Meditation - How to meditate.

OVERVIEW: In this section I will show you How To Meditate using some of the traditional spiritual techniques from yoga and Buddhism but also offer specific advice for Spiritualists, mediums and psychics who use meditation as part of their development.

If you want to develop your latent mediumship or discover how to connect with the spirit planes then you must first learn how to meditate.

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MEDITATION TECHNIQUES | MEDITATION VIDEO | SPIRITUALIST MEDITATION | STEP BY STEP GUIDE | INNER PEACE THROUGH MEDITATION |

How to meditate techniques 

Despite its high profile meditation is still a mystery to many. The problem is that there are so many different techniques: Some meditation techniques use a mantra meditation (Japa Meditation) which uses an Indian holy phrase that the yogi meditate inwardly repeats over and over again. Other methods involve watching the breath or observing inner silence (Antar Mouna Meditation) Other techniques hold the attention by contemplating an object such as a candle or Mandala or Yantra, (circular designs that symbolise the unity of existence).  

Yoga Nidra Meditation trains the meditate to place the attention around the body and Kriya yoga meditation moves the attention to the spiritual energy channels of the spinal column. (Nadis) Japanese Zen Meditation requires the monks to contemplate a Koan- an impossible statement that bypasses the reason to trigger self-realisation. A typical set problem to solve is "What is the sound of one hand clapping"- understand it and enlightenment could be yours. TOP

MEDITATION VIDEO

MANY PATHS - MEDITATION & GOD REALISATION 

Clearly there are many paths to the mountain top and different systems will appeal to different temperaments. At first all of these meditation techniques can be perplexing but they all have similar underlying methods: they interiorise the attention by withdrawing the senses (Pratyahara) then fixing the attention (Dharana) and eventually moving into meditation itself (Dhyana)  

Meditation allows you to step out of your day-to-day thinking and now  instead of being trapped by your thoughts and feeling you can watch them and thereby take steps to becoming inwardly free (Samadhi)  TOP

How to Meditate in a Spiritualist Circle.

Psychic Medium Craig Hamilton-Parker talks about meditation techniques and specifically how to meditate for mediumistic development.

PSYCHIC MEDITATION

Modern psychology recognises that people think in different ways and that their thinking is biased to one or other of the five senses. Similarly there are many meditation methods available that will suit different personality types so do not be concerned if your own inner experience does not exactly match what I am about to describe. Go with the flow and allow yourself to become naturally immersed in the meditation and in the way that suits you best. Above all enjoy the experience rather than worry unduly about technique.

As well as an aid to mediumistic development meditation will help you to let go of tension, anxiety and depression and you will move towards feelings of peace, optimism and self-worth. Energy stability and tranquility will be carried forward into your life.

At first you may fidget and the mind won’t relax but over the weeks there is a gradual disciplining of the body and mind and you will be able to sit for longer periods. You will be alert, focused, concentrated and very relaxed but do not allow yourself to fall asleep. Although no harm will come to you it will however be to the detriment of the others as this will disrupt the flow of energy in the circle and more importantly you snoring may be distracting. I have been tempted to keep a water pistol by my side for such occasions!

During meditation you will remain attentive yet not be immersed in the clatter of daily thinking and the endless loop of internal dialogue. When people first sit for meditation they think that their thoughts are speeding up but what is really happening is that they are becoming aware of how hectic their normal thinking is. Most people have no control over their thinking and even less over their emotions. During meditation we gain inner peace and self-control by stepping back from our daily thoughts. Instead of being drawn by every whim rattling around our head, our consciousness becomes relaxed yet powerfully focused. To achieve this extraordinary inner state, all we need to do is watch the thoughts.

