A Day in the Life of a Meditator

Now is the time to meditate. I sit in my favorite lotus posture and begin to calm my body and mind. Just as I start to relax, the phone rings. Darn! I answer the phone and some guy tries to sell me life insurance. I tell him; no thank you and hang up the phone. So, I return to my meditation position. Just as I begin to settle down, I hear a knocking at my front door! I get up and go to the door. Someone has just left a flyer at my doorstep. As I walk back to my meditation space, the phone rings again. It is my brother. I tell him I will call him back. This time I pull the cord off the phone. Jesus, all these interruptions! I again resume my meditation posture. Now I am a bit agitated and I have to concentrate on calming my mind. I begin to watch my breathing and after a few minutes, start my meditation practice(mantra). Thoughts arise in my consciousness like little bubbles vying for my attention. One thought concerns a problem at work. I spend (what seems like an eternity) engaging in a daydream-like panorama of dealing with the problem at work. It seems a coworker is unhappy with how I have been treating her. She came to me with a problem on one of her cases. I helped her the best I could and she kept asking for more direction. I told her to visit me and I would gladly........Oh, then I remember; I am meditating, the bubble of my daydream panorama bursts. I resume my meditative practice once again. Then, suddenly, I have to sneeze! I firmly hold my nose so I don't sneeze. That would totally blow away my meditative state. But, of course I sneeze all over the place. I get up and grab some tissue. Once again, I return to my lotus posture. I resume my meditative practice. My breathing begins to slow down and my mind is calm. I am determined to go deeper in my meditation and let all my concerns go. Deeper and deeper. My mind is quiet now. I am feeling at peace. A feeling of joy begins to pervade my being and I become light, like the air. A glow begins to radiate near the top of my head (Sahasara chakra) and with my inner eye, I can see an inner light. Little dances of ecstacy begin to permeate my consciousness. I am feeling happy and content inside. Peace. Then something tells me it is time to end my meditation. I reverse the meditation process and begin to awake, saying a prayer of thanks to the Universal Spirit.

Chakras and The Caduceus

Hermes’ staff of life, called the “Caduceus” is an external representation of the internal energy pathways and their intersections at certain centers called “chakras”. Chakra means “wheels of energy”. These energy centers are symbolized on the caduceus by the crisscrossing of the serpents along Hermes’ staff. The Caduceus is a Hermetic symbol that can now be seen in most medical facilities and physician offices. It has become the symbol of the medical profession, which interestingly enough is a profession with an emphasis on healing or making one whole. It is also interesting that not many physicians are aware of the ancient Hermetic practice from whence this symbol has its’ origin. Now each chakra has a certain vibratory rate which has certain physical, psychological and spiritual correspondences. A good analogy would be a musical instrument whose strings vibrate quickly to produce high notes and vibrate more slowly to produce deeper notes. Similarly each chakra has its own vibratory rate with the lower chakras vibrating at a lower frequency and the higher chakras vibrating at a higher frequency. Each chakra also corresponds to a specific spiritual quality and are referred to as “tattwas”, “siddhis” or “elements”. The element describes the quality of the frequency of energy at each chakra. The lower chakras are associated with the principles of earth, water, fire and air. They are sometimes called the “Quaternary” or “Tetragrammaton” in Hermetic literature. The higher chakras make up the more refined spiritual levels of the etheric principle and are referred to as the “Trinity”. We are basically a synthesis of the Quaternary and Trinity which can be seen as the embodiment of matter and spirit or body and soul.

It is important to remember from a mystical standpoint that all manifestation is basically the life force working at different rates of vibration and that the difference between one element and the next is ultimately its specific frequency of vibration. A rock vibrates at one frequency and a flower at another frequency. Consciousness can vibrate at the lower frequency of physical manifestation or it can vibrate at higher frequencies of spiritual realities. Matter and spirit, body and soul are not really two completely different natures but rather different vibrations of the One life force. In order to experience higher levels of consciousness, it is helpful to learn the nature and energy of each chakra and use it as a “Jacobs ladder” to spiritual development.

“And Jacob lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows and lay down in that place to sleep.”
“and he dreamed, and beheld a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”
Gen. 28:11-12.


“Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God”

Rev. 4:5

Looking closely at the Caduceus, we see two intertwining serpents crisscrossing each other at certain points called the “chakras”. The serpents themselves represent the two major energy channels along the spine called the “ida” and “pingala”. The pingala channel is associated with the right side of the body along with the right nostril of the nose. The subtle energy flow of the pingala channel is warm, active and stimulates the metabolic processes. It is symbolized by the nature of the sun and is primarily yang or positive. The ida channel is cool and passive; it has a relaxing, calming effect on the metabolic processes. It is symbolized by the nature of the moon and is yin or negative.

The ida and pingala energy channels influence the activity of each chakra; causing certain chakras to act more predominately thereby producing certain physical and emotion effects. Our entire metabolic system is constantly in a state of change as our energy fluctuates between the ida and pingala channels. During certain periods we tend to be more active and the pingala channel will be dominating and then other time we are more relaxed and the ida channel will be active. There are many Hatha yogic practices that help to balance the ida and pingala energy flow by certain breathing or pranayama exercises. When the ida and pingala energy flow is balanced, then the internal energy flows through the central channel called the “sushumna”. When the energy flow is balanced, the sushumna channel becomes active and there is a sense of tranquility and peace. It is through the sushmuna channel that one practices the mantra meditations to experience higher levels of consciousness.

