What to focus on

In my meditation today I found difficulty in remaining focused on anything in particular. Instead, my thoughts wondered to nothing really. It just didn't obey what I considered were the commands it should. Later as I ran, I found the same problem arising. I could not maintain focus on my breathing cycles. Naturally, this bothered me. However, in reflection I find that I was again falling into the trap of forcing the experience and in so doing missing the point. Once the mind is distracted with the compulsive notion that it has to control something, the moment is lost. Presence is lost. Contact with the current reality is lost. To gain unforced union with something more is the goal of contemplative practice. Trying to get it misses the point and leads into a trap. The illusion of effort. It takes effort to undertake the practice, but the practice itself, must not rely on effort. If it does, the mind will analyze and become paralyzed by this analysis. Instead, seek to us the heart, the lower neurons, the older parts of the brain. These tend not to be given to too much over-thought. When the relaxation becomes natural, the proper state has been reached. But don't focus on it. In looking back I find that I was in that state all along as I resolved to surrender to the waves of thought and let them pass over me. In all things let the waves pass over. Only you will remain.

Staying in "holy" spaces

Last night i experimented with a practice I have stumbled on before and one that is widely practiced by many followers of so called mystic paths. This was to recite passages of text in a rhythmic manor and with devoted concentration to the effort. Additionally, I focused on projecting the sounds in to see if I could tap into something more. The passages I recited were of my own composition. They can be found at my other blog, "fragments of reality" under "relentless" and "darkness".

In my practice, I found the ability to resonate my syllables with a quality beyond normal speech. The effect was to create the sense of an echo at something like a deeper level.In reflection upon this, I have wondered just what I was tapping into. Was it something outside of myself, or was it a quality within the self which is not often utilized? I have come to the conclusion that it is both. In keeping with our philosophy of divine redemption of all things being an ongoing work and the fundamental lack of separation between normal experience and holy experience, I was indeed taping into something greater in that I was elevating my normal ability with tone and inflection to a holy practice.

This had concrete impact on the physical in that it slowed breathing and calmed normalized brain functions. In so doing, hormonal balance was restored and normal body functions were improved. What I come to realize from this as from all other such spiritual practices is that they can never be thought of as dualistic. There is no separations between the holy and the earthly. It is all just reality. Allowing the divine to function in this reality brings us closer to full restoration.

Deepening full body awareness

I have been concentrating on full physical awareness regularly in my meditation sessions. From this has come a greater baseline of body awareness as to what exactly is going on with given physical systems. The digestive track can be felt in process. The circulatory system can be experienced as it functions moment to moment. The liver can even be felt. Most critically for my purposes, the brain waves and functions can be sensed. On going goals will be to further develop this awareness and see how much else it can be extended to.