Episode #59

[Bring4th_Austin]

Episode #59



In this episode, we discuss:
- What is the "soul" in the context of the Law of One?
- We have a discussion with Jim about his meditation practices.

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A transcript for this episode will be posted once it is available.

Feel free to discuss this episode in this thread!

[Ankh]

Hey guys!

I decided some time ago that during some periods when I cook a lot of food (and then put it in a freezer for periods when there is no time for cooking) that instead of radio or music I would listen to your podcast. I did this couple of days ago and listened to this show. What a joy it was! Not only did I get an opportunity to hear your beautiful voices, I also got a chance to listen to your bright ideas and thoughts. Thank you so much!

In this episode what applied to my personal experience most was Jim telling about how some meditations are good and some are less so. So you sort of expect, after the one which was awesome, that other meditations which follow it will be equally awesome, but what a surprise it is when that doesn't happen! And I would also like to take it further to apply to everyday life experiences as well. There are times when you are in tune with the universe and everything plays out harmoniously, but then something happens and it all gets blurry again. The same can also be said about the spiritual seeking. When I got back home after HC everything was clear to me and I was focused. But the second I got back home, one thing happened after another, after yet another, and there was no way that I could keep focusing on my own spiritual seeking, meditating as much as I planned to etc., because there were things that had to be done, people that needed help etc. And it's easy to go back to old habits too when it's so crazy around you, and just feel hopelessness in the situation. I laughed couple of times though during this crazy period, thinking "meditation my ***! I don't have the time to even eat lunch or get enough sleep!" True that. There has been many days now when I ate breakfast with my daughter in the morning but then didn't have the time to eat until evening, when having dinner with her. But *it is all well*. We all survived this crazy period. It all turned out ok! And now I would even say that this period even strengthened my will to further seek the Creator. There are periods of time, like the one that I had, when life is crazy, but what can you do about? Stop helping people because you need to meditate? No. So during this time there were moments when I felt that I was failing my path of seeking. But I was not. And at the end, it even turned out to better I might say. And I realized that when listening to this show, and especially when hearing those words of Jim. That as meditations are such that some of them are awesome and some less so, so is even the spiritual seeking and everyday life experiences. They go up and they go down. The only thing that matters is to continue seeking in every way that you can. And if it's in the way of immediate service to others, than it can wait. Because some people can't. We are not failing, but on contrary, doing all that we can.

Anyways, thank you so much, guys! And keep up the good work!  Can't wait till the next period I have this time for cooking so I can listen to your next show. =)

Lots of love,
L.

[rva_jeremy]

Thanks for sharing, L. I often think about how lucky I am that I have time to meditate -- and that I've had this time all my life but have only recently ceased squandering it! Yet the only way I could make meditation be a positive practice instead of a mundane chore was to not sweat it if I miss, or don't feel up to it, or whatever. It saddens me to think people feel like they're missing out because they're doing important work like raising children and supporting a loving household. I don't think anybody would want you to feel that way.

It occurs to me is that meditation is always the thing recommended, not because it's the only possible thing one can do to grow, but rather because people always ask for "a thing" to do, and people are so different! Because the practice is so universally helpful and literally every singly human being can benefit from it, it is the go-to suggestion when something more tailored to somebody's life cannot be offered. As a third density being, one often does not see enough to make the specific judgments about where attention is best placed. As a higher density being, one must respect the Law of Confusion. So I think meditation is a catch-all suggestion that is sure to be appropriate without worrying about the specific situation of the questioner.

However, it may in fact be that there are practices at least as appropriate as meditation in which a seeker can engage given the specifics of her life. This is why it's so important to pay attention to how you are feeling, without judgment or excessive criticism for the self. That is the mentality one practices in meditation and then takes out into one's waking life. For me, I have found that it is an attitude of curiosity and inquisitiveness about existence, about our blockages and catalyst, about our experience and its many layers of meaning that is so augmented by meditation. But that same spirit can bleed into waking life and imbue making dinner with your family or a challenging day at work into a metaphysical exercise.

One does the best one can in one's situation. Across the world there are people for whom meditation is just not practical for one reason or another. It is not the message of the Confederation to make one's life impractical and a shining platonic ideal. Meditation is a means to an end, but there are lots of ways to achieve that end. As you said, the only thing that matters is to continue seeking in every way you can, with emphasis on the word "can". You are not asked to do anything that is impossible -- only a most cruel Creator would require that!

