Preparing The Mind for Meditation

updated by: High Priest Zevios Metathronos & Pythia

It is important to relax both your mind and body to enter a deep trance state where your meditation will be most effective. Adepts can often enter this state easily, by will alone, even in a hectic environment. This takes time and practice, though. Remaining calm, cool, and collected in threatening circumstances is one of the benefits of regular meditation. Below is a list of tips on techniques for calming and quieting your mind and body before entering into your meditation.

• Hatha (physical) yoga exercises are wonderful if you have the time and discipline before beginning meditation. The energies amplified from the yoga practice and the relaxed state present a medium for focus.
• Breathing exercises can be done to calm and quiet the mind before every session. Just tuning into and 'watching' the breath is an excellent method of focusing one's mind and entering the alpha state necessary for power meditation.
• Listening to sounds is another way. Just blank out your thoughts and tune into the sounds in your environment. This exercise helps to create alertness as well as relaxation.
• Sit or lie quietly, and begin with your feet, and relax your body all the way to the top of your head.
• Be aware of the energy outside your body for a few minutes, and then focus on the energy inside your body, alternating four or five times. Do this slowly and take the time to feel. This exercise creates an awareness of energy that is so important not only in securing the ability to absorb, direct, and manipulate it in magickal workings but also in enhancing your awareness of others' fields and your environment. This exercise also tones your nervous system.
• Sexual orgasm is another relaxation technique that works well. Just stimulate yourself to orgasm. When opening a meditation with orgasm, use this opportunity to visualize the energy from your base chakra ascending your spine and opening your chakras. Orgasm naturally opens and cleans the chakras.

You should always be well rested when beginning a meditation session. Being tired will only cause you to fall asleep, and the goals of the meditation will not be accomplished. You want to eliminate as much distracting physical stimuli as possible, unless, of course, one is meditating upon pain or discomfort to strengthen the will. Make sure you are not hungry, but not overly full. When one becomes more advanced at meditation, trance states can be reached and maintained even with distractions. The mind becomes stronger and stays focused according to the will. If your mind is distracted by a pressing thought, identify the problem and tell yourself honestly to put aside the distracting thought in agreement with your mind that the problem/thought will be confronted and dealt with after the session. You must follow through, or this will not work for future sessions. The extent to which you follow through is individual.