Meditation The modern world in which we live constantly barrages us with so much mind clutter that it can be hard to hear yourself think. We live in an impatient and fast paced society. How uncommon is it for you to have 3 or 4 different things on your mind at once? A quick example would be for you to take a piece of paper right now and quickly jot down what else is on your mind besides these lessons at the moment. Meditation allows us to quiet our minds, relax, focus and concentrate. Our higher self or sub conscious mind can be a stranger to us if we can not reach a state in which we can communicate and listen to it. The benefits of meditation that many experience are a decrease in feelings of stress, improved concentration and a feeling of being more in touch with ones self. From a magickal stand point meditation is a necessity. After all, how effective is a spell or ritual going to be if while performing it with your mind balancing the budget or making a grocery list at the same time. TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MEDITATION In all forms of meditation it is imperative that you make sure that you will not be disturbed, or distracted. Turn off the phone, find a place where you will not be disturbed by people, pets or noise. Don't do it after eating as it can make you groggy. It's important not to pressure yourself into trying to get results. No two people have exactly the same experience during meditation and it is not something that comes easily to everyone. Be patient, do not set your goals too high. Don't start of with pre-conceived ideas of what you may experience or feel. The most important thing is to keep doing it on a regular basis. It is a good idea to keep a journal of how you feel and any eperiences you had. A SIMPLE METHOD OF MEDITATION The easiest way to meditate is to sit down either in a chair or on the floor. Sit upright and focus on an object, a candle flame is always good. Let all other thoughts and feelings float away as you concentrate on the flame. As you do this, take deep slow breathes, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Your thoughts should become fewer as you move deeper and deeper into a state of relaxation. Breathe deep and focus only on the flame.. HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU MEDITATE Ideally, every day. Some even meditate twice a day, usually once in the morning and later again at night. Morning meditations can create a sense of peace and clarity that can extend into your day. Night meditations provides relaxation and helps melt away the excess negativity from things that have happened through the day. Whichever you choose, it is best to get into a routine and meditate at the same time every day. How long to meditate differs, For beginners, start with 10 to 15 minutes, then slowly work your way up to 20 to 30 minutes. If your schedule doesn't give you time to meditate twice a day, it is more beneficial to decrease the time as opposed to infrequent meditation for longer periods. The idea is just to make meditation a part of your life.
TREE IN WINTER GUIDED MEDITATION by L. Pontarelli It would be a good idea to actually tape this one reading it yourself, then play it back, guiding yourself through your own meditation. You are about to perform the Tree in Winter Meditation. It is a guided meditation which involves a deep level or relaxation. It is structed to gently guide your awareness through the process of relaxation, invoke a higher state of consciousness, and allow you to release all that no longer serves you and that which is in your higest good to move beyond. This meditations works best when lying down, but can be used in any position that is comfortable f or you. I want you to close your eyes, and begin to breathe slowly and deeply. Inhale for a silent count of four, hold your breath for as long as you comfortably can, and exhale slowly and completely. Inhale slowly through the nose, holding your breath, and exhale completely through slightly parted lips. Breathe in, taking in new and fresh ideas, and holding them in the heart area. And breathe out, releasing all stress and anxiety. And continue this deep breathing, so that your body begins to release and relax. And in the future prior to each meditation session, do 3 minutes of this meditative breathing before you begin the session. Now, slow down your mind, and clear away all outside thoughts. If any distractions should appear, gently brush them aside. And I want you to imagine standing in a large fertile field. The field has been warmed by the golden rays of the sun. And this warmth begins to seep into the soles of both your feet at the same time. Warming and relaxing your feet. And this relaxing power begins to slowly work its way into your ankles, relaxing the ankles. Feel it moving up the calves, relaxing and warming you as iut travels to the kness and up the thighs. And this relaxing power flows into your hips, and gently soothes and relaxes the hips. And now you begin to feel the warmth in the tips of your fingers and hands, and moving into the wrists, gently soothing and relaxing. And it moves up your arms relaxing the forearms, elbows and upper arms. Now feel the warmth in the base of your spine. And the relaxing power works its way up your spine, up your spine. And your arms, and legs