Meditation/Visualization: Tips?

[MoonJeli]

Deoridhe

MoonJeli

You don't think the books teach basic meditation, rather than the advanced states reached by Buddhist monks, etc.?

Just because a person can reach a meditative state doesn't mean they can teach it well.

Also, given the OP states he is unskilled, starting him at a Ph.D. level of meditation seems rather counterintuitive.

I didn't mean for him to start there, just if he wanted to go beyond the basics some day. I think practice is the first step. Books are great too, and there are some good videos out there as well.

But I'll use an example like yoga, which incorporates breathing meditation and various other types of meditation and mindfulness. You can learn a lot from books and videos, and many people would be content never going beyond that. However, you can learn a lot from a yoga instructor. Many people find having a skilled outsider observe their positions and correct them if necessary, i.e. "Your bottom's a little too high, tuck it in," and suddenly the position is so much more effective.

I wouldn't say rush out and get a teacher, but if you try it and like it, it may be a way to go.

deadmanjake

Some of the books I have heard about regarding meditation seem to be at kindergarden level. Close your eyes, breath deep, have incense burning, and have a "sounds of nature" cd playing.

Personaly find the incense irritating to my eyes, nose, and lungs. And sometimes, the sounds of nature things just make me want to use the potty.

Oh geez. "One... one... shoot, I really have to go... one... one... maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away... one... one...! Oh @*$&#! I guess I shouldn't have dismissed that thought...."  

[Aya Azura]

There are great books that teach meditation in a spiritual path. Teen Psychic, by Julie Tallard Johnson, is a great book. It also has some stuff on Astral Projection. Books are a great tool though, but if you just read it and don't do it you don't get anywhere. It begins as a commitment that gradually gets easier, and then you slowly get better at it. There are also many books that incorporate meditations for psychism into exercises, and those can be used to, it's all for clearing the mind, and getting to a higher state of existence. The best thing though, is to try different ones, and see what works better.  

[TeaDidikai]

Deoridhe

MoonJeli

You don't think the books teach basic meditation, rather than the advanced states reached by Buddhist monks, etc.?

Just because a person can reach a meditative state doesn't mean they can teach it well.

Also, given the OP states he is unskilled, starting him at a Ph.D. level of meditation seems rather counterintuitive.

Further- there is a buttload of ******** in the head creepy pagans out there who love finding students that they ******** with.

Hence- it is easier to close a book than a person.  

[TeaDidikai]

Visualization Tip:

Visualize something you are very very very familiar with for practice.

It could be something as simple as a friend's face- and you can focus and add details.

The object of the visualization itself should come almost automatically. For example, I can visualize my friend cat with ease. A little effort and I can get an expression. Little more effort and I add in his scarf.

You can do this with yourself as well. Close your eyes- you likely have an idea of what you look like after all.

The more practice you have with something familiar you can confirm with, the easier the practice of creating mental pictures will be. Eventually you can add aspects of non-corporeal reality into it (I habitually dress myself in clothing I haven't constructed yet).  

[Darin Rosewood]

TeaDidikai

Visualization Tip:

Visualize something you are very very very familiar with for practice.

It could be something as simple as a friend's face- and you can focus and add details.

The object of the visualization itself should come almost automatically. For example, I can visualize my friend cat with ease. A little effort and I can get an expression. Little more effort and I add in his scarf.

You can do this with yourself as well. Close your eyes- you likely have an idea of what you look like after all.

The more practice you have with something familiar you can confirm with, the easier the practice of creating mental pictures will be. Eventually you can add aspects of non-corporeal reality into it (I habitually dress myself in clothing I haven't constructed yet).

Yay! Thanks and stuff! I'm getting better at meditation, but visualization is still lacking.  

[TeaDidikai]

Darin Rosewood

Yay! Thanks and stuff! I'm getting better at meditation, but visualization is still lacking.

Welcome.

That's about the beginning and end of my tips on the matter though. I'm not big on visualization when it comes to spiritual applications.  

[Kal Eldritch]

I'm a little bit confused about visualization. confused Is there something other than "I'm seeing a picture in my head" to it, or do a lot of people have difficulty in conjuring images to their mind? Ack! I really did wish my local book stores had books on these subjects that I knew about. sad  

[VisasMarr]

I hate to say it. But the visualization exersizes that Silver Ravenwolf wrote in To Ride a Silver Broomstick are what made me master visualization. Starhawk has a few good exersizes on the subject too in The Spiral Dance

Ravenwolf's method comprised of two or three (I forget) exersizes. The first in which you take an object, look at it for a bit. Close your eyes and then imagine yourself as a little bug crawling all over it. Keep doing this (and check the object once in a while) until the image is crisp and accurate. The next exersize is the same, only you imagine yourself as a bird flying over and around it. Doing these exersizes for a week not only made visualization a piece of cake for me, but also helped with my memory. I don't recommend buying To Ride a Silver Broomstick but a public library will likely have a copy.
For meditation, I mastered that by using Ravenwolf's chakra meditation. It is very simple and requires a bit of visualization, but not too much.

