Meditation: The first step towards Ourselves.

I find myself to resume again my magical routine, after one year. Last year was quite an intense one: I moved into a new house that we are renovating, I had guests for shorter or longer periods, I got promoted at work, I traveled to the other side of the world ...2017 was awesome for my personal goals.

But of course all of this has taken my attention away from my personal practice; despite the path inside the coven. Having the fortune to practice with sisters is a blessing, but the backbone of our spiritual journey is the growth we perform alone.

So here we are, picking up the pieces of my spirituality again and start anew...

After starting the day with my Sun salutation and having arranged the offerings on the altar, I continue with a moment of silence in the evening.

This can be a prayer for one's own deity, thanksgiving or simply an opportunity to meditate. Whatever the motivation, it is an essential moment in our day: an opportunity to give us a fragment of “me time” from the buzz of everyday life.

We spend hours in front of screens, willy-nilly: television, our smartphone, computers. Whether for work or pleasure. This eye, perennially looking at the world, is a double edged sword: while allowing us to see in real time what happens on the other side of the globe, it also allows this technology to enter the depths of our soul and plumb its abysses...Harming our true Sight.

The twenty-first century opium is called "virtual reality". It is our duty to detoxify ourselves, so that we can develop our sensitivity to what surrounds us and that we can perceive with all our senses - in this plane or in the other.
It is our responsibility to make sure that this virtual audience does not affect our abilities, obfuscating them with negativity - thrown at us through the keyboard of perfect strangers.

Use that time, spent on smartphones, to meditate. So you can open your third eye and start to really see.

Lord Shiva depicted while meditating

Meditation is a practice used since the dawn of civilization, in different traditions, religions and areas of the world. It was immediately clear to the human being that, to understand the mysteries of life, it is necessary to first explore our unconscious.
From the Latin meditatio - reflection, the first written testimony of this powerful technique comes from India, in a Hindu sacred text dating back to the IX Century A.C. where it is called dhyāna (ध्यान); which, in Sanskrit, means vision. The same vision that would bring us closer to God, according to the yoga philosophy.

According to the Hindu religion, one would reach the godhood state through the awakening of the Kundalini and the opening of the various chakras located along our spine. The rise of Kundalini would be achieved through targeted techniques such as yoga and, indeed, meditation. Similar concepts can also be found in the great monotheistic religions.

But we do not have to adhere to a specific religion or follow a philosophy to practice and benefit from the results, there are many personal paths that make use of meditation. It has been scientifically proven that meditating also improves our physical health: stress reduction, improved mood, increased concentration and memory and greater acceptance of ourselves.

So how do we meditate?

There are many schools of thought in this regard, the main target is in any case to make the mind free from worldly thoughts and achieve enlightenment through relaxation and awareness. We can self-induce us into a meditative state or, if we need a guide, we can use a guided meditation (we can find really of all kinds, both on YouTube and on the various apps).

• So let us come to a quiet place, away from the buzz and daily interruptions. Maybe we can use relaxing music or the sounds of nature to help relax and filter out the noises in the distance.

• Let's sit down or lie down in a comfortable position, with a well-aligned back. Let us remember that we will be in the same position for several minutes, so it is essential to be at ease. It is important to keep the spine straight, as the Kundalini energy flows through it.

• We close our eyes and concentrate on our breathing. This will help us reduce external distractions and focus on the present moment, keeping the mind clear. Some instead prefer to meditate with open eyes, focusing on a sacred icon or on a candle flame.

• We can resort to aid like mantra, crystals and incense. Each of these tools, of course, brings different results so we can choose them before meditation based on what we want to achieve; particularly indicated is the rock crystal - stone notoriously recommended for stimulating calm. An incense recommended for meditation is sandalwood, its aroma increases awareness.

Whatever we decide to do, we must consider meditation a journey. An interior pilgrimage in search of ourselves; and as such it presents its difficulties along the way: we cannot get results with a couple of sessions but, with perseverance, we can obtain great benefits. Both in our spiritual practice and in everyday life. Once we reach the summit, we will be rewarded with a breathtaking view: the dawn of our spiritual albedo.

♃Ludna

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