Meditation

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 Dec 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Dee 04	22 Dec 2001
Hello: Meditation is a practice that is helping me a lot in my life in various levels (physical, spiritual, emotional). I have been meditating at least once a day for a little over sis months. It is really a wonderful practice for me. I meditate by first doing some visualizations of a soft white light passing gently throught my chakras and by focusing on breath. Eventually this stillness allows me to become more focused, aware of inner/higher self. DO ANY OF YOU MEDITATE? IF SO HOW? WHAT HELPS YOU? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MEDITATING N YOUR LIFE? AT A TIME? IN THE DAY? :)

blue	22 Dec 2001
For a long time I meditated using the basic zen style of sitting meditation, zazen. Simply counting your breaths to ten and then starting over. It doesn't sound like much but it's a lot harder to do then most people think. Sooner or later, usually sooner, you find that you've been carried off by you imagination to somewhere other than the moment. The technique make you more aware of your inner world and helps you to learn the difference between what is happening and what you THINK is happpening. It helps you recognize the tricks you play on yourself, the constructs you've come to accept as reality. I do less of that now. Mostly I try to maintain some level of awarness in the present in my everyday life.

jade	22 Dec 2001
i meditate every night, while i send out reiki sessions or do them on myself. i find that going to my center before sleep assists me in getting a better nights sleep (with a nursing baby that is a tough one some nights). it is a beautiful feeling to float to your center and exist there for a few hours. in light, jade ps i've been doing this for about 14 years

cj	22 Dec 2001
hi all, since I'm new to all this, is what I do meditating or grounding or both? I either lie in bed or stand verry still and visualize myself on a beach with a sunset and lite above coming down through my chakra between my eyes, going thru me and down through my feet into the soft sand..then pull energy up throught my feet.. the thing is, somedays it's windy on the beach, some days its clear and calm,.. It's a wonderful place to escape too.. cj PS it also helps to focus me before a reading if there is a lot going on around me

Ceti	22 Dec 2001
Hi, Dee, I meditate lying down. When I first began, I tried various techniques but I found that visualizations helped me to deepen and enter the space I wanted. Over the years I've learned to shield from unwanted influences and clarify my intent. I also have "mini-meditations" that I do sitting up wherever I am, on the train, or in a public place. Yes, this is something most people would not recommend, but I developed it of necessity when I worked in a large city and could not find a place to meditate on my lunch hour. I do have to shield and affirm that I'll come to full awareness if there is any danger. Anyway, it's worked for me. My full-scale meditations can be 45 minutes or so, and the mini's are more likely to be no longer than 20 minutes. I've been a meditator for 20 years now and it has transformed my life. Ceti

New River	22 Dec 2001
hi Dee! i don't know where i would be in my life without meditation. i use all different kinds. for relaxation i use visualization of a quiet serene place. for answers from guides i go to a temple built in my mind. all meditation revolves around centering the self and clearing the mind. this was so hard when i first started. i would begin breathing, deeply and slowly and start to relax. the next thing i knew i would be making a grocery list or remembering stuff i wanted to do! :-) i just stayed with it. if nothing else at first, it helped me become more aware of my thoughts. now i have been meditating for almost 7 years. it has taught me so much about my inner and outer self. i do it every day at least once. when i have time i go into it and stay as long as i want. the relaxation is so complete. even with a few short minutes i can feel totally rejuvinated. as with anything it is a discipline of the mind and can take some time and some variations before you find what is right for you. i Highly recommend it! love, light and peace, New River

Dee 04	23 Dec 2001
CJ: as NewRiver said "do what is right for you" especilly if it feels right. Sounds like you are doing a visulized meditation - that's great! New River: whe I first started I also started with great focus and then ended with making lists and wondering about friends and family, etc. The important thing is not to be hard one one's self for doing this, letting go, and starting again. So I was laughing when you mentioned about the grocery list - :) What helped any of you to commit to meditation or to remember each day? For me it just became habitual....

