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 | | Some advice and clarifications | |
|  | | - Select and open one of the Mirrors. You are free to use any one of those that appeal to you, on any part of the website. Your actions begin with the turning of your attention to a specific object, therefore your meditation commences as one that is‘ object-oriented.’ The symbol serves as a means for transmuting your usual verbal-logical inner stream of thought into an image flow. The symbol, as it activates your inner energies and subtler structures, directs your attention from the external world to your own inner space. In spite of the fact that the Spirit has nothing in common with any type of limiting concept such as a name, or form, for It Is Radiance Itself, present and active here, there – everywhere – the human person embarking on a journey into his or her own subconscious has need of some kind of signpost – and that is precisely why we begin by relying on a symbol. This symbol might be light, fire, a lotus, the full moon, the bright sun, the twinkling star or merely color, a hue. Different images take us to different levels or layers of consciousness. Light, symbols, representations of deities and the sounds of mantras allow direct and oblique connections with your subconsciousness to emerge. The best and simplest of symbols is the bindu, meaning a dot or point: everything ascends to a single point. The bindu is a point in the form of a spark of light, the light of the Self – not of the “I” as the egotistical, selfish impulse; but of the Spirit or Consciousness. The mantra, yantra and mandala are universal symbols that are not conditional upon social, religious or cultural traditions, and act upon the consciousness of any individual. Such symbols belong to the so-called collective unconscious, and that is why they evoke extraordinarily deep responses in each one of us.
- It is best to approach meditation through relaxation, which will allow you to recharge your energies within a brief space of time. Inhale and exhale deeply, several times in succession. As you exhale, imagine that you are breathing out all your accumulated tension. During your reflection-meditation, breathe evenly, following a natural rhythm. Now it is the body’s turn: one after the other, first tense, then release all the muscles of your body, from your forehead to the soles of your feet, as if a wave of tension and then relaxation had coursed throughout your entire body. If you can feel warmth pouring through your body, that means you are doing everything the right way. Pay particular attention to your hands. Massage your hands, shake out your wrists lightly, direct your attention in turn to every finger, from your thumb all the way through to your pinky, in both hands. Concentrating your attention on the sensations associated with the wrist and the hand itself occupies a much greater portion of your cerebral cortex, than thinking about any other part of your body; accordingly, this action also exerts a greater influence on the state of your brain and your awareness, as well as on all of your physical body as a whole. During your meditation, position your hands in such a way, as if your are yourself holding a radiant and pulsating orb.
- Absolutely, without fail, formulate your decided intention, and articulate it to yourself. The ultimate result of your practice will depend very much on just how precisely, clearly, convincingly and succinctly you articulate your inner purpose. Your intention, as it penetrates into your consciousness, releases stresses and removes obstructions. Here are some positive affirmations that might be useful: I WANT TO BECOME ACTIVE AGAIN; I WILL ACHIEVE FINANCIAL SUCCESS; I SEEK TO FIND THE OPTIMAL SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM: I WILL BE HAPPY, I AM ALREADY HAPPY, RELAXED, AT PEACE AND LIGHT… Choose an intention that suits your goals and inclinations. Do not rush. You should avoid fussily or arbitrarily substituting one formulated intention, or one affirmation, for another.
- Unfocus your gaze. Feel the reality of the image; feel, don’t analyze, but rather in fact feel the color, shape, form, structure; establish a connection with it and adopt a fixed position with respect to the image you have chosen. Gazing upon objects without actually focusing on them has the additional benefit of allowing your eyes to rest. If you wear eyeglasses, that will not get in the way: practice both ways, with and without glasses, and see which works best for you, which feels most comfortable. Be prepared for the possibility that as you reflect, a variety of visual effects may begin to occur. They can be highly individualized. For example, you might: experience the image taking on volume; perceive a darkening of the edges of the image with a concurrent brightening of the center (a tunnel vision effect); one element of the image might begin to dominate, as if obscuring or shading the others); there may be a play of colors, and so forth. You may also experience a physical sensation of movement. The manifestation of these alterations attests to your having passed into an altered state of consciousness. And that is precisely your point of departure, the moment from which your extraordinary journey to the center of the Universe which bears your name begins.