Thanks again for your post, L. (I know your name but am omitting it in case you want it that way.)

[Ankh]

Thanks, Jeremy! No, I didn't omit my name on purpose. Sometimes I just sign off with L. 

Thank you for your input!

Meditation for me means so, so much! It is through it that I can move on serving in this world. It gives me balance and peace. It is through it that I can come closer in touch with the heart. It gives me joy of experiencing the Creator. And I would want more of it, until I experience the Creator in each living moment. 

Without meditation, I feel so lost and confused. I would say that I need it on everyday basis. Isn't it the same for you? I remember your wife mentioned that she noticed a difference in you if you had the time respectively didn't have the time for this routine and meditation in the morning. =) It does make one feel more in tune and balanced if one gets the time for this practice! Tell her I said HI! 

Anyway, sometimes it just not possible to do this, and while in the past I felt stressed about it, now, especially after listening to this show, I don't feel equally stressed. 

Love,
Lana.

[rva_jeremy]

Without meditation, I feel so lost and confused. I would say that I need it on everyday basis. Isn't it the same for you? I remember your wife mentioned that she noticed a difference in you if you had the time respectively didn't have the time for this routine and meditation in the morning. =) It does make one feel more in tune and balanced if one gets the time for this practice!

Yes. Definitely. 100%.

However, speaking only for myself as a perfectionist, there are times when I think it's better to forego meditation if you can't fit it into your life comfortably.  Examples:

• I'm hungover
  
• I have to get up earlier than usual for work
  
• I'm on vacation or travel of some kind and have nowhere to achieve isolation
  
• The dogs are going nuts for some reason
  

It goes both ways, though.  Lately I've been learning a lot about how to meditate in spite of this stuff, to work with the frustration, worry, or other distractions in my meditation.  It's a stretch, but sometimes I'm up for a challenge, a real opportunity to grow.

Generally speaking, I think one needs to have a great deal of compassion for oneself on this stuff.  Discipline is a fickle thing: it starts as a way to love the self through aspiring to a goal but can quickly turns into a way of enslaving the self through an arbitrary ideal.  Then the guilt, anger, etc. sets in.  This will hamper one's practice and make it a chore rather than an exercise in inquisitiveness, curiosity, and real care for oneself.

It really is about paying attention to oneself, I've found.  That's where the love comes in--to be able to slow down and take the particular condition of the self completely seriously and completely tenderly.  So all I'm saying is: go easy on yourself.  This is a very delicate practice.

Tell her I said HI! 

Will do!  Thanks for your thoughts, Lana -- it's really cool to hear about others' experiences with this practice.

[Bring4th_Austin]

Thank you two for sharing, Lana and Jeremy.

Everyone seems to have their own relationship to meditation, but it really makes me wonder: Ra refused to indicate a "best way" to meditate, so what are the limits of what is considered "meditation"?

Ra does indicate that the most useful type of meditation was one in which involves "clearing of the mind, the emptying of the mental jumble which is characteristic of mind complex activity among your peoples" in order to "achieve an inner silence as a base from which to listen to the Creator." It seems like there are only so many ways for someone to do this, so it is odd that Ra wouldn't recommend any technique (would clearing the mind be a technique?).

I have been meditating basically ever since I had my awakening, sometimes with more frequency than others. I try hard to meditate every night if only for a few minutes. Like Jim talked about, the experience of such meditation from session to session varies, but I find the effects to be cumulative over the long-run rather than immediate during the meditation itself.

But I have been practicing a technique of mindfulness lately and I cannot express how powerful I have found it to be, particularly for "emptying the mental jumble." There would be some differences in how this works versus my normal meditation:

In normal meditation, I take time to enter into it with gentle intention, dimming lights, lighting a candle and some incense, using a meditation stool, perhaps putting some light, soft rhythmic drumming on the speakers to drown out noise from neighbors. I begin with a prayer and then sit in the silence. I start by counting my breaths, only up to 10 before I begin again. Every time I find my mind wandering I will acknowledge the thought and bring my attention back to my breath. Sometimes I can get deep enough to leave my breath behind, and less frequently, I will find myself in a deep sea of silence that feels nourishing and whole.

