Some of us approach meditating with such dread and doubt, and it can be so frustrating at times! But patience and practice seem to be the key, along with not putting too much pressure on ourselves to succeed. There are no hard and fast rules telling us exactly how to meditate, so we must find ways that are comfortable for us that work for us personally. Then, all we can do is give it a try and with time, hope and sometimes luck, we get it!

For those just learning to meditate, I thought those of us who have practiced it might begin to build a guide, contributing our favorite tried and true tips that have helped us along the way.

Some Preliminary Steps

Try to eliminate the most obvious and controllable distractions (ie, television, outside noise, phone). If living with others, persuade them not to interrupt you for a while. If you are anything like me, and have nosy pets - make sure they are settled somewhere first (barging in barking or meowing and jumping in your lap will quickly snap you out of any progress you are making, not to mention scare and annoy you!)

Dress comfortably - something soft and non-restrictive is nice. Be careful though not to under-dress or dress too warmly.

Setting the mood - many prefer to dim the lights or use candlelight for meditating. Whatever will instill the most calming environment. Also any incense you find relaxing may be incorporated, providing the smoke will not bother you. Soothing music or nature sound CDs can be played in the background if you like as well.

Please feel free to share your tips and advice too

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Thanks for this topic as I have trouble trying to meditate so it will be helpful to hear tips from anybody. I just can't seem to stop my mind from wandering and I also think that I tend to put too much pressure on myself to succeed. I have found that sometimes I relax a bit more by staring into the flame of a candle. There is also a meditation class that I saw advertised in my local paper so i'm going to look into it and see if it will help me.

Laila

You're welcome Laila! Be sure to check back, there's more to come!

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Take some time to figure out which time of day suits you better for meditation time. Some find they can meditate better first thing after a good night's rest, and others in the afternoon or evening just before bed, all depending on one's personal preference or matters of convenience.

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Finding a comfortable position
One of the most common meditative positions is sitting cross-legged or Indian style on the floor with your back straight and hands relaxed in your lap. However if you find your feet keep falling asleep, this is probably not for you, and you have the freedom to experiment here. You know your body and its particular pains and strains, so you will know what you can bear A favorite chair, or even propped up in bed or outside backed up against a tree if it works for you personally. Your physical comfort is very important to ensure first so that mental clarity may follow.


Remember, for your first few tries, you shouldn't feel pressured to achieve lengthy meditation sessions with visualizations. These first attempts would be more beneficial for you to work on focusing on your breathing and trying to reach a calm, relaxed state. Small steps at first and build on them as you go. Five minute attempts are fine in this stage. Also, you will learn how your mind and stray thoughts are behaving. This is an excellent time to develop methods of clearing your mind. (If you have any favorite focusing and relaxing techniques, please do share! )

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Here are some notes fresh out of my Book of Shadows regarding meditation. I hope these help someone:

What is Meditation?

David Fontana (1998) describes meditation as the experience of the limitless nature of the mind when it ceases to be dominated by its usual mental chatter. Zen master Dogen describes meditation as ‘just sitting’ which involves a total absorption in the practice itself, without intention, expectation, impatience or disappointment. It is a process in which the body and mind are trained to remain relaxed and empty of mundane thought and this is often achieved through reaching an altered state of consciousness. Many feel that studying and practicing meditation is in-essence re-discovering something which has always been within us.
Though there are various techniques for meditation the underlying key to all techniques is concentration and attention without random thoughts distracting the mind. Common to all techniques is also the a process of turning inwards.
People of any tradition or belief system can follow meditation if they so wish, or even those who hold no beliefs as it requires no allegiance to any particular faith.
Yet meditation is perhaps one of the most difficult practices that students attempt and it requires a high degree of persistence and determination. But it’s worth it!



Why is Meditation So Important?

Meditation is a very important and serious practice which requires great commitment, determination and patience. It is a continuous learning curve, which we need to have commitment if we wish to reach advanced levels of mental strength..


