Meditation Exercise - Great Mystery Publishing

Text Box: Great Mystery Publishing Meditation Exercise

“Even a small star shines in the darkness.” - Finnish Proverb

Text Box: Creative Focus For a fun creative exercise and a selection of interesting and useful books.

Meditation is an art and a discipline. It takes practise to become proficient, and some may become better at it than others. But everyone can, and in this hectic day and age, needs to meditate. It is important to try a variety of different types of exercises as some practices will work better for you than others. Meditation works best when you choose a regular time and place to practice the techniques. Ideally the aim is to make every activity in our lives a practice in meditation and mindfulness (mindfulness is living in each moment in full awareness, non-judgmentally). But this objective takes time, and at this point, it is best we just take the first step in the achievement of that goal - applying ourselves to regular meditative practice. Great Mystery Publishing always has two meditative exercises on site to help you in the achievement of your goal in feeling more centred, peaceful...and happier.

Last edition’s Yin Yang Meditation

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Colour & Sound MEDITATION

This meditation works on activating and balancing what Carl Jung referred to as the ‘gateways of consciousness’. These energy focal points or chakras not only affect our health and emotional well-being, but can facilitate, or block, our higher consciousness and our individual life’s purpose.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘wheel of light’. There are seven chakras and traditionally they are considered to be the energy centres of the etheric body seen as whirling vortices of pure energy which are sometimes referred to as “lotuses’. Each chakra has its own purpose and contribution to our spiritual, physical and emotional well-being.

1. Before starting this exercise, it is important to know a little about each energy point, location, colour, its purpose and affect on your emotions, body and spirit.

Root Chakra—Purpose—Links individual with the physical world. Defines the concept of ‘Being”. Serves as the foundation to evolve and build personality. Embraces traits such as energy, self-expression, ambition, consistency, desire for security and the survival of self and species. Balancing this chakra calms and dissolves tension. It brings a profound connection to nature, trusting in Nature’s laws, and a deep understanding of its even ebb and flow. When out of harmony a person is likely to exhibit an inability to trust nature. They will focus on material possessions and their major desire will be to satisfy their own desires and wishes. Located between the genitals and the anus. Colour—Bright Red

Lower Abdomen Chakra—Purpose—Centre for sexual energy, creativity and pure emotions. Here the energy of male sexual drive and female sexual response combine. Harmonizes the free giving and receiving of feelings and emotions between friends and lovers. When balanced the individual will exhibit a considerate, open, friendly, kind nature with no trouble sharing emotions and feelings with others. They will be happily connected to life. Balancing this chakra stimulates desire and rejuvenates. When out of harmony a person will be unsure and unstable in sexual and emotional matters. They will have trouble expressing their emotions and suppress their natural needs. Located slightly above genital area. Colour—Orange

Solar Plexus—Purpose– Positioned in the centre of the body, this energy point is the merging centre between the impulses deriving from the lower chakras and the motivations of the higher chakras. It blends earthly and spiritual aspects. This is where the personality is formed and the integration of ‘feeling’ and ‘Being’. When balanced it eases aggression and brings peace. The individual feels whole, inner calm and has a greater tolerance and acceptance of others. In harmony it provides a balance of the spiritual and material world. . When out of harmony the person will have no trust in the natural flow, and feel a need to dominate. They would exhibit an excessive need for material security. Located slightly down from the navel. Colour— Golden Yellow

Heart —Purpose– Here at the centre of the chakra system, the aesthetic impulses (art and music) are processed into feelings and emotions. The ability to love freely, without fear or self-consciousness is generated, and negative feelings and emotions are neutralized. This chakra also allows healing through the acceptance of challenges and upheavals. When balanced the individual exudes a feeling of centred-ness and wholeness, expressing a tolerance and acceptance of life and relationships. A balanced chakra brings peace and understanding. When out of harmony the individual finds it difficult to express sincere love. They will consistently look for rewards and would be unable to accept the love given by others. Located in the centre of the chest.

Colour– Green

Throat —Purpose– This chakra transforms feelings into emotional expression such as laughter or crying. It deals with everything related to sound on both the physical and metaphysical level. It provides space for the “Self” to experience inner reflection, and communicates and mediates all emotions and feelings. When balanced this chakra brings harmony to speech and voice. The individual knows the balance of expression: silence and speech. They will know how to listen to their inner voice and trust their intuition. When out of harmony the person cannot find a way to express themselves effectively, no matter how much they verbalize their thoughts and feelings. They will be fearful of being judged and rejected, and afraid of silence. Located between the inner collarbones. Colour – Light Blue

Third Eye —Purpose– This energy point allows the recognition of ‘Being”. It connects the individual to the aspect of creation which is beyond science and physical manifestation. Through this chakra a person can experience a “knowing” of spiritual matters, which can assist all other aspects of their life. When balanced the individual feels greater understanding and harmony. They will invite intuition and inner awareness into their everyday life, and feel connected to the Universe. Out of harmony, the individual will reject spiritual aspects of existence and focus on the obvious, aspects that are on the surface only, and be fearful of intuition. Located between the eyes.

Colour—Indigo (purple- blue)

Crown —Purpose–Through this chakra, the energies from all other points combine and connect to the Universe. It allows the individual to experience knowledge beyond words and intellect, communicating with, and becoming part of, pure consciousness. When balanced we overcome our personal limitations. It facilitates living in the essence of Unity, knowing that the Self reflects the Divine. It allows abandoning the individual ego for the Divine Experience. When out of harmony the individual would be unable to let go of anxiety and fear, feeling depressed and dissatisfied, always looking for something to fill the void but never quite finding it. Located on the top centre of the head. Colour– Violet (usually appears as pale “florescent” pink-lilac like the colour of the GMP header background at the top of this page) Gold, White

2. Seat yourself down comfortably in a quiet room with subdued lighting. It may be helpful to have a CD featuring relaxing music or natural sounds playing quietly in the background.

3. For this exercise you will need to speak (or chant) the specific syllable related to each energy point, visualizing the appropriate colour for each chakra, while focusing on the area of the body in which each chakra is located. (You may find it helpful to print out the meditation before you start and either memorize the colours, locations and chakra syllable, or read the meditation mindfully while you practise this technique.)

4. Starting at the base, or root, chakra and working your way up through the energy points chant (speak) and visualize the following:-

Breathe out slowly, deeply and calmly, (count of three)

Breathe in slowly, deeply and calmly. (count of three)