Discourse on Meditation

I often receive questions about meditation: What does it mean to meditate? What is the right way to meditate? When is it best to meditate? What are the most powerful techniques? The answers to these questions will be the focus of this discourse.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is simply about quieting the mind and coming to a place of peace where you feel centered and calm, anchored and grounded, and connected with Source. No matter which form of meditation you choose (for there are many), the ultimate goal is to open your consciousness to allow communion with your Higher Self, God, the Creator, your Guru, your spirit guides, particular Masters to whom you call, or any combination thereof; or to simply rest and sink into a deep state of peacefulness (what some Masters call “the no-mind experience”). And then, from that state of peace and connectedness, your meditation can go in many different directions, depending upon which type of meditation you are doing and what your objective is.

Why Meditate?

People often ask me, “Why do we need to meditate if life is supposed to always be about God?” Of course, the ultimate goal is to eventually be in communion (with God) all the time, not just in your meditation, but making every moment be an act of supplication, of surrender to God, and of communion with God. Having a daily meditation practice is like having a set of training wheels to develop that muscle, to develop the ability to be still, and to connect and be sourced. Ironically, once that constant 24-hour-a-day communion has been attained (not a lot of people ever attain it, although anyone and everyone can), there is still a great value in setting aside time each day to be in that stillness.

Timing of Meditation

The ideal time to meditate is in the morning, before you start your day. The same way a soldier would put on his armor and have a good meal before going into battle, not when he comes home at night! People often say, “I’ve got to rush off… I’m late for work… I’ll meditate tonight.” If a soldier put on his armor and got his weapons prepared when he came home at night, he would only have one day of battle! You may wonder why I am using an analogy about war. If you think about (in this day and age) what a human body has to face on a daily basis—the amount of pollution, negativity, demons, entities, gossip, lies, deceit, desire, greed, and corruption—it truly is tantamount to a soldier going into battle. That is why it is very important, at the start of your day (before you face the world), to come to the Wellspring to be fed, uplifted, and inspired, to be strengthened and fortified so that you can deal with your day. [Of course, there are many wondrous things in the world, too; I’m simply making an analogy here.]

It is important to meditate as close as possible to the moment you wake up. When you first wake, do enough to ensure that you are not going to fall asleep again (splash your face with cold water, go to the bathroom, etc.), but don’t do so much or wait so long that the “machine” (worrisome, thinking monkey mind) is fully awake and running. Ideally, you want to slip into meditation in that sweet, beautiful moment before the mind kicks into gear.

Meditate as early in the day as possible—typically at or before dawn. When you meditate when the collective consciousness is still asleep (wherever you are located in the world), you will have the most success. At this time of day it is easiest to move through the veils between the physical and spiritual realms, to connect and commune with Spirit, and to access higher realms of consciousness. Furthermore, the energy right around dawn is even more powerful because the birth of a day brings the life-force energy of Creation right into and through you.

Remember, when the body sleeps, the ego mind also sleeps and the soul is freed from that imprisoned cage of separateness to then operate as a Divine Being. If you are meditating while everyone around you is asleep, you do not have the weight of the distortion, negativity, and darkness pulling on you (which renders meditating like trying to swim upstream).

Again, what I am speaking about is an ideal situation. You have to tailor your meditations to your particular lifestyle and schedule, taking into account job start times, commitments to your children, your spouse, and your health.

Is there a problem with meditating later in the day? I know many people who simply refuse to get up at dawn to meditate. Again, it is up to the individual to tailor the timing of meditation to that one’s life. If you are feeling angry and miserable getting up at dawn, as opposed to being very happy and harmonious an hour later, then choose to meditate an hour later. Why waste the time? Unless you really feel in your heart that it would benefit you to develop that discipline, then maybe you grin and bear it for a while, “fake it till you make it,” and then, eventually, you will find the peace.

