Questions about meditation..

[Cyclops]

I've attempted a total of about six meditations, all lasting about 20-30 minutes approximately....

1)Everything I close my eyes i see billions of microscopic pixels usually black and white..

2)Only when I add thought and spiritual intentions and mental phrases I would get a somewhat of a goosebumpy shocks through the knee's down... is this a blockage?? Every time this happens when I would think of something spiritual..

2B)It also occurs from the stomach down the legs and ends in the feet. like it's going down... what is this??

3) During when I'm focused on the spiritual side, I always see think smoggy green smoke moving around and forming a pattern of movement, in between these green smoggy clouds are much sharper indigo and purple waves, lightning shaped and often sharp in edges, they dim and light up like pulsars.... what is this???

Also keep in mind when I talk about this these things are extremely hazy with no perticular guidance or clear visions.. very hazy and smoggy, unclear....

Last but not least.. when I am meditating and ask my higher self a question, I get a feeling from myself.. but it's my predisposed thought to what the answer should be... not the one from the higher self. How do I get to get clear images? it's always HAZY smoke and clouds!

Please answer with the numbers so I can get some knowledge on these things..

[Peregrinus]

Dear brother,

You ask what it is like to swim when you only touch your toes to the water. Continue meditating as you do two or three times a day, and ask your questions in three months time

Like reading between the lines, meditation is the place between thoughts, not in thought itself.

Here are some inspirational thoughts for you to not think about when you meditate.

“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.” ~ Swami Sivananda

"By sitting silently watching the movie of the mind, gaps of silence appear. As you get the knack of resting in the gap, flowers of consciousness start showering until finally enlightenment happens." ~ New Dawn

"'It is the silence between the notes that makes music." ~ Anonymous

In meditation, as in all arts, there has to be a delicate balance between relaxation and alertness. Once a monk called Shrona was studying meditation with one of Buddha’s closest disciples. He had difficulty finding the right frame of mind. He tried very hard to concentrate, and gave himself a headache. Then he relaxed his mind, but so much that he fell asleep. Finally he appealed to Buddha for help.

Knowing that Shrona had been a famous musician before he became a monk, Buddha asked him: “Weren’t you a vina player when you were a layperson?”

Shrona nodded.

“How did you get the best sound out of your vina? Was it when the strings were very tight or when they were very loose?”

“Neither. When they had just the right tension, neither too taut nor too slack.”

“Well, it’s exactly the same with your mind.”

[colorado]

I couldn't agree more with Peregrinus when he says meditation is the place between thoughts.

Here is an affirmation that was very helpful for me when I was first starting meditation:

"In the stillness...I feel God's love."

You can substitute "the Creator's" for "God's" if you prefer. Actually, you can substitute whatever you want. The point is to feel the love of the moment. As I used this affirmation for several months, the most important part of the meditation became the "..." part of the affirmation. I would say the first part of the affirmation, and then feel the love that I was about to say in the next moment. I personally find it helpful to visualize the words in my head, including the "...". In between each dot is the most crucial part of the mediation for me.

The point of affirmations is to find the meaning beyond the normal, everyday meaning of the words.

Obviously, this is all very specific to me, so I encourage you to try things and see what works for you.

As for the specific questions you had, I'm not exactly sure. I don't believe there are any hard and fast rules for what things mean in meditation. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a diagnosis for meditation symptoms like there is in medicine. Everything in meditation is very specific to you. Please don't be discouraged by the lack of specific answers at this stage. Just keep it up and you will find the answers to these questions eventually.

[Ashim]

Hi Cyclops,
I found the challenge of meditation to be the act of quietening the active mind.
Babas advice has helped me in the past - maybe you can give it a try.
Best wishes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eE41qpyygE&NR=1

[fairyfarmgirl]

I focus on a sacred Geometric pattern of the spiral. To keep my mind focused I visualize a bee flying to a Rose in full blossom with its many many petals and watch the bee spiral around the petals of the rose to the middle and then spiral out again. I came up with this after appealing to the guides as to how to have a meditation practice when my mind just would not be quiet.

Later on I found that this pattern is a healing pattern for the mind/body/soul. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7iMG_WxT_I

I find I need a mandala to visualize while meditating. This one works for me.

Others find focusing on a mantra helpful... the intent is to become one with the void and to exist for a short time between thoughts... which is the void from which all is created.

If you are feeling blocks or debris in your meridians simply intend that they be cleared and that you are a clear channel for the Light and that Light flows through you and your meridians and chakras appropriately and optimally for the highest Good of Self and the Earth and Cosmos. Essential oils help with this as well especially lemon grass and frankincense.

Love--

fairyfarmgirl

[ayadew]

Hello all. This is my gathered knowledge based on Ra's perspective.

Ra speaks of the Meditator and the Adept. These are the main schools of mental work I've encountered and experienced also.
I think they cannot be separated.

