Muraqaba- The Sufi Meditation By Sufi-Master Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi

When we try to learn a new skill or try to gain knowledge about a specific subject, we follow a guideline or a system, which demands that we pay attention to the subject to fully understand it. Our mind becomes curious to know the where, how and what of it. When we pay attention to the minor details, that minor point itself gains value. However, when we ignore the most important part and do not pay any cognitive attention to it then even that major point loses its value and importance. Through contemplation we gain knowledge about any object and the deeper that knowledge, the more we learn about that object and its qualities.

Muraqaba is the name of that contemplation through which man is able to gain the knowledge which is the primordial knowledge of his Ego, Self, or Soul. After gaining that knowledge, any man can gain access to his Ego or Soul.

It appears that the person performing Muraqaba is simply sitting in a pose with his or her eyes closed. However, merely shutting the eyes and assuming a specific pose does not serve the purpose. Muraqaba is in fact an angle of perception through which the person doing the Muraqaba frees himself or herself from outward senses and begins their journey in the inward senses.

Now we are going to look into whether or not the Muraqaba-like conditions or states exist in us, without adopting the specific pose of Muraqaba.

Freedom from outward senses happens in our daily life, both involuntarily and voluntarily. For example, we go to sleep and while sleeping our brain disconnects from outward senses. It is true that this disconnection is temporary however; this condition could not be termed as anything but disconnection from outward senses. Hence, we can say that Muraqaba is in fact a way of imposing a state of sleeping without going to sleep.

Every human being, from the time of birth to death spends life in two states. In other words, in the human mind there are two types of conditions that prevail every moment of our life. One of these conditions or state is wakening and the other sleeping or dreaming. In the wakening state, they are trapped in Time and Space while during dreaming they are free from the confines of spatiotemporal limitations. This freedom of Time and Space is sought through Muraqaba by converting the state of sleeping or dreaming into an awakened state. Because during Muraqaba, a person goes through the same conditions that he or she goes through while sleeping or dreaming.

The notion that dreams are nothing but thoughts is not correct. In all scriptures including the Quran (Koran), dreams have been mentioned. The dreams that were mentioned in the Quran show that the realm of dream is free from the restrictions imposed by Time and Space. When a person tries to impose the state of dreaming through Muraqaba, they free themselves from that spatiotemporal boundaries and they journey through the realm of dream the way they travel while fully wake. All existing things need foundation; without it they could not survive. This is not something that is hard to comprehend. For example the foundation of a chair is its legs. A house remains erect only when inside the earth its foundation is laid. Similarly, we can only learn a subject or a branch of knowledge when we know its basics. These basics (or formulas) are considered as the foundation of any branch of knowledge. God has revealed it in the Quran,

Al-Lah is the Light of the heavens and earth.

In this Universe, there are several worlds and galaxies. The Essence and Reality of God is something only God knows or those with whom He has shared His Secrets. How much of this information God has shared with His chosen servants is not our concern. However, we do know that God created this entire universe for us humans. It is stated on several occasions in the Quran that the foundation of this universe is the Light (nur) of God. Based on this fact it is imperative that Man and all of his abilities be centered on one foundation.

It is our daily observation that not all of our actions, motions, whims, thoughts, imaginations, and feelings are dependent on the body of bones and flesh. Because when the Spirit disconnects its link with the physical body then this body of bones and flesh is unable to act on its own. As long as the Spirit is attached with the body, all the needs, and functions necessary for life are present. In other words, Spirit (ruh) is the foundation of the body.

According to the Quran, a limited knowledge of the Spirit is given. Nevertheless even this limited knowledge is still knowledge. What we are trying to emphasize is that what we consider Man is a body of bones and flesh, though that Man is nothing but fiction. The real Man is the one that protects that skeleton of flesh and keeps it in motion, whom the Quran calls ruh (Spirit). This ruh, in order to fulfill the needs of life uses a medium. We call this medium, chromosomes. In the Quran, God has said that, We poured Our ruh in him (Adam). In other words, ruh created a medium and after that gave him the senses. ruh is in fact a component of the Divine and in it all the knowledge of Divine Discretions and Attributes are present, which God so Willed. Just how this knowledge was acquired by the component, is a Divine Mystery, which could never be explained.

