Maria Duval - How To Meditate With A Mantra

How To Meditate With A Mantra
These days whenever a politician repeats a promise over and over again commentators say that this promise has become a ?mantra? for that politician. For the journalists, the word ?mantra? means a meaningless phrase that is repeated endlessly. For yogis however, a mantra is a word or collection of words, which has the power of liberating a human being from all limitations.

How can the repetition of a word or a few words have the capacity to bring about such miraculous results? It is all based on a simple psychological principle, ?as you think, so you become.?

If you someone tells you ?You?re stupid,? that?s of course a bad insult and will hurt you. However if you start to think ?I am stupid,? and keep repeating this phrase over and over, then that is far worse. When someone tells you that you are stupid, then this is a negative outer-suggestion. When you start to think about it, then you are giving yourself, a negative auto-suggestion. If you keep thinking in a negative way, then your personal development will be harmed.

Meditation mantras have a positive meaning. They remind you that your true nature is something great: pure consciousness and boundless love. If you start to think about the best part of your being, you will begin to have more confidence in yourself and this will become apparent in your actions.

However, many people have read philosophical, spiritual or self-help books explaining these ideas, and yet they never realize these great truths in their everyday reality. It is not enough to just think about a good idea once, and then close the book. You need to think in a concentrated and systematic manner over a period of time in order to get results.

Meditation mantras have a special quality that helps in the task of concentrated, positive thinking: their very vibration has the capacity to concentrate and focus your mind. Some sounds, such as power drill breaking a pavement, can upset you greatly, while other sounds, like soothing music, can transport you to another world.

The syllables and words used in meditation mantras have been chosen according their sonic capacity, and they greatly aid the task of concentration and contemplation, as well as carrying a positive meaning.

In order to get the benefits from mantra meditation, you need to meditate regularly with a mantra that has a positive meaning and the capacity to help you concentrate. You need to do it on a regular basis, sitting silently two times a day for a period of 10 to 30 minutes.

It sounds easy, but the common experience of most people is that as you sit and try to think about one word or one phrase, your mind is quickly filled with many other thoughts; thoughts about work, financial problems, disputes with people and all kinds of other matters. When this happens, and it certainly will, then you have to bring your mind back to the mantra. Meditation is a process where you concentrate on the mantra and its meaning for as long as you can, and when you mind wanders, you bring it back.

Keep doing it, and you will attain an improved capacity to concentrate and deep inner peace.

It may still sound too good to be true, and some intellectuals scoff at the alleged power of a mantra. Once, a renowned Indian yogi came to America and delivered many lectures on this subject. In one of the lectures he was challenged by someone in the audience who said that it was not possible for a single word to deliver the results that the yogi promised. The yogi turned to the man, who was a distinguished professor and said ?You fool!?

The professor turned red, and began to shout at the yogi, who calmly watched the professor unwind.

The yogi then addressed the professor and said: ?Now can you understand the power of a single word? All I did was utter the word ?fool? and your behavior was changed in an instant!

Dada Vedaprajinananda has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for the past 35 years. He is the webmaster of the Ananda Marga meditation society?s website, and is the author of Start Meditation, Stop Smoking and Yoga Weight Loss Secrets

Value Music Before Theory and Gain a Piano Learning Excellence Experience
Piano is an instrument that almost anybody can learn to play by simply playing by ear and produce some music. Achieving piano learning excellence is not something that just anybody can obtain. It starts acquiring a value for music before music theory; by planting the seed for future interest about the instrument; by recognizing the feeling and desire that awakes in one's soul to know more. This feeling that becomes so strong and helps you, pushes you to become the best you can be, not better than others, but the best you can be.

It is said that "In music, a mistake is a mistake; the instrument is in tune or not, the notes are well played or not.... It is only by much hard work that a successful performance is possible. Music performance teaches and helps young people to conquer fear and to take risks. When the value of Music takes deep roots in a person, it will be with him/her forever.

Through study and continuous practice and love for music, students learn the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence and the concrete rewards of hard work. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with music and piano learning activities now days. Technology is much more accessible now making it possible and affordable for anybody to study music than ever before.

Music is a peaceful manner and a means to achieve self-expression. It is a universal language that geographical boundaries that cannot contain, and it is automatically understood and felt in specific ways for anybody that is around it. Music study develops skills that are necessary in the workplace. It focuses on "doing," as opposed to observing, and teaches students how to perform, literally, anywhere in the world.

