Meditation

[Odin]

I thought* I would start a thread for those needing some direction on Meditation. Some time ago I was reading some work by* Wiccan author Raymond Buckland in his book titled
" The Big Book "

In one of the chapters he explains the no one really knows how to meditate that they skip the basics and get right to the practice and miss out on the whole experience.

In the chapter Mr Buckland suggests not to meditate on a full stomach but not really be fasting but before you begin too have a glass of water to get the energy flowing, the electricity in the body flowing, get in a comfortable position with minimal restrictions to the body what ever that may be sitting in a chair, or lying on the floor and begin relaxing the feet, wiggle the the toes, moving up the legs to the calves focusing on relaxing the calves moving up to each part of the body. Release all the tension in the shoulders moving down the arms relaxing the arms hands and fingers, bring the attention to the neck and relax the neck and the head

The next process has to do with cleansing the body of air, stale air.


Take a couple of deep breaths in through the nose and exhale completely through the mouth for three times push the air completely from the diaphragm.

This part is one part and works both the right and left side of the nostrils and you can use the thumb and the middle finger for this.

What ever hand you use place a finger closing off one of the nostrils inhale through the nostril that is open fully filling the diaphragm first and then filling the upper chest, close the now open nostril by placing the finger on it and exhale completely through the now open nostril.

Now with the nostril you just exhale through inhale as done before, again filling the diaphragm and then the lungs.


Do each side three times alternating each side


Place your hands at your sides or on your lap in a relaxed position now inhale through both nostrils filling the diaphragm and then the lungs and forcefully blow the air forcefully out of the lungs and diaphragm again for three times and settle in for the meditation

As you begin your meditation you might feel a buzzing sensation this is normal

After this begin your meditation for about 15 to 20 minutes your body might need to get used to the sensations, after a week or so you may want to increase the time you meditate, after some time this will be done in a snap as is this a ritual in it's self.

[Topher]

I have noisy neighbors that play their stereo whenever I decide to meditate, so I bought a CD of rainy day sounds and play it on my headphones . It's great white noise that cancels outside distractions and makes it easier to focus on your technique. After enough practice I was able to get into a good meditative state without the CD.

[Lady Dunsany]

I have noisy neighbors that play their stereo whenever I decide to meditate, so I bought a CD of rainy day sounds and play it on my headphones . It's great white noise that cancels outside distractions and makes it easier to focus on your technique. After enough practice I was able to get into a good meditative state without the CD.

That is the best way. When I complained to my teacher about all the distractions and all, he just said you better learn how to meditate when the world is crashing down, and not falter. I did and now if the house falls apart I will still be there meditating away. CD's are good and you were astute to know when to let go as they can end up being a crutch.

[Odin]

when I begin to practice a new ritual one of the things that I do is use a micro cassette recorder speak the piece, till I can speak the evocation, invocation along with the tape
and do it on my own,

when learning new new symbols, I put them on paper all over the wall so I can see what the symbol is and if need be put the symbol in the associated with a direction

for the elements I use the associated color for each element, yellow air kind of hard to see but know what it is.

hey thanks for the input Topher

[Skeptismo118]

Rodney Orpheus' _ABRAHADABRA_ is an excellent introductory resource of magicians interested in mediation.

See

Abrahadabra: Understanding Aleister ... - Google Book Search (http://books.google.com/books?id=87yNgPJaBscC&printsec=frontcover&dq=ABRAHADABRA#PPA15,M1)

for a preview.

[zoomare]

It seems to me Odin, that you described the process of preparing for meditation, but neglected to describe that process after that point. What is meditation to you?

[Odin]

After the point of preparation to me is the building and raising the energies connecting to a power higher than myself

As this was told to me by one of my teachers Mahasaraphong ( probably spelled his name wrong )

And just quieting the body as well as the mind as I do this facilitating the energies that are built aids in the healing certain aspects of the physical others might do this through the use of Chanting vibrating certain verses

That I just one aspect

[Royal Heart]

In one of the chapters he explains the no one really knows how to meditate that they skip the basics and get right to the practice and miss out on the whole experience.
I know some monks who would like to speak with Mr. Buckland. :)

The rest of the meditation seems fine, although I wouldn't recommend lying on the floor as that makes it difficult to deal with saliva and that position signals to the brain that it's time to sleep. Sitting upright is usually the best. With the chin slightly tucked, tongue on the roof of your mouth, lips ever so slightly parted, sitting tall but not rigid. Focusing on the sensation of the breathe entering or leaving your body. Eyes open and looking down at the floor about four feet in front of you. Again, closed eyes tend to signal to the body that it's time for sleep, and we don't want to sleep we want to become even more alert.

[Odin]

Hey thanks for adding and I think Ray Buckland would like to speak to some of those monks need to figure how to get the smile face in the right place Wink

[Johanna]

It is good suggestion to make sure you fully exhale, not just to prepare for meditation but occasionally as you go about your daily routine. Blow all the stale air out a runner's trick for when you get out of breath from exertion, so when you're huffing and puffing not taking in fresh air on top of stale.

[Lady Dunsany]

It is good suggestion to make sure you fully exhale, not just to prepare for meditation but occasionally as you go about your daily routine. Blow all the stale air out a runner's trick for when you get out of breath from exertion, so when you're huffing and puffing not taking in fresh air on top of stale.
This is the best advice and yes leave the bellows breath to ones who are a little advanced.