There are eleven thousand generators (latifa, plural lataif) at work inside the Man. According to Sufism, there are eleven thousand Divine Names as well. Every Divine Name is an Attribute and every Divine Attribute is knowledge (ilm). This knowledge further expands into more and more spheres to become a manifestation of the Divine Attributes.

In order to enter the unseen world (al-ghayb) or to behold anything beyond Time and Space, we have to first free ourselves from the clutches of spatiotemporal restrictions. This is only possible when the vision that sees Time and Space frees itself from its boundaries. To activate that vision, certain exercises have been created through which even if the human mind is not totally free at least it is able to come close to it.

Now the next question is to how and when the human senses could be freed from that restriction. One example is the state of dreaming. Sleeping actually is getting freedom from the diurnal senses, which are Time and Space. When we go to sleep then our senses are transferred to a realm where the state of Time and Space do exist but not in the chronological order in which we spend our life. The Second way is that while wake human mind could focus on any object with full concentration. For example when we read an interesting book, we often lost track of the time. When we finally look at our watch, we then realized that so much time had elapsed, though we were not aware of it.

In the Quran, the event of Moses receiving the Torah is mentioned in the following verse,

And We promised Moses thirty nights and fulfilled it in forty nights.

Day and night are mentioned in Quran in the following verses,

And We enter night into the day and let the day enter into the night.

We take the night out of the day and take the day out of the night.

We cover the day onto night and night into the day

When we contemplate these verses of Quran, we realized that day and night are in fact two senses. In other words, our life is divided into two senses. One of the senses is day the other one is night. During the day senses (diurnal senses) restricted with Time and Space while during night senses (nocturnal senses) we are free from these restrictions.

The Divine Statement that We promised Moses thirty nights and fulfilled it in forty nights is interesting. Because Moses did not simply spend forty nights there, his entire stay was forty days and forty nights. It was not that he was spending the nights at the place and coming back during the day. He did spend his entire stay at the Mount. Interestingly God did not mention days in the verse instead mentions only night. It clearly suggests that during those forty days and forty nights, Moses was under the influence of nocturnal senses. The same nocturnal senses, which free us from the restrictions of Time and Space.

Hence, anyone who would impose the nocturnal senses during the period of day and night on themselves would be free from the confinement of Time and Space. This freedom from spatiotemporal restriction is the way to exploring the unseen realm and getting intuitive information.

During a battle, an arrow injured Amirul Momineen Ali ibn abi Talib. It had entered his thigh and the pain was excruciating. The surgeons could not operate on it. Because of extreme pain he would not let them even touch it. One of his companions suggested to surgeons that they wait until Imam Ali began his prayer. When Imam Ali began his prayer, the surgeons were able to operate on him without him showing any sign of pain. By the time he was done with his prayers, Imam Ali realized that the surgeon had already performed the surgery and the wound had already been stitched. This event is another example of the negation of Time and Space. When Imam Ali started his prayers, his senses went from diurnal state into nocturnal state. The moment his mind entered the nocturnal senses his focus was shifted away from the diurnal senses (restriction and pain). The foundation of Spirituality is based on the reality that Man has two senses, two brains, and two lives. Just like the two sides of a coin, it has two sides.One life is restricted; the other one is free. Constrained life is day, wakefulness, and consciousness. On the other hand, free life is the name of night, joy, peace and the contentment of the heart.

To gain that life the easiest method in Spirituality is Muraqaba. Muraqaba is in fact the name of an exercise, effort and the angle of perception. Through it, anyone can enter the nocturnal senses while keeping the diurnal senses active as well.

By Sufi-Master Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi

Meditation: A Path To Inner Peace

Throughout history, meditation has been an integral part of many cultures. Records indicate that meditation was practiced in ancient Greece and India more than 5,000 years ago. In the Buddhist religion, meditation is an important part of their spiritual practice. Different forms of meditation are practiced in China and Japan, and Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have traditions similar to meditation. The word meditation comes from the Latin 'meditari' which means: exercise, turn something over in one's mind, think, consider. It is defined as "consciously directing your attention to alter your state of mind."