di	27 Dec 2001
Here's a different one...I read that for people who become discouraged easily and have problems completing tasks, it would be good to meditate over the suit of Pentacles. It's supposed to improve the work-ethic and help get priorities straight. What's the general opinion on this, and how would one go about it? Di

jade	27 Dec 2001
there are also some great postings in the archives. under this section......titles are: guided (taped) meditations - good or tripe meditation in light, jade your friendly neighbourhood moderator!

teenagegirl	28 Dec 2001
I don't know how to meditate. at least I dont' think I do. am new to all this supernatural stuff. I just want to learn more and have fun at the same time. I guess what got me interested is the way i feel. i always try my best to do my best.

New River	28 Dec 2001
what kept me using meditation were the rewards i gained from doing it. better insights, more aware of my thoughts, got to know my guides and learned much about my inner self. the me that lives on forever......... plus the relaxation and rejuvenation are great too! love, light and hope, New River

blue	28 Dec 2001
Teenagegirl; ( I love that penname, nothing ambiguous about it!) There are a lot of types of meditation and techniques. One of the simplest is the one I described above. However there are many good books to be had on the subject. I suggest you conduct your own investigation and see what works for you. Oh, and have fun.

Michelle	04 Jan 2002
Hi, I hope this question doesn't sound odd. Does anyone else "see" colors while meditating? I quite often see a purple spot (or something) in front of me while I am meditating. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar. Thanks. Love and Light, Michellle

blue	04 Jan 2002
Michelle; You might want to check out GeminiLady's post entitled "chakra spread/tarot/Reiki" on the "Reading Tarot" board. Several of us were dicussing that very thing.

Michelle	04 Jan 2002
Hi blue, Thanks ! I am very new to this forum and truly appreciate any help in navigating my way around here. I know there is so much I am missing, I attempt to check out a new board daily.... there is so much information here... it's amazing. Love and Light, Michelle

cayacia	05 Jan 2002
ok, here's a question. you guys are always telling me to meditate on my card but what EXACTLY do you mean by meditate with them? Call me a skeptic ("you're a skeptic") but what good would that do? Do you mean just think about the cards meaning, or what?

blue	05 Jan 2002
Cayacia; As you can see by this thread meditation can mean a lot of different things to different people. To a zen practicioner it means learning to be aware in the moment (never a bad idea). To someone doing energy work it might mean visualization. I think in most cases it will mean a state of relaxed attentiveness. The reason Tarot cards are so effective is because they contain pictures that relate to the human experience, like snapshots of our inner lives. These pictures can trigger deep reponses in us that can teach us and guide us through the expressions of our source. You might try relaxing and centering yourself and then just examine a card and see what pops into your mind. Or visualize yourself in the picture, wonder around, observe and have a conversation with the figures in the illustration. I think this kind of thing is very individual so you'll have to find something that works for you. Above all, don't be afraid to experiment.

Melvis	05 Jan 2002
Hi, all! Cayacia: Mary Greer talks about how to meditate on individual cards in her book, "Tarot for Yourself." It is really quite helpful the way she takes you through it, and I've already discovered several aspects of cards that I thought I knew backwards and forwards! Also, I don't do 'formal' meditation (I'm learning, though), but I do use a type of meditation whenever I have a headache or any aches or pains that I can't solve right away with medication. I do some cleansing breaths (in through the nose, out through the mouth) and then just breath slowly and deeply. With each inhale I "picture" the pain in my head (or wherever) as concentrating to a smaller size, like it's focusing itself. Then, with each exhale, I picture a kind of conduit that starts at the area of pain and goes out through my nose and mouth, so that a little bit of the pain is carried away from me with each exhale. Then, as the pain starts to subside, I also picture a calming energy coming into my body to take the place of the pain as it concentrates smaller and smaller. It's amazing how well this works. The only problem is that it doesn't last long, since the outside world starts to intrude after a few minutes and ruins the 'state of being' that I've created. But usually it's just enough time to give the Advil or Tylenol the time to start working! Peace, Melvis

