Heathens, Pagans and Witches discussion

As a new practitioner, I am trying to get into the habit of meditation and creative visualization. Sometimes this comes easily when my mental state is already receptive to that, but I've noticed when there's a lot going on, or like if I just come home from work and am trying to do any sort of practice, it's extremely difficult to switch mindsets.

Does anyone have any good tips that work for them, or a book suggestion that explains it very well?

On the same subject, my partner is even worse at it than I am, and is desperately needing to learn how to calm her mind. She is strongly attached to animal spirits and characteristics, particularly the wolf followed by the dog. I have been trying to find either a god or goddess or spirit animal by name to help her meditate on because I think that would really help her focus how she needs to, but I am kind of at a loss at both names as well as how to instruct her beyond just explaining my personal experiences.

Any suggestions are very appreciated! Thanks!

-Avery

Allowing yourself enough time is a great help in calming and clearing the mind - at least until practice allows one to slip into a meditative state more easily. Sometimes it helps to have an intermediary stage where all one's concentration is taken up with a small creative act - eg. making a simple mandala on a piece of black felt, either from natural objects or even coloured beads. After completion, the mind will be calmer and it's easier to focus concentration on the breath while looking at the mandala.

Your partner might find that animal cards help her to meditate - she could draw one at random and see what happens. I love Animal Spirits Knowledge Cards by the visionary artist Susan Seddon Boulet - one can disappear into them.

I hope all the above helps - do let us know how you get on.

I've tried to practise meditation on and off for about a year know. I found out that I, as a relative beginner, has a hard timing meditating and getting to that level just by myself. So I got myself some CD's to help with that. Some is just with relaxing music, and others are guided meditations and hypnosis that says to relax and such things. That helps better for me.

On the other hand, I'm afraid that I will start to rely on the tracks so that I can't meditate without them, but I guess meditating is better than no meditating whatsoever, however I do it.

I was very self-destructive as a teenager. My Mother took me to a hypnotist, who taught me self-hypnosis. This is basically deep meditation. Here are the steps:

-lie down in a comfortable setting.
-start with raising the arms, one at a time, let it drop (really drop), go to each limb in turn (don't over stress it).
-slowly withdraw energy or thoughts, from the extremities, gradually centering the energy in the chest.
-gradually begin to count down (ie 20, 19, 18, 17...)You chose the count.
-reaching 1, you seek your peaceful place (everyone has a different place that they visualise).
-you can also think affirming thoughts at this stage (if a healing is necessary).

With him, I reached an amazing place, where I visualised (totally subconsciously at this point) myself transforming from a cocoon into a moth, that then flew free. By myself I often fell asleep, either before I'd reached that point, or when I'd reached my peaceful place. Apparently that's fine too. :)

Worth noting here is that we are not all alike, for some it is hard to focus on an image but easier to focus on sound. Some like to meditate while moving. Just try out different methods and see which one works for you. I could never sit still and just be quiet, but then I started with walking meditation. You may find that just swaying, dancing slowly, perhaps swimming etc will help you too.

Jeanette wrote: "Worth noting here is that we are not all alike, for some it is hard to focus on an image but easier to focus on sound. Some like to meditate while moving. Just try out different methods and see whi..."

Very good point!

Georgina wrote: "Jeanette wrote: "Worth noting here is that we are not all alike, for some it is hard to focus on an image but easier to focus on sound. Some like to meditate while moving. Just try out different methods and see whi..."

Very good point! ..."

Ditto!

I must admit it took me years of attempting to learn to meditate without success, until I did a weekend course wherein they showed us how to do a walking meditation and suddenly it all slipped into place.

The idea is to walk slowly, focussing on the movements involved in placing the foot on the ground: do you go toe first, heel first, etc.? And, then concentrating on when the weight/gravity shifts from one foot to the other. The idea is to pinpoint the time of each individual act involved in the movement of one foot in front of the other. I cannot tell you how easily everything slipped into place with this one act of pure focus, which we did for over an hour without it feeling like a more than a few seconds had passed; it allowed me to experience meditation, and then move on to other methods.

Everyone has a different way in, and, for me, that was movement meditation. Perhaps you need to find another method - one that works for you - before moving on to the traditional practices?

As to creative visualisation, my two favourite books on the subject, which I found more than useful are:

Shakti Gawain's "Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life" which is also available in audio format with exercises included; and

Ophiel's "The Art & Practice of Creative Visualization" which takes you from the basics on.

