Archive for the 'Meditation' Category
We all get wandering thoughts that steer us away from the present. It can be upsetting during meditation to wander away, so, how do you redirect yourself back to the present during meditation?
Personally, as soon as i notice my thoughts wandering i visualise a red, octagonal ’stop’ sign and that seems to cease my wandering thoughts so that i can get back to the meditation.
Of course spirituality is whatever each individual concieves it to be, no matter what their religion, but for those who practise fasting and meditation, exactly how does this enlighten them more spiritually?
Because it forces you to forsake the flesh in favor of spending time in the presence of the Almighty God, Jesus Christ.
I know that the first word was "black". But black what? Black journal? It was some kind of log they kept for writing their evolution in meditation and other wizardry.
Please help me!
Thx in advance!
A Book of Shadows tends to be specifically for spellcraft. Another name for a Wiccan’s "journal" is a Grimoire, which tends to not only cover spellcraft but also herb lore, scrying, meditations, etc.
EDIT: Do you mean the Black Pullet? It wasn’t "meditations" per se, so much as talismans and amulets.
Does meditation really work is it able to clear worry and doubt and relieve stress and is it able to find inner peace. Have you been able to find this through meditation if so do you have any good techniques for meditation?
Clearly that depends on the focus of the meditation.
I have seen a few claims here and on other forums that if you meditate or get hypnosis, then the door is open for demons to come in. However, I cannot find a source for this idea. Do you really believe that quieting the mind is dangerous? If so is there a Biblical basis for this? What about our ordinary state of mental chatter? Can a demon really get through to someone who is in meditation that cannot get through when that person is worried about their to-do list, what they are going to have for dinner tonight, etc?
The belief that a demon can enter your body during meditation is Spiritual Urban Myth. Many who follow a strict religious upbringing have been informed that meditation is something used by pagans, and devil worshipers to bring themselves closer to evil spirits. It is then passed on to congregations through the pastor or other church members that you shouldn’t meditate. (Trust me I have had Christians tell me you shouldn’t meditate.) It is no easier for a demon to poses your body during meditation than during a normal day.
During meditation your body is still fully intact to the spirit. You actually have a tendency to become hypersensitive to normal noise, spirits, and other elements around you. You would notice if something became "off" in the area around you. The sound of a pen dropping onto a desk would sound like a ton of bricks. The change in electrical current would make your hair stand on end. The presence of a spiritual being would change the air around you, whether it were good or bad. While I am not saying it isn’t possible for a demon or spirit to enter your body, you would be aware of changes around you. I also believe there has to be an internal allowance for a spirit or demon to enter your body. IE you have to believe and fully accept it can happen.
On the other hand with a out of body experience (OBE) it is a lot easier for the demon or spirit to inhabit the body. (Next is debatable) While some believe it is not capable to OBE others do, and I have experienced it. It is the point where the spirit leaves the realms of the physical body to travel. When you are in an OBE it is more likely that a spirit or demon can enter your body because you are not there to "protect" or inhabit it. That’s why if you are trying to have an OBE you should ask for God and the spirits to protect it while you are "traveling.
I understand it can be stressful, but my wife is always so angry when she’s on her period. Does meditation help mood swings? I don’t mind participating too. I already do yoga.
Not a great answer Nitram, and that’s not going to help his poor wife is it?
Mood related PMS is often difficult to manage. Meditation won’t change whats gong on hormonally, but it might help her to relax. She could give it a go. Pilate’s and yoga are great options too. I personally find exercise really helps. Also, just by actually understanding what is going on does help. Many people say diet affects PMS, there is little evidence to support this, however some studies do show that caffeine and alcohol can increase mood related symptoms, so she might try and avoid that.
The only other thing she might try is vitamin B6, therapeutic doses of B6 can sometimes help PMS, although the evidence supporting it is at best shaky. Some studies have failed to show any benefit, and some have shown a mild benefit. It’s still worth a try. She could try taking it roughly two weeks before her period is due, but make sure she does not exceed 100 mg q.d.
A lot of people recommend trying Agnus castus fruit extract, the evidence to support it is very poor indeed.
Is your wife taking any hormone contraception? If she is, that can sometimes cause problems. Is she taking the pill for example? Yasmin is probably the best Pill in this situation. Theoretically speaking, any Pill that prevents ovulation should reduce PMS symptoms as it’s the release of progesterone into the bloodstream after ovulation that likely triggers PMS. Most of the time the Pill prevents ovulation but because contraceptive Pills contain the progestogen hormone it often remains a problem. Yasmin contains a progestogen called drospirenone and some studies show that it doesn’t cause the same problems as other progestogens so if she is taking another pill it might be worth switching and seeing if that makes a difference.
I have read about how good meditation is for you. Especially if you suffer from anxiety issues. How do i start meditating and getting the full effect from it. Is there cds that help you relax while doing meditation. Any info is really appreciated!!!
I sit quietly in a straight-back chair with my eyes closed.
I drop my hand to my side and just begin to notice it until it tingles. Doing this keeps me centered and objective. It puts some distance between me and anxious thoughts.
Whenever I get lost in my thoughts I just keep noticing my hand again and again patiently thoughout the meditation.
I continue this for about 10 minutes or as long as is comfortable. There is not mantra involved.
The benefits of meditation can be linked to the concepts of present moment awareness and consciousness. It may interest you to read "Practicing the Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.
Good luck to you.
In another question, someone suggested that meditation just made your mind numb and empty, and then it was in danger of being filled with wrong thoughts.
I don’t know if they meant it became the Devil’s Playground after that or not.
I’ve never felt that way in meditation, and I wonder if this is a popular Christian belief, that prayer is good but meditation is not.
