Bad experience after Chakra Meditation.

Originally posted by nine-eyed-eel
reply to post by Uniceft17

 

...remember the better you become, the worse things around you can appear by comparison...

Yeah, and too much of that and you could end up angry at the world like me.

...you can't expect to function at a higher level than previously and love the same things you loved before in exactly the same way...Oh wait, here's the proverb GROWTH IS BETRAYAL...

The path of social advancement is, and must be, strewn with broken friendships. - H.G. Wells

Meditation Murders Creativity

You are probably deeply attached to the music you listen to (I could have guessed the style of it from your avatar, by the way). Perhaps you play or write music yourself?

Well, if you do - or if you do anything creative, like paint, write, sculpt or make animated movies for the internet - I advise you to lay off the meditation immediately.

Meditation is just another way of monkeying with your brain, like drugs, and unlike drugs (which, for a short time, at least, enhance it), meditation murders creativity.

I am, by the way, perfectly serious.

So i just did some more meditation, I was working on my root chakra, I visualized Red energy pouring from the sky like a water fall into my root chakra, I felt a tingly sensation at the tip of my spine, it was kind of distracting, and it felt like it wanted to spin but it didn't, like it was a gear that was rusted and stuck trying to move, it would spin 1/4 of the way and then stopped, I kept on trying to spin it but no luck, so I move up to my second chakra and started hearing noises like footsteps (This is normal for my house) So I immediately came to and posted this. I will post more updates as soon as they come.

Right now i'm feel like utter bliss, I feel like writing on that novel that I never started. I think this has to do with the grounding technique that i'm doing before every meditation that i read about on ats, I visualize roots of white light growing from my the soles of my feet into the Earth untill I feel safe and secure, Very effective and I recommend to anyone. Lol.

Peace!

[edit on 2/3/2009 by Uniceft17]

[edit on 2/3/2009 by Uniceft17]

Sorry i haven't read the entire thread, but i've done a bit of chakra meditation as well, and what I recommend is not to use white light too often as it depletes the natural chakra colours emited by the gangloins (nerve bundles that emit the chakra colours)....

Mediums who see chakras usually see white around people who are about to pass away.

Also if you want to ground yourself, use brown from groin downwards....

Laying on grass is good for grounding, and even have a cigarette, but don't start if you don't smoke already.....

All the best in your efforts

reply to post by Astyanax


I'm sorry, I have to completely disagree with this....for me it worked in totally the opposite direction, and when I started to meditate more, my creativity opened up like I couldn't have believed, and now it's almost always just there, and it's like turing on a tap. It's might be useful to remember that everyone responds to meditation slightly differently, and your results might not be his results.

Cait

Why is it bad to go to sleep after a meditation session? I did Chakra meditation for the first time the other night and felt so relaxed that I fell asleep about 15 min after. Just want to know what the negative effects are, thanks.

Ok, a few people have been asking about the falling asleep thing, so here's my take on it.

If you're doing a meditation specifically to help you sleep, then of course it's fine to drift off, as you won't have been doing any intense chakra or subtle body work, but working more on quieting the mind and relaxing the body.

However, when you've been doing intense meditation, perhaps working on chakras, it's very easy to leave a routine unfinished, and not close chakras, or ground yourself properly, simply because you're too sleepy and comfortable, and it feels kinda good. This will cause you problems with oversensitivity, hyper awareness, which isn't always good, and physical feelings of lightheadedness, tiredness, possibly nausea, and will leave you very susceptible to picking up unwanted energy that you j ust don't want. The dreamstate particularly makes us very vulnerable.

Grounding properly, and protection visualisations are the two absolute basics that you must be able to do thoroughly, and they are *so* easy to master. Chakra left wide open and too sensitive is just asking for trouble. Have a listen to the meditations on my signature, and although they might not be quite your thing, they will all give you some idea of the techniques and visualisations you need, and should be doing in every meditation session. Any queries, let me know.

Cait

reply to post by Astyanax

Well, if you do - or if you do anything creative, like paint, write, sculpt or make animated movies for the internet - I advise you to lay off the meditation immediately.