Music stretches one's imagination and helps us achieve greater things in life, but mostly builds nice memories now and for the future. You want to enjoy a great moments for life? Learn to play the piano.

Jesse Fisher enjoys writing about interesting new developments in the music education world. Learn more about valuing music before theory to help you more in all your goals and educational pursuits.

Methods Of Divination And "Seeing" The Future
Learning to do Divination may take a little more practice for some people than others, but it can save you from many of the pitfalls of life. However, some people have a more natural affinity for it and can begin to "see future events" much easier than others.

Alsoi, it is important to remember that the visions will not always be crystal clear - you may have to learn how to interpret what you see in your divinations. Any additional materials you need can be acquired from any wicca supplies shop on the Internet (or in your local area).

Now then, here are a few different types of divination that you can begin to practice now - and a description of each.

Square of Mercury - This is a cabalistic form of divination. It is usually used as a base for other forms of divination. It draws the power of Mercury, the Great Diviner into strengthen and better unfold future events.

Scrying/Crystal Balls/Magick Mirrors - These are general focus tools used to see into the future. Sometimes full images and scenes will play themselves out in the depths of the reflections. Sometimes you will only see symbols. Other times it may be a fog or clouds that move one way or another in answer to your questions.

Necromancy - This is a form of divination used to communicate with spirits of the dead, and must not be entered into lightly. The spirits of the dead are said to have answers to past and future, because the have pierced the veil of living in linear time and have the ability to see all things at all times.

Bibliomancy - This is a form of divination where you take a Bible (but any other book or tome of wisdom may suffice), ask your question, open the book at random and start reading where your eyes fall on the pages to receive your answer. Another method is to take a needle and open the book, pinpointing the place where you should begin reading for your answer.

Auguries - Simply put, the signs of nature and other happenings around you. This was the method employed by many of the ancient shamans. A question is asked and then they waited to see what symbols appeared in nature, which way the clouds moved, or the birds flew. These were all ways that they determined the answer to their questions, and gauged what was to unfold for the future.

Ouija Board - I wanted to add this in here, because so many people have played with Ouija boards as a game to ask questions of the spirits. It is a method of finding out answers for the past, present, and future. As with necromancy, must not be undertaken lightly. One thing that people fail to recognize in their “game playing” with the Ouija board, is that you are, essentially, opening a gateway between the worlds to communicate with spirits. I recommend staying away from them. If you feel this is a tool you would like to use, then set your basic circles of protections in place and treat the use of the board with the care and respect that you would with any ritual.
The art of Divination is one of careful practice. You will find an entire section in the Home Academy �" complete with step-by-step divination using pendulums, scrying, Magick mirrors, and more. You’ll be able to see exactly how to use divination to see into the future successfully with the included DVD demonstrations.

Rose has been practicing different forms of Witchcraft for over 27 years. For more information on wicca supplies visit her site The Ask Rose Ariadne Witchcraft Site"

Thinking About Thinking - Part 2 Of 2
Like many of my clients, I am always looking for ways to speed things up - to produce more results with the same or even fewer resources. We probably agree on this. The key is certainly not about working harder; it may not even be about working smarter. But there are definitely ideas which work, and those ideas need to be uncovered. Often you can find them through analytical thinking. In my last article I discussed this: a process of asking deliberate questions, and in a disciplined, even rigorous way, coming up with answers. Asking and answering, that's the analytical thinking process. Do it enough and you will likely come up with something useful.

But there is a whole other process, a "something" that goes on in the mind. Many people call it intuition. Others call it "gut feel," or "tapping the universal spirit." In contrast to rational, linear left-brain thinking, it is sometimes called "right-brain" thinking, synthetic, or holistic thinking. I'm going to call it unconscious thinking. What I mean by this cumbersome phrase is that this kind of ideation is based on removing the linear, rational, questioning, conscious thinker from the equation, and tapping into the results when they come.

How do you do that? Everybody has their favorite way. Several people, responding to my last article's caveat that I was not referring to the thinking that goes on in the shower, wrote that their best ideas occur in the shower. For others, unconscious thinking occurs while driving their car. Or working out in the gym, riding a bike, or jogging. Gardening seems to be a hot spot for hot ideas. And sybarites I know report getting great ideas while being massaged and sipping wine in the hot tub.