With mindfulness, there is much less ritual or intention. The primary aspect of this is simply paying attention to the thoughts and gently guiding your awareness to a consciously chosen thought or simply to the present moment's experiences. It is something that can sit in silence with simple mindfulness, it's something that I can practice throughout the day without needing to stop my normal round of activities.

For example, if I am feeling some strong emotion (anxiety or nervousness, for example), I will sometimes sit down and pay attention to the emotion, greeting it gently, speaking to it and allowing it to speak back. Sometimes I'll write about it, to hold it in my awareness - this is different from just journaling or simply writing because the only goal is to express the emotion and hold it in awareness. After some time, there comes an overriding sense of acceptance of the emotion, where it doesn't necessarily go away, but it no longer has a strong hold on my awareness. This keeps the emotional from simply being another part of my "mental jumble." I find that when I do this, it's like clearing out a big portion of the jumble. What is left is a more spacious awareness in my mind where the strong emotion no longer creates these cycles of thought that contribute to the jumble.

Even more helpful, though, has been simple mindfulness throughout the day, without needing to stop. It is simply an act of coming to awareness of the present moment throughout the day and slowing the momentum of that mental jumble through that awareness. It's easiest done when I am doing something that doesn't require full attention. For instance, if I get up to fill up a glass of water and drink it, I will use that as an opportunity to examine my thoughts and identify what has been creating a jumble, relaxing my mind and body, and paying attention to the present moment around me (liking giving full attention and love to the glass of water I drink). Or if I am waiting in line, like at the grocery store or post office, I will do the same thing. Walking to or from my car, going to the bathroom, filing some papers, eating a meal, doing a tedious task on the computer - all of these things become opportunities for me to reach a type of silence in my mind that helps to clear the mental jumble.

I have found that as I reinforce this habit, it becomes more and more powerful. The tension in my body disappears with ease, I find less and less jumble constantly in my mind, I find the anxiety and nervousness appearing less and less. I find it easier and easier to think, "Where is the love in this moment?" Intentionally looking for the Creator in these moments by offering open acceptance of the moment, without distraction, becomes very powerful. Perhaps best of all is that when I sit down for my "regular" meditation, the steady state of silence comes much, much easier.

I don't think that this type of mindfulness is necessarily a replacement for other types of meditation, but perhaps it is something that can be done when we don't have time or energy for more ritual meditation. I can honestly say that the effects I notice from this are basically as powerful as the more silent meditations. And when these two methods are combined, it becomes and incredibly powerful experience.


Maybe this type of mindfulness isn't really that rare and others are already doing it. Mindfulness is becoming sort of a fad now, and "live in the present moment" has been a New Age motto for a long time. So maybe I'm just late to the game. But I really can't understate how useful I have found this habit.

[Ankh]

Jeremy, I completely agree with you!

__________________________________________________

Thank you for sharing, Austin!

I think that those practices which you described of mindfulness in the moment need focus and strengthening of the will. Focus on what you are doing in the moment, even if it is "only" being present in that moment. And will to do it in every moment. Focusing on the present is also like knocking on the door to the intelligent infinity, since It is "located" in the present moment.

I'm so glad that this is working out so good for you! Seems like a very good practice!

[rva_jeremy]

I echo Lana's gratitude for that detailed decscription of your mindfulness practice, Austin. What I identify as key is the sheer willingness -- the act of will you engage in constantly, it seems -- to examine the thoughts on a continual basis, to have no escape from what it is the mind is processing. It is a very compassionate and patient way to be, and it dovetails with something I've been thinking about lately about our craving of resolution -- how much of what I push out of my mind or try to avoid facing directly has to do with the contingent nature of experience. Nothing is known, nothing is settled, everything is flux, and so nothing can be "resolved", put in a box, and ignored. In short, as our Venusian friends say, nothing shall be overcome, and it occurs to me that it is in the mind that we first try to "overcome" or being to conceive of overcoming as even a possible approach. Your practice, in other words, seems perfectly tuned to letting things fall away in their own time, with an appreciation for the mind's role in signification and taking responsibility for what gets projected onto the screen of consciousness.

Thanks again for your generous account.

[Ankh]

Would you like to share your morning meditation and process, Jeremy?

