Previously, we established the need for a regular spiritual routine for any practitioner of the magical path and today we will continue our discussion on the various esoteric practices that could be included. I want to take this opportunity to discuss what I would suggest is the core practice of all magical work, mediation.
Meditation, specifically Vipassana, is the act of thought control through the breath. First, however, a brief mention of what mediation is not. Mediation is not zoning out, or active visualization, or body awareness exercises, although these are all excellent practices and many do approach similar states of consciousness to meditation. Indeed, meditation is the fixed control of the mind and its thoughts, its ultimate objective is the cessation of all thought in order to experience divine union.
However, obtaining this state is not the first step. As mentioned previously, in the Yoga Sutras, (download a copy here!) Patanjali prescribed an eight-step process to obtain the ultimate experience of Samadhi or enlightenment, and the central practice of the path is meditation. That’s right, Yoga is more than an exercise routine and is most definitely a spiritual practice meant to prepare the practitioner for meditation.
The simplest practice that can lead us into meditative states is breath awareness or Vipassana. Sitting comfortably, the body must be at ease but engaged, with the spine erect. Closing the eyes and mouth, we bring our attention to our breath as it comes in and out of our nose. There is a point slightly back in the nasal cavity where the air creates a gentle pressure as it passes. That is our point of focus.
From here we focus only on the natural, unrestricted breath, only observing its passage. If we find our mind straying from this attention, we merely bring ourselves back to that point of focus. If it helps, we can say to ourselves, “The breath goes in.” as we inhale, and “The breath goes out.” as we exhale. The mind will naturally wonder, this is the monkey mind, the analogy of the monkey going from limb to limb in the tree canopy, ever grasping onto the next subject.
Our objective is to arrest this process, to cease the continuous chatter and dialogue within our skulls. The regular practice of single-minded focus on the breath for extended periods of time will lead us to that point of thoughtlessness, I call it no-mind. Before I experienced it, I had no idea that such states were possible, associating my identity with the internal dialogue, and assuming that if thought ceased, so had I. This is in part, and only temporarily true, but it is also a desirable state.
Mediation is often avoided for the amount of self discipline required to sit still and control your thoughts for extended periods of time, but its benefits are undeniable. Merely developing the discipline to focus is a valuable skill in itself but its ability to lead us to the very gateway of the experience of the divine, makes it invaluable to the magician.
Sustain this practice regularly, noting the work in your journal. It is also important to note that as you meditate your mind will wander to some very interesting places. Some of these places may be super-normal so you should note any visualizations, experiences, or thoughts that may occur to you as important.
In my own practice, I have had solutions to problems, and vivid and important images imparted to me. Remember, however, that like the Siddhis of the Yoga Sutra, or magical powers, these visions and astral experiences are, in and of themselves, distractions. Push through and return your attention to the single minded point of no thought, or if you are not there yet, the breath.
After attaining extended states of no mind, the practitioner comes to the realization that the inner self is not its thoughts and that what remains is a sense of self-ness, raw identity. From my experience, this self identity is the ego, it is the thing that believes itself separate from the universe and which masks the inner divine spark.
Having peeled away the distractions that took our attention from this last form of illusory self, we can consciously relinquish that final sense of identity, or ego, and dissolve into the infinite. This is the experience of union, the moment of Gnosis, the understanding of the oneness of all things. Through this practice we can relinquish ego, or false-self, and realize our divine origin, rejoining with the all, the vital force of existence, if only temporarily.
Here, briefly, we can swim within the lifeblood of the universe. It is like a vast incomprehensible ocean and our consciousness becomes part of its perception. The loss of individuality brings with it a sudden experience of vast consciousness that is incomprehensibly expansive. The awareness and expansiveness of this vast consciousness grows, as the individual dissolves away, into the great sea. The experience of being absorbed into infinity is extremely powerful and, if unprepared, can be truly frightening, forcing the aspirant to retreat back into the body. Take heart and persevere, returning to the gateway again.
That, dearly beloved, is mediation.
Until next time friends and family, be well. Look to the skies!
In your service,
Frater Hiliel
🔆in♏23° 🌙in♉24°
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