We must be clear that meditation is an altered state of consciousness. It is not a method of making our normal conscience feel better. “You don’t have meditation because … you want to feel better, but tune into infinity!” We must put aside our normal, everyday selves and allow our deeper spiritual selves to tune into the Infinite. This is perhaps the most fundamental and yet the most difficult requirement of meditation. But it can be done. The body, mind and soul are interconnected in such a way that certain actions will automatically lead to “magical silence” and the awakening of our best self.
Actions that lead inward
We have two nervous systems. One (the Central Nervous System) that we use mainly for our outer life, to act consciously in the physical. The other (the Autonomic) governs those functions such as respiration and digestion that are taken care of without our conscious participation.
What do these two nervous systems have to do with successful meditation? When we quiet the external system and do something to stimulate the internal system, we are putting aside our external selves and activating our souls. For example, let’s sit down and stop using our musculoskeletal systems. Let’s reduce our sensory perception by closing our five senses: close your eyes, stop touching, listening, smelling and tasting. This quiets the external system and the external self. Now let’s grab some part of the internal system that the soul is in charge of and tweak it. The most popular is breath. The autonomous system, under the control of the subconscious mind and soul, is in charge of the breath and is directly connected to it. If we begin to change the breath, we make the soul and the subconscious mind alert to the changes. This is an action that leads from our outer being to our inner being and ultimately to an altered state of consciousness.
Physical changes
We now know from research done in the 1970s with TM meditators and others that the body goes through many changes during meditation. As researchers Wallace and Benson discovered, meditation causes measurable physical changes. “There is a reduction in oxygen consumption, the elimination of carbon dioxide and the rate and volume of respiration; a slight increase in the acidity of the arterial blood; a marked decrease in the level of lactate in the blood; a slowdown in the heartbeat, a considerable increase in skin resistance, and an EEG pattern of intensifying slow alpha waves with occasional theta wave activity “(Wallace and Benson, 1973, p. 266).
Reading 5752-3 expands on the wonderful changes: “Meditate … on the inner secrets of consciousness, and the cells of the body become aware of the awakening of life …” Do the cells of the body become aware? According to the readings, every cell in the body has consciousness, and that consciousness can be raised or lowered. The reading continues: “In the mind, the cells of the mind become aware of life in the spirit.” The cells of the mind, the life in the spirit? Interesting concepts, right? “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must do so in spirit …” So, if raising the consciousness leads to the consciousness of “life in the spirit”, it leads to life with God, the Great Spirit. The wonderful thing about this whole process is that we activate it by entering the magical silence.
The magic silence
For those of you who are just starting out with meditation or who have always had trouble meditating, let me take a moment to describe this very simple but effective way to meditate. Then as you progress you can move on to Kundalini Meditation. The Magic Silence method is a simple but powerful way for anyone to enter meditation, especially beginners and those who have difficulty meditating.
Using a combination of an affirmation and a mantra, coordinated with our breathing, we can enter into magical silence. Let’s use a modification of a line from Psalm 46, “Be still and know God.” To be fully successful with this affirmation / mantra, we not only need the power of words, we must also hold our breath and create a breathing pattern that awakens the soul. It works like this: “Keep still.” [inhale slowly while feeling the word “still” and then exhale slowly] “and” Know GOD ” [inhale slowly while feeling the word “God” and then exhale slowly]. Once you begin to “feel” the reality of these words “Still” and “God”, allow the breath to be automatic and stay in the feeling. If something distracts you or you feel like you want to go deeper into the words, repeat the deep inhales and exhales as you say the phrases. Keep your breathing relaxed but under your control.
If you are in “stillness” or “divinity” between sentences, stay in it as long as your awareness is there, breathing smoothly and evenly. If your consciousness wanders, then bring it back by saying (in your mind) one of the phrases and re-engaging the cycle of deep inhalation and exhalation.
Periods of silence while feeling the power of the essence of these words and their meaning are the most important parts of this practice. The sentences collect and direct the conscience, and the spaces of silence are golden, or as the readings say, “magical”. So while you are silent and still, stay there; don’t feel the need to move on to the next sentence or to keep repeating the sentences. Abide in mighty stillness and godliness.
This method of combining an affirmation / mantra with the breath will bring even the weakest meditator into deep stillness and a greater sense of Divinity.
To go deeper, add three “OMs” to the end of the last sentence: “Continue [feel and breathe]and meet GOD [feel and breathe], OOOMMMM [feel and breathe] OOOMMMM [feel and breathe] OOOMMMM [feel and breathe]. This can be out loud at first and then silently in your mind as you go deeper. When chanting the OM incantation out loud, remember that true chanting is an internal sound, not an external chant. (You can hear what this internal resonance sounds like on my “Meditation Tips” audio tape). Keep the sound resonating within the cavities of your body. Starting with the abdominal cavity, working your way up to the lung cavity and then into the cranial cavity, let the sound take you deeper.
I taught this method to people who had never meditated before, kept them in deep silence for twenty minutes, and watched them come out with that wonderful glint in their eyes that results from an altered state. His outer being is shocked, but not knowing exactly what has happened. But they know they just meditated well. I have also had people who have tried meditation for years with little success come out of one of these sessions with the biggest smiles on their faces: victory at last!
Keys to this method
There are three keys to this method. First, the power of the words “still” and “God”, and their effect on us. Second, the connection between the breath and the soul, which allows us to awaken our souls by holding on to the breathing pattern. Third, the spaces of silence between the words when breathing. These spaces grow more and more as one practices. Finally, an hour of meditation is easy (and recommended in readings). According to the readings, and many other sources, silence is itself transformative. You do not need to “do” or “hear” anything when you are meditating. Remain silent and work its magic.
Now I would like us to look at another area of the image of total meditation. I would not recommend continuing with this next practice (kundalini meditation) until you have practiced the Magic Silence method with great success and feel that you are ready to go deeper. As with medicine, the same is true with meditation: poison from one person can be the cure for another, and activities that can be harmful in one stage of life can be very helpful in another. You must judge what is best for you now and continue to evaluate your readiness as you go.
It may seem counterintuitive to say that silence is itself transformative and then describe another form of meditation in which inner activities are used to effect further transformation, but this is the case in the readings from Cayce and other sources. The explanation for this is that the manifold nature of full enlightenment and transformation is such that contradiction and paradox are elements of any method. After all, we are dealing with celestial beings in terrestrial forms, spirits in flesh, gods who are also human, eternal beings in temporary manifestations. Paradox and contradiction are meant to be part of any process that attempts to resolve or integrate them.
Also, as we progress in our development, we naturally become more capable of handling complexity and complexity. We become more aware and participate in the many aspects of Deity, Universal Consciousness, in all its diversity.