Meditation

Meditation brings a sense of fullness and completion, and is the only permanent source of tranquility available to human beings. All other forms of serenity are temporary and dissolve into conflict and chaos over time. The euphoria of drugs quickly lead to misery and self-destruction. The wholesomeness of love, so beautiful and ethereal, is a relatively short lived and fleeting experience. As J. Krishnamurti said, meditation brings order and "That order is the order of the universe. It is irrevocable and doesn't depend on anything." Meditation is the eternal essence of nature taking on conscious form within the mortal human frame.

Meditation is an adventure of self-discovery. How can you live without knowing who or what you are? If someone asks you who you are during the day, you may state your name, as if a temporary label actually means something important. Ask yourself who you are when you are in deep sleep, unconscious, and without even a dream to prove that you exist at all. Ask yourself who you were ten months before you were born, and who you will be just one moment after your body dies. Meditation increases awareness of the natural phenomena that is actually going on behind your own eyes. Self-knowledge has intrinsic value, even without the indescribable bliss nature generously unleashes in those who practice meditation with sincerity and patience.

Begin by finding a relatively quiet place to meditate where you will not be disturbed. All forms of classic sitting meditation should be done in silence, with no background music. You can sit cross legged Asian style on a meditation pillow on the floor, or use the Recliner Chair Method described below. Eyes may be fully open, half open, or slightly open, letting in just two small slits of light. Meditating with eyes fully closed is fine as long as the room remains brightly lit, so that enough light passes through the eyelids to keep your brain alert. I use a powerful 500 watt halogen lamp to illuminate my meditation room, and this lamp projects a pleasing yellow-orange glow on my closed eyelids.

Meditating in a darkened room presents fundamental physiological problems. When you sit quietly with your eyes closed in darkness, your brain interprets this situation as a signal to start shutting itself down for sleep. Sleep inducing hormones such as melatonin are released at the same time your heart rate and circulation are reduced due to lack of movement. You feel swept away on a sea of quiet relaxation. This pleasant experience may be light sleep state hypnosis, not meditation at all, and thus does you little more good than taking a nap. Meditation means that you are relaxed as if sleeping, but your consciousness is fully and intensely awake. Therefore, if you meditate with your eyes closed, the room must remain brightly lit, so that a significant amount of light passes through the eyelids.

Meditation is one of the basic tenets of Wicca, in order to be effective in magickal work, you will need to learn to enter a state of deep relaxation, a place of calm and balance to align yourself with the natural forces around you. As you learn to still your mind and enter this state of relaxation, you are learning to focus your mind, becoming centred, balanced and calm, you are learning mental discipline. It is here in your inner self that you will meet your Spirit self and your guide through your journey.

To reach a truly meditative state requires a lot of practice, and it is important to be patient and take your time. By using a meditation device repeatedly, such as incense, candles, chanting or drumming, you can condition your mind to enter a meditative state.

Meditation should be done on a daily basis. It does not have to take very long; five minutes can be enough. There are no hard and fast rules for the length of meditation, however it makes sense to ease into it gently. The same goes for where or how you choose to meditate. Some prefer natural places, lulled by birdsong or running water and the sounds of the forests. Others do it at home, your altar may be the ideal place to meditate, or on the train or bus going to or from work. (Please not while driving though; you need to be fully aware.) Some prefer to do it whilst walking the dog or a long solitary walk at sunset.

Whether you choose to sit cross-legged, in a chair, lying on your back with your knees bent or in the lotus position if you are skilled in yoga, is up to you and you should choose whichever is most comfortable. You may want to try a meditation pillow used by many Buddhists, if you are sitting cross-legged.

As with all meditation you should keep a notebook and pen handy to write down any ideas, thoughts, symbols or imagery.

Meditation Techniques.

There are two basic kinds of meditation, the first is active. This means that you take a symbol, picture or phrase and mull it over in your mind to the exclusion of all other thoughts. Look at its basic concept, how it is phrased, how many ways it can be interpreted, what it means to you in terms of mental images or abstract meaning. The aim is to extract everything you can from the subject and then to record the essence of your thoughts.

The second kind, is passive, here images and thoughts are allowed to rise in the mind as they will, formulating around a set mantra, symbol or idea.

