The goal of any meditation technique is to bring us closer to the heart of God where we can listen to the intimations of the Blessed One and maintain that sweet communion and contact. Meditation can raise our consciousness above the physical senses into the higher senses, or the siddhis.1
Although meditation is experiential, ultimately we must come to the point of not seeking for anything but simply being. “Being” requires a sensitivity that is born of purity of heart, mind and soul. We must first purify ourselves through an emptying process—the emptying all desire. When one is free of desire, then one can contain God-desire, which is simply to be light and love.
How Do I Meditate?
To enjoy the benefits of meditation, the process includes the ability to get beyond our thoughts. So meditation is as much the observation of the distractible outer mind as it is resting our attention on the object of our meditation. This process should never become a struggle. We observe our thoughts and redirect our focus gently. There should be no sense of self-condemnation or disappointment when our minds do not cooperate with the process. This is normal.
What this process looks like is the gentle but persistent return of the attention to the object of contemplation…repeatedly. Over time, there will be a stilling of the myriad thoughts that dance and play in our heads. Over time, we will feel the results. Some schools of meditation urge that the practitioner contemplate nothing, or emptiness. Others urge the contemplation of something such as a virtue, a color, one’s breathing, a sound, a feeling or a form. All methods work.
It can seem daunting at first, but the benefits of meditation are well worth the effort. If we set aside some time early in the morning each day or whenever we are able to practice this art, results in a matter of weeks or perhaps a few months may be felt, depending upon our level of effort. It’s better to practice for even a short time every day than to attempt to practice for long periods less frequently.
Meditation as a Creative Process
True meditation is not simply the sublimation of all external senses to allow God to speak to us and inspire us but it is a co-creative process in that we enter into the eternal mind and heart of God by observing light, love and purity in all. This is applying the alchemical2 tool of holding the immaculate concept3 for every person, situation, project and desire. Each of us must conceive immaculately the universe that we desire to be outpictured in our lives, and then it may be so.
We are always conceiving something. Isn’t it better if our conceptions or creations are immaculate, joyous and lovely? Isn’t it time that our perceptions are no longer clouded by doubts of the future, fears of what may be coming upon earth, entering into a death spiral through the giving away of our internal God-power through these fears and doubts? If we are to create a golden age,4 isn’t it time that our perceptions become immaculate conceptions of all—ourselves, our families, children and communities? Surely this would be one of the greatest benefits of our meditation practice.
The Benefits of Meditation
The benefits of meditation occur on many levels: spiritual, mental and physical. As noted above, meditation can bring us closer to God or our own Higher Self. Meditation has also been shown to have many benefits for improved mental and physical health. It helps to increase our ability to concentrate, it accelerates learning and improves athletic performance. Meditation also reduces anxiety and builds self-confidence.
In the physical body, meditation has the following benefits:
· Lowering of oxygen consumption
· Decreasing of respiratory rate
· Increasing of blood flow
· Slowing of heart rate
· Lowering of high blood pressure
· Decreasing of muscular tension and headaches
· Enhancing of the immune system
· Accelerating of post-operative healing
Heartstreaming as a Form of Meditation
The ascended masters have recently coined a new word for meditation and every type of communion that flows between heaven and earth. They call it “heartstreaming.”4 This is the essence of our spiritual work within The Hearts Center. Whatever we do, our hearts are open and streaming forth the essence of the divine. Heartstreaming is by nature a heart activity. We know that the heart is intelligent—much more so than the brain. The energy activity of the heart extends far beyond our own body, especially when we are engaged in holy, inner work.
Heartstreaming is the meditation of extending love and compassion from our hearts as we engage in contemplation. In its more comprehensive meaning, heartstreaming can occur during vocal prayer, invocation and decrees6, the singing of songs of praise and joy. As we define it in terms of meditative practice, heartstreaming is the science of making our connection to God through going within and attuning to the frequencies of the Holy Spirit.
Heartstreaming is putting our attention on our heart connection to God. This focused attention creates a stream of contact with the divine, giving clarity of mind and heart, peace and balance. In this space we find ourselves capable of understanding our purpose and mission in this lifetime. Heartstreaming is a devotional act whose goal is to sweep us up to live in the glory of the presence of God while we yet have our feet planted on earth!
Whether our goals are spiritual, mental, physical or all of the above, practicing meditation can help us reap multiple benefits to enhance every area of our lives!
1. “Siddhis” is a Sanskrit word derived from “Siddhartha,” the given name of the great Buddha, Gautama, enlightened teacher of the Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths. “Siddhis” are spiritual powers, a supernormal state of being. These powers can arise naturally as the mind empties, opens and becomes clearer, according to Eastern spirituality. Some siddhis are clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, psychometry, levitation, premonition, healing, discernment and bilocation. In the West these higher senses are referred to as the gifts of the Holy Spirit and become active in devotees of God who minister selflessly in service to others and daily surrender to the will of God. Extra sensory perception, ESP, is a modern-day term for “siddhi.”
2. Alchemical: transformational in a way that is unexplainable in human terms; in its original use, it describes the transmutation of baser metals into gold or silver. In its current mystical context, it describes spiritual transformation. According to the teachings of the ascended masters, it is descriptive of the process through which the base nature of the lesser self is transformed into the permanent values of the Higher Self.
3. Immaculate concept: the idea, held in one’s heart and mind, that all people, situations, events are already perfect. The immaculate concept is what God holds for each individual soul that has been created. When we hold the immaculate concept we are not giving strength to the negative aspects of a certain person or situation. We are engaging in the science of alchemy in that our thoughts create our reality. This teaching and term was given by Mother Mary to her devotees in the latter portion of the 20th century. In the Buddhist tradition the concept is called “absolute bodhichitta.”
4. Golden Age: Also called the Golden-Crystal Age, it is a time of wholeness, peace and harmony upon Earth when a majority of mankind live together in brotherly love and unity and in service to God and man. Educational, religious, scientific and governmental institutions elevate and serve its citizenry. Music and the arts rise to new heights of sublime beauty and perfection. Nature is unmarred by any form of blight, environmental pollution or violent weather condition. Climates are consistently moderate with the precise precipitation needed to grow delectable fruit, grain, vegetable and lush flora and healing herbs. There is a lessening of disease and lifespans are increased. Pure solar power and the use of spiritual science techniques have advanced technology at every level. And nature spirits, angels and ascended beings walk and talk with us daily in full view. Heaven in great measure is integrated with Earth in this Golden-Crystal Age of Aquarius.
6. Decrees are poetic prayers that affirm the work of God in us and invoke more of God as light energy into our beings. Their rhyming pattern facilitates memorization and repetition. And repetition intensifies this light energy within our chakras producing positive change in us and in the world. Decrees are much like the mantras of the East, and their action of light can be more intense than the light which is released through prayer or meditation depending on the focus, attainment and momentum of the individual offering the decree. Click “Prayers and Songs” to read and hear decrees given during our services and vigils.