The sushmuna channel flows up the spinal column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Located along the spinal column are the seven different chakras. The “mystery of the seven stars” and the ‘song of the seven seas” are metaphors that refer to the seven chakras. Associated with each of the chakras are certain mantra seed syllables. Each mantra seed syllable has a specific vibration, color, sound and form that opens the door to each chakra allowing the transfer of energy to experience higher levels of consciousness.

Tao of Meditation

Look, it cannot be seen.

Grasped, it cannot be felt

Listening, it cannot be heard.

Seek beyond the senses to the Tao.

This is the way of the Tao and Meditation.

What on earth does this mean? It all sounds very paradoxical. Look, it cannot be seen? What's up with that. Either you see it or you don't, right! Well, no. Tao points to the fact that everything is an illusion on this plane or plane-it. What it means is that you cannot trust your five senses to tell you what is real. And that there is a reality that underlies everything beyond the senses. How do you get beyond the senses? By not paying attention to them! Which takes practice. It takes practice because everything we have been taught is all biased. Biased by culture, philosophy, religion, politics, education, sociology and our belief systems. There is nothing wrong with learning about these things, but it does not get you any closer to truth or wisdom. Our world is constantly directing us away from this, through the lastest news and current poop. While we race around in circles, moving through the universe at break-neck speeds. The Truth sits quietly in the center at perfect peace and harmony. And will always do so!

The Way of Heaven and Earth

There are many different types of meditation schools out there today as well as many different styles of meditation. How do you find what is right for you? I know many people that dabble with the latest meditation craze and they never get very far. It is important to find a meditation technique, style or way of life that suits you and stick with it. It takes time and practice to acheive results from meditation. Most people do not want to take the time and that is why so few people meditate. They would rather watch TV. We are part of the Pepsi generation and are hooked on activity. We need to keep our minds preoccupied with all the flotsum and jetsum that is happening in the cosmos. If we could just take a moment from our busy world to look within. Oh, what an outstanding difference that could make on this planet!

I can't tell you what mediation practice is best for you. Let your intuition guide you. I can tell you that it will make a profound impact on your life. My intuition revealed that it is important to remember that Heaven is above and Earth is below. When you meditate, one should circulate the breath and attention between Heaven and Earth, letting the breath flow upwards to Heaven and back down to the Earth. In our daily lives, we do just the opposite. We are constantly bringing down the creative energy from Heaven and utilizing them in our everyday world. There is nothing wrong with this, as it is the Way of the World. But we also need to be balanced and realize the Way of Heaven. That is meditation. Learning how to be nourished by the Eternal Spirit.

Joy of Meditation

It is amazing to me the amount of people that know about meditation, but how few actually do it. I have many friends that practice yoga, but have never tried meditation. They have no idea what they are missing! The popular notion of meditation is that it is helpful for finding peace and tranquility. And it certainly is. But it is so much more! There is a joy and bliss in meditation that not too many people have experienced or understand.

I began meditating when I was about twenty years old. I was first inspired to meditate after reading a book by Ram Dass called, Be Here Now. The book really made be reflect upon my life and the values that I held. It sparked the beginning of my spiritual awareness. I started practicing a very basic meditation, which consisted of simple breathing awareness techniques. I practiced daily and after several months, I began to experience this state of “lightness”. My entire body would begin to feel “light”, like it wanted to float, and with it; I would experience a feeling of joy. It was not quite a feeling of ecstasy, but more an overall feeling of well-being. And the interesting thing was that after my mediation, the feeling of joy would linger as I began my daily activities. I was very moved by these joyful feelings arising from my meditation, and would talk about it with my friends. Most of my friends knew about meditation, but had never practiced it. They pretty much thought it was just a mental exercise to bring about relaxation. Some of them had tried to practice meditation, but became discouraged when they could not slow down their thought processes. So they usually gave up quickly. I thought that it was sad as they were not willing to make the effort at regular practice and wanted instant results.

Meditation does take time, effort and practice. And so do most things that are worthwhile on this planet. But if you hang in there, it is amazing the amount of joy and peace that meditation brings. Meditation is not just sitting there with nothing going on upstairs. It is not boring! But you have to get pass the normal ebb and flow of the thought processes, before things begin to happen.

In my next blog, I will review some different meditative techniques for people to practice at home that can bring more joy and peace into your life.

How to find peace in a crazy world.

Life can be such a bitch! You know those days when everything seems to go wrong. The alarm doesn't go off and your late for work. The car gets stuck and you miss an appointment. The computer won't work.., oh don't get me started on computers, there are times, I just want to throw it out the window! God, there are just so many frustrations in our day to day world. How do we find peace in the midst of it all? It's very easy to say, "Oh, just don't let it bother you." But when it bothers you, it bothers you! How do you let things not bother you? Well, let me say it is not easy. I have been meditating most of my life and I do find peace during meditation. But when certain events happen or specific astrological aspects take place, sometimes my peace of mind goes right out the window. The Universe knows exactly what buttons to press to drive me crazy. You would think I would know better by now, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

So what do you do? How do you find peace in this crazy world. Well what do the wise men and women say? Please stay tuned.