Meditation is one of the proven alternative therapies that in recent years have been classified under the mind-body medicine therapies. It is continuing to gain popularity, as more and more health experts believe that there is more to the connection between mind and body than modern medicine can explain. Meditation has been shown to aid the immune system and improve brain activity, according to researchers. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure, improve exercise performance, for people with angina, to help people with asthma to breathe easier, to relieve insomnia, and generally relax everyday stresses of life. Many hospitals now offer meditation classes for their patients because of the health benefits. All promote physiological health and well-being.

Traditionally meditation has been used for spiritual growth but more recently has become a valuable tool for managing stress and finding a place of peace, relaxation, and tranquility in a demanding fast-paced world. Benefits resulting from meditation include: physical and emotional healing; easing stress, fear, and grief; improved breathing; developing intuition; deep relaxation; exploring higher realities; finding inner guidance; unlocking creativity; manifesting change; emotional cleansing and balancing; and deepening concentration and insight.

Meditation elicits many descriptive terms: stillness, silence, tranquility, peace, quiet, and calm. All counter stress and tension. Lama Surya Das in his book Awakening The Buddha Within says, "Meditation is not just something to do; it's a method of being and seeing - an unconditional way of living moment by moment." In other words, learning to live in this moment because this moment is all we have. Henry Winkler is quoted as saying; "A human being's first responsibility is to shake hands with himself." Meditation is an opportunity to 'shake hands with ourselves' in a safe, simple way and to balance our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Meditation takes many forms in today's society. All have one thing in common. They use concentration techniques to still the mind and stop thought. Various practices exist such as chanting (Mantra), focusing on energy centres in the body (Chakra Meditation), breathing, mindfulness (Mahamudra), loving kindness, formal sitting (Vipassana), expressive practices (Siddha Yoga), and walking to name some of the styles. Try each style and see what works for you or you may want to alternate between the techniques from time to time. For the purposes of this article, I will discuss Mahamudra and walking meditation.

Practical Steps To Begin Meditating

1. Find a place where there are few external distractions. A place where you feel emotionally comfortable, safe, removed from pressure and stress is the optimal location.

2. Wear clothing that is loose and sit or lie in a comfortable position.

3. Plan to meditate in an area that is warm and comfortable. You might want to have a blanket or light covering as some people experience a feeling of coolness when they aren't moving around for a period of time.

4. Candles can be used to focus attention on the task at hand. If you use them, remember to be cautious and extinguish them before leaving the room.

5. Relaxation is a key component of meditation. Take a few moments to bring about a state of relaxation by taking a deep breath through your nose, expanding your lungs and diaphragm. Hold the breath for a few seconds and slowly exhale through your mouth. Do this several times until you feel relaxed.

6. Calm, soothing music can be helpful for inducing a state of tranquillity and relaxation

7. If you are hungry, have a little something to eat, as it is not necessary to meditate on a completely empty stomach.

8. Put your expectations aside and don't worry about doing it right.

Meditation

Mahamudra is the form of meditation that is a way of going about one's daily activities in a state of mindfulness. It is meditation integrated into all aspects of our lives. This following exercise is one you can do anywhere to create a feeling of inner peace. It is particularly helpful for those times you are stuck in traffic, waiting in line at the grocery store or bank, at the office when days are hectic, or when you are picking up the kids from school or extra-curricular activities. "What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it," wrote Hugh Mulligan. Meditation helps us remember to stop and 'smell the daisies.'

Begin by taking a deep breath. Breathe deeply and as you do expand your lungs and your diaphragm. Hold the breath for a few seconds and slowly exhale through the mouth. Focus on your breath and clear your mind. Do this several times until you feel the slowing of your breath and a deep sense of peace fill your body. Consciously feel the peace permeate your body. Drop your shoulders and connect through the top of your head to the Universal Energy. Repeat. If you wish, send peace to those around you by connecting to their hearts with light and love.

Walking Meditation

A walking meditation is simply an exercise in awareness. There are four components:

· become aware of your breathing,

· notice your surroundings,

· be attentive to your body's movement, and

· take some time to reflect on your experience when you return home.

To practice 'awareness walking' bring awareness to walking wherever you find yourself. Take notice of your breathing. Are you taking short, shallow breaths without even knowing it? If so, take several deep breaths and centre yourself in your body and in the present moment. Appreciate the wonderful body you have and the blessing of being able to walk.