It's an easy to use Meditation Technique that allows you to access (depending upon your personal thoughts and beliefs on the subject) the subconscious mind, or to travel to places that are on the Astral Realm. Basically, it involves the use of a Visualization exercise (that is either taped or if you have a willing partner, read slowly to you) to prompt the mind to explore the images that are formed, with the results (hopefully) of learning more about yourself, giving you guidance in areas that you feel a need, relax deeply and refresh yourself completely. It is a good idea to tape the exercise before the time you wish to use it, leave a gap (or some relaxing music that eventually fades out) at the beginning to give yourself time to relax, then commence the exercise from that point. Talk in a low voice, both in volume and tone, and talk slowly, leaving plenty of time between sentences and the various areas of the exercise. Before attempting a Guided Visualization exercise, I'd recommend making sure that you have plenty of time available, that you won't be disturbed, (take the phone off the hook, tell others that you want to be alone for a while, etc), make sure you are warm and comfortable, with no tight fitting clothing, and set the mood as you see fit (light a candle or some incense - though be careful that they are safe, it would not be a good idea to burn the house down around you whilst travelling! - play some soft relaxing music, whatever feels right to yourself! Next, lie down and relax yourself completely, close your eyes and allow yourself to drift, if certain muscles will not relax, try tensing them individually, and then relaxing them again. Go through the whole body, from foot to head this way and really make sure you are comfortable. Then you can begin with any of the Exercises below! Always start off from your Sanctuary, as this is a place that you can always return to, which will allow you to get back should you wish it at any time. Regular sessions will help you to find out more about your Inner Self and to explore an absolutely fascinating world! A really good tip is to tape yourself talking the visualization through, then play it back as your own guided visualization.

The Sanctuary is the starting point for all guided visualization exercises, a place where you feel completely at home, happy, relaxed and confident. Depending upon your own beliefs it is either located within your own mind, or on the Astral Realm, whichever you feel it to be doesn't really matter, as long as you can use the technique for your own benefit!

It can be any place that you are able to see in your minds eye, a place you visited as a child and felt happy with, a non-existent place that is totally a construct of your imagination, whatever, it doesn't really matter, except to yourself! Make sure you get to know it well before you then journey onwards, as you may need to return to it quickly (should anything untowards happen - not something I've ever come across personally, but it's best to be prepared). The passage below is one way of finding your Sanctuary, though you may well be able to write a more personal one that works for you, whichever, it should always be used (at first) to give you a starting point for any exercise you wish to use!

Relax, close your eyes, relax and take a deep breath. Allow your body to relax completely, starting with the feet, then the calves, feel them become heavy and the muscles relax, feel the heaviness moving up your body a it relaxes fully. Allow your whole being to come to rest, perfect rest, perfectly relaxed. Allow your mind to drift, if thoughts enter, allow them to pass on and just relax.

Now you are relaxed, think back to a time when you were totally happy, perhaps as a child in your room, perhaps on a holiday. Whilst feeling this happiness, allow an image to form of the most perfect place you could ever want to be in, perhaps it's a room, possibly a temple, perhaps a cave, maybe a beach or even a woodland grove. Wherever it is, allow it to come into sharp focus, allow yourself to see the place in it's finest details. What colour is the floor, the walls, the roof, what are they made of? Are their any features that stand out, is there a door, windows, plants, any furniture or other things that you notice? Where is the light coming from, and what colour is it? What is the temperature or weather like?

This is your Sanctuary, you may visit it anytime you feel you have a need to. By closing your eyes for a few seconds at any time in the day you may return here to find peace, solace and relaxation, to de-stress when you have need of it!

On returning, allow yourself a few seconds before getting up, take a few deep breaths and then open your eyes. Note down straight away what you saw in your BOS or Grimoire, make notes of things you wish to explore next time.

To Find Your Spirit Guide(s)

Enter your sanctuary. Allow the feelings of peace, tranquility, and safety to surround you. Know that you are about to embark on an important experience. Continue to feel completely relaxed and calm. From you sanctuary a flight of shallow, wide, white steps leads up into a soft mist. Mist surrounds the steps on either side. You may not have noticed these steps before. Whatever form your sanctuary takes, theses steps lead up from it. Walk to the foot of the stairs. Do you do you want to go up them? If the answer is ‘yes’, then start to climb the steps, slowly upwards, higher and higher, feeling a sense of deep peace and expectation. The mist above you is glowing softly. You may see special objects or artifacts on the steps-take note of these. You realize you are getting to the top. Now the mist is becoming thinner. You hear faint music, like distant bells or wind chimes. As you climb higher you can hear the music more clearly. It seems to be all around you and inside you, soft, and gentle. It is like a waterfall, a rushing stream, a cascade to temple bells, yet it is still gentle, soft, and silvery. You find yourself at the top and all the mist disappears. You are in a lush meadow. The sun is shining, the grass is emerald green- all the colours you see have extra depth and beauty. Look around you and notice plants, trees, and animals. The music still surrounds you and you look ahead, where a glistening waterfall cascades over rocks and runs into a clear river. Someone is coming towards you from the direction of the waterfall. You feel a sense of warmth and recognition. This is your guide. Greet him or her and listen attentively to anything she or he has to say. This is your friend, guardian, and spiritual mentor. Ask him or her any questions you wish. Now pause for ten minutes. Relax and make no attempt to control what unfolds. Let everything develop in its own way. It is time to leave. Listen to your guide’s final words. She or he may give you a gift or some special advice. This is something to treasure. You may wish also to give a gift-perhaps a pledge or merely a thank-you. Turn back into the mist and slowly go down the steps, carrying your gift back into your sanctuary, where you can place your gift for safe-keeping. Now open your eyes and come back to everyday awareness. Be sure to right down what you have experienced. The guide that you met is you inner guide, a teacher who can help you with any issue that troubles you, from the most mundane to the most esoteric. Visit him or her frequently, so the relationship becomes deep and habitual-this is an important step on your spiritual path, and you will come to look forward to these encounters with deep joy.