Meditation is just another way of monkeying with your brain, like drugs, and unlike drugs (which, for a short time, at least, enhance it), meditation murders creativity.

I am, by the way, perfectly serious.

I'm sure you can imagine my concern :-)

I'm not sure I've ever actually meditated for real - because I'm pretty sure I'm over thinking the whole thing

either that - or I walk around in a sort of altered state most of the time anyway - and maybe wouldn't be able to notice the difference

but - since creativity is pretty much all I've got - would really like to hear more details - what does it mess up exactly?

reply to post by caitlinfae

I'm not talking about my personal experience: I wouldn't touch an asana with a vajra, if you catch my drift. I'm talking about the ruin I've seen meditation wreak on the abilities of several gifted acquaintances - and I've seen, as we all have, the rafts and reams of kitsch calling itself art that one sees all over the place, particularly on the internet. Real art is something very different, and it is the only kind worth bothering about - the poetry and pottery and sundry potterings of hobbyists and sentimentalists seeking to 'express themselves' is not art.

Art is born from passion, discontent and anguish. Artists are people who see and feel the world keenly and respond to it intellectually and emotionally. Art is all about remaking the world, even if only by forcing others to confront it and respond emotionally themselves. This can only be achieved with lashings of emotional energy and ego. Aggression and sexual display are important components of it, which is why the troubles, discontent and maladjustment of artists are essential to what they do.

The spurious bliss of meditation is death to art.

[edit on 3-2-2009 by Astyanax]

Hell's teeth Astyanax....are you having a bad day? I couldn't disagree more...

Art is whatever we perceive it to be, and what works for one and makes them happy, doesn't have to work for everyone, or even anyone else. True art does not have to be miserable and tortured...art can and does come from bliss. Perhaps it's just your art that has to suffer, and that's fine, but don't make such huge assumptions about the rest of us.

I have to say that this is the first time ever I have heard someone say that meditation is bad for the creative process. EVER! And I have been doing meditation for a long time.

Art and meditation are curiously singular, individual journeys, and the practices laid down as "rules", are merely recommendations for habits that have been found to work well for many other people. It should be explored and played with on an individual basis.

I would also add that your comment earlier about drugs and how they affect the brain could be considered to be just a short step from endorsement, by someone in a nitpicking kinda mood. I'm sure that's not what you were saying though...right?



[edit on 3-2-2009 by caitlinfae]

reply to post by Astyanax

Art is born from passion, discontent and anguish.

this just makes me want to pat you on the head - and I would if I thought I wouldn't lose a hand :-)

but - I can't disagree - not really

I could to some degree - but I'm sleep deprived and not up to putting words together in a way that would make any sense

the thing is - the only time I've ever done something that I've thought was worthwhile - came out of abject misery

so... :-)

...This can only be achieved with lashings of emotional energy and ego...

this is a recurring theme with me - in the end - is art a good thing?

a compulsion - for sure - but is it worthwhile (I've actually figured that part out - for now)

The spurious bliss of meditation is death to art.

just so it doesn't get too far off track from the OP - I see this up to a point - because tranquility and balance does lesson the need to say something important - would reduce the need to have to be heard

Real art is something very different, and it is the only kind worth bothering about - the poetry and pottery and sundry potterings of hobbyists and sentimentalists seeking to 'express themselves' is not art.

don't agree with this entirely - because real art is what it is to you - or me - or whoever

good thing for another discussion though - what is real art?

would still be interested in more specifics concerning what effect the actual act of meditating has on creativity

reply to post by caitlinfae

I'm sorry, I have to completely disagree with this....for me it worked in totally the opposite direction, and when I started to meditate more, my creativity opened up like I couldn't have believed, and now it's almost always just there, and it's like turing on a tap.

see - this is what I'm wondering

so, you noticed a definite difference in your work - a difference you could see and feel from work you did before you meditated - and after?

and was it positively affected in productivity - access to your creativity - AND the quality of your work (in your own opinion - I know how many directions that one can go)?

because - I see a difference between the craft of art - and the impetus for art

I could see how meditation would help me with the craft end - but maybe kill the drive

but - as always - we are all different - so, maybe that is just me

our goals are all different - and as you've mentioned - what art is is a hard thing to pin down

reply to post by Spiramirabilis

would still be interested in more specifics concerning what effect the actual act of meditating has on creativity

Can't help you there, I'm afraid. I have no scientific evidence to quote, just the evidence of my eyes and ears.