Notice your surroundings. What season is it? Take a few minutes to listen to the noises around you. Feel the wind, sun, fog, rain or snow on your face. Look at the people, animals, birds, sky, trees, and buildings around you. Breathe in and out and realise that you are an integral part of the environment.

Pay attention to your body. Are you holding tension in your shoulders, neck, solar plexus, lower back, or legs? Breath into any areas where you are feeling tension and let it drain into the Earth. Next, pay attention to your posture. Are you standing straight and tall or slouching? Walk in a way that is comfortable for you with your body loose and uplifted. Walk with dignity and confidence, one foot in front of the other and pay attention to the experience of movement. You can walk mindfully anywhere, along a sidewalk, walking your dog, in the mall, along the hallways at work. You simply remind yourself to be in this moment, taking each step as it comes. Some people find it helpful to repeat a mantra (mantras are sacred words repeated in order to bring focus to your mind). You can also use a variation on the walking mantra by counting your breaths. Walk more slowly than you usually do and count how many steps it takes for your intake of breath and how many steps for your exhale. In this type of meditation, your attention is focused on both your steps and your breathing bringing together a wonderful balance of peacefulness and awareness.

Take some time to reflect on your experience when you return home. Five or ten minutes brings closure to your walk and provides an opportunity to make the transition from this 'place of peace' to ordinary day-to-day activities.

By Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T.

Meditation, Self-Acceptance & the Muse

Meditation presents an interesting paradox. It requires humility and acceptance, and yet it results in self-empowerment and increased confidence.

Low self-esteem, which affects and can cripple many creative artists, leads us to believe that we're not worth much, and therefore our ideas (our songs) probably aren't either. This low self-esteem is a distant cousin to humility. Humility involves accepting ourselves for who we are, which includes our limitations.

So, our goal is to humbly seek answers from within (meditation) and from above (prayer). Even more important is to accept the answers we receive. Accepting them, even if we don't like, or are surprised by what we hear, can enrich our lives with peace and contentment. The answers may also hold lots of wonderful ideas for our creative endeavors.

Artists sometimes have the experience of music, words, or other ideas, coming to them from "out of nowhere". Where is this "nowhere" and how can we go in there after all of those great ideas??

How do we get from the point of damaging low self-esteem (giving a microphone and stage to our inner critics and then beating ourselves over the head about what we're hearing), to genuine humility, meditation, self-acceptance and creative bounty?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Practice gratitude - When you're so busy being grateful for all the things you have (your health, your mobility, a few bucks in your pocket, food & shelter, friends & family) and that you're good at (face it, there's only a small percentage of the population with musical gifts and even less who are doing anything with them!), your inner critic won't stand a chance! A great practice (which even Oprah Winfrey is known to promote) is a daily list of things you're grateful for.

2. Meditation - There are countless books, tapes, videos and classes that teach people how to meditate. Here are some basic tips and I encourage you to explore further.

a. Ask a question - If you're busy struggling to figure something out (how those two lines are going to go together, what chord structure to use for the bridge, or how you're going to make rent this month), try letting go of the struggle and simply letting the question of what to do "hang out" for a while. Ask it, and then sit quietly and see what answers pop into your head. You can also try writing it on a piece of paper and putting it under your pillow.

b. Toning - Toning is a way to use your singing voice to achieve extraordinary calm, connection to spirit, connection to others and physical relaxation. Take a deep breath, filling your diaphragm and then your lungs. On exhalation, choose a vowel, pitch and volume that feel comfortable and effortless, and sing a steady tone until you're ready to take a new breath. For more ideas on using music as a tool of spiritual connection and creativity, I highly recommend the book Essential Musical Intelligence by Dr. Louise Montello.

c. Rest your gaze - Find something that you find soothing to look at. Some people use a landscape picture, a burning candle, a spot on the wall, a flower-it really can be anything. Focus on the object and gaze at it deeply, letting thoughts come and go and staying present in the moment.

d. Journal - Write your question at the top of a piece of paper, or on your computer, and answer the question in a stream of consciousness style.

e. Walking Meditation - Pose your question to yourself at the beginning of your walk. While outdoors, become very present in the moment and notice the things around you. When thoughts and answers flow in to your mind, notice them and then bring your attention back to everything you're seeing.

f. More Meditation Tips - If you find yourself analyzing or "figuring things out" during the meditation process, gently let go of that and ask the question again. Don't judge any of your ideas or answers-simply collect them.