Some people put themselves in a trance state via meditation or actively listening to music. Others go into a trance watching TV. I get great ideas when I'm at the movies. (Curiously, it doesn't work while watching a movie on videotape -- I think the level of concentration is too low -- which may be a key to the way these processes work. For the car people, it only works while driving -- not as a passenger. The logic behind this is similar.)

What is this spontaneous generation of unconscious ideas? I must confess that, really, I have no idea. But I do know how to make it happen. Spontaneously. The key is to loosen the grip of consciousness on the mind, and get the logical, linear, Q&A thinking process out of the way.

Spontaneous generation comes in two basic flavors --fortuitous and deliberate, both of them "unconscious". An example of the fortuitous kind is what happens when you are driving your car, and an incredibly useful thought just "comes" to you. If you are not prepared, you are likely to lose it as quickly as it came. On the other hand, if you keep a voice recorder or notepad handy, you can capture this potential gem. Plus, being prepared to capture these "fortuitous" intuitive pearls, seems to be a very important part of having them more often.

An example of the deliberate version is when, upon retiring for the evening, you tell yourself (with feeling and conviction) you want to dream the solution to a particular problem. If you get lucky (back to fortuitous), you will. If you do this repeatedly -- program yourself with a problem -- you will start to dream solutions regularly.

Analytical types may scoff at this "telling yourself" bit. But recent research in cognitive science indicates a possible model for the mind as a series of unconnected agents, each with its own limited function set. Some of these agents may be linked by well-worn pathways. Others, however, have never communicated, and as yet have no way to do so. "Telling yourself" what you want to think about has the effect of sending a broadcast signal throughout the agent population, which may enlist them in your unconscious thinking process.

Whether by happenstance or intention, the available techniques, if you can call taking a shower a technique, are interchangeable. The only difference is whether you set out to generate a specific idea or whether random ideas comes unbidden.

Two habits will make unconscious thinking work more effectively for you. First, prepare your environment to capture ideas as they come. I put 3x5 note cards and pens everywhere -- in my car, my night-table, the medicine cabinet, next to my favorite reading chair, my suit pockets, gym bag, even my under-the-seat bike storage pocket -- just about everywhere I am, I can find a note card. Plus, I carry a voice recorder in my briefcase. The new one has a digital interface to my computer and transcribes notes automatically.

The second habit is to deliberately plant seeds of ideas in my unconscious mind. I regularly "re-mind" myself of the areas where I could use a creative flash. For instance, if I am working on a book chapter or an article, or if I need a new solution for a client's business problem, I put that into my mental hopper and let it sit. Often ideas come to me, and if I am prepared to capture them -- voila!

So -- what are some ways to stimulate unconscious thinking?

We've mentioned a number already. One way to stimulate unconscious thinking is to engage in physical exercise. Jogging, swimming, biking, hiking, weight-lifting -- all of these activities are great for idea generation. The key is they are all sort of mindless - not requiring much detailed thought. This may seem paradoxical -- if you are trying to shut down your conscious mind, wouldn't you want to distract it with a conscious thought process? No -- it seems you want to have the opposite effect-- you want to lull the conscious questioning thinker to sleep, and simple repetitive physical work seems to do that. Likewise, playing a rhythm instrument like drums or bass, or any sort of rhythmic chanting or dancing, will produce a similar result.

These activities, along with morning showers, afternoon massages, and evening hot tubs, may be considered strange in the corporate setting (except in California.) Here are some more corporately flavored, "structured" ways to generate unconscious thinking.

Mind mapping is an excellent technique for tapping the unconscious. Tony Buzan, the inventor of mind mapping, has a book called The Mind Map Book which details this technique. Mind mapping seems to unlock certain expressive mechanisms not available by writing. Drawing representations of your problems and possible solutions, however crudely, also works well. For truly graphically challenged, try collages made from cutout images. Sometimes just flipping though magazines will stimulate ideas. Get a big stack of publications -- ones with good pictures -- and start flipping.

There are activities which you can do in groups. You can play word association games. The game will usually have a context -- the idea you'd like to explore. Start with a list of words which relate to your central idea, and free associate. Speed matters in this process, so record these games on audio tape. Another version is to use one of those magnetic poetry kits. Give people the kits and let them go to work. Also, you can mind-map in groups. Or gather a bunch of great images on a projector and let your group play off them.