Benefits

The following are some of the benefits of meditation:
• A calm mind
• Clarity in daily life
• More thoughtful, sensitive and compassionate to others and the natural world
• Mental strength
• Refreshing mentally and physically
• Spiritual experiences
• Inner peace
• Tranquility
• Feel fully alive
• Stills and clams thoughts & emotions
• More powerful thinking
• Develops a sense of unity, connectedness and oneness
• Greater self-awareness
• Greater self-acceptance
• Helps us to see and unravel the deep mysteries
• confront ourselves
• receive visions and symbolic messages,
• commune with the divine o
• surface hidden wisdoms
• develope mental and psychic which is particularly useful for the practices of Witchcraft.
• improve concentration
• Improve patience

According to Fontana (1998) thoughts and emotions are inextricably linked and this is synominous to many psychological theories. The skilled mind during meditation can look at thoughts objectively without becoming lost or identifying with them which therefore leads to more peaceful emotions.

At such advanced stages some incredible spiritual experiences can occur.

When we enter meditation we become the centre of everything and tranquillity.

In the 4th centuary CE Sanit Basil wrote that “when the mind is still and not dissipated through the world by external things it returns to itself and by means of itself ascends to the thought of God”.. Likewise Pantanjali (300 BCE) stated that through meditation knowledge of the spirit can be reached and peace can be achieved.

Meditation is not just a form of relaxation but is seen as a tool that can provide greater spiritual understanding and psychic development.

Within healthcare meditation is an approved technique for the reduction of pain and stress. In 1972 the journal of Scientific American reported that meditation caused a decreased heart and respiratory rate, lowered blood pressure and induced favourable brain waves. Since then other clinical studies have supported this research and have even indicated that meditation can play a role in the regression of cancer; including L. Carlson et al (2001), J. Craven (1989), R. Davidson et al (2003), L. Lipworth (1985) and I. Kurtz et al (1985).


Negative Side effects

It is very rare for anyone to experience adverse effects from meditation.
Once the meditation itself is over the mind returns to its normal state, plans, concerns and usual being, but now with added calm ,clarity and a better ability to meet the challenges of daily life. Meditations do not take us away from the modern day world.


Different techniques

Different techniques suit different people and it is up to you to experiment to find the one most suitable for you. The right techniques will be the one which you are most comfortable with and least self-conscious. Though there are a vast selection of techniques available the majority have the same core principles.