3. Prayer - prayer allows us to humbly acknowledge that there is a life force bigger than ourselves. Many of the artists I spoke to for my book, "The Creativity Interviews" (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/creativity-interviews.html), spoke of being a channel for something bigger-that their creative works were simply a communication from spirit, and that their job was simply to express it. That IS a humbling thought!

I hope this article will help you to find inspiration, while letting go of the struggle to find it. I also hope that writing a gratitude list, at least once, will help you to connect with your gifts, strengths and abundance.

This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter's Resource website (October 2004) http://www.musesmuse.com.


By Linda Dessau

How To Meditate?

We are surrounded by negative forces like jealousy, hatred, fear, doubt, worry, despair, guilt, resentment, anger, pride hatred and anxiety. These are the dominating forces of the universe.We are constantly attacked by these negative forces day in and day out.The only medicine to fight this deadly disease is Meditation. Through Meditation we can get everlasting peace, that is what we know the "Divine Peace". To grow in light and to fulfill ourselves in light and purity we need to practice meditation regularly.

What is actual Meditation?

Meditation doesnot mean just sitting quietly for 15 to 20 minutes. It requires concentration. You have to calm and quieten your mind.It requires conscious effort. You have to free yourself from repetitive and unwanted thoughts that distract your attention. As you learn to calm your mind you feel a new creation is dawning inside of you. When your mind is vacant and tranquil your whole existence becomes an empty vessel. You will attract infinite peace, joy peace happiness. This is actual meditation.

How many ways are their to Meditate?

1. Silence your mind. Once you do that you are in a position to please and Fulfill God.

2. The Second way to meditate is to empty your heart.Human heart is full of chaos and turmoil. As you empty your heart there is a Divine peace and harmony which will fill your heart.

3. The third thing is through prayer.Prayer is nothing but a communion between Spirit and Form.If you pray from your heart all your fears, doubts, sorrow, resentment and anxiety will be eliminated and joy, peace and tranquility will fill your heart.

How to Meditate

1. First find a quiet place away from people and telephone.

2. Early morning is undoubtely the most powerful time to meditate.

3. Before you start meditating say to yourself 'I will be focused and calm'.

4. Have light music at the back ground if you like.

5. Using candles during meditation can improve your concentration.

6. Take shower or atleast wash you face before you meditate.

7. Meditate with the empty stomach.But if you feel hungry have a glass of juice or milk.

8. Aromas have been proven to be an effective means of entering a state of relaxation.

9. When you meditate keep your eyes half open.

10. When negative thoughts enter, donot force them out but simply let them pass away.

Breathing Techniques

1. Keep your spine erect while you meditate

2. You can sit on the floor or you can sit comfortably on the chair.

3. Sit very relaxed.

4. Proper breathing is very important so make yourself comfortable.

5. Take a deep breathe and hold for a few seconds and then breathe out.

6. Feel the breath is coming directly from God, so that your breathe can be easily purified.

7. Each time you breathe feel that you are bringing infinite peace and happiness into your body.

8. When you breathe out feel that all the negative thoughts anger, hatted, fear, doubt, resentment, guilt, and anxiety are being expelled.

9. Repeat this morning and evening 20 minutes every day.

10. When bad thought comes to your mind say 'Today I am at peace'. I will not allow bad thoughts to enter into me.

11. When you breathe in hold for 6 seconds and breathe out. If you are on medication please consult your doctor before you start.

The aim of meditation is to free yourself from all worries and unhappiness.All the negative thoughts attack your mind. The heart is much purer than the mind. Love, grace, mercy, peace, tranquility, affection are already there in the heart.

Before you start Meditation 'Repeat Supreme'or Heavenly Father 400 times. By doing that your concentration will improve.It is almost a waste of time if you want to purify your mind because negative thoughts are always floating on the surface. So concentrate your attention towards your heart. It is already illuminated. It has all the good qualities you desire.So everytime when you are not able to control you mind please donot feel unhappy. But focus your attention towards your heart and within few seconds you will be able to meditate without any disturbance.Heart is like a fountain full of peace, joy and love. You can sit at the base of the fountain and enjoy it. So it is better to meditate in the heart than in the mind.From your mind you get inspiration and from your heart you get aspiration.

