There are a lot of intimidating ideas about what meditation actually is. For some, it seems difficult, frustrating, and unattainable. For others, it's a matter of buying into the trendy image of meditation to bolster the Spiritual Ego and/or personal self-image. Oh, you know, you must practice Yoga—with the hippest and most expensive Yoga outfits and mat, of course. You must silence the mind, hum, do mudras, practice elaborate breathing techniques, and strike a pose. You must state positive affirmations and be surrounded by "good vibes only" (insert * eyeroll * here). You must totally deny and kill the evil Ego... Must I continue?
Actual meditation requires none of the above. However! It can include those things if they're actually effective for you. Yoga (which means union, joining, yoking—as in heaven and earth, above and below), breathing practices, and certain postures can most certainly fine-tune and align the physical apparatus. The healthier the vessel, the clearer the channel. Yoga does, in fact, cater toward esoteric fitness of the body and the mind. Increased flexibility in the body is a reflection of increased flexibility of the mind. Prayers, affirmations, incantations, mudras, humming, and rituals can also help get us into a more harmonious mental and emotional flow as well. None, of which, goes unseen by the eternal Witness.
"Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Additionally, the Ego, like the body, is neither good or bad. It's merely a tool, and when properly understood, known to be the instrument (Latin for instruere; instruct; -ment, mental) of the Divine.
Meditation does, however, require that we're able to be objective in our observations and self-reflections. This means that we must declutter the mind of its preoccupation with to-do lists, worries, and whatever other mundane concerns we may have.
Another important key is to not project fantasies, hopes, and personal wishes onto whatever has been received intuitively. Understand that what is received is of a transcendent nature. This information is on the nature of reality and your personal role in the Divine Plan. It has nothing to do with finding out who your "Twin Flame" is or how to make a ton of money via the Law of Attraction. The answer to the Twin Flame issue will always be: Your soul and God; or the finite and infinte, above and below, within and without, self and not-self, and so on. This Witness, and life as a whole, is your one True Love. It's all-inclusive.
To meditate is to be deep in thought. When we meditate on something, we reflect and ruminate on its deeper significance. To get into the trance-like, hypnagogic state of meditation, there must be a perfect balance between one-pointedness and suspension (or silence, relaxation). This one-pointedness is symbolized above by the unicorn and this suspension might more adequately be represented by The Hanged Man. The meanings behind the unicorn runs very deep, and it's a topic I'd like to discuss in an article dedicated entirely to it.
This one-pointedness, or singleness of purpose, is the deep focusing of the objective mind on any given subject. This laser-like focus makes suggestions to the subjective mind through this very act of attentiveness. Then, when the mind relaxes again and is no longer thinking about whatever it's been reflecting on, the subjective mind gives back (a feedback loop) the answers to those suggestions, or questions, in a quick burst of creative genius.
For me, one-pointedness and suspension often overlap (forming what might look like a Vesica Piscis) and I receive these flashes of illumination while I'm still deeply concentrating. But, the brightest "Eurekas" always seem to strike me during the middle of a workout. My mind is totally relaxed while my body is active, so I am both alert but suspended.
This concludes today's article on my 30 Days, 30 Posts challenge. Tomorrow's article will be on Touch. Yesterday's discussion was on Memories.