I once visited a Buddhist meditation centre on assignment for a travel magazine. The food was ugly and the girls were tasteless. And the other way round, too.

Could we please keep this thread on topic.

Thanks and Peace.

reply to post by Astyanax

I once visited a Buddhist meditation centre on assignment for a travel magazine. The food was ugly and the girls were tasteless. And the other way round, too.

:-)

sir, you are both a cad and a bounder - but, as long as you're happy

Can't help you there, I'm afraid. I have no scientific evidence to quote, just the evidence of my eyes and ears.

so - not really the end of this discussion then

you may as well have told me you just saw Nessie

reply to post by Uniceft17


Uniceft17 - you don't see this as being on topic?

based on your experiences and what Caitlinfae has been saying - not to mention the introduction of an opinion about how it may or may not affect one's art - I'd say it's all on topic

the way it affected you in your sensitivity to music - and how it might affect how one's mind perceives - and also creates - all very interesting

especially to me

meditation is very interesting to me - in general

but when it starts to affect your senses - or your perception of the world - or your approach to your world - even more interesting

Spiramirabilis....

Yes, I noticed a massive difference, not only in the amount of inspiration, but in the range and quality. I found myself doing things I never even considered, and really enjoying the process. For me art is not just a painterly, graphic thing, it can be fragrance or sound or pattern.

Personally I find it less constraining to stop worrying about the "true" definition of art, and just get on with what gives me joy. Meditation is a big part of that process...for me.

Cait

[edit on 3-2-2009 by caitlinfae]

reply to post by caitlinfae

For me art is not just a painterly, graphic thing, it can be fragrance or sound or pattern.

exactly - and color - which can go through different phases of intensity

so - along the lines of the OP - although originally concerned with sound - I notice a difference in how I perceive color

at times it can border on being too intense

I have so many questions about meditation - and can't consider myself knowledgeable - but definitely interested (and trying) for some time now

although I know nothing about Chakra Meditation - what I'm doing I guess is pretty basic

I do often use the term altered state to describe what I'm feeling - and I'm sure that's not what people would prefer

but, I notice a difference - and my senses do seem extra sensitive

sound is one - but for me it's vivid color

reply to post by caitlinfae

For me art is not just a painterly, graphic thing, it can be fragrance or sound or pattern.

Personally I find it less constraining to stop worrying about the "true" definition of art, and just get on with what gives me joy.

Without intent to offend, I would say that these two sentences bear out my case. A fragrance or a sound or a pattern isn't art, it's the raw material thereof; but to one who meditates, unmediated nature and aimless doodling will do. There is no need to take the matter any further, to create anything like real art.

This indolent practice promotes, by degrees, a decline in artistic sensibility to the point where the meditation addict thinks a 'fragrance or sound or pattern' can be art [1], believes he or she can create art without thinking about what art is [2], imagines that making art is possible without constraints [3] and that the purpose of making it is to give the maker joy [4].

A tragically perfect illustration of the inimicality of meditation to art.

FOOTNOTES

1. They can, but only if they are deliberately produced by a human being, exist within a particular context with the intent of conveying meaning (not necessarily intellectual meaning) to other human beings, and realize this intent.

2. Unfortunately, real art requires deep, deep thought, as well as years of feeling and experience, an intent and a programme of means.

3. The constraints are precisely the point. When you make art - real art - you make it in a tradition. What is a tradition but a set of constraints? You must break some to make your art original, but you cannnot break them all, because then no-one will understand or appreciate what you are trying to do. The tension engendered by this conflict is a profound source of the energy and impact of real art.

4. Self-expression is, to the brain, what childbirth and defecation are to the body - a natural function. Art is the attempt to exploit and transcend that function. It may bring pleasure and even joy to the artist but that is not its purpose. Its purpose is to relieve an unbearable internal pressure by expelling the object that causes it.

can you meditate after smoking marajuana?