Meditation 2

Research on meditation and its effects

 

Finally, someone has done it! Michael Murphy and Steven Donovan have completed a monumental survey of the research on The Physical and Physiological Effects of Meditation: A Review and Comprehensive Bibliography, 1931 - 1988. This title could have included the word " psychological," since the book refers to effects on behavioural and psychological factors such as creativity, perception, self - esteem and flexibility. It includes 1200 studies.

 

In The Medative Mind: The Varieties of Meditation Experience, Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and frequent writer for The New York Times, summarises a number of remarkable physical and physiological effects of meditation [and relaxation.]

 

Probably the single most reported physiological benefit of meditation and indeed of systematic relaxation techniques generally is the drop in blood pressure. Even the National Institutes of Health have recommended meditation along with salt and dietary restrictions above prescription drugs as the first treatment for mild hypertension. Those who meditate regularly from an early age rarely develop hypertension in later life.

 

Relaxation through meditation relieves suffering from angina and arrhythmia, lowers blood cholesterol levels, and can enhance blood flow to the heart.

 

Although changes taking place through the endocrine system are still not well understood, some research results are startling. For example, the deep relaxation of meditation may enhance the immune function of the body, with research showing an increased defence against tumours, viruses, colds, flu, and other infectious diseases.

 

From meditative relaxation, diabetics can experience a lessening of the emotional reactions that precede an attack.

 

Asthmatics can experience improved flow in constricted air passages.

 

Chronic pain patients can reduce their reliance on pain killers and lesson the level of pain. Backaches, migraine headaches, and tension headaches may be relieved with long term carryover through proper training.

 

Other meditation research has demonstrated this wide range of psychological benefits:

• Improvement in measurements of personality.

• Decrease in neurotic tendencies.

• Increase in psychic sensitivity.

• Increase in efficiency of problem solving.

• Improvement in creativity in the visual arts.

• Decrease in drug and alcohol abuse.

• Used as an aid for dying patients, it brings peace and allows them some control over their lives.

• Those who meditate have better control and power during all magical rites.

 

Principles of Creative meditation.

• Meditation leads to attunement with the creative Forces that we call God / Goddess, giving us total access to that Source of infinite energy.

• Meditation also quickens the creative energy already within your own body.

• Meditation is in itself a creative process, in that it can bring physical changes to the body through the action of this law: The spirit is Life, the mind builder, the physical result.

• The process of meditation is to be adapted creatively to your own needs, your own experience, and your own lifestyle and it may be varied creatively as your interests and circumstances change, allowing you to grow with and through your meditative experiences.

 

As we can see the reasons for meditating are many, but what is meditation really?

 

Meditation is the process that enables us to take control of our unruly minds and utilise its power for service under our Will. It is also the method of contact between our world and the higher planes. Specifically meditation is the art of total concentration.

 

Considering this statement it follows that whatever we do, where we commit our concentration and focus totally, is a meditation. Therefore cooking, sowing, painting, sculpting, washing, reading and any other "mundane" activities can be a meditation if we concentrate exclusively on the activity.

 

There are various meditation methods used in the occult whereby the higher Self, elementals, gods and other higher planes entities can be contacted.

 

These methods are as follows:

 

1.      Guided meditation,

2.      Walking meditation,

3.      Open eye meditation,

4.      "Enter the silence" meditation,

5.      Activity meditation,

6.      Chanting

7.      Chakra meditation

8.      Various other meditations which mainly derive from the above as they are either combinations or variations to the ones mentioned.

 

1.      Guided meditation

 

The participant is guided by means of a set scenario to a place in the mind where a higher planes being dwells and communion with that being is achieved.

 

2.      Walking meditation

 

The participant through concentrating on their footsteps while walking with eyes closed, stills the conscious mind letting the subconscious take over.

 

3.      Open eye meditation

 

The participant by focusing on a light or flame achieves the above mentioned result.

 

4.      "Enter the Silence" meditation

 

One of the most difficult meditations where the participant consciously takes control over his/her mind and by discarding each thought as it is generated the mind is blanked and the Silence is entered.

 

5.      Activity meditation

 

In this type of meditation a symbol like a Tarot card, a mandala, a rune or any such other is chosen and is focused on whereby it would trigger results in the subconsciousnes. Physical exercise like Yoga, Tai Chi, etc. also fall under this category.

 

6.      Chanting

 

This is the type of meditation where the vocal chords are used to create vibrations, through the chanting of various words of power, which vibrations have the desired effect on the mind.

 

7.      Chakra meditation

 

Visualisation of the chakras and their corresponding colours as well as breathing techniques are utilised to the benefit of the participant.

 

Any amount of variations and combinations of the above are available at various meditation centres or through religious practitioners and all of them valid and effective. The bottom line is CHOOSING THE MEDITATION SUITABLE TO YOU AND YOUR PURPOSE and practice, practice, practice!