My Preparations For "Creative Visualization" Forms of Meditation
One should set aside an adequate amount of time for meditating, and for initial efforts, a specific time and place, at least three times a week, helps to gather spiritual forces into vibration. With "first time" efforts, a secluded comfortable place helps immensely. - there are also some additional things to be aware of as we begin. For one; we should always say a prayer of acknowledgment for our "Source" and for all the spirits "sensed" as being in our vibration. You should also include a request for having "only God's highest spiritual forces to be present" during the meditation. You should smudge yourself with sweet grass, cedar, or sage if available, and have candles and incense burning to elevate the vibration even further.
When we include a communication with our spirit guides, we should visualize them standing behind us, as this is the best location for clairaudiance when they speak. My most frequently used method is to sit in the middle of the meditation chamber, in a comfortable, straight back chair. Behind me, I have placed a lit candle, and a mirror in front of me at eye level. In alternative meditations, I have also used certain specific symbols; a single lit candle flame; crystal ball; tarot cards; and tranquil images such as paintings or photographs, though it is normal to work with closed eyes over most of the duration. I've been told to put my back to my "polarity" when meditating. For people born between Aries and Virgo, the polarity is North, and for people born between Libra and Pisces, the polarity is South. But I have also meditated while laying down in bed and just before drifting off to sleep for the night effectively too. One of my most preferred methods of meditating involves the use of prerecorded scripts on CD, tape or iPod, to direct me into the deepest stages. The meditations in this section are good resources to record your own meditation script. Once you have an understanding of how you want to approach meditation, any of these can be customizable to suit specific needs.
Beyond the generalities mentioned in the preceding, consider the following for an even more intimate experience with spirit:
Every individual designs an intimate meaning for every word, in whatever language they use. Then, as we progress through life, we seem to begin abbreviating our "word symbols", to the point of communicating them in a style of "meaningless complacency". That is to say; we seem to express them simply for "expediency sake" alone. One glaring example of this tendency (as it reaches epidemic proportions) appears in modern word applications as we "text" on our hand held, portable devices. As we effectively and unconsciously enable our self to "skirt" across whatever it is that we were attempting to communicate - whether to others or to our self - we become more detached from our selected word(s)' true, original, and "core" meaning, and this becomes problematic in meditative "creative visualization" techniques.
This message is not a criticism of current word use methodology as it regards our external affairs. Rather, it is an effort to call attention to the potential consequences of such practices during internal meditations. Because of our tendencies towards "accelerated" symbol usage, it is imperative during meditation sessions, that one should not fall into the same routine as is "allowable" with external communications. Meditation is not a practice of short cuts, but one of discipline, regardless the style of meditation one chooses to use. It is necessary to pause long enough with each important aspect of one's "communicative intent" between self and the "Power" responsible for their existence, to pay a somewhat more "critical" attention to the core meaning of each word they attempt to use when communicating with this source.
For many, this preliminary effort may seem insignificant, as I lead you into this section on various meditations. However, from what I have gathered, there seems necessity in staying close to the "core values" of many meditatively associated words. For me, the importance might solely be connected through my association with the "House of Noble", and everything pertinent to the concept of "Prayer". Although the reader may simply view this as an option, I would suggest he or she consider the implications if their meditation effort meets some difficulty.
Over the course of years, and leading up to current meditations, I have included a sort of "internal ritual within the ritual", that keeps me in contact with the core objective of my word choices. It has proven useful for my success, and I would expect it to be useful for anyone else exploring creative visualization. The practice is an invocation, and it is not utilized for invoking deities, but rather for drawing upon the core and basic "quality" of significant words in the meditation. There are many important words in our relationship with Source that we shouldn't loose contact with, and for the sake of brevity and example, I will only mention a few here to give you the idea of what I mean.
It helps to "enwrap" your awareness (while in creative visualization practices) with precise and positive words, and I do so merely by stating out loud: "I invoke the quality of ___" -- and filling in the blank with the core word intended. The selection, of course, corresponds to a specific idealized value and a brief, intense, total immersion within this quality, whether the attribute be; "goodness"; "justice"; "unconditional love"; "wisdom"; "truth", "bliss"; "serenity"; "grace", "mercy"; "strength"; "victory"; or "infinity"; to name just a few. As I speak aloud the word associated to the quality, I pause and expose myself to what I perceive as the original divine intention associated with the word of choice, before continuing on to the greater structure of the particular meditation exercise. In this pause, sometimes the purest quality seems to flow into my being much as a form of divine light awareness, so as to possess me in such a way that I become more nonjudgmental, or egocentric about it. In your own customizations of meditation, try not to forget the pure quality and core intent of the words you select to include.