[rva_jeremy]

Sure, for what it's worth. This week I've been getting up later, so I have had to curtail my morning reading a bit. Also, I think one of the things that make the practice so special is that it's something that I came up with for me, based on my own struggles to make it work. That is to say, this isn't the right way; it's just a way.

1. Get up and make coffee. Coffee is not an absolute requirement, but in addition to helping me wake up, it is a downright ritual at this point. I don't need it to get my day going, but I sure do like starting with it!
2. I read one session of the Ra contact.
3. I read one chapter of When Things Fall Apart. This is probably my 10th re-reading and is likely the most consistently vital book I read in the morning because it's so practical. I bought another book of Chödrön's and will start reading that when I'm finished with this reread of the old one.
4. I read one non-Ra channeling. I've been purchasing the channeling archive books and going through them, highlighting passages that I'll later consider tweeting.
5. I say the Lord's prayer and start clearing the mind.
6. I ask for Confederation assistance with my meditation, usually from Laitos.
7. About 10 minutes or so in is when I feel the satisfying portion really starts. Before then I'm doing more practice with letting thoughts go. It's an exercise in patience to keep diligently touching and releasing your thought processes.
8. Once I feel I've gotten to a stopping point, I say the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi ("Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace"). I do a cabalistic cross on my amen ("Ateh, Malkuth", etc.).
9. This part I got from Jade. I then place my hands on my heart and say an affirmation, setting the intent for the day, whatever I want to work on that comes to mind.
10. I visualize the earth and send love and appreciation. When I'm at my best I really try to practice tonglen, the breathing in of suffering, pain, heat, uncomfortableness, stress, etc. and the breathing out of coolness, happiness, freshness, etc.
11. I sing the "I am the circle" song.

That's it!

[Ankh]

Sure, for what it's worth.  This week I've been getting up later, so I have had to curtail my morning reading a bit.  Also, I think one of the things that make the practice so special is that it's something that I came up with for me, based on my own struggles to make it work.  That is to say, this isn't the right way; it's just a way.

Yes of course! I just finding interesting to hear about other people's meditation rituals in the morning.

1. Get up and make coffee.  Coffee is not an absolute requirement, but in addition to helping me wake up, it is a downright ritual at this point.  I don't need it to get my day going, but I sure do like starting with it!

Same here! I don't need it but do like to start with it. =)

6. I ask for Confederation assistance with my meditation, usually from Laitos.

Why Laitos?

I do a cabalistic cross on my amen ("Ateh, Malkuth", etc.).

Why? What is your purpose with it?

9. This part I got from Jade. I then place my hands on my heart and say an affirmation, setting the intent for the day, whatever I want to work on that comes to mind.

How does this prayer usually go? What do you usually say?

10. I visualize the earth and send love and appreciation.  When I'm at my best I really try to practice tonglen, the breathing in of suffering, pain, heat, uncomfortableness, stress, etc. and the breathing out of coolness, happiness, freshness, etc.

Is this a part of your Gaia meditation?

Sorry for the thousands questions! Thank you for sharing.

[rva_jeremy]

Lana, the mere possibility that my practice could be of interest to another and possibly help them formulate their own is very rewarding. Thank you for your questions.

6. I ask for Confederation assistance with my meditation, usually from Laitos.

Why Laitos?

Good question. I don't always call on Laitos, but when I do it's usually because they are the most familiar energy to me, having worked with them in the channeling intensives. I often feel inspired to call upon Hatonn or Latwii as well, usually because I spend so much time reading them. I frequently just call on all of them, or on the Confederation in general.

What I'm looking for is the conditioning wave that will help deepen my meditation. It is gratifying to open myself up to that, and in opening myself up I kind of go with whatever call comes to mind, whatever name occurs to me. More generally speaking, I've discovered a kind of spontaneity to my practice on things like this call as well as the affirmation at the end that seems to skirt the lines of a contact, which I find rewarding and stimulating without crossing any lines into full-on contact.

I do a cabalistic cross on my amen ("Ateh, Malkuth", etc.).

Why? What is your purpose with it?

