Why you need to start meditation, now!

[DeDukshyn]

First I have a couple requests for this thread. The topic of this thread is why you should meditate, and practical guides of any members own personal meditation techniques. I will add my own technique a little later in detail, but right now I haven't it all written down. Give me a few days.

This thread is NOT for debating things like "archontic parasites (or greys, or AI or <insert monster of choice here>) are going to take control of you when you meditate", etc. There are plenty other threads for that discussion.

My first post is an article I wrote (still needs editing), trying to explain a little about how the human mind works, and why meditations and affirmations are often so important in keeping a healthy mind.

So please express your own views of why meditation is important to you, and please post your own personal techniques, or affirmations / mantras that you use. If meditation is not your thing, read the first post or a few and contemplate it, if nothing connects, that's fine, if something does, reconsider the importance of meditation and self affirmations.

As stated, it's not quite written as well as I know it could be so bare with that aspect.





The importance of Meditation

While meditation has many uses and benefits, the main goal in meditation is to clear unwanted “static” from the subconscious mind, which tends to spill over into the conscious mind and saps a person of their confidence and ability to relax their mind, both of which have trickle down implications. The explanation for all this will unfold in this article.
There are myriad ways of implementing a meditation strategy. Meditation isn’t a religious thing at all, although some religions do incorporate specific meditations. Meditation is also something that needs to be repeated regularly; freeing one’s mind of subconscious static isn’t a small feat and won’t happen overnight, yet at the same time, some of the benefits of meditation are instant. Other, more powerful benefits are seen when practiced over longer periods of time.

Why do we need to clear static from our subconscious and how did it get there? An important question. The human mind is a very complex thing; but for simplicity’s sake let’s consider the two main parts for now: The conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The main state of the conscious mind, sometimes referred to as the “ego”, is the judging and rationalizing part. It considers itself separate from yourself, and refers to you as “myself”, or “I”, or sometimes (funnily) as just “you”. It is the part that does your “thinking”; it might say (in your head of course) something like “I wonder what we should have for breakfast this morning? (referring to yourself as two (you and it))” or “You stupid idiot!” when you’ve done something stupid (sometimes speaking to you in the third person, which is also funny).
It plans your day, before it happens, and it is constantly creating imaginary scenarios that aren’t real or have not even happened yet, then it evaluates these imaginary scenarios and comes up with outcomes – as if reality was static and this type of planning were actually effective in a real-time, always changing environment. The conscious mind, in its beneficial state is to be a tool used for learning, not for commanding simple daily activities or for inner dialogue with yourself.

The subconscious is much simpler; it cannot judge or evaluate, it just does. It is the hard wiring of the brain and also allows, instinct, reflexes, intuition, love (real love – not the imagined type), and higher levels of reasoning to flow through. The subconscious is an incredibly powerful tool when performing optimally, it is the bane of life when it has been programmed badly, and can serve a person anywhere in between. Because it cannot judge or evaluate, it takes everything that gets inputted to it at face value, as though it were the truth. The main interface that programs the subconscious mind is the conscious mind – or the “ego”.
Careful attention, or not, to what one not only says, but even lightly thinks or believes has a huge impact on the overall state of the subconscious. Dare I make a Star Wars analogy? Jedi in training are always being reminded by their elders to “mind their thoughts”; Jedi have to be trained from small children – before the subconscious gets programmed with fear, etc. in order to be able to become the best their minds and bodies would allow. There is much sense to this lore; George Lucas obviously had some deeper understandings of things that supported the overall storylines.

A good way to explain the relationship between your conscious and your subconscious is with the example of learning a new sport or skill. First you use your conscious to analyze and evaluate what needs to be learned, it determines a method for that learning, and then consciously applies that method to you in the way of practice. After several iterations of intense practice (dreams play a part here too, but for brevity I won’t go into it here), the governance of the activity begins to move into the subconscious – what you are doing is programming your subconscious.