Sacredness

It is helpful to create a sacred space in which to meditate. Choose a special place in your home where you sit each time you meditate. This can be in front of your altar, or in a quiet room in your home. You may wish to light a candle in the room, and perhaps even have a candle in front of you upon which you can focus during your meditation. Some people have a sacred prayer shawl which they wear every time when they meditate, or hold a certain crystal. It is also important to sit upright with your spine erect. All these things help you have a richer experience of your meditation, and get the most from it.

Gratitude is the Highest Form of Prayer

I also recommend you begin and end each day spending a few moments expressing gratefulness.

Gratefulness is the highest form of prayer.

When you express gratefulness (not only for the “good” things in your life, but for all the challenging things, too), you are acknowledging that God knows your needs even before you do, and provides for all of them.

Everything you have is everything your soul wants,

and everything you don’t have is everything your soul wants.

By expressing your gratefulness for everything in your life, you are stating your oneness with the Creator, as the Creator.

Music

Some people question whether it is beneficial or a hindrance to one’s meditation to have music playing. That is an individual choice. Your brain will read, interpret, and receive any stimuli that are around you. So if there is any sound in the space in which you are meditating, realize that it is a part of what is going into your consciousness.

If I have any music on while I am meditating (which I almost never do), it would have to be very soft, ambient and non-descript, and without lyrics, which the brain would likely focus upon. You can experiment and see if soft, quiet, mood-altering music is helpful to you, or whether peace and quiet is best. But it is important not to have distractions around you.

Meditating in Nature

Often I will send individuals out into nature to meditate. It is very powerful to have meditations upon Mother Earth—whether as part of your morning meditation practice, or periodically at any time you can be on the earth. Meditating on different types of earth, such as on a giant boulder, on the beach facing the ocean, or at a park on the grass, will bring different experiences, because they each have different energies and qualities. This practice is something of great value to incorporate into your life as part of your “spiritual medicine bag.”

Breathing Techniques

Sacred breathing is another invaluable tool for meditation. There are many different ways to breathe that will enhance your meditation practice. I have found personally, and have been taught during my training, that breathing through the mouth helps to ground, anchor, and cleanse the physical body. Then moving into breathing through the nose opens up your higher faculties and helps you move into inter-dimensional realms. Choose a breathing technique that feels the best for you—whether it be one that has been taught to you by a teacher, or your Master, or one that you develop yourself.

Whatever technique you choose, it is very important to establish a slow, deep breathing pattern throughout your meditation. Human beings living in separation from God often make choices that proliferate and increase separateness. The way most people have trained themselves to breathe is by taking little gasps into the back of the mouth, the top of the throat, or at best at the top of the chest, whilst lifting the shoulders and breathing.

To breathe properly, begin by relaxing your mouth, jaws, neck, chest, and shoulders (which should not move up and down if you are breathing properly). Draw the breath in slowly, deeply, and effortlessly down into the lower abdomen, expanding front, back, sides, all the way around, as though there were a balloon sitting in an empty abdominal cavity, and see that balloon inflating all the way around. If you put the palms of your hands behind your back, you can feel the expansion of the lungs even in your back.

If you continue these breaths, slowly and deeply, with just a very short beat in between each breath, that will establish a deeply connected “Divine” breath that will open the inter-dimensional portals to your higher faculties, to your I AM Presence, to the Divine realm. This type of breathing pattern cleanses and heals your body. Once you establish the breathing pattern, you can direct the inhalation and/or exhalation toward areas in your body where you have pain, illness, and toxicity. Channelling the breath in this way can create miraculous healings in your body.

Even if you practiced this deep breathing technique for just five minutes, a couple of times a day, it has the potential to change your whole life. Thus is the power of sacred breathing.

Conclusion

I hope this discourse provides you some of the keys to an effective, consistent, and long-lasting meditation practice… the fruits of which—I guarantee!—will far outweigh the effort.

– Louix Dor Dempriey