Meditation has called to me for nearly 15 years in some form. It first caught my attention in my early 20s, during a time I’ll call my “Kerouac” phase — a time when I was completely smitten with the Beat Generation, particularly the work of Jack Kerouac. It was his book The Dharma Bums that introduced me to Buddhism, and from there, I began to read about and study Buddhism in my own time, dabbling in various forms of meditation and reading many books (and not reading even more, with many still to read).
Buddhism, of course, introduced me to meditation, and over the years since I’ve come to discover a variety of forms of this ancient spiritual practice (and by “discover,” I mean through my own form of studies and research, not through vast amounts of travel and experience with various groups — this has all largely been self study and self practice). Some forms of meditation seemed have resonated deeply with me, others not so much. This exploration continues.
The easiest forms that come to me seem to be a visualized/trance form of meditation (similar to shamanic journeying, if not exactly that), or various forms of guided and visualized meditation, such as a “Ground, Clear, and Protect” meditation I learned through Psychic and Reiki Master Lisa Campion. A couple of years ago, I felt called to study Reiki, have since become a Reiki II practitioner, and am also now currently experimenting more with this practice, particularly in the form of meditation (Note: there is a 21-day Reiki practice I have been sitting on that will likely form the basis of a separate experiment not far down the road).
Another form is what I will call a “drop-in” meditation. I call it this because that’s what it feels like what I’m doing — “dropping in,” allowing myself to drop into a place of inner serenity. This is not a formal practice I learned, though it has evolved to this from a “standard” meditation that focuses on the breath (such as mindfulness or Zen meditation). It is a form that seems to come naturally to me, whether it’s a formal or well-known practice or not. I simply breathe a few times, and as the breath slows and deepens, I descend into myself, entering an inner place of silence, warmth, and peace. It sounds ideal, but it’s usually difficult to get to and hold for a prolonged period of time. It’s my belief that regular, consistent practice may help with strengthening this muscle.
With this practice, I’m aiming to meditate twice a day, ideally morning and night, for 30 days.
UPDATE (3.31.20) — Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, my efforts to sustain this practice have been, well, thwarted, for the most part. After moving through some significant anxiety during the initial part of this situation, I am reattempting this practice as of April 1, 2020, with the intent of maintaining this through the month of April.
THE GUIDELINES
- Sit in meditation twice a day (ideally morning and night)
- Time frame should ideally be 20 minutes, but 10 minutes will suffice
- The form of meditation can vary — do what calls to you in the moment, don’t be rigid about a particular type of meditation, as some forms will be fitting for different occasions.
- Report any notes re: revelations, setbacks, learnings, resources, etc. here.
NOTES
- Started strong, seeming to maintain a regular balance in terms of timing and frequency, but this faded by day 5.
- Timing leaned more toward 10 minutes than 20; hope is to expand this more moving forward
- The type of meditation — I tried to be flexible with this, but doing so seemed to be more stressful than having a “base” meditation to rely on.
- Need to make this a priority for it to work. Boundaries are key.
- Meditation seems increasingly important during the coronvirus pandemic.
- What now:
- Focus on that morning meditation more; the evening meditation is easier to attain.
- Practice is a mix of Reiki-based meditation, but I want to expand on that. So, I will try that as the base meditation.
- Complement the above with some trance/visualized meditation, such as what Aidan Wachter lays out in his book Six Ways: Approach and Entries for Practical Magic, or even some of the visualized guided meditations from Lisa Campion.