I mentioned this in my last article: you can use structured information sources in an unstructured way. Use the Oxford English Dictionary (really any dictionary will do, the OED just seems better.) Pick words at random and establish connections with your central ideas. Or use a Tarot deck, or the Taoist I-Ching. You used to be able to do this with fortune cookies but the message quality has gone downhill. Pick a passage from your favorite inspirational literature such as the Bible or Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and invent a connection to your central idea -- see what new things come up.

Try attending a seminar when you need new ideas. The seminar need not even be on the subject of concern. Just being in the seminar room, removed from your controlled environment, can cause your conscious mind to let go a little -- just enough for spontaneous ideas to creep to the surface and make themselves available. And for those of you who don't - read some books. On anything. Reading books always stimulates random thinking if you let it. Remember to keep note cards and pens handy.

Bring in outside speakers or consultants to spout off their ideas. (I know this might seem like a shameless plug.) Or cross-over people from departments who normally don't work together. That always gets the juices flowing. Take these mixed-up groups and do any of the above.

Try game playing -- simple things like checkers, go fish, touch-tackle football, Lego, plastic model building, even pickup sticks. Even home or office renovation work, which is simply another game to play. Try something community minded -a neighborhood cleanup program: lots of sweeping, lawn mowing, and trash pickup. All of these "games" distract the conscious mind. Do a session, gather everyone together, and ask what ideas came up. They will.

Do you get the idea? Do you have any other ideas?

Here then are your first two assignments. One: Make a mind map of all the ways you currently do this. Two: Focus your intention on developing some new unconscious processes. Walk around for a few days with this thought deep in the back of your mind. See what you come up with during the week.

The steps are:

Identify the area in which you want new ideas.

Create a diversion for your conscious mind. Lull it to sleep using any of the above methods, or one of your own.

Keep handy a way to record your ideas. This is critical. Use a pocket recorder or note cards. It's a good idea to always carry one or the other.

Take your unconsciously generated ideas seriously. Pay attention to them: you may not use every idea, but at least evaluate it. Your unconscious mind likes that and you'll get more.

Business Coach, Paul Lemberg is the President of Quantum Growth Coaching, the world's only fully systemized business coaching program designed to rapidly create More Profits and More Life? for entrepreneurs.

A Midsummer Wicca Sabbat
Celebrating the Sabbats is extremely important for any Witch. It is important to "recharge" your Magick batteries throughout the year, and that is one of the purposes for Sabbats. Sabbats are a time to relax and take a break from your Magick work.

Your energy can be depleted throughout the year, and you need to relax. Eat good food, spend time with friends, and enjoy all that life has to offer. Don't focus on spells - but focus on celebrating nature, the Goddess, and the Sabbat on hand...

Here is a simple way to celebrate the Midsummer Sabbat - as an example...

Call upon the God and Goddess to come into your circle, bringing with them the blessings of Divine Spirit.

Take the time now to connect with the God and Goddess. Contemplate on the meanings that Midsummer holds. It is a time for love, healing, protection, and purification. It is a time for the Earth to ripen from the seeds first sewn and coming to life past the energies of Spring. See these life forms growing. Send your blessings to their form, as though an unborn child about to burst forth from the womb.

Take time to think about the full season, the blossoming of the Earth energies, and the power that we receive from our connection to her. Contemplate the joys and blessings of your own life, and share it with her. Send the love and warmth that you feel into the ground beneath your body.

When you are done communing with the energy of the Earth Mother, and sharing her blessings and yours, then thank her for her patience in your growth. Send to her the love that you feel as her caretaker. Ask her if there is anything that you can do for her during this coming season that will offer enrichment to her existence. Listen carefully and follow through with anything she may ask of you.

When you have spoken again to the Earth Mother and have heard her words, it is time to come back to your physical state of awareness. Ground yourself and any excess energy into the Earth beneath you. If you want, have a light snack of raw fruit to help ground, and to honor the bounty of the Earth that is to come. Thank the Spirits and the deities that you have called to your circle and ask them to depart, and then close your circle. When you leave your circle, give thanks again for connecting to the God and Goddess, and the Earth, on this honored occasion.

As you can see, the Sabbats do not have to be celebrated in full ritual format, but they can be as simple or complicated as you make them.

Rose has been practicing different forms of Witchcraft for over 27 years. For more information on wiccan holidays visit her site The Ask Rose Ariadne Witchcraft Site"