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions! I will try a few of these, and will definitely make some of these suggestions to my partner.

What has worked best for me so far is a complete accident. Ever since I was little I loved to listen to music and rock back and forth in a rocking chair. It eventually became less about the music I was listening to and much more about that steady rhythm and gradually stepping into that quiet and calm place.

The problem with this is I usually am processing things from that day or worries, etc. When a meditative state comes it is never because I tried. I think some of the movement meditations will be beneficial though.

Thanks again!

Invoke Often!
By that I mean practice.
Set aside the time and ritualise the pre-practice period...a chill down if you will...it doesn't have to be mandalas and ritual postures, do what works. Something that creates a pause/break between the normal day and the practice you are about to do. Could be as simple as making a cup of tea.
Helps if you have a space to use for that purpose only...could be any room that you "change" to make it suitable...draw the blinds, light the incense, stop it being just the bedroom.
As to the Invoke Often thing, think of it as a musical instrument. You won't pick up a guitar and be able to play Stairway To Heaven first time you strum it so don't expect instant success. Practice
On that note, you may be unsuited to the guitar, so try a sax. If one practice isn't for you try something else.
Baby steps will get you there.

Thanks Jaq and Old B! I like the idea of doing something small in a routine that helps you get used to the idea. I think it makes sense to do something small every day so that when you need to do something "bigger" it's not as overwhelming.

I've always been a perfectionist, so practice of anything is always something I've firmly believed in. It's difficult though when you go from something a little more concrete like realizing you can finally sing the high notes well to something that isn't as easy to identify, like spiritual growth. Yes, you feel it happening, but it's like a gradual rising rather than a goal with numbers and charts you can see yourself achieving at a specific date.

For a world so set on due dates and timelines, it's actually kind of refreshing to let something happen at your own pace and through your own efforts, consistent but unforced. It's just very different. The baby steps will certainly be beneficial.

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "Invoke Often!
By that I mean practice.
Set aside the time and ritualise the pre-practice period...a chill down if you will...it doesn't have to be mandalas and ritual postures, do what works. Somet..."

A great reply!

In case this has already been said, pardon the redundancy, but diet is very important. The less you eat the better and a mostly vegetarian diet helps any meditative process. And consistancy. Like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it.

It's important to note, I think, that the human mind is hardwired to avoid meditation. That is to say, it is not naturally inclined inward. It is engaged with the senses, and the experiences they bring, whether joyful, or painful.

To train the mind inward takes some practice and patience. The mind will come up with a variety of excuses to avoid meditation. When I began meditation, I had to make a concerted effort to practice it daily. The mind will say there is no time, there is too much noise, people are watching. None of these are true impediments to meditation.

Sometimes when I first started meditation I forced myself to do it when I was not in the mood, and there were a number of distractions going on, and the only benefit I achieved was that I maintained the habit. But that in itself is huge. The more you meditate, the more you will want to meditate, and you will discover more and more magical opportunities to do it. Time will stretch for you, and you will discover you had more time in your life than you realised. You will discover the hidden beauty of noises you previously thought of as ugly. You can hear the humming of the universe in a cement mixer. The embarrassment of closing your eyes in front of other people, fades after two minutes of slow breathing.

It can be very hard to come from the hustle and bustle of a busy life, and then plunge into meditation right away. Everything is magnified in meditation and some people find themselves getting even more stressed when they meditate, because they start reliving their whole day, in living colour. In this circumstance it can be useful, to do something relaxing, but semi active to bridge yourself into the meditative state, but this only works if you have the time for it.

I found for myself that it was more important for me to develop the habit of meditation and maintain it, than to have a blissful meditation every time. Yes, as Jaq said, those two minutes can be a world of benefit.

I recently did a meditation/visualisation where I consumed the parts of myself that I hate. When I closed my eyes to sleep, I was confronted with an image of myself, which was abhorrent. All the qualities about myself, which I find repellent were presented to me in compilation. I made an attempt to embrace this fetch of myself, but I found myself unable to come close. So I did an analysis. "What does this quality symbolise for you?", (vulnerability, affectation, anger, jealousy, etc.) and when I understood each quality completely, I visualised myself eating that quality, and then releasing it in a new form. Every time I made this experiment, I found myself more beautiful. After some epic psychic dreams, I woke up to find myself a very different person.