The Meditator clears the mind, learning to focus on 1 thought and then let that thought vanish. Then there is no thought, there is only awareness and there is no 'static' that can interfere with self to self development and learning. This is the pure knowing of self, and your 3D brain cannot fathom it entirely, but you can learn some things here of course. Also, this is most meaningful when wanting higher entities to transmit information to you. Just ask, open yourself (meditate) and receive. Self to (higher) self communication takes place here.
You may get 'thought bubbles' with seemingly random information that you just 'made up' (but actually received) which is profound. This you may have experienced many times.

The Adept is the visualizer. He uses the mind in an entirely different way, but of course you can be a Meditator and and Adept simultaneously, they're just different ways for 'enlightenment'.
You learn to visualize all things entirely. All 5 senses simulated, all nuanses and happenings, words, actions, thoughts, feelings. You become the situation you visualize. You may have felt this some times, I did it when I was age 5-10. I sat staring out of the window visualizing things. Then, suddenly, I was there and I played, had fun and whatnot.
I train on this currently, but I've never come close to my childhood visualizations so far.
The purpose of becoming and Adept is that you can resolve issues and find creativity. A great desire to have fun and amuse yourself, "amusing yourself with distortions" as Ra put it, can be satiated by proper Adept training. My main interest to use visualization is to resolve catalyst which is very difficult to resolve in the physical world. Also to 'amuse myself' a little perhaps...
Remember, you ARE the whole world. It is there inside you, simply access it. There is no 'imagined' visualization - it exists as much as the physical world outside you. It is 'real' visualization.

Basically; a great Adept can heal and balance all chakras and resolve all issues within himself.
A great Meditator can look deeper within himself and the world.

They complement each other nicely. You gather knowledge while meditating and put them to use while visualizing.
You may find them merging. Sitting thinking about nothing, then suddenly you'll have a great visualization, then nothing etc. It is hard to describe. This is what I mean by that they cannot be separated.

To train to meditate: There is no 'best way', the only purpose is to make your mind silent. Do it in whatever way you wish. It takes time.
To train visualization: Well, just go crazy!!! There's not anything more to it! You can only get better at visualization by doing it.

[Brittany]

Hi, Cyclops!

One of the most common causes for tingling and “shocky” sensations when dealing with spiritual principles has to do with kundalini awakening. The energy is starting to make it farther through your network of chakras, and as it pierces each energy center it can cause all manner of strange sensations and perceptions that can at times even be euphoric. If you are having a lot of spiritual difficulty or facing interference, some sensations can also indicate a blockage in some cases, though in my experience this feels more like a pressure than a tingle. It’s like trying to push through something. From the way you’ve described your experiences, it seems to me like you are just having the natural symptoms of awakening.

Seeing colors, patterns, whatnot during meditation likely means you are entering the emotional level of mind, in my opinion. You have gotten past the conscious level of mind that is entirely absorbed by sensory intake. The emotional level is the first level of the subconscious mind, and it is not uncommon to get a lot of colors, impressions and shapes, as your mind is reacting more on instinct, emotion and intuition than rational thought. This is usually the level that you dream in as well. This also usually the stage when you begin to see your aura. As you move into the higher levels of the subconscious mind (the astral and mental levels) it is likely that your perceptions will become clearer. Unfortunately, the only way for most people to do this is through constant practice. I wouldn’t expect drastic results overnight. I also wouldn’t overdo it or you could get burnout. Just remain constant in your desire to seek and I believe you will see a steady progress.

As for talking to the higher self...I think one of the largest obstacles people face in this area is doubt. If you don’t believe you’re talking to your higher self, it’s unlikely the connection will be clear. Learning to trust that small, still voice inside is very important. I still have a great deal of trouble doing this, and as a result a lot of the answers I have gotten have been muddled and incomplete. However, there have been a few times where the connection was pure and the insight delivered was phenomenal. Basically, you need to develop the relationship with your higher self the way you would develop a relationship with any friend. It takes time and effort to get to know the person, to learn how they work and in what ways you are best compatible. The more time you spend together, the stronger the bond becomes. I would suggest treating your higher self like an honored guest. Make preparation for their presence, don’t just expect them to be there out of the blue.

Overall, I wouldn’t look on any of these experiences as a lack of anything. I think it is just the beginning or something that, if given time and care, can grow into something more and more precious and valuable. Good luck in your seeking!

-Lynn

[AnthroHeart]

I've meditated nearly daily for about 5 months. When you clear your chakras, and begin to know stillness. When you experience time and space folding into itself. When you've visited Jupiter and the Sun, and felt the energy of Uranus.
You realize how much we don't know.

---

More recently I've gotten interested in meditating on geometry, and usually focus on the 64-tetrahedron matrix as shown by Nassim Haramein. Well, as best as I can. He showed it to be the structure of space (of the vacuum), and I find power in it.

I focus on a sacred Geometric pattern of the spiral.