One should set aside an adequate amount of time for meditating, and for initial efforts, a specific time and place, at least three times a week, helps to gather spiritual forces into vibration. With "first time" efforts, a secluded comfortable place helps immensely. - there are also some additional things to be aware of as we begin. For one; we should always say a prayer of acknowledgment for our "Source" and for all the spirits "sensed" as being in our vibration. You should also include a request for having "only God's highest spiritual forces to be present" during the meditation. You should smudge yourself with sweet grass, cedar, or sage if available, and have candles and incense burning to elevate the vibration even further.
When we include a communication with our spirit guides, we should visualize them standing behind us, as this is the best location for clairaudiance when they speak. My most frequently used method is to sit in the middle of the meditation chamber, in a comfortable, straight back chair. Behind me, I have placed a lit candle, and a mirror in front of me at eye level. In alternative meditations, I have also used certain specific symbols; a single lit candle flame; crystal ball; tarot cards; and tranquil images such as paintings or photographs, though it is normal to work with closed eyes over most of the duration. I've been told to put my back to my "polarity" when meditating. For people born between Aries and Virgo, the polarity is North, and for people born between Libra and Pisces, the polarity is South. But I have also meditated while laying down in bed and just before drifting off to sleep for the night effectively too. One of my most preferred methods of meditating involves the use of prerecorded scripts on CD, tape or iPod, to direct me into the deepest stages. The meditations in this section are good resources to record your own meditation script. Once you have an understanding of how you want to approach meditation, any of these can be customizable to suit specific needs.
Beyond the generalities mentioned in the preceding, consider the following for an even more intimate experience with spirit:
Every individual designs an intimate meaning for every word, in whatever language they use. Then, as we progress through life, we seem to begin abbreviating our "word symbols", to the point of communicating them in a style of "meaningless complacency". That is to say; we seem to express them simply for "expediency sake" alone. One glaring example of this tendency (as it reaches epidemic proportions) appears in modern word applications as we "text" on our hand held, portable devices. As we effectively and unconsciously enable our self to "skirt" across whatever it is that we were attempting to communicate - whether to others or to our self - we become more detached from our selected word(s)' true, original, and "core" meaning, and this becomes problematic in meditative "creative visualization" techniques.
This message is not a criticism of current word use methodology as it regards our external affairs. Rather, it is an effort to call attention to the potential consequences of such practices during internal meditations. Because of our tendencies towards "accelerated" symbol usage, it is imperative during meditation sessions, that one should not fall into the same routine as is "allowable" with external communications. Meditation is not a practice of short cuts, but one of discipline, regardless the style of meditation one chooses to use. It is necessary to pause long enough with each important aspect of one's "communicative intent" between self and the "Power" responsible for their existence, to pay a somewhat more "critical" attention to the core meaning of each word they attempt to use when communicating with this source.
For many, this preliminary effort may seem insignificant, as I lead you into this section on various meditations. However, from what I have gathered, there seems necessity in staying close to the "core values" of many meditatively associated words. For me, the importance might solely be connected through my association with the "House of Noble", and everything pertinent to the concept of "Prayer". Although the reader may simply view this as an option, I would suggest he or she consider the implications if their meditation effort meets some difficulty.
Over the course of years, and leading up to current meditations, I have included a sort of "internal ritual within the ritual", that keeps me in contact with the core objective of my word choices. It has proven useful for my success, and I would expect it to be useful for anyone else exploring creative visualization. The practice is an invocation, and it is not utilized for invoking deities, but rather for drawing upon the core and basic "quality" of significant words in the meditation. There are many important words in our relationship with Source that we shouldn't loose contact with, and for the sake of brevity and example, I will only mention a few here to give you the idea of what I mean.
It helps to "enwrap" your awareness (while in creative visualization practices) with precise and positive words, and I do so merely by stating out loud: "I invoke the quality of ___" -- and filling in the blank with the core word intended. The selection, of course, corresponds to a specific idealized value and a brief, intense, total immersion within this quality, whether the attribute be; "goodness"; "justice"; "unconditional love"; "wisdom"; "truth", "bliss"; "serenity"; "grace", "mercy"; "strength"; "victory"; or "infinity"; to name just a few. As I speak aloud the word associated to the quality, I pause and expose myself to what I perceive as the original divine intention associated with the word of choice, before continuing on to the greater structure of the particular meditation exercise. In this pause, sometimes the purest quality seems to flow into my being much as a form of divine light awareness, so as to possess me in such a way that I become more nonjudgmental, or egocentric about it. In your own customizations of meditation, try not to forget the pure quality and core intent of the words you select to include.