Meditating

Meditation is actually a fairly simple activity that can sometimes be surrounded in mystery. It's not generally something that's hard to do, a beginner can generally do it first try. Meditation can also be a very rewarding activity when given a little practice. Here are some simple steps to help get you started.

Beginner Meditation

First, find a place where you can be quiet and securely alone for a period of time. It will be very hard to meditate at first if people will be passing by or asking you questions. You may be tempted to see how much time has passed, so take off your watch, and cover or turn away from any clocks you can see. Turn off alarms, disconnect the phone, turn off your cell and pager, etc. It is important that you not be disturbed with demands upon your attention. To this end, it may be a good idea to meditate before you go to bed, or especially after others have gone to sleep.

Next, find a comfortable position you can stay in for a period of time. Don't think you have to sit in a Yoga "lotus" position to be able to meditate: that is absolutely untrue, and will probably make meditating virtually impossible unless you are unusually flexible. Sit in a comfortable chair, or cross-legged on a bed, or sit with your back to a wall and your legs outstretched, or simply lie down. Wear comfortable clothes, and take care of all your personal needs before you begin.

Take a moment to relax. You are not going on some wild journey to the netherworld; you are simply going to meditate. Try not to expect too much; you're not going to wake up elsewhere or have catastrophic visions of the future. You are simply going to relax for a while.

Now, close your eyes, and breathe slowly, evenly. Concentrate on your breathing. Don't breathe so slow you deprive yourself of oxygen, simply slow your breathing a little and concentrate. Breathe in... 3 or 4 heartbeats... hold 2 or 3 heartbeats... breathe out 3 or 4 heartbeats... concentrate on nothing but your breathing. Feel the air flow into your lungs... the breath of life.. and flow out again to rejoin the world. Feel the beating of your heart, concentrate on it... feel your lifeblood pulsing through your body. Breathe in.. breathe out... If a thought or a worry surfaces in your mind, just push it away for now, and concentrate on the feeling of breath entering and leaving your body. Breathe low in your abdomen, feel your belly expanding, drawing air, then contracting, pushing air out, over and over.

Do this until you feel "done", then take a deep breath or two and open your eyes. Give yourself a moment for things to come back into focus. Congratulations, you've just meditated for the first time. :)

This is the basis for meditation: the ability to concentrate on a single action, idea, feeling, or concept. This is a learned skill that improves with practice, and can also help you improve other skills in your life. Studying, controlling temper, concentrating on a task, and many other skills are also improved by practicing the skill of meditation.

Object Meditation

Okay, so you've mastered the art of meditating on breathing. What now? Well, let's start by meditating on an object. Choose an object, perhaps something physical like an apple, or a picture in your mind, like a candle. Begin by doing the breathing meditation above; it will help get you into the right quiet space (I begin all my meditations with the breathing meditation). Now, picture your object, whether in your eyes, or in your mind. What is it's shape, what is it made of? Imagine you are touching it. Is it hard or soft, is it smooth or rough? What is it's temperature? In your mind, run your finger down the side. What does it feel like? Feel the texture on your finger. In your mind, hold it in your hands. Is it heavy or light? Does it shine, is it dark or light? Now look a little deeper, below the surface. What does it look like inside? What does it feel like? Feel the texture of it on your skin. Do you see colour? Now, expand a little.. what is its nature? What is its purpose? Is it happy? Does it like being what it is? Does it like doing what it does? Try to imagine you are the object. What do you feel? Do you think anything? Do you have emotion? Do you have knowledge? What do you know? Pull back now, and take a few deep breaths. Come back to yourself, and then open your eyes. Give yourself a moment.

This is more in-depth meditation in which you can learn about yourself and your surroundings, while also improving your meditation skills. In this exercise, you learned about an object, about your environment, and about your own interpretations. You incorporated both the sense of touch and the sense of sight into your meditation. You now have a new tool at your disposal which you can use to learn more about the world around you. Try this meditation with objects around you, and then try it with objects you may not have immediate access to. When you feel you are ready, start incorporating other senses into your meditations. Start with the sense of smell, then move to taste. Finally, try to incorporate sound into your meditations.

Skilled Meditation and Astral Travel

So now you think you're a master of meditation, do you? Well, here's where it gets more challenging. Now that you're an ace with concentration and meditation, let's throw in a little bit of astral travel.

Ooh, that spooky "A" word.

Relax, I sincerely doubt astral travel is what you think. No-one has to guard your body while you go spy on your neighbour, and you won't die if someone "cuts the cord" to your body. Nor are friends and family going to say "hello" to the "other you" as you walk around downtown.

You are simply going to go to a safe place. A quiet place. And you're going to meet with the deity of your choice.

Choose a deity you would like to meet. What are they like; what surroundings would they be comfortable in? Is it a cave, a forest, a temple, grove, a busy street? Now, close your eyes, relax, breathe, and go to that place. Be patient; they will come. When they do, look at their appearance. What do they look like, what colour is their hair, how are they dressed? How do they come, are they walking, running, something else? Are they carrying anything? Are they in human form? How do they make you feel? Are you warm, afraid, happy, loved, excited, confused, sad, overwhelmed, overjoyed? What do they do? Do they sit down, stand in the shadows, give you a hug, look you up and down? What is their manner? Are they proud, friendly? Do they say anything? What? Have a conversation with your deity. Try to get to know them. Tell them about yourself, and find out about them. Ask them questions, answer theirs. Let things flow. When you are done, take a few deep breaths, come back to yourself, and then open your eyes. Give yourself a moment to come back into focus again.

This is a very useful tool in getting to know the gods. If you want to get to know a particular God or Goddess, this may be one of the best ways to do it. Don't be afraid that you're "making things up" as you go along. Trust to your thoughts and feelings. You are thinking and feeling them for a reason.

And that, in a nutshell, is basic meditation, through to more detailed meditation. It all works on the same principle: concentration. Meditation is a learned skill that improves over time. As you practice more often, you will get better at it, and be able to use it for more purposes.

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