After your subconscious has been programmed, the new skill or sport requires much less thought – less conscious considerations to do the tasks, and eventually you may master it and could “do it blindfolded” or “know it like the back of your hand”; and eventually you may master it so well that while doing the activity – you can get into “The Zone” – the place where all your senses and reflexes are greatly heightened, because all the focus that might normally be on the distracting thoughts-no matter how small, is reverted to the subconscious, where there is no evaluation, there is no fear-no fear of failure – just doing. No thoughts arise in this state at all – this is “The Zone” that extreme athletes often refer to. This state can only arise when the conscious mind is completely silent.

The subconscious is thousands of times faster, more efficient, and more effective than the conscious could ever dream of; and the caveat is it silently influences your daily choices whether positive or negative – if you have a “comfort zone”, if you have any type of “routine”, then your subconscious has been programmed sufficiently via repetition to have an influence on your conscious – this is why it is often so easy to decide to move outside of your routine, but so hard to put into action – the programmed part of the subconscious is influencing your actions.
This is why people often end up in abusive relationships over and over and over – their subconscious has been programmed in such a way that even while they don’t want to be abused, like a “comfort zone”, it becomes difficult to break out of.

With the subconscious influencing our actions beyond our conscious efforts, and the conscious thoughts and inputs constantly programming our subconscious, a feedback loop is created whenever we become engaged heavily in routine (even routines of thought patterns) That feedback loop is generally a downward spiral as it saps, creativity, adventure, enjoyment and everything else that goes with doing something “new”, but does make you more efficient at that routine, whether that routine is serving you optimally or not.
Ever notice how small children don’t seem to have that problem? Their subconscious takes a while to get these routines programmed. It begs a question about our globally structured life culture: rise from sleep, go to work, work 8 hours, come home, eat food, pay bills, watch tv, go to sleep, rinse and repeat, but I digress.

The subconscious can be programmed with almost anything. You know that jerk from work? The guy who is just intolerable and a jerk to everyone and you swear will never change? You know the one; he spent years of his life thinking jerk thoughts and hearing jerk statements from others, and now he’s a jerk; or more accurately, he has been made into a jerk.
Maybe as a child he was told by his parents what a little “jerk” or a “prick” he was, whenever he did something mischievous. Maybe after that he started thinking to himself that he actually was a jerk, “You are such a jerk! Why’d you do that!” perhaps he began to say to himself. Then in school that programming and feedback loop continues, as he acts out inappropriately to others, and gets told what an ass he is all the time. Well, by the time he’s a full grown adult, “Jerk” has been fully programmed, and the subconscious silently influences his actions – and he, and others, have no clue that this is not really him, this is how his subconscious has been programmed.

We are all programmed in this method, the main variable is “what have you been programmed with?” Is it then any mystery that children of abusive parents more often than not grow up to be abusive to their children? The subconscious of the child being abused takes everything as truth, it has no judgements, and becomes programmed with “this is how children are treated”. When that child grows and has children of their own, even though they may have vowed to never treat their children like they were treated, often end up in the same situation as their parents, and they don’t understand the mechanics of how this could possibly occur, since it is not their wish or desire at all to be abusive.

It is fear, negativity, doubt, poor rationalizations, and contradictions that we tend to program into our subconscious throughout our lives, mostly from our own conscious thoughts -- often disguised as “practicality”, that in turn cause us to act with fear, negativity, doubt, poor rationalizations, and contradictions, within our own actions and words, which in turn reinforces the programming.
This feedback loop, is the main part that I call the “static.” The subconscious can be programmed to cause your conscious to continuously feed itself back random thoughts, or negative thoughts, often contradictory, on a constant basis, to the point where it becomes seemingly out of your control. Just stop thinking for 3 minutes. Try it. Not one thought at all … I bet it is not possible. You have far less control over your conscious mind than you like to believe. This is the static feedback loop in action. This affects everyone to varying degrees and is a part of the “human condition”. In extreme cases we label it as various mental diseases, such as schizophrenia, but it really is all the same phenomenon.