Meditation can take many forms and for most of us not every meditation will suite us. Often there will be different techniques which we will feel most comfortable with and most meditation difficulties tend to originate from lack of practice or by using a meditation style which may not be the most suitable at that time. The following are but a few types of meditations which you could study, adapt and practice to help you to find the style that best suits you:
• Guided visualisation – This is when you visualise memorized scenes, listen to a meditation tape or are guided by a friend to create particular scenes in your minds eye during meditation. This scene may include a walk in the woods, moving symbols, a ritual or a visit to an astral location. This type of meditation is often suitable in reducing boredom and focusing concentration, and is often recommended to beginners.
• Self directed visualisation – This is very similar to guided visualisation except that you are your own guide in determining the scenes created in the minds eye. These scenes can be predetermined before meditation or spontaneous during.
• Breath control and Zen – In brief this is an act of focusing all your attention on your breath and/or clearing your mind of thought. The majority of meditations begin with this but then move onto visualisation or other styles. However some meditations may resume with purely this type of meditation which can be difficult to master but is said to create excellent results after persistence and is a style which frequently generates unintentional mental pictures, visions and enlightenment.
• Communal – This is a type of meditation which has the specific purpose of intending to commune with deities, animal spirits, angels, natural life forms or other personages. This often may involve a process of requesting the presence of the entity first and then ‘opening ones mind and ears’ to hear or see the entity through ones own mind. This type may also include visualisation.
• Healing – Other than its general calming properties meditation can be used as a self-healing tool by using specific visualisations which symbolically remove ill health from the body or encourages rejuvenation.
• Sensory – This is a meditation whereby the individual focuses all their concentration upon a particular sound (such as a river or birds) or feeling (such as the wind, your own body or element representations). There have been cases whereby other senses such as olfactory (smell) have been used but these tend to be more difficult.
• Mandala and Yantras – These are elaborate symbolic pictures which are focused and meditated upon and are said to speak directly to the unconscious mind. Yantras rely upon the symbolism of geometrical shapes while mandalas symbolize cosmic forces in the form of divine beings.
• The Kinhin or Walking Meditation – This is a type of meditation done while walking and requires cautious skill and focus which is often practiced alongside certain martial arts.
• Conceptual – This is often a problem solving or contemplative meditation whereby you focus your mind on a particular concept or problem and meditate upon it searching out new outlooks or hidden meanings. Conceptual meditation may involve focus upon questions, koans, inspirational prose, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life or other mysteries.
• Object focussed – This is a type of meditation whereby the persons focus is concentrated upon an object such as rosary beads, a stone, plant or mundane object.
• Mantras – Particular vocals are believed to make vibrations which are said to influence the natural biorhythms of the body or produce changes of consciousness. Mantras are chants or primal sounds which are created during meditation.
• Transcendental Meditation – This is a meditation type which involves restful alertness and as the body becomes more relaxed, the mind transcends all mental activity to experience the simplest forms of awareness. Often it may involve a mantra. Although similar to a type of Zen meditation known as Shikantaza meaning ‘just sitting’ its practionners will however argue that it fundamentally differs in mechanics from all other meditations.
• Autogenic training – This is often a clinical type of meditation used to relax clients. It differs from other types of meditation as it is purely used for relaxation and attempts to be completely void of mysticism.
• Active Meditation – This begins with a stage of intense physical activity which peaks into a catharsis (intense release of emotions) and then is followed by a period of silence. This draws upon similar lines of raising and releasing the cone of power (built energy) during Wiccan ritual.
• Task orientated meditations – these meditations are done during a safe activity normally a mundane activity such as polishing, sweeping, shelf filling or walking. This relies upon fully focusing on the activity itself rather than allowing the mind to wander and to absorb oneself fully into the movement.


These are but a mere few of the types of meditation possible and remember also that you could try these meditations in conjunction with other practices such as yoga or Tai Chi and that meditation need not always be a solitary practice. As you continue to study meditation you will become aware that often these styles fuse or blend with various other types of meditation and that the creative possibilities are endless.


Mental chatter

Mental chatter is a habit that many of us find difficult to control for even short periods of time. Like the sky that is clouded we cannot see what lies behind the thick grey clouds, the same is with the mental chatter and our minds. Once the clouds move we can experience the true beauty of the blue sky and just with the mind once it is clear and open only then can we truly see and experience our mind. David Fontana (1998) feels that to experience the mind in this way is to experience life fully, deeply and with peace in ourselves.


Concentration

Many people often believe that concentration in meditation requires the use of all mental strength, steadfast effort and hard work; when in fact the best results often come from a relaxed yet focused level of gentle concentration which is often upon a chosen stimulus such as breath, a visualisation or even just ‘being’.


Place & Time

Contrary to what some believe meditation can actually be done at any time and any place [6]. From the middle of a crowd, to a silent park, or during any safe activity we can turn the mind inward [6]. Yet others feel that there are more suitable times to perform meditation.


Difficulties

The following are some of the most common difficulties that people tend to encounter when attempting to practice meditation:
• Boredom
• Lack of concentration
• ‘Strange’ sensations i.e. falling or spinning
• Paranoia or unable to feel safe and secure
• Drowsiness
• Distracted by external influences i.e. children or noise
• Distracted by mundane thoughts i.e. thoughts regarding the choirs ahead
• Struggle to remain comfortable
• Finding the time
• Keeping motivated
• Troubling emotions or memories come to the surface
• Unable to get any results
• Discouragement


Overcoming Difficulties

The majority of meditation can be resolved through persistent practice and by making minor adaptations to the way you meditate or changing technique. Often we may be practicing a technique that is not suitable for us at that particular time.

