Meditation is an important ingredient for mental, emotional and spiritual well being. Without silence it is difficult to integrate of your spiritual practice into your everyday existence. Disciplined meditation is an important ingredient for self-discovery and transformation.
Meditation is deep listening. Far from being half-awake grogginess, it is a state of heightened awareness, being alive to your own life, and more importantly, being alive to the possibilities beyond your own life, beyond your material reality. You may think of those possibilities as messages from God, connection to your own inner knowing, or, an expansion of your own consciousness.
Before you learn to expand your consciousness, however, you must learn to be silent and meditation is the discipline that teaches us the value of silence. Meditation allows us to process what is happening and discern what we want to happen. It allows us to clear away the clutter of our daily lives, quiet our minds and perceive on a different level. Although the most common meditation practice involves sitting in a certain position, with your eyes closed, it is not the only way.
You may be a person who enters into deep relaxation and intentional receptivity when you run, bike, hike or pray. How you do it is as individual as you are and you may discover that what works for you now is different than what you used to do. The process you use may evolve as you do. There are many ways to reach a meditative state but I believe that daily meditation or a habitual meditative practice is crucial to one’s development, crucial for healing and transformation. For in that stillness, in that silence, you are open and receptive to the vastness beyond your conscious physical reality.
Experiments with Meditation
Basic meditation
Sit comfortably—either cross-legged on the floor or in a chair with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor. Either way your body should be relaxed but your spine straight to align the energy centers of your body. You can play some soothing meditation music if you want or be in silence. Be in a place you are not likely to be disturbed. Light a candle.
Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Inhale and exhale through your nose. Breathe slowly and deeply three times and then return to normal breathing. Relax your forehead, your jaw, your eyes, and your ears. Let the tongue rest behind your lower teeth. Release any tension you have in your neck, your shoulders, and your arms. Let your hands lie comfortably on your legs, palms up and open, relaxed. Release any tension in your stomach, your hips, your knees, and your ankles. Let all your heavy energy flow out through your feet into Mother Earth. Remember that Pachamama receives all your heavy energy as a gift, like fertilizer, that enriches her soil where we plant our intentions so they may grow to fruition.
Be aware of your breathing. Let any thoughts that come in to your mind, flow out again. Observe your thoughts and release them. Stay in the present, focused on your breathing. Relax. Breathe.
Andean meditation
Light four candles for the four directions and the four elements. For each direction and element, say a silent invocation, starting with the South/Fire. “Spirit of the South, Spirit of the Fire, burn away my doubts and fears, my preoccupations and my impatience. Transmute my heavy energy into refined golden light. Ignite in me your passion and compassion; energize me with your sun’s rays. Sanctify me. Help me to dare.” Then sit in receptive silence, open to receive from the Fire any message or awareness it may have to offer you.
Next is the West: “Spirit of the West, Spirit of the Earth, thank you for abundant life and continued growth. Cleanse and transform me. Receive my heavy energy as fertilizer for your precious soil that brings new life.” Visualize what you want and ask Pachamama to assist you to empower that intention. Open yourself up to receive insights. Pause in receptive silence until it feels time to move on.
Say to yourself: “Spirit of the North, Spirit of the Air, purify me. Spirit of wisdom, knowledge and grace, blow through me and release all that blocks me from connecting with your infinite vastness. Amplify my awareness and expand my consciousness. Help me to know all that you know.” Feel yourself floating in the sky or the cosmos, allowing Air to take you where it will. Stay in the North until it feels time to move on.
Then say to yourself: “Spirit of the East, Spirit of the Water, wash me, clean me, sooth me, smooth me, balance me. Help me to be silent.” Visualize water, a river or ocean, and feel its soothing energy cleaning and calming you. Sit in receptive silence.
(If at any point during the meditation, you feel your mind wondering and making lists, simply bring your awareness back to the element or the sacred word, as a way of refocusing. You may spend more time with one element than the others on any given day.)