If you aren’t asking God for anything other than His blessed company and help in becoming a more pure and moral being, doesn’t the line between prayer and meditation dissolve?
My experience is that meditation is any but mind numbing!
It’s true that you must learn to stop the internal chatter which takes discipline , practice, & dedication.
Once accomplished many may believe there is only a void or only pure potential, but once entered & experienced it is anything but a void!
I have meditated for many, many years, & in my experience I have also found that meditation leads to a state of mind first, which will in turn lead to a state of Being.
The goal is to become that state of Being in all our life.
Meditation leads to Communion, as does Prayer.
So yes I agree that the lines blur.
It is here we come to know & understand what it means to Pray without ceasing.
Communion, rather perfect Communion is to have become a perfect mirror!
The perfect mirror is the constant state of Remembrance!
Great Q!
Many Blessings!
Transcendental Meditation and TM Siddhi program for both courses how much fee is there in INR.
Who is offering this course in India?
How much costing a drop of water when you are dying or the moment you are about to leave your physical body ? can you evaluate it in your currency ? TM is depends on your thirstiness, it depends are you going to die without it ? False gurus are all around every ware in India and A Guru or any course can not give you that. My true suggestion – You may join Osho ashram Pune India, you can learn some thing but it basically depends on your eternal urge. Man to man it deffer and remember the cost is not the matter but money is essential for your own expenditure. Thanks.
I have been meditating for about half a year. I can clear my mind and keep it free of pointless everyday thoughts. However, I want more. What can I do during meditation to become closer to myself and create thoughts that can affect the physical world. I believe thoughts have energy and mass and can influence the physical world. How can I become master of my mind?
As I am a long-time Buddhist practitioner I was compelled to aid a request to describe and explain what meditation is all about, I wrote a ‘manual’ for single-pointed meditation, as follows (it’s rather detailed). This is what meditation consists of:
"The most effective meditations I find require pre-planning. I suggest you find a beautiful natural spot where you won’t be disturbed- for example a mountain, a cave, by a river, a cliff, a beach or of course, beneath a tree. The time doesn’t matter really, though I have heard that the Dalai Lama prefers to meditate at Dawn.
Wear loose, comfortable clothes, drink only water for the days before and during and the less you eat, the better (so long as you don’t totally starve yourself)- especially avoid meat. Just before you prepare to start, have a cool shower or something first, go to the toilet, blow your nose, and turn off that phone!
Make sure you are mentally ready, not tired or feeling excessive emotion/excitement, as these can be big obstacles to your session.
Begin by burning a stick of incense and saying a prayer to the Buddhas and innumerable Bodhisattvas, requesting for the meditation to be fruitful, and for all positive karma to be dedicated to the attainment of enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
Find a position which is comfortable for you- I find that half-lotus is best for beginners and full lotus for the advanced, place your upright hands softly on your lap, right hand above the left, and join your thumbs, which forms a beautiful lotus shape (your spirit is preparing to rise from the muddy depths and flower into its full potential).
Move about for a while until you find your most comfortable, settled position, then straighten your back as upright as you can (without stress/force)- this will keep your mind alert and awake: it’s important that you maintain a good posture, and you should check it every now and then. Raise your head as though you were balancing a book on top of it, and pull your chin slightly in and down towards your neck. Put your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
Now prepare your breath- breathe in deep through your nose so it goes right down to your stomach, and then breathe out through your mouth, this will slow your breath (at a pace that suits you). Allow your eyelids to lower almost all the way and start counting your breathes like so:
"Breathing in…1…Breathing out…2…Breathing in…3…Breathing out…4…" and so on until you reach 10, and then start over. It is natural to become distracted, so when distracting thoughts come, become aware of them, let them go and start over again from 1. I suggest you do this for around 20-30 minutes before you begin the actual meditation (this may seem like meditation, but it isn’t).
Then stop counting your breathes, just focus on the natural sensation, like so:
"Breathing in…I know I am breathing in….Breathing out…I know I am breathing out…."
"Breathing in deeper… I know I am breathing in…Breathing out slower…I know I am breathing out…."
I must emphasize that you shouldn’t be controlling or forcing your breaths, they should be naturally occurring.
If you continue this for another 30-60 minutes you will feel very calm and focused.
When the time is right, stop thinking…
Focus on the sole sensation of the air moving inside and outside of you. Your breath may even seem to stop altogether when you get deep into this point.
If you continue this practice, hopefully you will attain your first Dhyana (absorption state) in time. It is not easy, and if you do not right away- please don’t feel disheartened, keep practicing. I promise you it will be worth it, the first Dhyana is not unlike a beautiful calm wave of euphoria which lasts for hours, if not days, and it brings other benefits which will certainly transcend the meditation session- such as the wisdom of discernment.
When you finish, be very gentle with yourself and move very slowly, have a light stretch and don’t try standing up right away. It’s likely that you will have lost most of the sensations in your body.
I strongly recommend that you read up on the 4 Dhyanas so you will know what to expect when they are attained:
* The first dhyana level which is accomplished in this way has five features: conception, discernment, joy, physical well-being and samadhi.
* The second dhyana, which is even more peaceful, has four features: the perfect clarity in which conception and discernment have been relinquished, joy, physical well-being and samadhi.
* The third dhyana, which is more peaceful still, has five features: equanimity in which the concept of joy has been abandoned, mindfulness, watchful awareness, physical well-being and samadhi.
* The fourth dhyana, which is called the ultimate dhyana because it is yet more peaceful, has four features: the neutral sensation in which the sensation of physical well-being has been abandoned, mindfulness, the mental formation of equanimity, and samadhi.
This is everything you need to know- I pray it serves you and others well."
Namaste.