Changing technique perhaps to one that encompasses more activity or visualisation often helps those who find they are unable to concentrate long. While others find using soft music in the background beneficially.

Meditation can occasional make people feel vulnerable and there may be issues regarding paranoia and feeling safe and secure. To help overcome this some practioners prefer to practice amongst others ether in classes or with friends. It may also be worth considering the reasons why you may feel so vulnerable and investigate your insecurities. Some may have concerns being vulnerable from spiritual attack as they enter into deep meditation and therefore may benefit from casting a magick circle or other form of spiritual protective boundary. The magick circle has also been effective in reducing the occurrence of troubling thoughts or memories arising to the surface during meditation. However many would argue that such thoughts and memories are arising for a purpose and require resolution or counselling. In conjunction with changing your style and posture of meditation, a magick circle has also been known to have an effect in reducing strange feelings during meditation such as feelings of moving in circles or falling backwards.

If you have difficulty remaining comfortable through your period of meditation it may be worth changing your posture or adding pillows, blankets or other items which will assist to provide both comfort and support. Remember that meditation need not always be in a crossed legged position (as so commonly seen in imagery). Many people practice their meditation technique sitting in a chair or lying down, but what is important is that you find a position that your most comfortable with. Also consider the possibility of your clothing being restrictive and uncomfortable and attempt to find something that is loose fitting. You may also wish to note the temperature of the room or location and consider the fact that when you relax your more susceptible to feeling uncomfortable temperatures. Therefore consider the possible need for wearing additional or less clothing, turning up the heating or finding a place of shade. Some people also find it helpful to practice yoga or stretching exercises before meditation while others prefer to combine a visualization technique with their meditation whereby they visualise the tension being removed from each individual limb or body part.

The environment in which you meditate is particularly important in minimising distraction and in inducing a safe and atmospheric surrounding. The concern of being disturbed or watched can interfere with your practice and therefore it is important that you meditate in a place that you are already feel safe and accustomed too. Try to ensure that there are minimal distractions such as televisions, crying children or flashing lights. Creating a particular calming atmosphere can also smooth the transition into meditation and reduce boredom. You can create this through playing soft music, meditating within natural surroundings, lighting candles or burning small amounts of incense.

Timing for some may be of particular importance as for many of us we may be best suited to perform our meditation during particular times such as morning, evening or afternoon. For some may feel drowsy during the evenings but wide awake in the mornings and its best to experiment when is the right and most convenient time for you. Others may find that meditation is both easier and best suited after particular events such as chanting, exercise, ritual or prayer. Though practicing when tired, unwell or under the influence of drugs may impede your meditation and it may be best to avoid practice during these times.

Alternatively meditation effectiveness can be improved through performing exercises before beginning the meditation itself i.e. physical exercise, chanting, Tai Chi,. Also sticking to a regular routine and time to meditation and utilising special clothes and lighting can help set the mind ready for meditation.

Still, not getting the results you wanted? Perhaps consider the possibility of having unrealistic expectations. Fontana states that by having expectations towards where meditation will lead it impedes the actual experience and that it is far better to have a ‘relaxed, not knowing’ and open minded attitude. Meditation results may also take more time and practice than you first expected. The amount of practice you will need will vary from person to person though daily meditation is commonly advised and the longer the duration of the meditation the better; often working from 10 minutes to half an hour. It is also important to note that occasionally results may come in a guise which may be unfamiliar or unrecognisable at first but later discovered.

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The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way

If anyone would like to attempt some audio guided meditations, here are
some sites which may help:

http://www.meditainment.com/

http://www.learningmeditation.com/room.htm



P.S. Thank you Crystal for sharing your BOS info, very nice!

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Thank you for your post CrystalArianhod it was really interesting and helpful.