Meditations and affirmations are excellent and simple tools that work together to help break up this static and begin reprogramming the subconscious so that it works for you as opposed to against you. Science has shown us that when a person is in relaxed meditation, the brain shifts into what is called an alpha brainwave state. This is a learning state – it allows the subconscious to be more controllably and clearly programmed – it has been dubbed “The gateway to the subconscious mind”. When a person is engaged in some learning activity while alpha brainwaves are being promoted in the brain, the long term retention of that learning is multitudes greater than attempted learning while in Beta state (currently the normal waking state in humans). Beta state is most common state of the conscious mind and is used for logic and critical reasoning, but often result in stress and anxiety; this would explain why stress and anxiety are an epidemic in our society, despite all the comforts of a modern society. It is this state specifically that is often referred to as the “ego”; but the mind has 5 variable brainwaves states in which it can function. Interestingly, dolphin’s brains are almost always in an alpha brainwave state, except those who have been held in captivity for a time, their brains slowly shift toward almost entirely beta state where they become stressed, depressed and more prone to illness, just like humans. More info on brainwave states here: http://www.finerminds.com/mind-power/brain-waves/

In a nutshell, people need to have the ability to have complete control over the programming of their own subconscious, or else their environment, or the stress from maintaining a consistent beta brainwave state will do it for them. And by environment, I mean that anything you are exposed to programs your subconscious. Marketing is a multi-trillion dollar a year industry, because of how well it works. The pioneers of advanced modern marketing understand all this process very well. In addition to marketing, think of Hollywood, religions, tv, internet – all these are vying for the chance to program your subconscious – this is what it is all about. Don’t you think it should be you who has full control of the power of your own subconscious?

[RUSirius]

Thanks my friend, I think your sense of urgency is spot on.

[DeDukshyn]

I want to say also that to some it may appear that the alpha brainwave state (the state you mind enters in meditation) is "dangerous" because it makes your subconscious more susceptible to programming. This is true. But the mind does have a defence mechanism built in. Stress, anxiety and fear are not compatible with alpha brainwave state; but they are compatible with beta brainwave state, where you have full control over judgement and rationalizations.


When you meditate, and offer yourself your own strategically constructed affirmations in the form or words or linguistically structured thought, or better yet, also with the 'feeling' or feelings of intention, you begin to displace the static crap in your subconscious. I have done this to rather great success, but it took months of daily "ritual" for mediation and affirmations. At the time I had a production worker job and used the boring repetitive tasks to set the rhythm for my affirmations, and basically just did that all day. It's like building muscles -- lots of work and time is needed. however the immediate benefits of meditation are almost worth it alone - it really is the best stress buster. No drug works as well, without side affects. But it is the long term reprogramming of the subconscious that allows you to be able to harness the power of your subconscious. And as said, if you aren't programming yourself, someone else is programming you with what they want or at best, you aren't using your mind to its fullest.

[Mike]

Great article Duk. I especially like the way you explained being "in the zone".

I've been reminding myself to meditate for months now. Years ago I was a member of a small group that meditated together twice a week at a zen house. Im going to get involved again. At the time I was the only person in our group that couldn't sit "zazen" style, so I meditated in a chair. I quit due to embarrassment

[sandy]

Thanks for the kick start as I do want and need to get into routine meditation sessions again........as I function with much more clarity, reassurance and overall gentleness to self and everything else.

[Carmody]

Posted by Mike (here)
Great article Duk. I especially like the way you explained being "in the zone".

I've been reminding myself to meditate for months now. Years ago I was a member of a small group that meditated together twice a week at a zen house. Im going to get involved again. At the time I was the only person in our group that couldn't sit "zazen" style, so I meditated in a chair. I quit due to embarrassment

Chair or sitting is unimportant. meditation and reaching the correct mental condition, that is important. I've never sat in that position, and if I did, I'd probably end up with blood clots. So no, no sitting zazen style or what not, for me. Tradition is meaningless if it damages potential for the correct outcome.

