on bringing in the positive; when you exhale

concentrate on releasing all negativity from the body. Positive prana equals

breath. Twenty-six light breaths a minute and you should be unable to feel

pain. It drives the ego slightly out of the body. If you breathe more slowly

you can control emotions. Ten to twelve breaths a minute slow down metabolism.

Helps nerves, temper and irritability. That is why they say "when you get

mad count to ten." Ten deep slow breaths a minute can clear the brain and

prepare it for work. Three deep slow breaths a minute can stir the psychic. One

deep slow breath per minute is what the yogi’s use in meditation. Meditation is

the most important thing in growth and development. It brings order out of

disorder, light out of darkness. Just like truth dissolves opinion. To truly be

good at this, you must be devoted. To assist your devotion, you must create a

pattern. We eat three times a day. That is a pattern. If you meditate

consistently for 40 days you will create a habit and that is when you really

begin to progress and from that comes devotion.