Meditation
Many interpretations and misunderstandings exist concerning the meaning' of meditation. For example, a favorite assertion is that only specially trained, highly evolved persons can meditate, or those who are able to let go of stress easily. It is also said that meditation is limited to particularly "sacred" situations and special circumstances.
This is not the case at all. The word meditate originated in Latin and means nothing more than "to go into the center." And that is something that everyone can do, whether young, old, well educated, or not. When someone who is experiencing tension knowingly goes "into the center," this per son will find that stress diminishes considerably
MedIitation can be practiced in many ways. A person can retreat into silence for a week and do nothing for a number of days but sit on a pillow with closed eyes. This practice can result in profound experiences that strengthen the individual with respect to the functions of daily life.
Meditation can also take place in prayer, in ritual, in a group situation, or by listening to a song, a favorite passage of text, or a piece of instrumental music. However, it is also possible to build meditation into a purely normal day. You can stop briefly to contemplate the idea that there is more to life than what you are doing at the present and that you are bonded to a Higher Power. You can say a short prayer, acknowledging that everything in life-even the smallest detail-is meaningful, even if, perhaps, you do not understand it. You can be cognizant of the fact that your goal is self-knowledge-to be alert, to be awake, even if the world around you is not presently in a position to aid you .
. This reflection can manifest itself through a brief thought, for example, while you are appreciating beauty, perhaps as you become aware of a tree, an animal, the blue sky, or another person. It can happen through the experience of friendliness, by giving it or by receiving it. You can also display small mementos in your home or workplace, such as a picture, a note tacked on the bathroom mirror, a symbol. you can even set the alarm clock and stop for a while when it rings. Such moments of "being awake" and "being in the center" have a place in every life, no matter how plagued with stress it is. The effort expended amounts to nothing more than a bit of concentration. That slight effort is richly rewarded in at .least three ways: by establishing a relationship with the unseen worlds surrounding us all, from which we can obtain strength, and to which we can give strength in return; through inner growth and fulfillment; and by the acquisition of a treasure that nothing or no one can ever take away. ,/h1>
Of course, it is recommended that you take a little more time for your personal meditation. Perhaps it can be in the evening for 10 or 15 minutes when you simply go into the silence or when you allow the integration of specific issues to take effect. For example, as has been suggested, you can focus on concepts such as shock, trauma, dependency, interdependency, and sexuality, together with the color orange, and allow this to have its effect on you. Or you can simply center yourself just before going to sleep, and in the morning just as you awaken. (At these times, you are especially connected with the other worlds.) However, the first and easiest step is the experience of "awake" moments in everyday life