Tradition can be dangerous, before you know it, it can become the shoe or the gourd. Not true but best to look at all one does with such eyes.

Point being, the comfort aspect of the stillness is the critical part, most definitely. If one can get there, then consider trying the zazen style again. It can also require some good solid workout and eating regulation and regularity, as ability for good posture, is part of the zazen requirement. As a twist on tradition, The only thing one wants to be regular is breathing and the ability to take a dump. After that, 'routine' is more of a stillborn suicide note neither delivered nor seen.

[Dennis Leahy]

Posted by DeDukshyn (here)
First I have a couple requests for this thread. The topic of this thread is why you should meditate, ... ... .... Don’t you think it should be you who has full control of the power of your own subconscious?

Thank you DeDukshyn, for taking the time to compose that opening post and to articulate it so well. Already a good kick in the ass for someone who used to (deliberately) meditate.

[Mike]

Posted by Carmody (here)

Posted by Mike (here)
Great article Duk. I especially like the way you explained being "in the zone".

I've been reminding myself to meditate for months now. Years ago I was a member of a small group that meditated together twice a week at a zen house. Im going to get involved again. At the time I was the only person in our group that couldn't sit "zazen" style, so I meditated in a chair. I quit due to embarrassment

Chair or sitting is unimportant. meditation and reaching the correct mental condition, that is important. I've never sat in that position, and if I did, I'd probably end up with blood clots. So no, no sitting zazen style or what not, for me. Tradition is meaningless if it damages potential for the correct outcome.

Tradition can be dangerous, before you know it, it can become the shoe or the gourd. Not true but best to look at all one does with such eyes.

Point being, the comfort aspect of the stillness is the critical part, most definitely. If one can get there, then consider trying the zazen style again. It can also require some good solid workout and eating regulation and regularity, as ability for good posture, is part of the zazen requirement. As a twist on tradition, The only thing one wants to be regular is breathing and the ability to take a dump. After that, 'routine' is more of a stillborn suicide note neither delivered nor seen.

I've got that dump thing down pat. If spirituality had anything to do with regularity, I'd be the buddha.

Of course you're right. The kind people there kept saying similar things...but I couldn't help but feel silly and inadequate. Even when I had some lovely moments during my meditations, I couldn't fully enjoy them because I thought I was cheating - the spiritual equivalent of bumper bowling

Events since then have drained me of my vanity and I could care less. I'm really excited to be starting again, chair or no chair.

[ghostrider]

according to the teachings of Nokodemjon /Henoch , meditation is the only way to develop spirit power , and spiritual gifts ...the true power of life is hidden inside each of us , waiting for us to learn to focus the energy of Creation to change ourselves and our reality ... thoughts can alter matter , I have personally achieved a small milestone using the meditation candle exercise taught by Nokodemjon 12 billion years ago ...the steps work , clearing your mind and thinking of nothing is harder than you think ...using spirit power I was able to alter fire to go the direction I wanted it to go ... also just like in martial arts , you reach a quiet place that carries over into every aspect of you life ... the Chinese call it Chi ( life force ) I call spirit power ...place a ring on a long necklace , dangle it in front of you , imagine in your minds eye , the chain swinging back and forth left to right , with focus you'll see it happen ... repeat the steps only this time imagine the chain going in a circle ... it proves spirit power ... as I stated , meditation is the only way to develop this ability rightly ...

[greybeard]

The moment meditation is more important than doing the dishes--you are in trouble--smiling
It is as important.

I echo what has been said in previous posts--comfort essential--its a question of being still and just being aware--not controlling or looking for an outcome.
I would not not recommend the "Walking along the beach" type of guided meditation--it really self hypnosis
This awareness meditation is very helpful I use it daily.
I do the dishes too--lol
Chris

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_e6tcgTmKNI

[RunningDeer]

My zafu and meditation mat are dusty. Tai Chi is another form of meditation. I find it’s become only a focused exercise, though I do enjoy the graceful flow.