Kaz	05 Jan 2002
Anybody ever tried entering/visualising/feeling the Magician card? I did once and that was quite an experience. Kaz

arizonagirl	07 Jan 2002
Kaz wrote: Anybody ever tried entering/visualising/feeling the Magician card? I did once and that was quite an experience. Kaz ------------------------------------------------------------------- I did this using the 9 of Pentacles. It was most enlightening!

jade	07 Jan 2002
using the morgan greer deck and mary's book as a guide......i entered the devil card cause it ed me so much when i first began reading cards. it was soooo amazing. i rode the black wolf and found him very playful and fun. he told me all about 'his' card and how he can also be temptation and that sometimes temptation is a good thing. my fear was gone and my understanding was very deep. in light, jade :)

jade	07 Jan 2002
(cause it scared me so much) edit to add this. in light, jade

Michelle	14 Jan 2002
Hello Friends, Does anyone ever experience a tingly/cob web like feeling on their face while meditating? I always assumed this was Spirit energy, but I would love to hear other opinions. Thanks ! Love and Light, Michelle

purplelady	15 Jan 2002
Jade, dare I go out on a limb and say that I once did a reading for this board- and I pulled the devil card for You. It puzzled me at the time! However , I think I've just been enlightened! As for meditating on tarot cards, I have been doing this with the Nigel Jackson deck , as suggested in the book that comes with. Using the majors , in order. Basically I ground and center, light a candle or whatever else makes one happy as far as ritual. Breathe slow and calm and relax. Then I lay the chosen card down (or prop up against a book so I can see card clearly in front of me). I "enter" the card as though I'm walking through a doorway or looking through a window. After a short while , I realize the card has "come alive" . The colors seem more vivid , movement is suggested , sometimes I "hear" the card , or music.

Malachite	15 Jan 2002
Ok...Haven't read all the posts (so darn many!), and am probably butting into an ongoing conversation, but hey!...;-) I meditate either to focus on an issue, or to find peace...and I really need to get back to doing it right now, having lapsed for some weeks... I usually make sure there are no electrical appliances on in the room, even a tv on standby....above and beyond giving out freaky energies, they also make that damned humming noise... mostly i use candles, occasionally incense, since they balance out the senses that I'm not using...incencse makes all messages from my nose the same...silence clears out my ears, and the candle gives me a focus just before i close my eyes....that leaves only touch and #6, which are therefore comparitvely heightened for me...I can then either think deeply, think nothing, or have yet another attempt at astral projection. I think that that only works when I'm with someone else though,...*chill on spine*

jade	16 Jan 2002
ahhh, that IS interesting purplelady! what have i tempted you with? another way of seeing things perhaps? seeing me perhaps? in more ways than one! in light, jade :)

purplelady	16 Jan 2002
Jade, all I know is that I pulled the card, but it puzzled me because you do not seem devil-like to me at all! But now reading that you purposely meditated on card to "face your fear" , very cool , I would guess that I was "seeing" that.

jade	16 Jan 2002
i disagree with you. i'm very 'the devil card' like. i enjoy tempting people to try to think differently, to live within the light and consider other options rather than just the norm. have you read my articles and column? that's what i'm about!!! so i can see why you would pull that card for me. :) in light, jade :)

purplelady	18 Jan 2002
Well , o.k. Jade , I'm glad you're being so positive about this! I was really almost afraid to mention it at first, considering a lot of people would associate the devil with negative fearful imagery etc. But that's what I mean , you are so positive and full of light , more like an angel than a devil. ;-) ^_^ ;D 8-) .

jade	18 Jan 2002
aaahhh shucks *blush* an angel :) i totally see this as wonderful purplelady. you don't have to be afraid to discuss anything with me. :) in light, jade

The Meditation thread was originally posted on 22 Dec 2001 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.