#spiritual discipline
Guide to Meditation
Many times, it is said that one must meditate by emptying their mind of thoughts, but this is only one method of meditation. In truth, meditation is much more complex than many may think, as there are many uses of it, but it is at the same time one of the easiest ways to improve your spiritual discipline. There are two primary ways of meditating: the silencing of thoughts, and the meditation where you focus on something (a spiritual teaching, a method of healing yourself, a sigil, etc). Personally, I have found the meditations of focusing on things to be much more rewarding than the silencing of thoughts, but you can do either or use both whenever you wish.
How to meditate: For any meditation, you need to begin by sitting somewhere comfortable (it can be in complete darkness, or during the daytime if you want; either way, you need to be alone). You can lay down to meditate if you need to, but it is best to do this while sitting up-right since your focus and flow of breath is better in this position. As you sit relaxed, you close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly, relaxing your thoughts and bringing yourself into the present. As you breathe in, hold your breath for a couple seconds and then release it slowly, continue this for a few repetitions as you relax your mind.
Once you do that, you either stop your thoughts or you begin focusing on whatever you need to focus on (like a spiritual teaching). The only meditations where you don’t close your eyes are when you want to stare directly into a sigil, yantra, or talisman in order to gain its benefits (you cannot use sigils or talismans without meditating on them, simply placing them somewhere doesn’t have any affects since your mind must connect with it). Additionally, meditation cannot be done by simply sitting relaxed and thinking of positive things, since this is simply relaxing and doesn’t go deeper than that.
If you find difficulty focusing or staying still during the process, you need to continue doing meditations and repeatedly discipline the mind and body to do as you wish. This can be painful, but it will gradually work if you remain determined with it, and the process will become easier. Also remember that during meditations where you must focus on something, you need to stay focused on it as much as possible; if you notice your thoughts drifting, make sure to immediately bring them back to your focus.
As you meditate, the process should gradually lull you into a deeply relaxed state. And so by the time you finish, your mind should feel rejuvenated. The effects of meditation become stronger the more often you meditate, so it may not seem to be doing much at first, so you must remain patient and continue until you gradually become more attuned to the impacts it has. For more experienced meditators, a meditation should normally last from 30 minutes to an hour, or longer if desired. If you are at this stage, deep meditation should begin to feel as if you are entering a trance-like state where your mind enters a different frequency which is lower and less active; this low frequency allows for better access to one’s astral senses if they’ve been developed enough. If you are a beginner to meditation, you should meditate for at least 10 minutes, but ideally for 20 minutes or longer. Overall, if you are a spiritual person, especially one who is focused on gaining Awakening throughout the years, you should meditate at least twice a week.
Things that can help meditation:
- Mala beads
- Incense
- Tibetan singing bowls
- Low-frequency ambience (not too much noise; a good example is Cryo Chamber)
- Some people may meditate better in a dark room than a bright room
- Best times for meditation tend to be either in the early morning or late night (calmer times of the day)
Meditation Examples:
Core meditation – This is the meditation to achieve core awakening, where you gain permanent access to your higher self and obtain easier communication with them. You must focus gently on the centre of your abdomen, right beneath your ribcage, and imagine a golden orb of light here. This needs to be done for 20 minutes, and to be performed every single day for at least one year (or else the progress is lost and it needs to start over). Ideally, this meditation should be done once you know of your higher self’s identity and name.
Meditation on the colour magenta – This colour has a specific frequency that helps you to gain access to your astral senses; this process happens very gradually and needs many repetitions, as well as your own training to gain these skills. You only need to stare into this colour (even an image from your phone) for at least 10 minutes, and to do this often. While you meditate on the colour, make sure you keep in mind your intention to gain astral abilities.
Meditation on a sigil, talisman, or yantra – Staring into a working sigil, talisman or yantra (these all need to be created in specific ways, not just designs). The meditation should last for at least 10 minutes.
Meditation while chanting a mantra or enn – This can also be done while staring into a yantra or sigil.
Meditation on a spiritual teaching – Any spiritual teaching you receive that you wish to ponder deeply upon.
Meditation without thought – Stopping the flow of thoughts so you can become mentally still; this is a meditation best for those who follow the Right Hand Path, seeking to remove their sense of self.
Meditation on the breathing-in of fire element – If you want to gain some closeness to the element of fire and gradually use it to help you become more empowered and aware of the strength you have, this is a good meditation to use (especially if you are following Demonic teachings). To perform this, begin the meditation process as usual and then project yourself into a vision- a temple with a blazing fire at the altar. Stand before the fire and focus on breathing it in deeply, hold it within yourself for a couple seconds, and then release it. Continue doing this as long as you need.