I understand that we are more than this physical body. But for now, seeings how I signed on for the physical experience, I’m becoming intimate with the life of spirit that’s the driver of it.

These days I play with focused attention while I walk. I pull the world inward into the cellular and spirit-self. The feeling is like turning a dimmer light. Instantly and with a subtle quality, the whole body’s energy works in unison.

I also experiment with the wind. She moves through the body where I put focus. When I lose focus, resistance returns. Or in the case of this past winter, the chill of the wind moves through without being effected by sub-zero temperatures.

The technique is a work in progress. It takes a lot of concentration and it doesn’t last for long. When I catch myself saying this is physically impossible, I break focus. My goal is to uncover hidden potential while in physical form.

<3

[Carmody]

Distracting the body can be critical for reaching heights of insight.

This is why intellectualism, as a pursuit, can find it's greatest achievements while 'on the throne' or while taking a shower. Tai Chi, in this component, can be the same.

Slow gentle distraction of the body, disconnection of the body through a learned physical routine, is part of it's magic.

Similar to the whirling dervishes, or other forms of bodily discipline, which in controlled repetition, brings bodily comfort and distracts the body from it's control of thought emergence and process. The problem for some is the idea that the path must be one given thing and no other. The gourd/shoe quandary.

All that be as it may, the body does indeed have basic similar programming parameters (across all human avatars), which can elicit emotive directionality in thought creation and thought filtering. Ie, Tai Chi is not specifically explicitly martial, like some/most martial art forms. Find the form that works for you and be ready to change if it feels correct to do so. Be open, be still, inside. To lose or calm the body overlay's distraction is part of the discipline.

It is all the same, when you finally realize where the moments of clarity are coming from. It's the loss of the body's extreme control of thought emergence, colored thought filtering, and thought direction. You begin with the body in control of the thought function, then move to freeing the mind thought formation/realization from body control, so one's ass can then follow.

Turning that unrealized equation around is the time consuming part, as neural breakdown and re-connection takes time. Thankfully people cannot be flipped on and off like switches, it takes time to re-program the neurological system. You will know you are getting somewhere when you approach and enter mental breakdown, as alternating states of extreme joy and extreme distress are part of this neurological re-programming. The ego being/remaining in control of life and process would be indicated in the absence of markers such as breakdown and periodic 'lack of emotional control'. However, do not confuse it with emotional dominance in thought emergence/process, two very different things - initially a subtle thing to try and understand. You are trying to break the ego's iron grip over emergence and being, so you can be of self, of original underlying emergent self, and not that of body. To remove the autopilot emotional child system aspect of incarnation.

Beginning meditation with all this in mind can be key, as when the realization that the known self is not self ....but body filter self, this understanding will begin the process. When one realizes the ego body connection is forcing reality through control as a filter, as a subconscious program overlaying emergence of self, this will aid in sparking the process. Like the whole Lucifer story, though, it will do everything it can to sabotage the process, all forms of distraction, so the discipline of calming can be key.

The base body programming has kept the emergent child inside safe for all these years, it is a powerful program. It has to be. The adult stage requires peeling it back from the controls.

In astrology, the ascendant is the rose colored glasses as a filter over ones I/O process that overlays all of one's connection to the world. In astrology the ascendant is the position of the sun's morning horizon, when you were born. Note that the ascendant is...'angel of the dawn'. Lucifer. The ego/body filter/programming overlay.

[Ernie Nemeth]

I find yoga in its many varied forms is an excellent tool for distracting the conscious mind long enough for de-programming to occur.

Guided meditation is also very helpful - as in allowing another to direct the meditation process.

Thanks Dedukshyn , I needed that reminder, too. All I do these days is what I call "transit meditation" - meditation while using public transit. It helps but it is a bit inadequate.