How to Concentrate

1. Find a quiet place

2. Make a Black dot on the wall

3. Stand 20 inches away from it.

4. Concentrate on the dot.

5. Then Breathe in deep and breath out.

6. Feel that when you are breathing you breathe is actually coming from the dot and that the dot is also breathing in, getting its breathe from you.

7. Feel there are two persons. You and the dot.

8. Do it for 15 to 20 minutes every day before you start to meditate.

9. If you dont want to concentrate on the dot you can concentrate on counting your heart beat mentally.

As you practice doing it for few weeks you can concentrate better. Also when you meditate negative thoughts will slow down and you will have full control over your mind.

By Winston Saga

Secrets of Meditation For Better Health

Meditation can improve your health, increase energy levels and maximize your enjoyment of life. Without a doubt, more people would benefit from meditation if they took the time to practice the simple exercises used to calm the mind, reduce stress and increase energy levels.

So What Is Meditation?

Meditation is a way to transform and heal ourselves. When we meditate, we allow the swirl of ideas and thoughts to slow down to the point where we find a calm and positive connection with ourselves. Although there are many different ways to meditate, all styles teach the directing of the attention in order to re-connect with the part of yourself that is most real and most true.

Why We Need To Meditate

Unfortunately, we do not walk through the world as children do. We all face difficult and stressful situations throughout the course of life. But rather than beginning each day afresh, we tend to gather the world and carry the negativity of the past with us. The happy and contented person you were becomes covered over by these emotions. Suddenly you feel unhappy and dissatisfied, and even worse; often the process is so subtle, you don't know why.

Meditation is a way of cutting through those layers of past emotion and excessive thinking. Instead of our minds and bodies being at the mercy of life, we take back control. We focus the attention in a deliberate way, and slowly see the false layers of ourselves begin to dissolve as we return once again to the source of our happiness.

Although meditation is an ancient art dating back thousands of years, modern scientific research now confirms what ancient wisdom discovered long ago. Study after study shows that meditation brings about improved perception, focus, memory and creativity. Regular meditators are healthier, happier, more relaxed, and more productive.

The True Purpose of Meditation

The seductive appeal of mystic visions, psychic intuition and heightened mental functioning can be very alluring. While some meditators report esoteric experiences, the experiences themselves should not be the primary reason for practice.

The purpose of meditation is to transform the state of our hearts and minds and bring us back to ourselves. As we become healthier, happier and realize greater self-awareness, more benefits begin to follow naturally -- improved mental functioning, greater intuition as well as greater access to unconscious resources and abilities.

The Best Style of Meditation

Always keep an open mind in your learning. Never accept a teaching without verifying the truth of it in your own experience. On the other hand, reserve making judgment in advance of having the experience for yourself.

The best style of meditation is the one that feels right for you. There are many different systems of meditation including, but not limited to Concentration, Mindfulness, Zen, Visualization and Devotion. You may decide to experiment with a few different styles and see how they feel. Find one or two styles that you like and then major in those. Above all, pay attention to your self and make sure your meditation feels right for you.

Make Meditation A Daily Practice

You can be stronger in your self. You can be happier, more balanced and compassionate. You can manifest the changes you truly want to see in your life through meditation. You don't need to give up all your worldly passions or retreat to a Himalayan monastery either!

A daily ten-minute practice can make all the difference. It's not much time to dedicate when you consider all the time spent caring for your physical appearance. After all, you wouldn't go out to an important meeting or social occasion without clean clothes and brushing your teeth.

What about the mind and body -- the instruments through which we perceive and interact with reality? Does it not make sense to take the time to clean up our attitude and the way we feel as well?

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your E-zine or on your web site as long as you do not modify the content and include my resource box as listed: ManifestingSecrets.com. -- Copyright 2004 - All rights reserved ManifestingSecrets.com

By Matt Clarkson

Mastery Through Meditation

Are you still looking? For Love? Self-Worth? To know, truly KNOW, that you are of value to others and the Universe as a whole?

What is it that eludes you? That seems to elude so many of us?

For many, the part that's missing is the KNOWING. The Knowing that we are worthy, are worthy of love of others, of self-love, of Life itself. It's one thing to read the self-help books, to participate in seminars, to seek outside of the self. And those are all good things, and perfect for where you are now. But when you are ready for your next step?