Incense for Meditation

As with most aspects of the Craft, the inclusion of incense during meditation is completely up to the individual. If incense smoke interferes with your allergies or you just plain can't stand the smell, no worries. Incense is not mandatory, just an optional means for enhancing the practice. Please make sure to burn in a heat resistant holder and provide adequate ventilation as well for your comfort and safety.

Incense is generally found to create a positive mind state, aid in concentration, and purify the air by dissipating negative energy.
Over time, the mind is conditioned to associate certain fragrances with a specific state of mind, so when a favorite calming scent is used, it helps set the atmosphere for meditation and signals the mind to relax.

Some of the most commonly used fragrances to consider for meditation

Sandalwood
Patchouli
Lavender
Chamomile
Sage
Frankincense
Orange Blossom
Aloeswood
Vanilla
Nag Champa
Jasmine
Ylang Ylang

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Why Meditate?

Meditation and related kinds of consciousness-focusing are fundamental skills for many of the most important Heathen-oriented activities. It is very obviously needed for spaecraft, runecraft, priestcraft, and for the pursuit of personal spiritual growth. It is also an essential skill for those who wish to infuse their crafts and arts with a spiritual dimension and/or with specific powers such as magical or rune-powers. Furthermore, meditation is an excellent method to sustain one's physical and psychological health, well-being and energy, and to strengthen one's mental powers. A mind and body well-practiced in meditation can pursue any activity better, more calmly and intently, more fruitfully, than is the case for the unpracticed. In fact, there are so many good reasons to meditate on a regular basis, that it makes a good deal more sense to ask the question "Why not meditate?" There really are no good answers to that question, whereas answers to the question "Why meditate" could take a long time to go through!

Types of Consciousness-Focusing Activities

There is much that has been written and taught about meditation from the religious perspective in many different faiths, as well as from a more applied or practical perspective for purposes ranging from psychological healing to enhancing one's combat skills. There are different "systems" of meditation, and different ways of defining it. One of the breakouts that is often made is to distinguish between concentration, meditation, and contemplation.

"Concentration" implies primarily the focusing of one's mental and psychic powers on a specific goal, desire or purpose. As such, it is useful for applications involving memory, visualization, and mental skills of focus that are often used in runecraft and other kinds of magical undertakings. Concentration, in and of itself, is not often used in strictly religious exercises.

"Meditation" is a less goal-driven activity--there is reason underlying one's practice of it, but generally not a specific, precisely-defined goal or end-point. Meditation covers a wide spectrum of mental, psychological and spiritual activity, both religiously-oriented and not necessarily religiously-oriented; these will be discussed further in this article. It tends to be calming but invigorating in its effects.

The term "contemplation" is generally used to describe the state of mind and mode of awareness that is pursued in advanced, religiously-oriented exercises, where one contemplates the Divine, without any other purpose or goal than awareness and experience of the Divine itself.

There are no firm dividing lines between these categories, in my opinion: they tend to blend into each other at the edges, and one may pursue more than one category during the course of a single exercise or experience.

If one is interested in learning concentration, there are a number of books available that offer good exercises and training for this mental skill. One book in the Heathen tradition that can be recommended for its offering of concentration exercises is Edred Thorsson's "Nine Worlds of Midgard."

Contemplation, as defined here, is an advanced skill that is beyond the scope and purpose of an article on "Beginning Meditation." Since there are books available about concentration, and since contemplation is beyond our scope, this article will focus on meditation rather than on either of the other two categories. It should be noted, though, that training in any of these skills enhances one's ability to learn and practice both of the other ones: the skills themselves are closely related, even if the purposes to which they are put tend to differ from each other.

Types of Meditation

In this series of articles, I shall explain and offer guidelines for three different kinds of meditation. Though some religious traditions tend to regard some types of meditation as "higher," "purer," or otherwise better than other types, it is my opinion that especially at the beginning and intermediate levels, there is no one way that is always "better" than the others. It is more a matter of personal preference, as to what method appeals to you, holds your interest, motivates you to pursue it, and makes sense to you. For those of you who are more strongly motivated by variety and become bored with routine, it is useful to have several different types of approaches and exercises, to provide you with this variety. For those of you who learn better by settling into a comfortable routine, you can choose whichever method appeals to you and stick with that one, at least at the beginning stages.

