Learning to listen

Intuition is Soul guidance appearing naturally in man during those instants when his mind is quiet.





The trick is learning to listen to the silence. There is nothing mysterious about meditation and anyone who has thought deeply about any one idea or focused intently on a personal problem has unconsciously been meditating. As a tool of the mind however, meditation is much more effective if you are able to consciously turn it on and off at will.
There are a number of fears and misconceptions surrounding meditation. One such misconception is that it is very difficult and great efforts of concentration are needed. Others believe that they may lose control or float away and yet another objection is that meditation is some form of religious practice.
So, what exactly is meditation and how does one learn to turn it on and off at will?
Perception, conscious choice and intuition are all employed on the path of meditation, creating the awareness of our thoughts and emotions as being the disturbance separating us from our profound peaceful selves and the wisdom within. The goal of meditation therefore is to calm the mind so that it may hear, without distortion, the infallible counsel of the inner voice or Soul. It is the simple process of reversing the outward flow of energy in the form of thoughts until the mind, no longer dependent upon sensory perception, becomes the dynamic receptor of energy in the form of “pure awareness” which is the experience of Truth.

Meditation, sometimes referred to as the “royal path of yoga” (yoga being the science of Self-realization) involves working towards mastering consciousness by stilling the flow of thoughts and emotions passing through our conscious awareness. By doing this, we seek alignment with an overriding state of serenity beyond the disturbance of our thoughts and emotions.

The first step towards reaching this state of serenity beyond our thoughts and emotions is to recognize that our emotions are the false layers often referred to as “veils”, which obscure the True Self. We are not trying to deny our emotions their reality, we are seeing them for what they are, temporary ripples of disturbance. Once we become aware of our thoughts and emotions as they arise we can learn how to dismantle and dissolve them.

What we are aiming at in doing this, is the opening of the subconscious mind. Through the subconscious, we are able to reach the highest “super conscious experience” or what is sometimes termed universal consciousness. In order to get from the conscious state of “ego” to the state of higher awareness via the subconscious, we use the mind as a bridge to cross the expanse dividing the two.

Meditation is therefore not forcing the mind to be quiet it is finding the quiet that is already there. It is allowing the waking, conscious, thinking mind to stop thinking. When we permit this to happen our attention focuses on the peaceful, unchanging level we call the Self. When we become consciously aware on this deeper level of Self, we infuse our mind with the same peace and silence. In this silence the mind has transcended the activity of thinking. At first this will only happen very briefly. With regular practice however the waking mind will begin to let go of any thoughts and emotions resting peacefully in this gentle state of pure awareness.

Each time you go into a state of meditation it will take you deeper and deeper inside yourself where you will experience a place untouched by fear or negativity. This place is a very real part of you.

Why is this connection to the silent deeper level of Self so important? Because silence is the birthplace of happiness! In this silence we receive our bursts of creative inspiration, intuitive insights, tender feelings of compassion and empathy and a total sense of joy. These delicate feelings, emotions and intuitive flashes are easily drowned out by the chaotic roar of our internal dialogue or ego and never reach our conscious awareness.

There are many different meditative techniques but the basic requirements of all forms are :

· breath control

· a relaxed body

· a quiet mind

Find a quiet place somewhere in your home where you will not be disturbed. It need not be a large space - a comfortable chair in one corner of your bedroom will be all you need. Try to meditate in the same place and at the same time everyday. This will assist your mind in letting go as it will associate the time and place with relaxation. Meditation in the morning will help prepare your mind for the day and meditation in the evening will help rid your body of tension and your mind of mental activity before sleep.
Begin your meditative session by making yourself comfortable either sitting erect or lying flat. It is important to keep your spine straight in either position. Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath. Do not try to alter it in any way. Just observe your breath as it enters and leaves your body. Sense a letting go of thoughts, emotions and any tensions with each exhalation. Do this for five or six minutes.

Awareness of the breath is one of the most basic and widely practiced forms of meditation. It is particularly effective for calming the mind and releasing the body from tension arising from anxiety and confusion. It helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which exerts a calming influence on the muscles of the body. Focusing your attention on the breath also helps disengage thought and leads the mind effortlessly and naturally to more subtle levels of awareness. As the breath comes and goes in one’s awareness, the mind begins to seek more subtle levels of thought until eventually all thought is left behind. At this point we say the mind has transcended. The mind is now in touch with its own deepest nature – pure awareness.

When your mind begins to wander or you experience distracting thoughts permit these thoughts to pass on through your conscious awareness without allowing them to hold your attention. Experience every new thought that enters your mind as something you have the conscious choice to focus on or not. When you do not focus on the content of the thought it will pass on through your mind without causing too much of a disturbance to your growing awareness of inner peace.

Mental exercise is no different from physical exercise and it will take perseverance and regular practice in order to see results. Sessions should not be too long to begin with as you may find yourself becoming bored or falling asleep. Start with five or ten minutes and build up your mental stamina slowly. Work towards a forty-five minute session at least three times a week. With regular practice it will become easier, your concentration will improve and your nervous system will benefit from the periods of relaxation and stillness.

"The beautuful things in life cannot be seen or heard, they must be felt with the heart." . . . . Helen Keller