Meditation of the releasing of inner-burdens – This is a good meditation to help you become relieved from built-up stress. Begin the meditation as usual and then visualize yourself in the depths of space when ready, with only darkness and stars in the distance. As you breathe in, visualize your inner-burdens gathering up together inside you, then hold it, and breathe out slowly as you exhale the burden into space. Continue this as long as you need.
Meditation of oneness with Nature – This is for sitting outside in a tranquil area with trees and plants. Sit comfortably in the grass and begin the meditation as normal. As your mind relaxes, vividly imagine that you are a tree and have spent all your life in this spot, communicating through senses with the other plants. Imagine you have roots going deep into the ground, and pay attention to what you sense from nature’s energy.
Meditation to rise above despair – When you are feeling strong emotions of despair, and these are threatening to take hold of you and cause you to weep, you can use this meditation if you use your will-power. As you are experiencing this pains and mental darkness, visualize yourself in the labyrinth of your mind and begin projecting bright flames into all the corridors, destroying the lies of your Shadow so you can begin seeing the truth of what is happening. Tell yourself that you know it’s just a lie repeatedly, and then project yourself quickly upwards as if you have giant wings, so you expand beyond the labyrinth, high above it. Imagine yourself as a burning black flame here, and hold your focus to bring yourself into a more controlled state of mind. Focus on filling your mind with either a tranquil darkness or a blazing light, whichever best suits you.
Meditation of fire-staring – This is a traditional meditation method in Tantric practices. You simply need to light a candle in a dark room and sit before it. Stare directly into the flame without blinking for as long as you can.
Meditation of the Wasteland – This is a meditation for more serious practitioners who wish to challenge themselves; though refrain from this if you are prone to depression. For this, begin the meditation as usual and then vividly visualize yourself in a bleak wasteland, with only grey craggy rocks and a dark cloudy sky above. There are no plants or other signs of life, only you and silence. You must walk through this wasteland and come to terms with what has been lost in the past, and what must be lost in order to grow (negative habits, toxic people, arrogance, envy, materialism, etc). As you wander the wasteland, pull these negative attachments out from yourself, as if they are a black vapour, and throw them into the distance where they dissipate. Exit this meditation whenever you feel ready.
Magick is a complex thing, involving many different parameters and unless you know how to apply them properly, the results are not going to be any different to make-believe, or at best, placebo. Let’s review some simple things one can do in order to get better results.
1. PHYSICAL
It is perhaps self-evident that you need to have some space in order to do that. By space I don’t mean that a fully-equipped ritual room is necessary; you can do magick even without an altar in a closet, but what you *must* have is “room for yourself”, a place to be undisturbed. You may lack your own room or house, you may be renting or staying at friends’ or at a university dorm – this is not a problem if you can manage some time for yourself. Sit alone, and be aware of yourself; your thoughts, your mental patterns, your emotions as you slowly breathe, and try to relax. Progressively relax your body (either start from the head downwards, bit by bit, or start from the feet upwards – different ways for relaxation, but they work). Allow time to do this; at least twenty to thirty minutes (unless you are very experienced and can relax at will within a few minutes). Observe what is going on, without doing anything; try to allow the torrent of thoughts to flow through you, without holding on to something specifically. Do the same for your emotions; worries, fears, stress, simply let it flow and vanish, without examining anything, as you breathe deeply and you relax your body. Realize that you are more than your thoughts, more than your emotions, more than your body. Your systems may have been disturbed by the rush of everyday life, but now you are at peace. You enter a deeper state of mind as you physically relax your body, and this is good. It’s the doorstep to all the good things with regards to improving your life, because through this, you have achieved in lowering your brain wave activity, and this makes your brain more open to positive suggestions. Remember, do not stress in trying to achieve it; simply allow it to happen, as you keep breathing and close your eyes. You don’t have to “see” anything at this stage. Physical control of this simple relaxation is very important – you’ll thank yourself years later. If you feel okay with it, try to do some positive affirmations about yourself, like: “I am getting better and better at this / every time I enter this level, my negative thoughts and emotions will dissolve, I will be in control and my mood will improve” (feel free to write your own positive suggestions). If you are able to practice this technique at least once daily (allow for about 20 minutes), after a couple of months you will have noticeable results in yourself and a level of clarity that might surprise you.
Taking care of your body’s needs is also very important, and is often overlooked. Disturbed sleep patterns, exhaustion, taking substances or getting drunk often, neglecting physical training or being idle every day for many hours will do more damage than you think. Whether you love your body or you view it as a machine or as a burden, it’s something that has value, without which you cannot perform many of the tasks that constitute a physical life, and may even affect your grounding. If you have had bad habits for many years, you will know how detrimental they can be. Self-care is important, and not only when life takes a toll on you. You won’t be able to manage traumas, or even simple stressful situations if you don’t learn to care for yourself and neglect the most basic needs.