However, ultimately I recommend that you learn all three methods, as each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses when they are applied to specific religious or related kinds of practices. Though different traditions and systems have their own names for these different types of meditation, I shall avoid lending any "outside" cultural or religious bias to this discussion, by making up my own descriptive names for them. I shall refer to these three types of meditation as "repetitive meditation," "immersion meditation," and "empty mind meditation."

Repetitive meditation

This type of meditation is, in concept, the simplest form, though it is no easier in practice than the others (at least in my experience!). I would guess--and this is my own speculation with only a very small amount of lore to back me in it--that this is the form of meditation most commonly used by our Heathen forebears, for many if not all of the purposes meditation is used for.

Repetitive meditation consists of taking a very short galdor or poetic verse, a simple phrase or thought, or even a single word or sound, and repeating it over and over again. One uses this short phrase as the linchpin of one's consciousness and awareness, allowing all else to fade into the background. At first, one speaks or chants this phrase aloud, and does this exercise only during one's scheduled meditation times. But the eventual goal, through long practice and training, is to be able to keep this phrase in the foreground of one's awareness even while undertaking other activities, and even when it is not being spoken aloud.

This meditation exercise may seem ridiculously simplistic, even banal, and it may seem that nothing of any great value in a spiritual sense could be achieved through practicing it. But, there is a very long tradition of testimony to the ability of this specific practice to bring a person to great heights of spiritual development. The Christian mystical tradition in both the Eastern and Western churches has shown through the centuries that this meditative practice can be of enormous benefit and effect. Often simply the name "Jesus" is used, or a very simple phrase such as "Lord have mercy" or "Hail Mary, full of grace." In the Hindu tradition, the use of the word "OM" is famous for its beneficial effects. Buddhists, Muslim Sufi mystics, Native American religions, and people in many shamanic religions around the world make use of simple chants, words or phrases--even ones that have no actual linguistic meaning to them, such as "OM" or the Native American "heya-ho."

How does this meditative practice work? Simple though it seems, it works simultaneously on a number of different levels and dimensions at once. At the physical level, if one is chanting or speaking aloud, this practice causes even, rhythmical breathing, and sets up vibrations in the head and body that can have many subtle good effects, including relaxation and the toning and stimulation of the spiritual energy or maegen that we carry in our bodies and brains.
At the conceptual level, it can imbue one's consciousness with a particular thought, meaning, or essence, depending on the phrase or word that is used. For example, galdoring a rune will bring the power of that rune into your body and mind, and the more you do this, the more imbued you become with the power and understanding of the rune.

Repetitive chanting is one of the very best ways to bring yourself into a trance state, if you are seeking to do this. Speaking or chanting the name of one of our Goddesses or Gods, or a phrase of your choice that relates to them, with your full consciousness devoted to this practice will help to bring you into their presence and open up mutual awareness between you and them.

At another level, this practice creates a strong habituation in you: a habitual awareness of the importance, the significance and meaning, of whatever it is you are focusing your mind on in your chanting or speaking. This habitual awareness can, over time, create a complete change in your outlook and how you go about living your life. As you can see, this deceptively simple-minded meditation exercise can have very far-reaching effects.

Though repetitive meditation is most often done by use of words and the voice, there are other kinds of repetitive activities that can be used instead of or as well as words. Quite a few shamanic traditions around the world require their trainees to undertake repetitive actions for long periods of time: actions such as grinding grain with a mortar and pestle, or simply tapping or rubbing one rock on another rock. Apprentices are kept at this activity for days, even months or years, until they have achieved the conceptual breakthrough they are seeking.

