Misconceptions about meditation and mindfulness?

[EvolvingPhoenix]

I would say the OP issue involving meditation and people's misconception is a bigger problem in general when it comes to doing spiritual stuff. Confusion between the process/goals/secondary effects.

Basically, many people get confused between several things:
(1) the process
(2) the goals
(3) the secondary effects of the process
(4) the secondary effects of the goals

You often see this with people who try to suppress fearful thoughts ("don't even let bad thoughts enter your mind!") because they believe that is a great way to get over fears. They're mistaking the secondary effect of fear-based thoughts not arising after much inner work with the incorrect idea that the process of (positive) evolution involves forcing fearful thoughts back into the subconscious.

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With respect to your specific question regarding meditation and clearing the mind, firstly, there are many types of mediation. Ra explicitly mentions visualization as a powerful type (I think they refer to visualization meditations specifically, but I could be getting this mixed up with the other spiritual practices with speak highly of visualization meditations specifically).

But mindfulness meditation, for my given definition of mindfulness (there are entire organizations based around mindfulness practice that I haven't explored), is to simply observe the mind and not to follow up on any thoughts, if possible - though it's better to let yourself follow up on a thought rather than suppress something that is emerging. I have found this type of mindfulness practice key in allowing things to emerge from the subconscious for later analysis (after the meditation).

I've also found breath-based practices can be combined with mindfulness or visualization based meditations, though for me at least it does require some focus as opposed to pure mindfulness observation. I think everyone is fairly different and it works well to experiment and interchange the types of meditation to see how things come together.

Thanks xise!

Lately, I'm doing some meditation practices that Agua recommends: The walking meditation and the presence exercise where you try and feel your whole body throughout the meditation. The latter is really quite powerful and good for being present with my solar plexus issues.

It's also quite uncomfortable BECAUSE of said solar plexus issues.

I got healing done by Plenum, but it seems my solar plexus region is still QUITE blocked. The feeling is very powerful too. It's still healing in there. Not saying his energy work didn't help, just that I still have solar plexus issues, despite the energy work.

I guess the walking meditation is breathing/mindfulness meditation while walking. Good for staying awake haha.

Thanks for the advice xise. It helps clear up some misunderstandings