Inner Child meditation
Start with the Basic meditation. After your body is relaxed and your mind is clear from thoughts, continue to focus on your breathing. Then visualize a bright white light in your heart center. Imagine that light growing bigger and bigger until it surrounds you with white light. Feel yourself floating in the light like a bubble lifting you into space. Float in the bubble of light and know it is the light of the Divine Creator surrounding you with love. Then visualize a door. When you are ready, you can open the door.
There before you is a place of beauty and peace, a place where you feel safe and protected and loved. Look around you and see the beauty. Feel the peace. Maybe there are flowers or a river, green grass. Imagine a place that feels like paradise. Make yourself comfortable there. Then invite your inner child to come and be with you. Welcome the child with open arms. (Your inner child is yourself at a young age. Note the age and the attitude of your inner child. Sometimes your inner child will need healing, other times, your inner child will offer you words of wisdom or advice.)
Engage in conversation with your inner child: “How are you? How are you feeling?” Listen to the response. Share your own feelings with your child as well. When the conversation seems to be ending (after 10-15 minutes), be sure to thank your inner child for visiting you. Ask if there is something you can do for him/her. Make sure it is something you can do, before making the commitment. Tell your inner child you will be back again to visit.
Whenever you are ready, move back through the door into the white light in your heart center and feel it growing until you are surrounded by the light and lifted up into the bubble. Float in the bubble until you return to where you began. Slowly move your hands and your feet. Be aware of your breathing. Whenever you are ready you can open your eyes.
It is best to make a commitment to do this mediation every day for at least 21 days so that your inner child will learn to trust and confide in you.
Wisdom Guide meditation
Start with the Basic meditation. After your body is relaxed and your mind is clear from thoughts, continue to focus on your breathing. With your eyes closed, imagine there is a tunnel of golden light in front of you. Imagine yourself walking into the light, into the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is a door. Open the door and enter the Temple of Wisdom. It is a beautiful peaceful place. Feel how safe and happy you feel there. It is a place like you have never seen before. There is a very comfortable chair just for you. As soon as you sit down your wisdom guide appears.
This wisdom guide can take many forms. Perhaps it is Jesus or your favorite saint or maybe it is another ancient master. The form the guide takes is not what is important. The message is what you have come here for. So ask your question and listen to what the guide has to tell you. When you have asked all your questions and been openly receptive to the response, thank your wisdom guide. Whenever you are ready, move back to the door and re-enter the tunnel of light. Slowly bring your awareness back to the place you are sitting. Slowly begin to move your hands and your feet. Be aware of your breathing. Whenever you are ready you can open your eyes.
Right Brain Writing – Other Hand Writing meditation
This is a slightly different type of meditation. It is designed to move your thinking from the left-brain (practical, linear thinking) to a more creative, free flowing, intuitive kind of thinking. Have with you a pencil, several sheets of paper and something to write on. You will write your question with the hand you normally write with, and then you will put the pencil in your other hand to write the answer. (Your question can be related to something you are struggling with or something that is blocking your desire or it can be just a general question like, “what do I have to learn today?”) If you have another question, put the pencil back in your dominant hand and again write the answer with your other hand. The conversation can be between yourself and your inner wise-one. It can be between yourself and God. It can be between yourself and one of your spirit guides. It is up to you.
Begin with the Basic meditation. Once you are relaxed, open and receptive, open your eyes and begin writing.
Sending Light and Love
(This practice is something you can do at the end of any of these meditations.)
Begin with the Basic meditation. After 15 minutes of open, receptive breathing, visualize the people that you care about. One at a time, send them love and light. Do this with your intention and imagination. Know that the source of this love and light is from the Divine creator. Visualize the light coming into you from the top of your head and feel it coming out of your heart center traveling to the person you care about. When you have finished, think about anyone you know who needs healing and send them love/light as well. Then think of someone with whom you are having difficulties and send them love and light as well. Then send love and light to yourself. Feel it circling in and around you. Soak yourself in this healing image.
Slowly become aware of your breathing. Whenever you are ready you can open your eyes.