[DeDukshyn]

I see many here are appreciating the reminder to get to it, or get back to it. I'm in that same boat, and that is why I wrote the article. I find writing things out that I need to address in my own life, really helps get mind shifted in that direction. I can't seem to meditate as deeply nor as effectively as I used to at all. I don't know what the cause is, but part of me wants blame all the huge cell / microwave towers that went up all across the city about 5 or 6 years ago. It seems to follow that timeline. I used to be able to relax my body to a point where I could feel the blood flowing through all my major arteries

Relaxing and comfort are important, and keeping a straight spine is also fairly important to prevent/clear energy blockages while you meditate. Having the body very relaxed is important as a mind can only be as relaxed as the body that it is attached to, and we all tend to have a background low grade tension in our bodies that isn't noticeable until you start meditating. I induce relaxation with deep controlled breathing, on each outbreath relaxing my body a little more. I also slow my breathing down as I relax more, as less oxygen is needed, and the controlled breathing becomes very efficient. I can get to less than two breaths per minute relatively easily. But like I said, I'll have a full guide for my technique a little later, it is rather generic, ands is very appropriate for newbies needing a full guide, and also is powerful enough for experienced meditators. There is no one "right" way to meditate - it is the general act of practicing controlling or silencing the mind (and body - as in yoga) to regain full control of it, seems so simple but what a lost art in the current cultures of the world.

Thanks to everyone's contributions so far!

[Jake]

Wow! Such articulation, Dedukshyn! im intimidated to jump in... lol...

I like to make analogies... To me, the basic meditative state is a platform for more sophisticated mental states.. Though basic meditation is the most important..

Our minds are like snowglobes!! All of thise wee bits of white stuff in a chaotic, mesmerizing dance! When you meditate, it is like setting the snowglobe down, and gently watching as the wee bits slowly settle. (Then a picture comes into view, one that you could not see before..)

Also, simple meditative sessions throughout a day,, (meditate for 5 or 6 minutes, every couple of hours,,) creates pattern behavior that repeats during sleep.. (dreaming mind will be programmed to meditate,, arousing lucidity within the dream... )

if that is what you are into... lol...
jake

[RunningDeer]

I’ve been doing Tai Chi since 1988. It’s where I learned to direct focused energy and the importance of grounding, i.e. root oneself to Mother Earth. Today, I see it as partnership with her.

When interacting with another in Tai Chi play, I was surprised by both it’s subtle and end result power. What I learned early on is that even before the touch of another, you’ve already connected. And it’s at that point, some give away their power at an unconscious level.

One doesn't need to know Tai Chi form/fighting. Life is Tai Chi. Stand rooted in our internal power is an exercise to do through out the day. It’s not a magic trick, it’s simply awareness. Pay attention to where in the body it speaks to the whole. Even if it only feels like imagination, engage in the signals of warmth, buzz, smiles, opera, the inner knowing…whatever custom-made inclinations signal to you.

Know Thy Self = antidote to the tricksters’ games. ♡

[13th Warrior]

I'm going to render this complex issue down into the most simple and potent terms.

Meditation is the act of using the conscious mind to observe the subconscious mind...it's the subconscious that is targeted by those who wish to control your perceptions...become aware of whence your thoughts/perceptions are generated...

[angelfire]

Thanks for this post, DeDukshyn as I really need to kickstart a practice again. I was even considering posting a thread about mediation techniques that members feel work for them - so..........looking forward to the details!

[Mike]

There's also this issue of making the death transition smoother and less traumatic.

I've read many times that one can avoid much angst after passing by preparing for it..with meditation . I don't know exactly why meditation cushions the blow so to speak, but apparently it does.

[Wind]

I have meditated every now and then for some years, but I should make a habit out of it. It's like mental hygiene, without anchoring your Self to the current moment you might lose yourself to this world. It's so important to just let go sometimes and not be attached to anything.