We must be clear that meditation is an altered state of consciousness. It is not a method of making our normal consciousness feel better. “You don’t have the meditation because… you want to feel better, but tune in to infinity!” We must put aside our normal, everyday selves and allow our deepest spiritual selves to tune into the Infinite. This is perhaps the most fundamental and yet the most difficult requirement of meditation. But it can be done. The body, mind and soul are interconnected in such a way that certain actions will automatically lead to “magical silence” and the awakening of our best selves.
Actions leading inward
We have two nervous systems. One (the Central Nervous System) we use mainly for our outer life, to act consciously in the physical. The other (the Autonomic) governs those functions such as respiration and digestion that are attended to without our conscious participation.
What do these two nervous systems have to do with successful meditation? When we quiet the external system and do something to stimulate the internal system, we are letting go of our external selves and activating our souls. For example, let’s sit down and stop using our musculoskeletal systems. Let’s reduce our sensory perception by closing our five senses: let’s close our eyes, let’s stop touching, listening, smelling and tasting. This quiets the outer system and the outer self. Now, let’s take over some part of the internal system that the soul is in charge of and alter it. The most popular is breathing. The autonomic system, under the control of the subconscious mind and soul, is in charge of the breath and is directly connected to it. If we begin to change the breath, we make the soul and the subconscious mind alert to the changes. This is an action that leads from our outer self to our inner self and ultimately to an altered state of consciousness.
Physical changes
We now know from research done in the 1970’s with TM meditators and others that the body goes through many changes during meditation. As researchers Wallace and Benson discovered, meditation causes measurable physical changes. “There is a reduction in oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide elimination, and the rate and volume of respiration; a slight increase in the acidity of the arterial blood; a marked decrease in the blood lactate level; a decrease of heartbeat; a marked increase in skin resistance; and an electroencephalogram pattern of enhancement of slow alpha waves with occasional theta wave activity” (Wallace & Benson, 1973, p. 266).
Reading 5752-3 expands on the wonderful changes: “Meditate…on the inner secrets of consciousness, and the cells of the body will realize the awakening of life…”. According to the readings, every cell in the body has consciousness, and that consciousness can increase or decrease. The reading continues: “In the mind, the cells of the mind become aware of life in the spirit.” The cells of the mind, life in the spirit? Interesting concepts, right? “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must do so in spirit…”. So if the elevation of consciousness leads to the perception of “life in the spirit”, it leads to life with God, the Great Spirit. The wonderful thing about this whole process is that we activate it by entering the magical silence.
the magical silence
For those of you who are just starting out with meditation or have always had trouble meditating, let me take a moment to describe this very simple yet effective way to meditate. Then, as you progress, you can move on to Kundalini Meditation. The Magic Silence method is a simple yet powerful way for anyone to get into meditation, especially beginners and those who have difficulty meditating.
Using a combination of an affirmation and a mantra, coordinated with our breath, we can enter the magical silence. Let’s use a modification of a line from Psalm 46, “Be still and know God.” To be fully successful with this affirmation/mantra, we not only need the power of words, we also need to control the breath and create a breathing pattern that awakens the soul. It works like this: “Be still” [inhale slowly while feeling the word “still” and then exhale slowly] and “Know GOD” [inhale slowly while feeling the word “God” and then exhale slowly]. Once you begin to “feel” the reality of these words “Stilling” and “God”, let the breath become automatic and stay in the feeling. If something distracts you or you feel like you want to go deeper into the words, repeat the deep inhalation and exhalation as you say the phrases. Keep your breath relaxed but under your control.
If you are in the “stillness” or “Divineness” between sentences, remain in it as long as your awareness remains there, breathing smoothly and evenly. If your awareness wanders, bring it back by saying (in your mind) one of the phrases and re-engaging in the cycle of deep inhalation and exhalation.
The periods of silence while feeling the power of the essence of these words and their meaning are the most important parts of this practice. The phrases gather and direct consciousness, and the spaces of silence are golden, or as the readings say, “magical.” So as long as you are silent and still, stay there; don’t feel the need to go on to the next sentence or keep repeating the sentences. Remain in mighty stillness and piety.
This method of combining an affirmation/mantra with the breath will bring even the weakest meditator into deep stillness and a heightened sense of Divinity.
To go deeper, add three “OM”s to the end of the last sentence: “Be still.” [feel and breathe]and meet GOD [feel and breathe]OOOMMMM [feel and breathe] OOOMMMM [feel and breathe] OOOMMMM [feel and breathe]. This can be out loud at first and then quietly in your mind as you go deeper. When you chant the OM spell out loud, remember that the true chant is an internal sound, not an external chant. (You can hear what this inner resonance sounds like on my “Meditation Tips” audiotape.) Keep the sound resonating within the cavities of your body. Starting with the abdominal cavity, moving up to the lung cavity and then to the cranial cavity, let the sound take you deeper.
I have taught this method to people who have never meditated before, held them in deep silence for twenty minutes, and watched them come out with that wonderful sparkle in their eyes that comes from an altered state. His outer self is touched, but he is not sure exactly what has happened. But they know they just meditated well. I have also had people who had tried meditation for years with little success come out of one of these sessions with the biggest smiles on their faces: victory at last!
Keys of this method
There are three keys to this method. First, the power of the words “yet” and “God,” and their effect on us. Second, the connection between the breath and the soul, which allows us to awaken our souls by taking the pattern of breathing. Third, the spaces of silence between the words while breathing. These spaces get longer and longer as one practices. Eventually, an hour of meditation is easy (and recommended in the readings). According to the readings and many other sources, silence is itself transformative. One does not need to “do” or “hear” anything when in meditation. Be silent and it will work its magic.
Now I would like us to take a look at another area of the picture of total meditation. I would not recommend moving on to the next practice (kundalini meditation) until you have practiced the Magical Silence method very successfully and feel that you are ready to go deeper. As with medicine, so too with meditation: one person’s poison may be another’s cure, and activities that may be harmful at one stage of life may be very helpful at another. You must judge what is best for you now and continue to evaluate your preparation as you go.
It may seem counterintuitive to say that silence is itself transformative and then describe another form of meditation in which inner activities are used for further transformation, but such is the case with the Cayce readings and other sources. The explanation for this is that the multiple nature of full enlightenment and transformation is such that contradiction and paradox are elements of any method. After all, we are dealing with celestial beings in earthly forms, spirits in flesh, gods who are also human, eternal beings in temporal manifestations. Paradox and contradiction are bound to be part of any process that attempts to resolve or integrate them.
Also, as we progress in our development, we naturally become more capable of handling complexity and intricacy. We become more aware of and participate in the many aspects of Deity, Universal Consciousness, in all its diversity.