Good luck! Your Success is in Your Hands. |
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- You begin by directing your gaze to the center of the mandala. Your concentration upon the mandala’s center is tightly integrated into the process of purifying your mind and body. This will return you back into the center of your own personal Self, your own source of tranquillity and equilibrium. The process of concentrating your attention on the center of the mandala corresponds to a gradual disengagement from all anxieties, worries and compulsive habits of thought, accomplished by focusing your consciousness and retaining it in a stable, steady state. In the process of gazing upon the center of the mandala, you gain the capacity to see the whole dynamic mandala at once, by incorporating your peripheral vision. You do not allow your eyes to wander over the image, in order to study its details. On the contrary: you fix your gaze on the one point – the center of the mandala – and you encompass all of it at once within your field of vision.
- The untrained mind is constantly in motion. It wanders. The more we try to calm it, the more thoughts it sends our way, the louder it operates in its agitation. But if we do nothing, nothing will change. To be perfectly honest, many of you have the impression that meditation is a whole lot like sitting on a chair with your eyes shut and imagining in your head what it is like to swim in an endless ocean, or to dissolve into the blue sky. But that is not true meditation. Your goal must be to attain the state when you think of nothing, but merely sit and reflect upon the movement-pulsation of the mandala, initially for 5 minutes at a time, and gradually increasing the duration of your meditative state. When compared to others, you have an enormous advantage: you have a most powerful tool available to you -- these magical Reflections, keeping your mind from wandering and flowing every which way. Your thoughts are gathered back in, directed to the center of the dynamic mandala, by that very center itself. And the most precious part of it all begins at the moment when you are able at least momentarily to stop completely your familiar inner monologue. At that very moment, reality opens up to you, the magical instant known as the “now” appears before you, affording you the chance to enter into the Portals of Sight.
- This practice is not intended to concentrate attention. All that you require is to be merely, simply watchful, to keep your mind in an awakened state, that traces the movement of consciousness from one point to the next, experiencing each instant fully. If you begin to busy yourself with concentration while practicing this meditation, you will block the natural flow of consciousness and your further immersion into the inner Self shall end there. Observe the associations that arise within you, the images being born in succession: these can become the Portals of Sight, those insights that hold the keys to solving your difficult situations. From here you are able to move into that state, where the familiar flow of time is absent, where your perception of space is altered – the state, wherein there are no irreconcilable paradoxes; wherein seemingly diametrically opposed points of view converge and are integrated; wherein internal problems, both physiological and psychological in essence, are resolved.
- As you conclude your practice, move your eyes several times in a circle, as if absorbing the energy of the radiant orbs, and dissolving it in your body.
- After gazing upon the mandala for a few minutes, you can close your eyes, looking ahead into the space which lies before you, as if to see the mandala. Continue to gaze upon the mandala [in this way, with your eyes closed] until the moment it begins to vanish. The capacity to visualize vividly, with images, is one of the most important attributes of genius in humans. It is not unusual for this trait to be commonly found in children, many of whom, regrettably, lose it over time, under the influence of their upbringing and education. Remember that the visualization process is inherently effortless. As you visualize, it is important to relax fully, to the maximum, and to allow the image to enter your consciousness of its own accord, and to grow therein and develop. Do not indulge in any kind of special effort in an attempt to coax an image or to project it internally. It shall arise naturally, spontaneously. Because you are using our dynamic images, which are full of expressive form, visualization shall come much more readily than with static images. In visualizing an object, it is best to imagine it as large and vast as humanly possible.
- Concluding your practice, once again repeat the affirmation formula of your intention. Now this impulse of your consciousness penetrates lightning fast into the tilled earth of your subconscious, and binds you, as the source generating that impulse, to change your position, your behavior, to perceive a fresh resolve, and thereby to alter your destiny -- by taking charge of it yourself.
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