To Explore Dream Symbols

Relax and enter your sanctuary. Within your sanctuary there is a soft robe of a colour you associate with safety. Brown is a good earth colour. Put on your robe. This robe will protect you on any journeys you take. When you are ready, step out your sanctuary into a green field.

Take time to examine the field. It is smooth and lush. Fragrant clover and daisies are scattered over the grass. Bees buzz, birds sing this is a peaceful place. Now notice there is a path leading towards one corner of the field. Sit comfortably beside the path and ask your dream symbol to come to you along it. When it is in front of you ask it what its message is for you – you can ask, even if it is an inanimate object, for the answer will simply form in your mind.

(Note:- It is best not to invite dream imagery into your sanctuary. It can have all sorts of meanings and your sanctuary is your own safe and special place. If you do not obtain an answer you may get better results by approaching your inner guide, as the first visualization above.)

To Meet The Elemental Spirits

Step into your sanctuary into the field you visualized above and follow the path as described to the corner of the field. Come out of the field through a wooden gate and hedgerows feel the wind and the warmth of the sun on your face. Take time to observe anything you see on your way. There are trees growing at either side of the path, branches touching gently above you.

On your left the ground rises, so you are walking beside a steep hill, that seems to be becoming more and more sheer. Overhead the branches tangle closer and the path beneath your feet becomes rougher and narrower. Rounding a you come upon a cave. Breathe deeply, inhaling the ancient smell of moss, damp and darkness. This cave leads to the heart of the earth. Sit quietly beside it feeling conscious of the firm soil beneath your feet and the depth and deep piece of the cave.

(When you tape this leave 5 minutes at this point)

When your time with the earth spirits is over, thank them and move on. Soon you come to where a great crystal waterfall plunges into an emerald lake. Sit near this waterfall, hold out your arms to it, hear the water splashing and lapping. Feel the tiny silver drops on your face. Breathe in the freshness, the purity. This is a place of great tranquility and beauty. Look towards where the water cascades on to the smooth face of the lake and ask the water spirits to come to you.

(5 min pause)

When you are ready, thank the water spirits for their company and move on.

The trees part, the ground now rises and you have to climb steadily. The path becomes more rocky and the wind freshens. Higher, higher and higher you climb, until you find yourself at the top of a steep hill. Looking around you, you see miles of undulating countryside, shimmering in a blue haze. There is a feeling of freedom and clarity. As the wind blows straight into your face, sweeping back your hair, open your arms towards it and ask the spirits of the air to come to you, borne on the breeze.

(5 min pause)

Now move on, along the crest of this high ridge, towards the sun. it is midday and the heat falls upon your face. In the distance you see a great glowing fire. The flames leap in a triangle of many colours. Come closer and closer to this fire. You feel comfortably warm and there is an air of tremendous vitality. All around the sparks are dancing, spangling the air and the rocks. Look deep into the red heart of this fire and ask the spirits of the fire to be with you.

(5 min pause)

When you are ready, glide back to your sanctuary. Remain there for a while, if you wish, to reflect on what you have experienced.

It matters not whether you consider the journey is spent entirely within your own mind, or whether you are travelling to another Plane, nor does it matter whether you believe the Guides you have met are actual Spirit Guides or just your own Inner Self (subconscious) talking to you, what matters is that you gain, grow personally and learn from the experience!

Source - The above visualizations are from a variety of sources, including Teresa Mooney's excellent Sanctuary and To Meet Your Spirit Guides, both featured within her book, A Beginners Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft!