Questions and Answers Page 1
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I encourage you to post your questions on our Q & A Blog. However, if you would rather e-mail them, please follow these guidelines...
• Please read the material in the General Information Room, FAQs Room and 8 Meditation Points Room first, as you may find your answer there.
• Please limit your questions to 1 or 2.
• Writing "Meditation Question" in the subject box, and including your first name would be helpful.
• Please understand that in trying to respond to as many questions as possible, I cannot carry on intensive one to one teaching with any one person.
Thanks for your consideration.
QUESTION ABOUT DEEPER STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS:
What kind of meditation I do I have to do to get into a deep, altered state of consciousness?
ANSWER:
Nearly any type of meditation has the potential to shift you into a deeper state of consciousness. However, the methods I call "Core Meditations" tend to be most effective for this.
Even more important than the technique you use, are factors of timing and attitude. Timing... There will be some days when everything clicks naturally, and your awareness effortlessly shifts into a deeper state... and other days when this simply isn't going to happen no matter what you do.
Attitude... It seems that the more you let go of any expectations of what is supposed to happen, and any concerns about meditating correctly, the more easily the deeper states tend to occur. I suggest you approach each meditation with "relaxed effort" and a willingness to accept whatever happens.
QUESTION ABOUT CONCENTRATION AND CORRECT MEDITATION:
I've been trying to meditate for a while now but I haven't been able to concentrate... When I do, I don't know if I am in the state of meditation. I need to know if I'm doing it right.
ANSWER:
Your experience is fairly common with new meditators. However, when you begin to meditate, it's best not to expect yourself to be able to concentrate or stay focussed for very long. After all, you are just beginning and it's natural for your mind to wander a lot. Try to accept that this is ok, and bring your attention back to your object of focus (breath, light, mantra, or whatever) as many times as you need to. As you continue, you will gradually begin to find it easier to stay focussed.
In regards to correct meditation, there is no particular state of meditation that you are supposed to achieve, and there really is no absolute right and wrong way to meditate. It's best to put aside the idea of doing it correctly, and of trying to know what state you are in. There are many states that can occur in meditation, and they are all a valuable part of the meditation process.
If you simply follow the guidelines of a particular method, put aside all the expectations, and accept whatever happens, you will begin to find meditation easy and enjoyable, and you will start seeing many positive changes occurring in your life.
QUESTION ABOUT DREAM JOURNEYS:
I've been taking this class that is teaching us to communicate with plant spirits for healing purposes, and part of this is to do dream journey work. After a couple of months, I became absolutely exhausted--a kind of fatigue that I couldn't explain away due to this or that.
In meditation, is there this same possibility of using too much energy? And, is the dream journey and the meditation experience the same, or is meditation more passive?
ANSWER:
No, meditation definitely should not deplete anyone, but should restore ones vitality... especially those meditations that connect us with our innermost Self... our Spiritual Source and wellspring of life force.
The dream journey you spoke of differs somewhat from meditation, particularly if you are journeying on the astral plane.
There are both active and passive meditations, for example, creative visualization tends to be more active... observing the breathing, more passive. However, both are best approached with "relaxed effort." If one strains and works too hard at anything it could be tiring.
QUESTION ABOUT INNER SOUND MEDITATION:
You've described in your lecture, how to meditate on the Inner Light. Could you explain what is meditation on the Inner Sound and could you show me how to meditate to hear this Inner Sound?
ANSWER:
The Inner Sound - also known as the Spiritual Sound Current, or Shabda in Sanskrit - is the Primordial Sound of the universe vibrating within us. Here is one way to meditate on the Inner Sound.
To tune into it initially, you will probably find it helpful to use earplugs to shut out external sounds. (After you have become more familiar with the Inner Sound, you may not need these.)
You will hear a sound inside of yourself... a vibration. It may sound like a humming, whooshing, or ringing, or a combination of these. This vibration will sound quite natural. You needn't look for supernatural sounds or try to create sounds.
To meditate on the Inner Sound, listen intently to this internal vibration. After awhile, you may begin to notice one or more subtler tones or frequencies. Let your attention be drawn to the subtle frequencies that are most pleasing to listen to. Go deeply into the sound.
You may find your consciousness rising on higher and subtler frequencies. (That does not mean that the pitch or note should be higher.) You may find yourself slipping into a silent or dreamlike space. If you feel your consciousness shifting in any way, go with it.
Don't strain... simply listen intently, allowing for whatever happens, and accepting whatever sounds arise. If your attention wanders off, gently bring it back to the Inner Sound.
QUESTION ABOUT THE INABILITY TO SEE COLORS IN MEDITATION:
My name is Beth, I'm 15. When I was little, before I could fall asleep, I would close my eyes and see the vibrant colors, not knowing it was a form of meditation. Also, after my grandma died, I remember I saw her there and it made me very happy because we were very close.
I've gone through some tough times with family and friends the past three years, so I'm now trying new ways to relax. I stumbled upon your site and found the screen meditation but when I tried it, all I saw was black. Why can't I see all the relaxing colors? Is it because of all the troubles I've gone through? How do I get them back?
ANSWER:
Hi Beth... Thanks for your question. It's great that you are exploring meditation as a way to relax. If you give it some time, I'm sure you will get very good results. Here are a few important points to keep in mind when practicing this meditation.
1. It is best to go into each meditation with no particular expectations. That opens the door to the many possible meditation experiences... all them valuable.
2. I understand how you would want to experience those soothing colors again, but there are meditation experiences that are deeper and even more peaceful than seeing colors. The "Inner Screen" or "Inner Light" meditation has the capability of taking you to those very deep and peaceful places if you allow it to do so. This requires letting go a bit, and accepting whatever happens.
3. If you look closely - but without straining - at the inner screen, after awhile you will see that what appeared to be just black is actually a mixture of light and dark particles. When you notice this, easily focus a little more on the light particles.
4. At times, your attention will literally drift back in your head, into your thoughts, and the screen then becomes more remote and dark. It's very natural for this to happen, but when it does, gently bring your attention forward again to your inner screen. Remember... whatever you experience is ok.
It's true that stressful periods in your life may temporarily overshadow your ability to clearly see and hear things inwardly. Quite likely though, there is an important spiritual purpose at work behind your temporary loss, helping you to grow in new ways. If so, when this purpose is fulfilled, your inner seeing may well return with greater clarity and depth.
I hope this answers your question. I encourage you to continue with meditation, as it not only helps with relaxation and stress relief, but will take you on a journey to some indescribably wonderful places, both inwardly and outwardly.
QUESTION ABOUT SPIRITUAL GRACE:
While lying down after a session of sitting meditating, I felt a glow of light beneath my eyeballs similar to rays of sunlight rising from the horizon. This then suddenly burst into balls of yellow light that scrolled rapidly upwards from the bottom of my eyeballs to the top. This lasted for about 10 seconds. After the light show was over I felt an energy field enveloping my entire body from head to toe. This experience occured about two months after I started meditation. It happened only once in the two years that I have been practicing meditation. Can you comment on this, please? Thank you.
ANSWER:
The experience you had was the result of a tremendous influx of Spiritual Light. Such experiences generally aren't a direct effect of something we did in that particular meditation. Rather, they are a product of "grace", that mysterious spiritual force beyond our own efforts, that spontaneously elevates us to a higher state of consciousness.
At certain points along our path we may be given a good taste of grace for several reasons. One is to give us a preview of the bliss that awaits us at the end of our journey, and to encourage us to continue. Another is to help us break through to the next level of awareness.
Grace can't be predicted or coerced (although asking for it can be helpful). Mainly though, the more consistent we are with our meditation practice, the more opportunity there is for grace to find us in a receptive space.
QUESTION ABOUT FEELING TIRED IN MEDITATION:
Two months ago after reading the instructions on your web site, I started to meditate actively. I have been practicing the Inner Light Meditation. This meditation really has a positive influence on my mental condition. I am currently on medication for depression and I hope that meditation will contribute in the future to a more balanced mental health. There is only one problem. Sometimes when practicing the Inner Light Meditation I just can't stay awake, even when meditating in the afternoon. Could you please give me some advice on this problem?
ANSWER:
It's not unnatural to become tired at times in meditation... afternoons are actually the most common time to experience this. However, there are a couple of possible reasons for the tiredness you are experiencing.
One, is that you are releasing some deeply rooted "stress" or "psychic/emotional toxins." This can sometimes bring about a tired feeling, in or out of meditation. If this is the case, the tiredness should pass when the release cycle is complete.
The other possibility is that you are, in fact, tired - either on a day to day level, or at a deeper level of your being - and need a bit of extra rest. If this is the case, I suggest you take a short nap at the end of your meditation (if time allows). Post-meditation naps can actually be very healing.
Whichever it is, experiencing tiredness when meditating does not mean there is anything wrong. It's all part of a gradual process of healing and transformation.
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