2. EMOTIONAL
Your emotions can fuel your magick, or they can make it dissipate into random energies – the difference is control. Learn to master your emotions when you wish to do magick. You set up the area (or yourself) to begin? Then it’s not time for doubts, feelings of insecurity/inferiority and other self-defeating things. Prime yourself with the idea that since you need this to work, you will succeed. Isolate the negative thoughts, and focus on the emotions that are essential for your magick to work. Why do you want to do this magickal work? What do you hope to achieve? Magick works on Need, and Need is fueled by emotions, the right kind of emotions. Believe in yourself when you do this, because if you doubt each step of the way, the emotional power will be weak and it will impact on your spells. Some people believe that you can do spells without the involvement of emotions. Some have even been affected by the Jedi teachings from movies, or even misreading some Zen/Buddhist texts – emotions are NOT your enemy! You can be passionate about the right sort, and invest them in your magick. Even in Taoist principles, there’s a Balance – this doesn’t mean neutralizing the emotions! Fill yourself with the certitude of your Need, and when crafting your spell, fuel it with your emotions in a passionate way. Do it all the way, and it will be much stronger.
3. MENTAL
Focus through controlled visualization; start small. Take an object, a geometrical thing like a cube, and visualize it, with eyes closed. Watch it in your mind’s eye, and see it spinning. Now try to hold it still. You will find this very difficult at first, because the image might “jump around”; relax your body and your mind, and keep trying. Eventually you will be able to keep it still for a few moments – then you can do it for longer. You will even be able to make it turn in any direction you want, slow or fast. The purpose of this is to be able to control the visualized object, because this trains your focus. Now try with another object; eventually, try with symbols of your choosing. Later, use landscapes or something that matters to you, perhaps a deity or a statue or an altar. When you are confident about this practice, your mind will become much sharper in its focus, and spellwork will be easier.
If you find your attention challenged through ADHD or other issues, it may be hard for you to remain focused for a prolonged time. So add a filter of background music like ambient (I personally use dark ambient a lot, but selective tracks), or something else that allows your mind’s excess energy to be diverted and also being able to do this without too much distraction.
The use of Language in spells is another way that opens up great possibilities for your magickal practice. There are several arguments online and in books, each supporting their own perspective; the traditionalist says, use spells in archaic, latin, or other ancient language. The modernist says, use them in your native tongue, but perhaps weave them in verses, like in a poem (you can see some pagan and Wiccan stuff like this). Others promote the use of “barbarous words” that may not make much sense, but impress the mind and thus, with the right intention, unlock its power. I will tell you the basic principle here and you decide for yourselves. Whatever you use, it should be *different* than what you would use in your mundane life. Because the mind needs to notice the difference, that when you do your spells, it should switch to another modality – to be aware of it. Simply because these words/intonation/language is not common, it implies purpose. It tells the brain you are speaking Purposefully and your Willpower is behind these words. If you do that each time you Speak magickally, your practice will greatly benefit from it.
4. PROCEDURAL
Routines build discipline; this is a golden rule, and you should remember it. No matter what you may read from various places, there’s no substitute for a magickally disciplined mind. You may believe that it’s an exaggeration, and that you can do magick just fine. Sure you can do it, but what if you could do the same thing *better*? Or what if your potential is greater than what you think it is? Could it be possible to maximize your results? You’ll never know if you don’t train yourself and simply resort to a “lazy”, more laidback approach. Set up your own routines; do certain things each day, or each week. Set up some days in the year that are special for your practice (one example is the pagan holidays, or the Moons, and so on). Have regular times when you meditate, or when you cleanse yourself. It works just like training muscles or doing a fitness program: your spiritual self is strengthened and you acquire discipline, which fuels your willpower – an indispensable tool for all types of magick.
Introduction to the Spiritual Paths
This is a basic introduction to the three paths of spirituality: Right Hand Path, Middle Path, and Left Hand Path. After a study into each branch, and speaking with the spirits who oversee each of them, the following documentations have been made. This can be used to help an individual discover their own path in life, to see which one would be best for themselves. As a note, all of these Paths will challenge you to various degrees, and each one has its own methods of teaching based on the ultimate goal of the Path.
Brief Guide:
Right Hand Path - Overseen by Angels. Values include mercy, compassion, selflessness, temperance, non-attachment, union with divine plan, order, honesty, good-will, and inner-serenity. Ultimate goal of this path is to lose identity of self in order to unite with The Source.Middle Path - Overseen by Dragons. Values balance, harmony with nature and community, sage wisdom, honour, justice, knowledge, and being spiritual while remaining a normal human at the same time. Ultimate goal of this path is to embrace the cycle of reincarnation, not to transform.
Left Hand Path - Overseen by Demons. Values self-empowerment, Illumination, questioning tradition, dark wisdom, all knowledge (including forbidden), rebellion, self-mastery, retribution, and challenging oneself through adversity. Ultimate goal is to overcome all human limitations in order to transform into an empowered spirit upon death.