When you are really ready, what does that look like? What does it feel like? First you must know this:

YOU ARE ALREADY WORTHY.
YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WORTHY.

Now it's a question of readiness. Are you ready to KNOW yourself? Your Self?as Worthy? Worthy of anything and everything that you might consider of Joy, of Value? Worthy of that which would result in happiness? To see your Highest Nature? To experience and KNOW your own Mastery? When you do, you see there is no question of worthiness, of Love, of Perfection. For you are all of these things.

Let's speak now of Mastery. What does that mean to you? Is your initial response a positive one? Or is it something you do not wish to encounter just yet, or ever? Mastery can have a variety of meanings; I use it to describe the transcendence of the physical or any blocks or energetic patternings that keep us stuck in any way. Mastery is stepping into your Perfection, and is a continuous process of Unfoldment. For true mastery lies within each of us. We are already that which we seek. We only need to re-learn, and remember, how to See.

First you must see, and then you will KNOW. And in this knowing, you will contribute not only to yourself in this experience, but also to the KNOWING of others throughout the Universe, so they may also immerse in their Perfection. For from the Knowing is the true Love that you were created to experience. Feel that Love that is meant for you. Are you ready to See? Are you ready to KNOW?

One powerful opportunity to experience this Love and this Knowing is through meditation. And while there are many methods that originate both inside and outside the Self, it is often a matter of testing, of experimenting with which is right for you. Know that this may change over time. What is necessary with any form of meditation is to have a pure experience-the purest experience you can-and to know that because of this blissful and beautiful experience that will only get better, that you now Know your Self even more. Bit by bit, the Universe, your Self, unfolds. In that unfoldment lies pure Beauty, pure Love of the Self, pure Joy. You are meant to experience your Mastery, your Self as Source.

Go within. And experience your own Perfection. Your Mastery is within you.

By  JoAnne Scalise

4 Little Known Secrets of Meditation

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Secret #1:
The True Purpose of Meditation
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Many people feel a sense of fascination when confronted with the possibility of mystic visions, psychic intuition and heightened mental functioning. While meditators often report these sorts of improvements, these experiences should not be the primary reason for practice. The purpose of meditation is to bring us back to ourselves.

As we become healthier, happier and realize greater self-awareness, the other benefits of meditation begin to follow naturally -- improved mental functioning, greater intuition as well as greater access to unconscious resources and abilities.


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Secret #2:
Distraction Does Not Equal Failure
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Meditation is not work in the sense that you have to "force" yourself to concentrate completely for long periods of time. If we consciously try to prevent thinking, it's going to have a negative impact on the meditation.

Instead, whenever we become lost in thought or confusion, we simply acknowledge those thoughts and then gently return the attention to the object of the meditation. We do this as many times as distraction or thought occurs. Eventually, the mind becomes calmer and discursive thought begins to slow.


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Secret #3:
Insight Alone Is Not Enough
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Insight alone will not transform our lives. Meditation is likely to help us by giving us larger perspectives and increasing clarity of thought. But although our sense of inner guidance might become stronger, unless we ACT on that guidance, we will never manifest the changes we truly want in our lives.

This doesn't just mean we need to take action in our outer world, for example, having an honest conversation with a friend or paying a bill.

It also means we must actively request the assistance of the unconscious in a clear and persistent way. When you do that, as I teach in "Secrets of Meditation, Energy and Manifestation," you find yourself magnetically drawn toward your dreams with an irresistible impulse.


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Secret #4:
Learn To Let Go
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Once you have made your request, it's important that you let go. Don't be concerned with HOW you're going to get what you truly want in your life. Needing to know how can hamper the process of making it manifest in the outer world. Learn to trust your unconscious.

Some changes -- perhaps all of them -- will happen automatically. I have personally found that many of my destructive habits simply dropped away with minimal conscious effort.

For me, this was achieved not by self-discipline and will power, but rather a "letting go" and a realization that spiritual growth is a natural process powered by parts of ourselves that know more than we can understand consciously.

As we let go consciously and receive more input from these parts, we learn to trust this feeling, this feeling that we are in safe hands and that something amazing is about to happen.

By Matt Clarkson