If you are finding it very hard to sit still, or keep your mind focused (or unfocused razz ) I suggest a moving meditation like yoga or tai chi. It can really help you with focusing your concentration. After doing that, sitting still while meditating gets easier. IF you can join a yoga class I definitly recommend it. A good yoga class will teach you meditation and relaxation exersizes along with the yoga.  

[VisasMarr]

Sovereign of Darkness

I'm a little bit confused about visualization. confused Is there something other than "I'm seeing a picture in my head" to it, or do a lot of people have difficulty in conjuring images to their mind? Ack! I really did wish my local book stores had books on these subjects that I knew about. sad

For me, I couldn't really visualize anything before doing the exersizes I mentioned in my other post. After those though, my visualizing is awesome! But I can't see anything on the "outside." If you know what I mean. Basically if I cast a circle, I can see the circle in my mind's eye, but not externally. Apparently some people can see it externally, but I can't. I can feel it though.  

[TheDisreputableDog]

VisasMarr

I hate to say it. But the visualization exersizes that Silver Ravenwolf wrote in To Ride a Silver Broomstick are what made me master visualization. Starhawk has a few good exersizes on the subject too in The Spiral Dance

I liked Yasmine Galenorn's visualization exercises in Embracing the Moon when I tried them. I was only able to try the first one before I got busy though.

The first one you look at a painting for five minutes, then close your eyes and visualize it for five minutes. Later, look at the painting for five minutes, go about your daily activities for 2-3 hours, and then visualize it. Then try to recreate other paintings you've seen.

The second one you explore a fruit in as many of its aspects as you can: color, texture, smell, taste, etc. Ten minutes later try to recreat the experience of the fruit. A couple days later, do it again.

The third one you listen to a favorite song a couple times, wait five minutes, and play it through in your head. After a few tries of this, wait awhile and play it in your head without listening to it first.

The fourth one you relive a happy event in as much detail as possible, and then a not-so happy one. Then visualize a realistic, more satisfactory ending for the unhappy event.

The fifth one you visualize preparing for, sitting through, and returning from a job interview.

Then you can go on from there with other scenarios; for example visualizing being social at a party if you're shy, etc.  

[TeaDidikai]

Sovereign of Darkness

I'm a little bit confused about visualization. confused Is there something other than "I'm seeing a picture in my head" to it, or do a lot of people have difficulty in conjuring images to their mind? Ack! I really did wish my local book stores had books on these subjects that I knew about. sad

A lot of people do have problems keeping the pictures in their head. Mostly because they attempt to treat it is a static visual.

Once you figure out that your eyes don't maintain a static image (by looking away, moving in and out of focus, honing in on detail etc) it gets easier.

The other hangup seems to be what to do once you have the visualization.

Of note- before anyone gives Birddog a red cent- Yasmine Galenorn has a lovely intro to it in Embracing the Moon.  

[Aki Norikaeru]

Well, for meditiation, sorry I want to add this, the best way I have found for losing those pesky thoughts is after you have started a meditation transfer your concentration to you heart beat. Most of the time it is hard to hear and feel so it takes enough concentration to just keep track of it. As for the visualization, this is probably very bad for your eyes, try the candle thing, but let the image kinda burn into your eyes so when you close your eyes you can see the outline. Then quickly try alternating the focus of your eyes. After a few tries a flame should be pretty clear, for a few seconds. The holding on to this image messes me up. I could explain the focus thing, but someone else could probably do it better.  

[TeaDidikai]

Aki Norikaeru

try the candle thing, but let the image kinda burn into your eyes so when you close your eyes you can see the outline.

It's not as bad for you as you might think.

It basically means that you need to eat more B-vits.  

[Aki Norikaeru]

....Um I meant it is easier to see the flame, I should have said the outline gets burned into your brain. The reason it would be bad is it is like, on a much smaller scale, looking into the sun. Sorry for the bad wording. xp  

[Aki Norikaeru]

Also, you could focus on feeling or hearing something instead of just trying to see it. Personally I can hear more then I can perceive in any other of my senses. The best way to get it down would probably be the fruit exercise above. When you can notice something without sight alone it can help when you try to visualize it quicker, and for a longer period of time.