Most Wiccan sources talk about the importance of visualization, briefly touching on meditation.  They seem to think it’s something that comes automatically.  But, like an infant, before you can walk you need to learn to crawl.  And that is where meditation comes in.  But before you cringe and think how difficult it is, I’m here to say that it really isn’t.

Some of the myths of meditation are that you need to assume a "yoga" position; that you can’t move; that your mind must be silent and focused on nothing; that you must repeat a mantra; that you have to do it every morning (or every night); that it takes years to master the techniques.  Poppycock!

I’ve read a number of articles and books discussing meditation, but what I’m presenting here is from the book "Meditation Made Easy" by Lorin Roche, Ph..D.  I found the book to be very valuable and written for anyone.

"There are two elements to any meditation technique: how you pay attention and what you pay attention to.  The how is usually gentle, restful, steady attention, and the what is something simple yet sensuous and gorgeous - like breath.  In meditation you rest attention in a sensory perception, take delight in it, then hang on for the ride."

And that’s it, in a nutshell.  But the reason many people fail is because they fall into the trap of the myths, and try to force meditation.  But the very act of forcing the event creates further tension, thus preventing you from achieving the restful state necessary for meditation.

Dr. Roche’s book outlines the five stages necessary for meditation.  Each stage is equally important and together bring balance to your mental and physical state which will allow you to actively participate in meditation.  The stages are: setting the atmosphere, an opening ritual or prayer, attending to inner needs, feeling the call of meditation, and using your body rhythms to bring you into a restful state.

Stage 1 : setting the atmosphere.  Begin with limiting any distractions, such as a phone or door bell ringing, or other people coming in to disturb you.  It doesn’t need to be silent, which is a form of distraction itself, but it should be quiet.  Then where will you sit?  Make certain you will be comfortable and that your feet can rest flat on the floor or ground.  Provide for adequate ventilation, and in case you might get cold, have a blanket near by.  Some people bring a favorite book and/or listen to their favorite music playing softly.  Ensure that your clothing (or lack of) is comfortable.  Most importantly, make certain that you choose a place where you will feel safe.

Stage 2: an opening prayer or ritual.  This can be as simple as giving thanks for the day or as complicated as a favorite prayer.  It can be spontaneous or something you read a loud.  It can be a hymn or a silent moment of stillness.  Whatever it is that prepares you to connect with the world and the energies around you.  (I find that centering and grounding is a good ritual.  I also like to tense my body, beginning with the toes, and then release the tension

Stage 3: attending to inner needs.  Here blows several of those myths.  Begin focusing on your breathing - 4 seconds breathing in, pause for 2 seconds, 6 seconds breathing out.  As you begin to bring yourself into focus with your entire being, thoughts will come forward demanding to be heard.  Let them.  These are things that the mind and body feel are needed.  Acknowledge them because they are part of you.  Let them come and then pass.  When you first begin meditation, you’ll become distracted by your body - it feels tired, there’s an itch, your legs are going numb.  (For the last part, please use a more comfortable position next time.)  Allow each of these sensations to come; witness them but then let them pass.  After a few moments the sensations will change.

Stage 4: feeling the call of meditation.  As the body begins to relax into a state of restfulness, your eyes may want to close.  Let them.  Allow a sense of peace to settle of you.  If you find at this stage that you don’t feel like meditating, don’t.  Nothing will kill the desire to meditate more that viewing it as a hated chore.  Instead, listen to music that soothes you or spend a few moments reading a cherished passage in a book.

Stage 5: using your body rhythms to bring you into a restful state.  Finally, let your body’s own natural rhythms bring you into a meditative state.  Meditation is the ultimate sense of being a peace with the body and mind.

And, though he didn’t put it with the five stages, there is also the closing stage.  As you come out of a meditative state, take a few moments to become aware of your physical surroundings.  Don’t rush this, but allow it to gradually occur.

For me, it works to center and ground.  I view meditation as a form of ritual, allowing all three aspects (physical, mental, and spiritual) to commune with each other.

Now that we know the five stages, here are three simple techniques to begin with.  The more you do this, the more you read other sources for meditation, you’ll eventually find two or three techniques that work best for you.  But for now, these will get you going.  Each lasts about 5 minutes.

THE DO NOTHING TECHNIQUE: Sit or lie down and let your mind wander.  Don’t do anything to control it, only note where it goes.  If you notice yourself trying to control what’s coming forward, release the control.  This state is very similar to the state you want to be in just as you prepare to fall asleep.  Note - if you do fall asleep, that’s okay.  The body needs a specific amount of sleep per day, which varies from person to person.  When you don’t maintain that level, the body will take sleep whenever it can seize the moment.  One way to prevent sleeping is to mentally prepare yourself by telling your mind you’ll be taking a conscious nap; kinda like being a couch potato but without the television set to rot the mind.

FEELING AT HOME TECHNIQUE:  Before you begin, remember an experience for which you really felt at home with yourself.  (Note: this can be modified to recall experiences of intense joy, happiness, love, or exhilaration.)  You may want to have paper and pen nearby so that you can write down your experiences.  As you begin, let the experience come forward from memory.  Open your senses - see what you saw, smell the scents that were present, taste what you tasted, hear the sounds, feel what you experienced.  Let the images and memories come, bringing them into the present.  Allow the memory to course through your body and mind, and give thanks for the gift of being at one with yourself.

SALUTE TO THE SENSES TECHNIQUE:  Choose a sense.  Focus your attention on that sense only instead of your breathing.  Take the time to explore the experience.  Over time, you’ll notice that your senses become more aware, and tend to work in harmony with the rest of the body.  As you experience that sense, notice what other senses come into play.  The sense of smell, such as pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, can recall taste, sounds, sights, emotions, touch / texture.  So, let’s discuss each sense.

