Taken now from my Book of Shadows,original author unknown
MEDITATION
"Without going outside, you may know the world. Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know."
"Thus the sage knows without traveling;
He sees without looking;
He works without doing."
The Tao Te Ching
***
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines "meditation" as:
1: "to focus one's thoughts on: reflect on or ponder over."
2: "to plan or project in the mind: to engage in contemplation or reflection."
Michael Molinos, the Catholic Priest who lived in Italy around the 17th century, wrote that there were two kinds of prayer; outward prayer, which meant you physically prayed with your voice, and inward prayer which Molinos preferred over the other. This inward prayer involved sitting in a quiet space and contemplating God. This angered the church officials because Molinos was preaching that confession to a priest was not really necessary if one confessed to God himself using inward prayer. As a result Michael became very popular with the people of that era. He became somewhat of a hero because his teachings attempted to liberate the people from church which attempted to oppress them and used confession as a tool for blackmail.
Michael Molinos, was jailed for life by the church, his book banned, and anyone caught reading his book was to be excommunicated; all because he wrote that inward prayer was more efficient than outward prayer.
The inward prayer Molinos spoke about was meditation.
To meditate all one must do is contemplate an object and hold it in consciousness for as long as it is desired. The mind will start to recall all data having anything to do with the object being contemplated, and by careful analysis of the data being recalled one can get deeper meanings of the object being contemplated. Stress is reduced; it creates nerves of steel, and it increases concentration. So you see, it's not as hard as most people think, or is it?
It is perfectly normal for the mind to rebel against you when you trying to restrain it. If this does not happen at first you are not doing it right! When this occurs allow the mind to run amuck for as long as it wants to. Eventually, (after about 6 or 7, 15 minute sessions) you will start to notice that the random symbols the mind used to overwhelm you with at first have slowed down.
Persevere until you can focus your attention on the chosen object for at least 15 minutes without interruption, you are almost there.
It is extremely valuable if the first object you start with is one which you have a lot of interest in. This will make it easier for you to maintain focus on it. See PRACTICAL EXERCISES.