For modern Heathens, some ideas for repetitive meditation are drumming, or dancing some simple, repetitive dance motions. Your dance might imitate the movements of one or more animals you feels close to, or imitate some feature of the natural world such as ocean waves or blowing wind. Or one could turn rune-stadhas into simple, repetitive dance movements. Another excellent method consistent with our traditions is spinning, and focusing meditatively on the spinning itself. You could perhaps come up with other simple actions related to your favorite crafts.

It is extremely important, however, that the meditative action be basically purposeless, not oriented toward the production of anything useful in a material sense. That is the point of the meditation exercise: to break any action or phrase down into its mindless, repetitive, automatic functions. It is this very purposelessness that causes the esoteric and psychological benefits of the meditation exercise. At advanced stages of meditation, one will apply the lessons one has learned from basic, purposeless meditation activity to actions that are goal-oriented and purposeful. But one pursues those activities from a purposeless frame of mind, applying the meditative state to one's everyday tasks in life. At the beginning stages, however, it is essential to use purposeless, non-productive activity (which can include the use of voice / words) as the matrix for your meditation exercise.

I have made considerable use of the verbal repetitive meditation technique described above, as well as dancing and drumming, and have found that they all work very effectively. I have made less use of the other kinds of repetitive actions described above, so I cannot offer you any comparison as to their relative usefulness. It seems, however, that the human mind and spirit do respond in a particular way to repetitive activity of any kind. This being the case, I would suggest that if you wish to pursue practice of this technique, you could experiment with just about any simple, repetitive kind of activity, and see what works best for you. Keep a journal with descriptions of your experiences, and this will allow you to compare how well the different approaches work for you.Immersion meditation

Immersion meditation is very similar to repetitive meditation in that one is focusing on a subject. However, instead of it being one subject, such as a short galdor, phrase, or a single word, it is an entire situation, thought construct, maybe even the universe its self. Immersion meditation therefore can be the most difficult form to learn. Immersion meditation can be purposeless in that the idea is not to achieve something material, but to allow thoughts, ideas, realizations to come to you of their own accord. Or it can be goal oriented, in that a goal to understand something better is set, and then contemplated until understanding is reached.

With immersion meditation one immerses one in a concept, an idea, an imagined place, a symbol, or other types of constructs. For example, one may wish to immerse themselves in the ideas behind the concept of Wyrd. Using immersion meditation, this can be done many ways. First one might wish to try merely immersing themselves in all the intellectual concepts surrounding Wyrd and its operation. They might meditate on the meanings behind the words Wyrd and orlog, and contemplate related words and their meanings . Another way to immerse one's self in Wyrd may be more visual in nature. One might visualize themselves at the Well of Wyrd, watching the Wyrd Sisters water the World Tree, recite orlog, and carve on the staves. Or they might visualize their life as a thread in the great loom of Wyrd. Or they might try to visualize their own orlog in some way, perhaps as a book, a thread, or a miniature version of the Well of Wyrd. Using immersion meditation, there are any number of ways one might try to contemplate Wyrd. Often in immersion meditation, the aim is to "become one with" whatever subject one is meditating on in order to better understand it. For example, if one were to want to contemplate a tree, one may visualize that they become one with the tree, feeling the branches sway in the wind, and the roots sinking deep in the earth.

This may be the core of immersion meditation, the becoming one with something in the mind to better understand it. Buddhists will speak of unification with objects or ideas, and this is often the idea behind immersion meditation. Buddhists and Hindus are not the only ones to practice immersion though. Christian monks will use similar techniques in the contemplation of Bible verses, or concepts such as the love of their God as do Jewish mystics. Immersion meditation can work equally as well for Heathens. First, one must go through the three steps of relaxation, calling on miht and mægen, and breathing. Once that is done, and one has achieved meditative silence, they can begin their immersion. This can be done by merely visualizing becoming one with an object or concept, or through guided meditation where one is guided by another verbally through a series of visual images. One could also begin immersion merely by thinking about the concept wishing to be meditated on. Any of these methods will work. The primary goal is not to let one's thoughts stray outside the subject of the immersion. For example, if one is contemplating the meaning of the human soul, they would not wish to start thinking about the car payment they need to make tomorrow. Tapes are often handy in immersion meditation as are visual symbols. For example, prayers to Frige played on a tape may aid in a meditation on that goddess as would a figure or picture made to represent her.