Aaron, you're amazing...!

Hugs for you Nell.

:) And for you - your January post on meditation inspired me to renew my lapsed practice, which I believe helped allow an experience I just described in the Dreams thread.

Hi I'm Julia! I'm 15 believe in Wicca and live in a very catholic family, so this is remaining a secret for now. Can anyone please recommend something to help me get started on prayers / spells to get closer to my goddess? P.s, spells must have little or no ingredients and no candles involved. Thanks, bless you all.

Hi Julia, I'm sure members will be able to offer recommendations. Can you pop over to the intro thread and mention it there too? Some people may not be as aware of this thread, and may miss your post.

Intro thread here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Best to you Julia. :):)

Little wrote: "Hi Julia, I'm sure members will be able to offer recommendations. Can you pop over to the intro thread and mention it there too? Some people may not be as aware of this thread, and may miss your p..."

Thank you!

Thanks! I'll use these ideas next time my parents drag me to church!

Well said Jaq.

Good idea! Post it in your writing!

Just added How to Access Super-consciousness to our video cache - meditation pure and simple, with the different stages of depth described clearly.

I've tried a number of meditation techniques over the years and developed some myself through experimentation. I thought I'd share some of them here.

Recently when I did a one week meditation retreat I had my friend put a padlock on my front door, and I retreated into my seclusion with full confidence that I wouldn't be bothered. The only means of egress or escape to my flat was through the bathroom window, and wouldn't you know it, my friend left his father in charge of his shop, which is nearby, and the elderly gentlemen kept tapping on the window to use the bathroom. This was just one of the distractions which kept occurring, and it became a source of hilarity to me, that the universe seemed to conspire to disturb my meditations.

One of the techniques I discovered during this retreat has been a source of great inspiration to me. I grew up with meditators and for a large part of my life, I felt inadequate, because what they described seemed so far removed from what I experienced in meditation.

The ideal of Adwait philosophy and it's advocacy of meditation is to get away from form and immerse yourself in the abstract. As an extremely visual, and quite pagan minded person, I always found this hugely challenging, because I approached it in a negative manner. I had somehow assumed that immersion in the absolute one reality, the basis of life and creation, would mean the death or dissolution of bunny rabbits, fairies and unicorns and all the forms I had grown to love and took such delight in.

These forms also took offense when I made attempts to dissolve them in meditation and I found my imagination flooded with entities any time I close my eyes to meditate.

It was actually while doing a painting workshop, that I came to the conclusion that the basis of all life, was not the negation of form, but rather a celebration of it, in all it's multitudes of expression.

During my retreat I did an experiment with the multitudes of images which flooded my head. Normally, when an image would appear, I would entertain it, and before I knew it I was having a waking dream precipitated by this image. However it wasn't creative visualization because I was being dragged along by the vicissitudes of my own mind.

Instead I made an attempt to hold the image still for three breaths. This is incredibly difficult, and at the same time, unbelievably simple. It's impossible to hold an image completely static in one's mind because the nature of thought is flow and the images are constantly straining to morph themselves, but it is possible to hold on to the essence of the image for three breaths. Some aspect of it, can be held in your mind. I did this a number of times, with different images and then I let them go and sped them up almost putting them on fast forward.

The results I observed were that the slowing down of the images leads one quickly towards transcendence, but the speeding up of them, tends to lead towards sleep. This could be a useful exercise for insomniacs.

I've a number of other techniques to relate, but I've just realised how long my post is, so I'm going to leave it there for now.

Aaron wrote: "I've tried a number of meditation techniques over the years and developed some myself through experimentation. I thought I'd share some of them here.

Good work sticking with it despite the initial resistance, Aaron. I think that a lot of people are averse to the idea of meditative immersion into the Absolute because they fear the dissolution/destruction of everything they hold dear, including the ritual/meditation imagery that they bring to the table. Of course, what actually happens is that diversity and multiplicity are affirmed and rediscovered from a new perspective.

Well said C.D..

Hello there, I am using this book for myself and my step kids (boy of 25, girl of 11) - such a charming and easy way to dwell in visualisation, easy to follow and utterly soul soothing 🌸💗🌺💗🍓:

FAIRY IN THE PHONE BOX VISUALISATIONS

It’s available as an ebook and online audio downloads on Etsy!