SMELL: pick a favorite scent - candy, cigar, perfume, candy, a flower, fruit, wine.  Whatever is handy.  Close your eyes, and bring the item near your nose.  Breathe in the scent, and notice where your nose is stimulated by the scent.  Notice if other parts of your body are reacting; what emotions or memories are being brought forward?  After several minutes, move the item far enough away so there is only the hint of its scent.  Stay alert for the hint of the scent, smelling in the air around you.  Gradually, become aware of other scents.

TASTE: This can be done anytime you eat or drink.  As you put something in your mouth, sample it first.  Where does your tongue experience the taste?  How does it feel in your mouth - against the roof, the tongue, the back of the throat?  What is the texture?  How does it feel going down?  Again, allow yourself to become aware of other sensations relating to this experience - smell, sight, sound (crunchy things), memories of other times.

SIGHT:  Allow your eyes to gaze about the room you are in, letting them move where ever they want to until they focus on a particular color.  Let yourself experience the color, and ask yourself what draws you to that particular color.  Is it the memory of something, or do you want to do something related to that color?  Once you’ve reflected on that, let your eyes wander again until they focus on some texture that appeals to you.  Take a moment to enjoy the texture and be aware of it.  Let your eyes wander again, and focus various objects noting their shape and taking time to see how they sit in space.  Then let your eyes wander again, but this time take time to notice the empty space between the object you focus on and yourself.  Finally, rest your eyes on a spot in front of you, and with your peripheral vision, see what is to the left, right, top and bottom of your vision.

HEARING:  Sit somewhere to hear a sound you enjoy - a bird, a fountain, traffic, a river, kids playing, some type of life sound.  (Not music).  Listen for a minute or two with your eyes open, then close them.  Continue listening, trying to locate the direction of all sounds.  How far away are the sounds?  Pay attention to see if there are moments of silence between the sounds.  What are your ears experiencing, and where?

TOUCH:  Close your eyes.  Starting at the top of your head, with a light touch, explore your body.  Move very slowly; notice which areas of the body enjoy being touched lightly.  Experiment with different textures, such as fur, silk, velvet, wool, glass, wood, etc.  Move your hand out from your body and slowly bring it back.  Notice the point when you can tell that you are about to touch the body again.  Again, if other sensations come forward while doing this, let them come.

MOVEMENT:  With your eyes closed, do a movement that you are comfortable with, letting the motions become gradually slower until you can’t tell if you’re moving or not.  As you do so, be aware of where your joints and limbs are in relationship to space about you.  After several moments, swing your arms from side to side vigorously for about 30 seconds, then gradually slow down.  Notice how the change in tempo feels.

BALANCE:  Sitting with your eyes closed, slightly tilt your head to the left, then right (less than ½ inches).  Notice when your sense of balance tells you your head is centered.  After getting used to that, expand to doing a tiny spiral around the center, feeling the balancing.  Once that’s done, "fall" forwards and back slightly, sensing being off-balance.  Experience the pleasure of being upright.

ALL SENSES:  Begin by focusing on your breath.  Close your eyes.  Once you’re reached the meditative state, softly say, "Now I am aware of seeing …" whatever visual image you want to recall.  Spend a minute describing the image.  After experiencing the image, switch to another sense, such as, "Now I am aware of smelling (hearing, tasting, etc.) …"  Spend a minute on each sense, letting them roll into each other.  This brings your senses into focus with each other, and allows you to gain a new perception as you realize how the senses are tied to one another.
 

If you daydream, you are already actively engaging in passive visualization.  The only difference between daydreaming and the type of visualization we are discussing is that you will learn to control what it is you see.  Visualization is a critically important technique to learn as it you will need to utilize this skill when you cast a circle or do a magickal working.

Visualization is the ability to experience what the mind imagines.  We use this technique to focus our will and our energies, directing it as we desire.  We control the process.  But in order to do this, we need to be able to control our own minds and bodies and bring them into harmony with each other.

That’s pretty much what visualization is.  But don’t think that you need to "see" something in your mind.  Some people visualize by scent, by sound, by feeling.  They just don’t see an image.  That’s okay.  Through meditation, you’ll learn how you "visualize" the world.

To visualize, experience a specific "picture" in your mind and hold the image for as long as possible.  Block all other thoughts that come up; if your mind wanders, gently bring it back.  Over time, you'll be able to hold the image longer.

Once you've gotten that, begin to "see" the image from other perspectives.  Make it more intense, or focus it in the distance.  Remember, you control what it is you'll see and experience.  That is what is meant by focusing.

As for what to visualize, that is up to you.  I, personally, visualize a pentacle that I wear.  The good thing about using something that is personal to you is that you should already be intimately aware of it.  And, when you first begin, you can study the object before you close your eyes for visualization.  It's just a refresher to help the mind.  I still use the pentacle.

And, I must confess, my daydreams have gotten much more intense after learning to visualize.  Also,they involve more of the senses (sometimes all of them).  Just  a side benefit.
 

So, homework - begin each day to meditate.  Whenever you have 5 minutes free, practice entering a meditative state.  Each time you achieve it, it will become easier until you can move through the 5 stages very quickly.  And if you really don’t want to meditate at that time, don’t.  Try again later.  Never, ever, force yourself.  Meditation should be restful, relaxing, and enjoyable.  And when you have a spare moment, focus intently upon an object for a minute, then close your eyes and try to keep the image in your mind.
 
 

© 2001 Mother