[Odin]

It is good suggestion to make sure you fully exhale, not just to prepare for meditation but occasionally as you go about your daily routine. Blow all the stale air out a runner's trick for when you get out of breath from exertion, so when you're huffing and puffing not taking in fresh air on top of stale.

yeh I have been doing that along with stretching the back putting the hands on the top of the door frame and flexing the back lot of crunching and cracking

[Lady Dunsany]

In the shower is also good when the hot water hits do the stretch against the frame.

[Lady Dunsany]

Meditation is sitting and listening instead of asking. In my case I can meditate with the world falling apart and not without many hits and misses.

[Royal Heart]

Meditation is not at all simply how you sit and what you do with your body. It's what you do with your mind, but your mind and your body are connected and so you want to put your body into a position where your mind doesn't have to mind it too much, but a position wherein the body isn't comprimising the mind's ability to focus.

[Odin]

But sometimes isn't the process of letting go of the body as well as letting go of the mind ?

[zoomare]

I may have quite a differentiated view of meditation compared to what some of you have described.

For me meditation is not the act of sitting for an hour a day, and concentrating on the breath, sensations in the body, or connecting to some higher power. Meditation is not about calming the mind! Yes, a calm, clear, and concentrated mind is neccesary for meditation, but those are not meditation themselves.

For me, meditation is a mental state of complete and undivided awareness. Awareness of what is going on inside and outside the body, and of psychic(thoughts/emotions) and physical(bodily pain/pleasure etc.) sensations. I believe only with this awareness can we as humans reach our full potential, and in order to achieve this we must first start by practicing on the breath, etc. But, the ultimate goal should not be limmited to the hour a day practice, but should continue into every waking and sleeping second.

The ramifications of this practice that leads to awareness are manifold. Only with this increased consciousness can we even begin to comprehend the world in which we live in. Not only do we gain insight into our humanity, and our potential as living beings, but we begin to uncover the orgins of suffering in our lifetime, the end of which is the ultimate achievement, in my opinion.

So, concentration on the breath, and increasing of energy is not the end, but the beginning! Only then does actual meditation start.

[Lady Dunsany]

This is true. I am one that does not mediate for an hour or more. I must do my mediation before my GD rituals. I do my Alchemical meditations for another purpose. Meditating can be done by sitting quietly, taking a walk in the woods, working with the GD cards, etc. Too much is made on the word meditation. It can mean all things and no thing.

[Johanna]

Technically, it's about brain wave changes, lots of ways to induce this and I don't remember the terminology, but when you're successful with meditation your brain wave pattern changes. Since it's a shift from linear verbal thinking hard to use words to say what it, it is a state of awareness and it is more than techniques.

[Odin]

no need to know how to induce the changes in the brain waves that i happens naturally with practice.

There are many different disciplines of meditation that one can choose from.

At any give point one can change from one discipline to another

Quoting Zoomare The ramifications of this practice that leads to awareness are manifold. Only with this increased consciousness can we even begin to comprehend the world in which we live in. Not only do we gain insight into our humanity, and our potential as living beings, but we begin to uncover the orgins of suffering in our lifetime, the end of which is the ultimate achievement, in my opinion.

this is what the ultimate goal is

[Royal Heart]

Well the purpose of focusing on the breath is to heighten awareness. You're focusing your mind, getting it to focus on something very simple. When we do this, we see how distracted our minds are - it begins to bubble with all kinds of extraneous thoughts and feelings. This, too, is an awareness practice. We become aware of just how chattery our mind is.

De-stressing is a side-effect of this process but is not the goal.

[Lady Dunsany]

Chatty is not the word. Even to this day at times my mind runs away with me. I learned to tell it stop every time it would wander. I found a good exercise is to picture me at a starting point and follow it down to the end. I wanted to also add ,meditation is wonderful to calm the mind and help you sleep. If I am restless I do my calm the mind meditation. I usually fall asleep within fifteen minutes.

[Johanna]

I find awareness watching awareness is helpful in quieting the mind- instead of watching thoughts or trying to still the mind, go into the place beyond thoughts, where do they come from? same thing with breath- instead of watching breath go to the origin of breath- where does it come from?

[Lady Dunsany]

I find awareness watching awareness is helpful in quieting the mind- instead of watching thoughts or trying to still the mind, go into the place beyond thoughts, where do they come from? same thing with breath- instead of watching breath go to the origin of breath- where does it come from?

Makes a lot of sense.

[Odin]

I don't suffer from migraines but can sympathise with the pain you say that at times meditation has helped some what try a different positioning on a bed with pillows as props at the back this might relieve some of the pressure on the head and possibly under the knees to relieve the pressure to get comfortable don't focus on anything say allowed or to yourself
1,2,3, RELAX know that you will relax this last part can be used for getting to sleep 1,2,3, Sleep the phrase might be needed to say more than once


just try to relax breathing that feels comfortable for you

if you use the technique of inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth

continue, or the breathing technique of inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the nose do that as some people put the tongue against the roof of the mouth you might need to change

this positioning and the breathing technique is used in some astral traveling techniques

hope it helps

[Malfurion]

Normally when I meditate, I use it to empower myself (chakra,aura work), and to quieten the mind. I also explore differet states of the mind.