Another great question. Since I've been participating in the intensives, I've often started my meditation by practicing my tuning and preliminaries. This helps me more reliably get in the zone on demand when I'm in a circle. One way I used to practice tuning would be to start by practicing the Banishing Ritual of the Lesser Pentagram, and this both starts and ends with the qabalistic (not sure the spelling with the c is correct) cross. The ritual is rather intense (and I don't do it nearly as energetically as Jim), so I don't perform it everyday. However, I find the cross a nice way to say "amen" at the end of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

That's all there is to it; it's just something I landed on as part of my routine. There's at once no more meaning to it than that, and way more meaning to it.

9. This part I got from Jade. I then place my hands on my heart and say an affirmation, setting the intent for the day, whatever I want to work on that comes to mind.

How does this prayer usually go? What do you usually say?

It's more a setting of an intention for the day than a prayer per se. Between the reading, the meditation, and the things occupying my attention in my life -- especially stressful things -- I have a bit of perspective. I try to "channel" this perspective into a concrete affirmation to help guide my day. I'm not sure how well it works, but it is nice to cap the ritual with some concrete thought.

10. I visualize the earth and send love and appreciation.  When I'm at my best I really try to practice tonglen, the breathing in of suffering, pain, heat, uncomfortableness, stress, etc. and the breathing out of coolness, happiness, freshness, etc.

Is this a part of your Gaia meditation?

This is my version of it. It's not long, usually between 15 and 30 seconds. It's both a demonstration of gratitude and love to the Earth and a practice in visualization, because I literally try to "hold the planet in my hands" while sitting on the planet I'm holding, so it's kind of just a way to use my imagination to practice a few things at once. But I do want to send love to Earth, to try to mitigate the anguish we cause her.

[Ankh]

9. This part I got from Jade. I then place my hands on my heart and say an affirmation, setting the intent for the day, whatever I want to work on that comes to mind.

How does this prayer usually go? What do you usually say?

It's more a setting of an intention for the day than a prayer per se.  Between the reading, the meditation, and the things occupying my attention in my life -- especially stressful things -- I have a bit of perspective.  I try to "channel" this perspective into a concrete affirmation to help guide my day.  I'm not sure how well it works, but it is nice to cap the ritual with some concrete thought.

Yeah, that sounds nice. I was just wondering what you are saying exactly during this practice, if you want to share? Or is it more of a thought complex which is not pronounced with words?

[rva_jeremy]

Yeah, that sounds nice. I was just wondering what you are saying exactly during this practice, if you want to share? Or is it more of a thought complex which is not pronounced with words?

It's more of a thought complex, but it usually involves the articulation of something that needs to be done and then imagining how I will accomplish it. For example, I've had problems with motivation, so sometimes I will recognize that, think about how I would act to be motivated, and then consciously intend for that to happen, kind of imagining doing it or prioritizing it in some way that's hard to describe.

[kristina]

Wow! This thread is so old! I'm way behind!
Reading this thread makes me look like a meditation simpleton. Perhaps I am.
Although I have a few things I do that perhaps that someone may be interested in, or not. It matters not.
I always prepare the area in which I meditate every time I meditate. I do what is called an opening. Sometimes I lay and sometimes I sit. No matter where I am I burn white sage and swirl it in a clockwise circle where my head would lie and say, "In the love and light of the One Infinite Creator I open this sacred space". Then I repeat the circle with the sage where my heart would be and repeat the words, then where the middle of my legs would be; repeat the words and move the sage in my circle and lastly where my feet would lie while moving the smouldering sage in a clockwise circle and repeating my mantra. If I sit, I do this practice to the left, middle and right of my spot. Then I pray over my meditation area and request guarded protection over my sacred space and me. After I have meditated, I close the area. I begin this time at the foot area eventually moving my way upward toward the space where my head would lie and still using the sage but now in a counter clockwise circle and say, "In the love and the light of the One Infinite Creator I close this sacred space" and I always tell my protectors thank you and tell them that they may leave because I feel safe and I have my full waking consciousness.
I do use my crystal for opening and closing. I do not know a ton of people who work with crystals or minerals but I do utilize it's help. The crystal seems to enjoy working in that way so I allow it to do portions of that opening and closing. The crystal or mineral can show you the output of your energy as you meditated. Which I really appreciate.
Listen all, many blessings to each of you. Love all who are visiting this website. Love to the creators and managers of this blessed website. Take great care!!!!! Love and light always...