Immersion meditation has its strengths and weaknesses. Its primary strength is it is not limiting. That is immersion meditation allows one to see the whole of the concept they are contemplating without being drawn back to one word or phrase being chanted as with repetitive meditation. This is also its greatest weakness. It is possible for one's mind to stray in the contemplation of a topic, esp. when there are many related concepts. For example, someone contemplating Wyrd using immersion meditation may wander down the line of thoughts surrounding orlog, and from there precede to think about events in their own life. While this would be a good topic to meditate on, it may not achieve the goal if the goal is to understand the Wyrd of the universe, and not one's personal orlog.

Empty mind meditation

Empty mind meditation is just that, emptying the mind of all thoughts, memories, emotions, and sensations. This is done by stopping each thought as it enters the mind, and allowing the mind to think about nothing. The goal of empty mind meditation is not to think about nothing though, but to allow thought patterns to form naturally within the mind without personal control. This can only be achieved by first calming the mind, and emptying it of all thoughts.

Empty mind meditation is not a form of meditation that can be achieved in one setting. It has to be practiced at least weekly for many sessions. Over time, it will get harder to stop thoughts from arising, or as soon as one is stopped another will arise. At this point, one will merely want to observe one's own thoughts and fantasies, not control them. Over time, by releasing control of one's thoughts, thought processes will slow down and one will be able to examine and contemplate them. The goal of all of this is to learn to silence one's own mind to the point to sense thoughts they normally not notice. In many martial arts, empty mind meditation is used to develop intuition by silencing one's mind to the point that they are more aware of their surroundings. Thus empty mind meditation can be used to make one's self more aware of one's self as well as one's surroundings.

Empty mind meditation has many strengths. It can be used as a simple relaxation technique, silencing worrisome thoughts. It can be used as it is in martial arts to increase one's awareness of their surroundings (not becoming lost in one's own thoughts), or to increase awareness of one's own thoughts, feelings, or emotions. Finally, it can be used to train to silence the mind enough to hear the spirits and wights of the multiverse one may wish to communicate with. Empty mind meditation's weaknesses though are apparent as one cannot as in repetitive or immersion meditation center on one object or related concepts. With empty mind one is when learning to use it at the mercy of their own mind, or once they have learned to use it, at the mercy of the sensations around them. And once one has mastered empty mind they are at the mercy of both. None the less, empty mind meditation is perhaps the best for spæ workers to learn. Only by mastering empty mind meditation will they learn to silence their minds enough to go in deep trance and hear the spirits that they have invited.

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"Each will live in his own belief"
"who are you then? I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good" Faust

The last few times that I have been trying to meditate I get this dizzy feeling and then it feels like i'm leaving my body. This happens no matter what position i'm in - sitting/lying. Is this normal? I never seem to get much further than this as my mind starts panicking and then I loose concentration. Just wondered what others thought?

Also thanks Amethyst for those guided meditations, I feel that they help a lot. I feel that i'm getting better at clearing my mind and I can go a bit longer now without it wandering.

I also have a tip. I have found that I concentrate better when i'm lying down with my arms away from my body and legs slightly apart - so no part of my body touches. Don't know why this works but my husband said to try it and it works quite well, for me it does anyway!

Hi Laila,

I'm glad you've enjoyed the guided meditations, and that you found them as helpful as I have!

If you can rule out vertigo - inner ear/position issues, the dizziness you describe actually is mentioned a lot as a common occurrence at the onset of astral projection as a sensation felt when the astral body is 'loosening' from the physical. Much of the advice I have found suggests trying to acknowledge the sensations as they occur and calmly continue if possible.

Thanks for your tip, and tell your husband thank you for us! I would have never thought of that but it could very well end up just the trick for some of us!

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Please PM me anytime, I'm happy to help!!