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works well for beginners:
1. Set aside time in a quiet place, where you will not be disturbed. Place
your journal and a pen/pencil close at hand. When you first begin
meditating, you may prefer a darkened room, using a candle to keep your
focus. Some people envision a bright star in their minds, but this is a bit
more difficult to hold constant.
2. You may wish to add music to jump start your meditation in order to
elevate your connection to the universe and control your thoughts. With
practice, train your mind to continue meditating at the higher level, after
the music stops. We suggest any music CD by R. Carlos Nakai (a
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uniquely-talented Native American flutist), any of the Celtic Twilight
music CDs (several different volumes are available on Amazon.com), any
other similar music. You even may prefer to use one piece of music (with
or without words) that immediately connects you to the universe at the
level of your soul and spirit. You ll know if it does this, because it will bring
tears to your eyes and a swelling in your chest; yet once you connect to
your source, you are awash with happiness and peace like you ve never
before felt. Two such songs that do this for a colleague are: I Want to
Know (long version), by Foreigner, and Yeshua Ha Mashiach
(translated means Jesus the Messiah), by Scott Wesley Brown (from
The Scott Wesley Brown Collection ). Both may be found on
Amazon.com.
3. Set comfortably but alertly in a comfortable chair or on a pillow on the
floor. You may lie in bed in the morning after waking or at night before
sleeping; but it s very easy to fall asleep.
4. Focus on the candle flame, empty your mind, and still your body. At first,
you will find your mind taking control and wondering all over the place.
This is normal. When you realize that your mind is wondering out of
control, just refocus on the candle flame and empty your mind again. It
takes practice over time to be able to keep your mind blank for any length
of time. Focus until you re no longer aware of your physical body.
5. Once you have your focus, you have many choices of what to do next:
a. Be still and let God). Just allow the universe to merge with you,
letting you feel its presence. You may do an entire meditation like
this, if you wish.
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b. Use a mantra, especially helpful at first. It keeps your attention on
your source, controlling your wandering thoughts. Some
individuals and religions believe a mantra connects with evil or
pagan spirits, but this is not true. We suggest two mantras, if you
so choose to use one:
i. Repeat the word, Om . Om and the use of mantras
originate from Vedic Hinduism, later adopted by Buddhists
and Jains. In the Bible, John 1:1 states, In the beginning
was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was
God. In Vedic Hinduism, Om is that Word , the vibration
that set the creation of the world in motion. Chanting Om is
said to correspond to that original vibration, connecting
you back to your source. Om is pronounced A U M,
accenting each syllable. Here s how it connects you: A is
where you are current in a waking state; U takes you to a
state similar to the dream state, and M to the state
similar to deep sleep. The silence between the syllables is
the state of perfect bliss your connection to the universe
and is achieved by the repetition of Om. With practice,
this mantra takes you to your source, the silence between
the syllables, the space between your thoughts.
ii. Another mantra method is used in Japa Meditation, where
the name of God is repeated while focusing on your
intentions. It works well, especially if you are having a
difficult time shutting out the day-to-day thoughts that
dominate your mind. There are many names for God in the
Bible; and you can research all of the Hebrew names (as
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well as in other faiths) for God and choose one of them
whichever name for God that has meaning for you.
c. Conversing with the universe within your mind is another choice.
Don t ask for things or pass along information here. The universe
already knows the needs and desires of yourself and everyone
else in the world.
This is the time to turn over your problems and concerns to the
universe, then make an affirmation statement. For example:
Problem: I am concerned about meeting my financial
responsibilities .
Affirmation: I know my needs are already provided by
you, and I am not concerned.
d. Then, be still in the silence and listen for the response. As to what
type of response you receive will depend upon your proficiency in
meditation. You may hear a voice (thoughts that aren t your own)
in your mind that speaks to you, or you may see pictures/video
(visions) in your mind.
On the last day of a religious workshop, a participant
stated that he had prayed the Rosary daily for many
years. All he ever asked for was to hear the voice of God.
It was evident during his explanation that this was very
upsetting for him. The priest giving the workshop didn t
have an answer for him, nor did anyone else. When the
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class had ended, Howard (another participant) went to the
man, who was still sitting, and knelt next to him. Some
people held back to see what Howard would say,
expecting to possibly join him in praying with the
distraught man.
Instead, Howard asked him, When you pray the Rosary,
what do you see in your mind?
Surprised at the question, the man answered, The face of
the Virgin Mary. She s always smiling.
And do you have a particular devotion to the Virgin
Mary?
Yes, I do. Why? asked the man, who now was curious.
Howard broke into a wide smile and said, This is God s
way of saying hello to you!
The man broke down in tears, as did many around him.
After he composed himself, Howard explained that it takes
truly knowing yourself inside and out to be able to
differentiate your thought patterns from the voice of God.
Therefore, God usually begins speaking to you in pictures.
For this man, God used something very special to him to
let him know He was there and listening.
Once you have this first awareness that the universe is
responding to you, you ll begin to get many more pictures
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(visions). So, pay attention to what you see within your mind
during your meditation. Sometimes, the visions move so fast and
there are so many that you can t remember them all after the
meditation, but let them flow. Once you begin trying to remember,
you engage your brain and the visions stop. Just pay close
attention to what you see .
e. Be sure to thank your source, not only for this time/response but
also for all it provides to you.
After the meditation is over, immediately write down any experiences you had in
your journal. Don t worry if you didn t feel that you had a good meditation
there is no such thing as a bad one. Something is accomplished at all
meditations, whether you are aware of it or not. Just keep at it and observe all
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