The Power of Meditation: The What, Why, and How

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del.icio.us tags: meditation, philosophy, peace, change, continuum, universe, god

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Meditation is one of those practices that I’ve observed over the years, and accepted as being beneficial, but didn’t really understand why. I didn’t understand what anyone could possibly get done by essentially sitting down, getting quiet, closing one’s eyes, and (apparently) doing nothing. Well, the truth is that everything that we consciously seek to accomplish can indeed get done through this practice. While there are volumes of information available about meditation, I’d like to offer my take on the what, why, and the how of it.

The What

A quick lookup of the word meditate in Merriam-Webster, my favorite online dictionary, brings up the following:

Main Entry: med·i·tate
Pronunciation: 'me-d&-"tAt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -tat·ed; -tat·ing
Etymology: Latin meditatus, past participle of meditari, frequentative of medEri to remedy — more at MEDICAL
intransitive verb
1 : to engage in contemplation or reflection
2 : to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
transitive verb
1 : to focus one’s thoughts on : reflect on or ponder over
2 : to plan or project in the mind : INTEND, PURPOSE

The definition presented takes us only a few steps down the path to understanding, but leaves out critical insights as to the why. However, in noting the Latin etymology, and the indication that more is available by looking up the word “medical,” it was natural for me to go there too.

Main Entry: med·i·cal
Pronunciation: 'me-di-k&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: French or Late Latin; French médical, from Late Latin medicalis, from Latin medicus physician, from mederi to remedy, heal; akin to Avestan vI-mad- healer, Greek medesthai to be mindful of — more at METE
1 : of, relating to, or concerned with physicians or the practice of medicine
2 : requiring or devoted to medical treatment
– med·i·cal·ly /-k(&-)lE/ adverb

In this case, the etymology provides the most useful information. The Latin word mederi, “to remedy, heal” and even the word medicus or “physician,” are integral parts that synergistically contribute to the question of why meditation is a viable, even necessary practice for achieving conscious, quantum change.

If you’re familiar with the biblical phrase, “Physician, heal thyself,” (Luke 4:23), the general take is that it advises us to take care of our own “defects or faults” instead of pointing fingers at, or criticizing the defects and faults of others. We might replace the “instead of pointing fingers,” with, instead of looking to, or waiting for others to fix our defects or faults.

A far more enriching gift of understanding awaits those who are willing to accept it. That is, each of us is a “physician”… spiritual beings experiencing reality through a “physical” form. “Being spiritual” beings, we are not, by nature, “physical.” However, we are energy, and with each thought, we exercise and embody the power to direct, redirect, and reform energy in the image of our intent. Notice the distinction between saying “we possess the energy” and “we are…”

Expressing our intent through a physical focus, with its inherent limitations upon awareness, we direct, redirect, and reform energy unconsciously. As we become more aware of our true nature, consciousness expands, as does the power that we are individually able to handle and wield. We manipulate energy irrespective of the state of consciousness that we’re expressing at any given moment. However, as we appreciate the oneness that actually forms, comprises, connects, and supports all of reality and loving it, consciousness will expand accordingly, bringing forth a knowing that is supported by, but beyond knowledge.

My father used to tell me, “it is better to know, than to ‘no.’” Knowing is a place beyond hope, beyond faith, and beyond belief. Yet it is a destination that is ultimately reached through desire, intention, hope, faith, and belief.

If we understand that – always and at all times – we are a power that directs, redirects, and reforms energy in a state of oneness with all, then we also begin to appreciate that there are no “faults” or “defects.” There are no mistakes. There is no “luck,” either “good” or “bad.” There is only What Is, and that’s all we need to know.

What Is exists and expresses Itself as a function of our “inner take” on It (which is everything, including ourselves). It will change in response to how we change our “take.” We change our take by consciously channeling our feelings about What Is, in the moment. If we do not feel “right,” then we can literally visualize the way we desire the moment to be, and then immediately resonate with that feeling.

Meditation is a way to change our inner resonance, wherein we move from a dissonant to a harmonic state. Changing our inner resonance changes our outer experience. Consciously changing our inner resonance, changes our outer experience, consciously.

Through meditation we consciously “adjust” our inner resonance, choosing to move from anxious to relaxed, from frenetic to balanced. Being balanced and centered in inner harmonic resonance is the way that healing, in any and every form, can occur. Stopping for a few moments, calming ourselves and relaxing, clearing the mind and shifting our attention away from what we fear, to what we love, then embracing it as if it is ALREADY DONE, and FEELING THE JOYFUL REALITY, is how we change everything… when we know where the power is.