The aura technique has prepared the ground. Now by separating yourself from your thinking you transcend the everyday mind and attune yourself with what Western mystics call the “Overself” – the higher you which extends into the afterlife and beyond. It is centred in the eternal now. You may experience being the watcher of the watcher and come closer to a realization of the true nature of the self.  TOP

STEP BY STEP MEDITATION

Step 1: Watch your thoughts like film images flashing on the screen of your attention. Observe them but do not follow them. If you find that you have slipped back into a stream of thought bring your attention back and continue to observe. You do not need to suppress thoughts or the feelings that come to you. Simply observe them and let them go.

Step 2: If emotions well up, note them and let them go. Remind yourself of the fact that these issues can be dealt with later but that for now you are focused on more important things.

Step 3: Sometimes your thoughts will express themselves as visions. Just as in dreams some may be pleasant and others ugly. Be detached to these too- observe them and let them go. Even if these visions contain interesting prophecies or clairvoyance, let them go. Focus on being the unattached watcher.

Step 4: If there are sounds in the vicinity, such as a ticking clock in the hall, let these distractions be part of your observation. Observe them and let them go.

Step 5: Eventually you will be free from distraction and will enter a peaceful yet alert state of consciousness. Meditation is like sleep, it cannot be taught. It is something that comes by itself. You discover yourself doing it and only afterwards do you realise we have been meditating.

PRACTICING MEDITATION

With practice meditation will become an established habit and you will be quickly be able to enter it every time you sit in circle. It is a state that you can carry forward into everyday life and brings with it the benefits of inner peace, emotional stability and intellectual sharpness. I am reminded of the words of the controversial guru Sai Baba who asks his devotees to use their wristwatch as a spiritual trigger: “When you watch the watch, remember the five letters of the word WATCH,” says Sai Baba. “Each is giving you a fine lesson of life: W tells you to ‘watch your words’; A warns you to ‘watch your actions’; T indicates to ‘watch your thoughts’; C advises, ‘watch your character’; and H declares ‘watch your heart’. When you are consulting your watch, imbibe this lesson that the watch is imparting.” (Sai Baba Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. V11-p.208)  TOP

Peaceful Meditation

The peaceful inner states that you enter during meditation are beneficial to your body, mind and spirit. Time spent in meditation is for you so do not worry unduly that you are not always in communication with your spirit guides or experiencing meaningful visionary extravaganzas. Meditation is a simple process with many powerful benefits. It is your time to be used for your own personal development and give your spirit time to feel recharged.

Most of the time, and particularly when you work alone, you will use meditation for personal spiritual growth. However there are also a number of inner techniques with a particular purpose that can be incorporated into your group meditation. Eastern traditions go much further than our remit here and employ specific meditation techniques to evoke special powers such a bi-location, astral projection, lucid dreaming, awareness of subliminal sound, control of the autonomic nervous system and many other miraculous abilities. The technique you have learned to opening the aura increases your sensitivity and enables you to become attuned to the influences of your spirit guides and loved ones. At the appropriate time, the spirit may draw close to you and give you guidance. They will come when you are ready but please do not anticipate a blinding light on the road to Damascus style experience. The spirit will come gently like a quiet almost imperceptible voice that whispers words of hope across the great silence of your meditation.

At my own circle I now divide the meditation into two sections – a method that you may wish to try sometimes. The first part the meditation is dedicated entirely to oneself. We go into the meditative state and simply enjoy the experience. I then ask my students to return to normal awareness and quickly ask them to return to meditation but now ‘sit for spirit’. During this second stage of our attunement we open our minds to the spirit world and communicate with our guides. Messages may be given to us for others sat in the room and which can be discussed later. If we have a guest present we ask of spirit that the information we are given is specifically for them.

While sitting for spirit the students are permitted to occasionally make short notes in their spiritual diaries. For example they may ‘hear’ the name of a spirit communicator or receive information or imagery. A short note or keyword is put in the notebook to help recall. It is fascinating if more than one person writes down the exactly same information such as a name or an image that is then confirmed to be significant by the guest. These correlations indicate that telepathy and or spirit communication is taking place.  TOP

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