Meditation question

Hi Guys aprreciate any input...Few questions...First let me say my goal is to be able to astral travel and i have purchased a book just havent read it yet...but had a few specific questions...

1. Is it any better or worse to meditate with or without music? Now i have about 50 minutes of nice medtitation style noises/brain wave sounds...so im wondering to astral travel is it better to have no sound and be in silence or have that or a sort of guided meditation? The couple of times i had a guided meditation the only thing i noticed different is keeps your mind occupid easier and towards the end noticed my eyes moving side to side like in REM sleep so not sure if thats a good start?



2. Lately i have been just laying in my bed and the first few times sitting indian style...is one way better than the other...are you more likely to astral travel in a sitting position or does it even matter? Im sure theres no real wrong way to meditate...but any input would be nice...much love!

reply to post by BDIDDY425

1. Is it any better or worse to meditate with or without music? Now i have about 50 minutes of nice medtitation style noises/brain wave sounds...so im wondering to astral travel is it better to have no sound and be in silence or have that or a sort of guided meditation? The couple of times i had a guided meditation the only thing i noticed different is keeps your mind occupid easier and towards the end noticed my eyes moving side to side like in REM sleep so not sure if thats a good start?

Does the music make you feel relaxed?

2. Lately i have been just laying in my bed and the first few times sitting indian style...is one way better than the other...are you more likely to astral travel in a sitting position or does it even matter? Im sure theres no real wrong way to meditate...but any input would be nice...much love!

Which one is more relaxing?

Try taking a saltwater bath with candles and soft music. Then try your meditation. When you arm feels like it is locking up, or your body is really heavy and sinking into the bed, that means its working. Just observe, don't have any thoughts or questions about it. Be careful.

There are many forms of meditation. Hundreds and hundreds, really. Deciding which one is the best fit for you can be quite difficult.

Personally I am an old stick-in-the-mud in that I don't really pay much attention to most forms of spirituality which are less than, say, 500 years old or so. Time is a great filter, and if something is still around after 500 or 1000 years, chances are it has value. The ancient masters of every faith (yes, there is meditation in Western religions too) generally didn't use music, to my knowledge. So personally I wouldn't. But that doesn't mean its invalid for you. Your miliage may vary.

I actually read a book recently about meditations and astral projection.

The advise that was given seems sound to me.

He says that while you can use music and other things to help you along - You would be better off to try it without anything to begin with. Just you in a quiet, safe place. Reason being is that if you use little things to help you along you may become dependant upon them for it to work (astral travel). If you keep trying and aren't having any luck at all then you can try the music or scents etc but to introduce them one at a time. Once you know you are able to do it and feel confident in it. Try to take whatever it is you used away and see what happens.

Also, on a side note it said to use a light weight blanket because when you're meditating etc. Your body will get cold easily as it would while sleeping. So, if you get cold chills during this you can pull yourself out of the relaxed state.

Hope my ramblings helped & wishing you the best of luck.

Edited for spelling

[edit on 10-6-2010 by Tragic]

reply to post by silent thunder


Some sects of buddhism use low harmonic bass frequency chanting or those tong things, aboriginals used the didgeridoo, others drums - music was the spawning point for meditation.

There are different means - experiment a little.

I don't meditate half as much as I should, but when I do its usually with my breath or didgeridoo music (maybe I should get around to doing both).

reply to post by BDIDDY425


I like to use spa music, and I noticed certain music can actually enhance or completely ruin the a meditation (walrus sounds). Its completely your prefrence.

Be careful with the brainwave things. IMO they seem unnatural, but thats my oppinion. Astral travel is done best by laying down, but then again its based on how you feel. Its easier to get out of your body when your already laying down I noticed.

If your real keen on Astral travel, well there is another book called Initiation into Hermetics, it has allowed me to train my imagination incredibly. Well it doesnt really talk about astral travel till the end of the book and the author trys to scare you out about it, it is a great book for training yourself. Look it up on Amazon. You can see the reviews.

Thanks everybody so far appreciate it...actually just got done and had a thought....you know how everybody talks about us all being one...or that our subconscious controls a lot of our reality etc....Im sure this has been done but has ATS ever done something where we all think of something at the same time to maybe make it happen? Ive heard of experiments like this on art bell back in the day

Example...maybe everyday for a week at the exact same time we all take 5 min to imagine our thoughts stopping the gulf leak (big problem)...not sure how many people this site reaches but wonder if this sort of thing has been attempted in the past...

wouldnt it be crazy if all we did was believe the oil stop gushing out and it happened...I know it may sound crazy to some an not so crazy to others..nothing else is working...i think it would be worth a try to try and have everyone meditate/pray on it ending...

would be cool if the media tried that tactic....this kind of got a little off track...but today while meditating was actually the first time that I said a prayer for it and visioned its stopping myself...Im not a chruchy guy and am in the Pac NW so its far away but this is going to effect us all and I guess just had a thought to maybe remind people to throw that in their prayers even if your just a casual prayer....

