Spiritualism And Meditation

Presented By

Emblazoned at the Greek temple at Delphi ara the words: 'Man, know thyself'. Probably the best advise in a single sentence ever given; for to know oneself is to know the God nature that is within.

To really know oneself we must get connected with our divine nature and it is through meditation that we do this. If we are to have a well rounded and spiritually fulfilling life meditation is a daily necessity. This statement is doubly true for the Spiritualist.

It is through meditation that we bridge the gap between the world of matter and that of Spirit. It is here that we may tap into the true wisdom of God and learn that we are indeed of that divine material that will last forever.

There are essential parts to going within. To understand ourselves is a main ingredient. What are our true motivations for wanting to know ourselves better. If it is for our eternal progression success is a foregone conclusion. Aspiration is another key ingredient. To have a goal and to continually aspire to reaching that goal is a visualization that all of us need to practice.

If the marathon runner did not have a finish line in mind at the start of the race very few races would be won. And what is our goal? To get to know our spiritual side as well as we know our physical side.

There are many different ways to define meditation but for our purposes let us say that meditation is 'the intentional directing of attention to the clear aspect of one's own inner nature'.

If we approach meditation as a voyage of discovery it can be both fun and life fulfilling. How awesome to intentionally go within to discover that most interesting and inspiring of all beings, ourselves.

Meditation is truly an ancient art. Many civilizations have practiced it and no doubt it was a main ingredient at the great mystery schools of times past. Can we implement this practice into today's modern world? The answer is a definite yes. Some things never change and our spiritual nature is one of them.

Many are the ways of going within and finding one's divine nature. The basic methods or types are; Intellectual, Emotional, Physical, and Action and Meditation.

Meditation is a very personal endeavour but if we approach it with the knowledge of those who have travelled this road before, it can do nothing but benefit us.

There are two general types of what we call mental meditation. In mental meditation no bodily movements or participation is included but everything takes place within the mind. These two types are structured meditation and unstructured meditation.

A structured meditation is that type of meditation that 'carefully and precisely defines what the inner activity is that you are working toward'. For instance; if you are working on your breathing techniques this is what you focus upon.

At times I visualize my breath going out of my mouth and returning to my nose as a vaporous substance. Paying attention to the sound of your breath is also a great help in keeping your focus. Another example is assuming the lotus position which many meditators find helpful. Practicing this form of meditation while keeping in mind the end goal is enlightenment is a powerful prescription indeed.

Another type of meditation is 'unstructured meditation'. In this type of meditation a subject or area of interest is decided upon and all other thoughts are excluded. This type is much less confining as we can let our thoughts go where they will as long as they are focused on the one subject. The goals for this type of meditation are self-improvement, growth and greater self-awareness.

A 'mantra' is sometimes used in meditation. This is basically a sound that we say over an over again. When we use this we experience a sense of withdrawal from our environment while experiencing a sense of comfort and ease. Contentment and satisfaction are the two primary emotions that are felt.

When practicing the art of meditation we must also be aware that oftentimes we experience a sense of boredom or failure. Mind wandering is also sometimes a problem. But decide before hand that these little distractions will not hinder us or cause us to take our eyes off of the prize.

The rewards of meditation are well worth striving for and if we make a life long commitment we will find that these were all little battles that most of us pass through and eventually will overcome.

Two basic ingredients form an essential part of meditation and they are centering and concentration.

Centering, simply put, is 'establishing a true recognition of the Centre within'. Once this takes place we realize that we are the centre of all that is around us. Another valuable benefit of centering is the fact that it is virtually impossible to force things to happen when one is properly centred. Centering assures us that our meditation experience will be a successful one.

Concentration is defined as 'our attention is flowing to one point of focus without distraction'. Concentration is so closely related to meditation that we can say meditation is concentration and concentration is meditation.

While mediumship and psychic phenomena is discouraged in basic meditation we must look at the subject from a Spiritualist viewpoint. Don't be afraid to let Spirit come through or phenomena to take place but keep in mind that the real goal and benefit of meditation is to know oneself and to help oneself grow. But then again no one will argue the fact that the number one gateway to spirit awareness and psychic-mediumistic ability is that of meditation.

It is through meditation that spiritual unfoldment takes place and the door to the world of Spirit is opened for us. Another application of meditation can be made in that area we call 'comprehensive living'. We can use meditation to overcome such problems as weight control, heart attacks and other physical problems.

It is a known fact that meditation slows respiration and heart beat and many meditate while chewing there food. They make the chewing of food the focus as some do breath control and find that they eat much less. But while discussing these factors keep in mind that they are only secondary in nature and the true purpose of meditation is not problem solving.

It is true that meditation is a multi-faceted human endeavour and under certain circumstances it can be used for our benefit both physically, mentally and spiritually. The limits or boundaries connected with meditation are only put there by ourselves.

I will end the same way I began. The greatest advise ever given to mankind was that of Socrates when he said, "Man know thyself". Know the peace that passeth all understanding that the master teacher Jesus spoke of. Go within; Meditate.

Fred Anderson.

You may like to try one of our meditations….

Shared Meditations