The Why

Meditation works in part on our intent, and because of the oneness that underscores all of reality. That oneness is at work and in operation whether we are aware of it or not. When we see, or simply accept as truth, that we are ALL connected, an awareness arises that all can be touched from right here, right now. Each human being is an extension of the other. All space, and all times, all somethingness and nothingness, are part of a single Continuum of spacelessness, timelessness, and dimensionality called Here and Now.

With this awareness, all questions can be answered, all potentials can be seen, and the most beneficial ones chosen and brought to The Moment. All we need to do is resonate with the vision that warms our heart, irrespective of the doubtful, skeptical, or fearful beliefs of others. They are not really “others.” They are actually extensions of ourselves, expressing residual fears that can only be healed by first being brought up, then being lovingly forgiven by one who knows.

As we love and forgive, both others and ourselves, knowing our oneness with ALL, we can release anxiety about the present, resentment about the past, or fear about the future. We can remove perceptual joy blockers and “make room” in our life for that which our heart resonates with now.

The How

There is much information available on meditation technique. From a mechanics perspective there are profound benefits to be gained by the whole of humanity, when you know who you are. As you do begin to appreciate and embrace the power that you already are and have always had, you’ve already entered the threshold of transformational change and begun the meditative process. Jettisoning high handedness, resentment, offendedness, guilt tripping, and other unbalanced, power draining positions, will all take you to your center. You need not stop everything and “do nothing” in order to enter a conscious meditative state. But it’s a wonderful way to start.

Is Meditation the Same as Prayer?

Meditation and prayer are the same things expressed to different degree. Both are intent motivated, but the power potential can be quite different. I dare say that there are many among us who pray for the destruction or demise of perceived “enemies,” not considering that their enemies are praying for the same thing. Both share a belief in separation and “otherness.” One who has embraced meditation, and understands the connectedness that defines all of reality, would not seek to harm self, any more than one would cut off his left hand with his right one to “teach it a lesson.”

Oneness is the true reality, and so expression is expression. Prayer is based more a “hoping mechanism,” whereas meditation is an expression of knowing.

Knowing of what?

Meditation practice encompasses an understanding that oneness is the real state of our universe of being. Prayer assumes duality and polarity, likeness and unlikeness, friendship and enmity. These are not states of prayer, but stages of consciousness. It is a normal stage of consciousness to see a separation between what we have and what we want, and to think that it may be granted by some entity – God, Allah, President Bush, the doctor, a drug, etc. – outside of our self.

In maintaining the belief that the solution is outside of us, it doesn’t occur to us to look within. Believing we are separated from the solution, we simply maintain the status quo, even when we’re praying for change. We will get change, but it will continue to be what we don’t want, until we embrace what we do want as being present before the fact¸ and then resonate it into the Now Moment.

To resonate simply means to express the feeling of the realized experience now. By resonating with the desired change before it manifests in the moment, we become the homing signal for its arrival into our lives.

Do you want peace? Then I’d suggest not to pray for peace, but become peaceful yourself. Become balanced and centered. Listen to others, not with fear and indignation, but with interest and patience. Respect them as you respect yourself. Hear what they are saying from their heart, by listening from your own. If they speak from fear, maintain your loving resonance, for your love will become their homing signal, whether they actually choose to “lock on” to it, or not.

Do you want abundance? Then don’t pray for abundance; be grateful for the abundance that you have right now. Even if you can’t pay your bills in the moment, there will always be something and someone you can be grateful for in your present Now. Though you may not have understood how, accept that you created this moment, and for every problem that you consider to be “yours,” you have also created a solution. Visualize and resonate with the JOY of YOUR SOLUTION, and therein create the homing signal that it will use to find you.

Do you want to heal disease? While healing would seem the obvious thing to pray for, experience it instead in your mind’s eye and be JOYFUL in your heart for your HEALTH NOW. That would be mediative. FEEL the liberation of returned mobility, and freedom from pain. It’s never forgotten fully, but oftentimes it’s easy to put aside. Open your mind to the road less traveled, with a knowing that the solution has already been found and is working its magic. YOU are the magician, physician, when you know who you are.

Praying for what you want creates the reality for it to come into being. Praying for protection against what you don’t want (fear) only increases the likelihood of its manifestation. When this happens we ask God why “he” forsook us, when in fact, we didn’t know ourselves.

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Meditation summons what we direct our heartfelt energies toward into our reality even when it appears not to be there. When you know that abundance is yours, you set a resonant frequency for it to “home in” to, even when others doubt it. When you know that you have nothing to fear, even when everyone around you are fearful, you will be safe without need for a weapon even while others “weapon up” and still find themselves victims in one way or another.

There are no “others.” There is only one of “us.” Each aspect is simply where they are. But when we’re ready for real, conscious change, this is the way to go. Meditate on it, and see what your heart tells you.

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