I don't know a whole lot about astral traveling, but one style of meditation that I've found quite effective is to just sit and let go of everything. If I notice any part of my body holding tension then I relax it, and if any thoughts arise I let them go in sort of the same way that I relax my body.

Of course, everyone is different. Try doing a bunch of different stuff and see what works for you.

Best of luck!



[edit on 11/6/2010 by BarryZuckercorn]

i think astral travel is just a fancy way of saying "i can see things...visions, with my eyes closed!" meaning - i don't believe you literally travel out of your body...
however that's just me and this certainly wouldn't be the first (nor the last) time that i've been wrong.

Another question -

I've recently started looking into meditation, but I'm quite wary about settling on one particular type. My girlfriend, as well as a bunch of other friends, have recently started practising TM, but I'm a little hesitant to pay for the course, as it looks a bit like like a quick-fix Starbucks version of something that should be treated with a little more respect. Anyway, my question is this - when it comes to mantras, how important is it to find the right one? My girlfriend informed me that the people who run this particular TM course give you a mantra based on your d.o.b. and some other information. Is that kind of mantra more effective? If so, is there a way of finding out what your specific mantra is by yourself? (without giving £300 to some spiritualist/capitalist)

reply to post by Scalvador


If you dont want to pay money, try the simpelist, and most used method around the world.

Sit in a position that is comfortable for you, trying to keep your spine straight, and simply become aware of your breath.

Focus on the tip of your nose and feel the air moving in and out. Thats it. Get good at that and you need no mantras, music, or anything else people try and sell you.

If you loose focus, try counting your breath in sets of 10.

Thats it. Once you can do that for an extended period of time, yo will be able to put yourself in a meditative state at will and try any type of method you wish.

Good luck to you.

Thanks very much for the reply. My instincts were telling me that the mantra was not essential. Just out of curiosity, whats your (or anybody else familiar with meditation) take on TM and people who charge for this knowledge? Is there really anything to be gained by taking one of these courses, as opposed to DIY mediation?

Pardon my intrusion in this thread - my humble appologies if I have interrupted a conversation. A question here, I keep seeing this in meditation related threads.

Question for all?

What's with all the talk of "Imagination?"

My understanding is that imagination is in the mind. But, isn't one of the first steps into a meditative state to quiet the mind? How is it I see so much written about meditation that starts out with, "imagine (_____________)!"

Sorry if I sound relatively... well ... untrained. I have been meditating for a few years twice daily without fail. But, NEVER do I "Imagine."

===

Also to add: in response to those that require payment for knowledge. All knowledge should be given freely. Freely you receive and freely you should give. Beware, lest a weak vessel in your frontal lobe take it all from you in the twinkling of an eye. It was never really yours to sell.

Having something to focus on might help some people. I've been trying to meditate and whenever I just get alone and silent, I try not to think about much, but I always end up with a lot of racing thoughts about all sorts of random stuff. They call this hypnogogia, and everyone does that anyway, so I don't think there is anything spiritual about that part.

Sometimes I can focus on my breathing or just repeating a word over an over in my mind.

I like to stare into the blackness until the colors start.

It sort of looks like this, only my colors are more like dull grayish colors.

The one time I did get vivid colors starting, I went into an amazing dream where I dreamed music and saw a vortex of colors sort of like you'd get if you played with this thing. (link below) The time I got any vivid colors at all was the first time I took some meletonin before bed. I've taken some meletonin before bed since then, but I think now my body is getting more used to it, so it doesn't respond like it did the first time. It helps me relax and I can still lucid dream and stuff, but I haven't had an explosion of colors and music again.


www.neave.com/imagination



[edit on 16-6-2010 by jessieg]

Hi guys,

Just posting this here as it is the most recently active thread on meditation.

I just wanted to let folk know that I am noticing a big lift in my meditation in the last few days. I have felt a big kick in it today especially. There is not a lot I can say but I feel I am suppose to be sharing this with you. If you are knew to this or a seansoned master I just want to say that I feel as if something is going on here with the change I am feeling. If you stopped and gave up please try again now.

Please join in meditating. I am sure you will feel the same lift I am. Lets get some positive vibes out there. Believe me if you do this now they will come back to you tenfold. This really has be buzzing like never before.



peace

reply to post by JohnySeagull


Yeah!!! Good on yer man! That's the way this whole meditation/enlightenment stuff works. You plod on doing all sorts of abstract meditations and thought excercises that seem to be getting you no where, and when you least expect it, everything clicks into place and it seems like you go up a notch. Sort of like playing D+D, kill enough dragons, pick enough locks, presto, you're now a 24th level whatever. Congrats.

reply to post by BDIDDY425


Hi there OP.

Like as had been said above, there are so many different techniques and many people just have personal preference.

My best results have come with no music at all. Just lying on my back on the floor with a pillow behind my head.

Also, it's great to find a peaceful place outside, maybe the beach or somewhere where all you can hear is the sound of birdsong.

As long as you can completely clear your mind, you will do just fine.

All the best.

G