and spine feel warm and relaxed. And this relaxing feeling moves on up the spine to the neck and shoulder muscles, relaxing the neck and shoulder muscles. Begin to feel the relaxing power move up your neck into your scalp, relaxing your scalp and draining down into your facial muscles, relaxing your facial muscles, and your jaw is relaxed. Allow a little space between your teeth, and your throat is relaxed. Now, I want you to imagine a point of light above that originates at the center of the universe. And fron that point, I want you to imagine a ray of bright golden light that shines down upon you. Make it real with the power of your imagination. And this bright golden light enters your heart area, and you are filled to overflowing with the love and gentle energy of this bright golden light. And you feel strong, and healthy, and safe. And as this light moves up your spine, you feel it begin to spout from the crown chakra at the top of your head. As it spouts, it becomes a protective rainbow of light that surrounds and protects you. And you can see each colour of the rainbow as it surrounds you. First, you see the red, then the orange, and yellow, and green, then the blue, and then violet and then you see indigo. And as these colors stream down around you, they begin to shimmer from the strands of gold interlaced within each colour. And this protective rainbow can extend out as far as you wish. And I want you to imagine this rainbow becoming larger and stronger. And from each foot, imagine roots growing out, branching and continuing to grow until they reach Mother Earth. Plant the roots firmly into Mother Earth and allow the roots to grow and branch out. And as the roots go deeper and deeper, they begin to tap into the transformative energy of the Earth. And you become fully and firmly grounded. Now, I want you to begin to absorb the nutrients and the life-giving water and transformative earth energy back up the roots into the navel where it builds. When this becomes completely full, let this energy find its way up the spine - healing and transforming to perfection all that it touches. As it reaches the shoulders, it branches off in 3 directions - out each arm and out the top of the head. Healing, transforming and continuing to grow. And as it branches off and continues to grow, leaves begin forming. When you have extended as far out as you desire, leaves sprout and shoot off from the branches. Notice how green and full of life the leaves have become. And each leaf represents a cherished memory that wishes to be released. Notice the leaves closest to you. And as you focus your attention on each individual leaf, an image that symbolises the memory of each event or person or thing that you desire will become apparent. You will view these scenes as an observer, and you will have a detatched perspective. You will see these images of what once was in your life which you no longer wish to remain as a part of your life as you live fully in the present. And as you watch the scenes unfolding before you, when the message is completed, the leaf will turn its autumn colour and gently drop off and float to the ground to be transformed by the Earth. You will say goodbye to that memory and focus on the next one, and the ones after that, each in its own turn. Pause for the above to transpire) And now, that all the memories that you no longer need in your life have fallen to the ground, a gentle and light snowfall begins. The flakes are dainty and beautiful and they build up and create a beautiful blanket of soft snow which completely covers the fallen leaves so that they can no longer be seen. And the bright sun glistens on the top of the fallen snow, and you feel happy to see the sun shine. And the sun grows brighter and brighter and begins to warm the snow. The snow slowly melts away and you can feel the water giving nourishment to the roots. (Short Pause) And now that the snow has all melted, you look down and notice that the fallen leaves have also dissapeared. They have now been transformed by the Earth and the change of seasons. This is all part of the circle of life. And you look now on the branches of the tree and notice new buds forming. These buds are the beginning of new memories and experiences that you are now asking to come into your life. And you feel the freshness of springtime. Now is the time to thank the Earth for her help in transforming the leaves. You will remember the messages and insight found on the leaves before they fell and understand their lesson. If you do not easily understand the purpose of an event or symbol, clarity should come to you in your nightly dreams. And your branches pull back to become your arms and hanmds again. Thank Mother Earth for her nourishment and protection and slowly pull back the roots until they once again become feet and legs. And you feel the pulsing life force in your navel area. You will carry this gente pulsing force to know that you are always connected to Mother Earth and are full of life, vibrancy and good health. You can call upon this inner peace at any time. And as you recall the messages and lessons I want you to slowly and gently become aware of all that surrounds you. When you are comfortable, open your eyes and record all that you have learned from this journey. You will feel awake and refreshed.