Post by wren on Nov 27, 2006 7:21:39 GMT -5
Meditations
This is a review the basic techniques involved. It is important to realize that meditation involves switching off your everyday consciousness as far as possible, and tuning into your feeling, intuitive self. You may not have had much experience at this before and it may take awhile to adjust. If you find that the exercises are not working for you, keeping trying. It is important not to give up since practice is the best way of learning and patience is essential to the path of the shaman. Habit educates the intuitive senses better than almost anything else.
When you meditate you should sit in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Sit upright, back straight (supported if necessary) with your hands resting on your thighs. Some people sit cross-legged on the ground, imagining their spine grounded in the earth. Others sit in a chair, feet firmly on the ground. Choose the best position for you by experimenting. Relax and breathe deeply to a regular count. Try, for example, breathing in for a count of two, holding the breath for a count of one, and then breathing out again for a count of two. Again, experiment with your breathing until you find the rhythm that works best to relax and focus you.
Gradually clear your mind of everyday thoughts, worries and fears. This is not as easy as it sounds. You will experience mind-wandering as you begin. This is natural. With time and patience, you will learn to acknowledge and push aside such thoughts. Once you are truly at rest, you can begin to meditate on a seed-thought (a word, phrase or question to which you require an answer). Or, if you are called upon to visualize, once your mind is still, you can begin to allow the images described to rise in your consciousness. It may be helpful, particularly at first and if you’ve never meditated before, to record the exercises and play them back as you meditate. Try to ‘be there’, to enter the scenes described as fully as possible. The more solid the images become, the more satisfying the experience will be.
This allows the changes in consciousness, which are part of becoming a shaman, to take place naturally. From the still point within, you will be able to journey forth in search of other dimensions. In Celtic terms, this is known as entering the Otherworld, esentially you are entering a trance-like state. Other techniques for this include varying body postures and the use of a drum to induce a change in consciousness.
None of these techniques are harmful. Falling into a trance state is simply another way of saying that you are entering a space within you, in which you are able to filter out the concerns of your everyday consciousness and become aware of other states of being. These are sometimes referred to as altered states of consciousness, or as religious ecstasy, during which the individual becomes conscious of a greater dimension of reality. All shaman work from this basis, and you will need to become familiar with it before you can successfully approach your training.
The experience of a trance state varies, not only among individuals but also from one occasion to another. Sometimes you may feel an unusual degree of heat or of cold; you may find yourself shaking or becoming aware of a brilliant light around you or an intense area of darkness. These are physiological reactions to spiritual conditions. They are akin to the varied emotions which can be evoked by looking at great art or listening to music. Some will bring tears to the eyes, others will uplift or inspire.
The trance state is thus about breaking out of old and outworn patterns of awareness. The shaman knows of many worlds and many levels of being in which he or she is able to travel. They experience the wonder of Creation every time they journey by this means into other dimensions.
At the end of any session of meditation or visualization, always ground yourself by drinking water and eating something immediately. You will also find it useful to keep a notebook or journal of your realizations and journeys, since these will often have a bearing on your later work and will sometimes become clearer and more meaningful with the passage of time. Practice simple meditation, preferably every day, to simply become clear and open. Practice simply clearing your mind before proceeding to a guided meditation.
This is a review the basic techniques involved. It is important to realize that meditation involves switching off your everyday consciousness as far as possible, and tuning into your feeling, intuitive self. You may not have had much experience at this before and it may take awhile to adjust. If you find that the exercises are not working for you, keeping trying. It is important not to give up since practice is the best way of learning and patience is essential to the path of the shaman. Habit educates the intuitive senses better than almost anything else.
When you meditate you should sit in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Sit upright, back straight (supported if necessary) with your hands resting on your thighs. Some people sit cross-legged on the ground, imagining their spine grounded in the earth. Others sit in a chair, feet firmly on the ground. Choose the best position for you by experimenting. Relax and breathe deeply to a regular count. Try, for example, breathing in for a count of two, holding the breath for a count of one, and then breathing out again for a count of two. Again, experiment with your breathing until you find the rhythm that works best to relax and focus you.
Gradually clear your mind of everyday thoughts, worries and fears. This is not as easy as it sounds. You will experience mind-wandering as you begin. This is natural. With time and patience, you will learn to acknowledge and push aside such thoughts. Once you are truly at rest, you can begin to meditate on a seed-thought (a word, phrase or question to which you require an answer). Or, if you are called upon to visualize, once your mind is still, you can begin to allow the images described to rise in your consciousness. It may be helpful, particularly at first and if you’ve never meditated before, to record the exercises and play them back as you meditate. Try to ‘be there’, to enter the scenes described as fully as possible. The more solid the images become, the more satisfying the experience will be.
This allows the changes in consciousness, which are part of becoming a shaman, to take place naturally. From the still point within, you will be able to journey forth in search of other dimensions. In Celtic terms, this is known as entering the Otherworld, esentially you are entering a trance-like state. Other techniques for this include varying body postures and the use of a drum to induce a change in consciousness.
None of these techniques are harmful. Falling into a trance state is simply another way of saying that you are entering a space within you, in which you are able to filter out the concerns of your everyday consciousness and become aware of other states of being. These are sometimes referred to as altered states of consciousness, or as religious ecstasy, during which the individual becomes conscious of a greater dimension of reality. All shaman work from this basis, and you will need to become familiar with it before you can successfully approach your training.
The experience of a trance state varies, not only among individuals but also from one occasion to another. Sometimes you may feel an unusual degree of heat or of cold; you may find yourself shaking or becoming aware of a brilliant light around you or an intense area of darkness. These are physiological reactions to spiritual conditions. They are akin to the varied emotions which can be evoked by looking at great art or listening to music. Some will bring tears to the eyes, others will uplift or inspire.
The trance state is thus about breaking out of old and outworn patterns of awareness. The shaman knows of many worlds and many levels of being in which he or she is able to travel. They experience the wonder of Creation every time they journey by this means into other dimensions.
At the end of any session of meditation or visualization, always ground yourself by drinking water and eating something immediately. You will also find it useful to keep a notebook or journal of your realizations and journeys, since these will often have a bearing on your later work and will sometimes become clearer and more meaningful with the passage of time. Practice simple meditation, preferably every day, to simply become clear and open. Practice simply clearing your mind before proceeding to a guided meditation.
