Question: I've always thought meditation was supposed to be done sitting up with a straight spine, but recently I noticed that you lay down when you do deep trance meditation. Why ?
Answer: Meditation (there are many methods) in the sitting or yoga posture is intended to keep the conscious mind or the rational, logic, and intellectual mind occupied, initially with the task of maintaining the position. Then the position is intended to keep the kundalini and life force energies within the physical body to progressively heighten the state of meditation. This sitting position lines up the chakras and attempts to train the conscious mind not to pay attention to the physical discomfort (or even pain) and to overcome the distractions of the “wide awake” world. The objective is to set aside noises of daily life activity, hence the need for a quiet place, where a practitioner is not to be disturbed so that a state of deeper consciousness can occur. This type of meditation (like many types) is intended to at first quiet the mind, to allow the mind to transcend the attention of the moment so that the ego or personality mind (which lives within the limitations of the usual conscious mind or waking state) can reach out in to the great beyond.
A sitting position I, personally, find uncomfortable and distracting, which defeats the purpose of relaxing. My reclining chair is necessary first to allow a state of relaxation to naturally occur. This allows for the setting aside of the conscious, rational mind - and the subconscious (or unemotional mind) takes over as it does during normal sleep. During this meditation bridge between the conscious, subconscious and super-subconscious minds a leap into the contemplative mind or soul mind occurs. In this state the body functions much like in a sleep state, or what some might term a state of hypnosis-like detachment. The mind, however, is unrestricted in its travels into the great beyond through time and space.
I believe the seated posture would prevent me from reaching such a deep level of relaxation (or meditation) - - being a Westerner and not as supple as my Eastern friends. And because sitting would be so uncomfortable for me, I possibly couldn’t reach a level of detachment, as many yogis or highly trained Eastern minds do.
But if I did reach unconscious awareness or detachment, and my heart rate became low (as it usually is in that deep, sleep-like state) I would probably fall over, hit my head on the floor, and wake up!
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Friday the Thirteenth
Today is the day that many people around the world give in to paraskavedekatriaphobia - fear of Friday the thirteenth. The superstition that Friday the thirteenth is unlucky is held by many North Americans and Europeans (including the English, French, Portuguese, German, Austrian, Dutch, Belgian, Polish, etc.) as well as those in the Philippines. Now whether you believe it to be lucky or unlucky, at the very least, Friday the thirteenth deserves casual attention for the unexpected.
One view holds that "luck is probability taken personally," while another suggests that luck is a result of poor reasoning or wishful thinking. Perhaps the understanding that we make our own luck is better than to believe in some unseen power which can cause problems we are powerless to fix. Metaphysically speaking, attitude or expectation (or what is held in the mind) is the real power behind “Luck." If you expect or fear that Friday the thirteenth will be a bad day, then it will be. Your mind, being preoccupied by that thought, holds a view which leads to poor decisions and errors.
This kind of fear-based thinking increases the occurrence of errors, mistakes, or poor judgements. With many people believing in bad luck, there is an attitude “out there” world-wide it seems that might be self-fulfilling.
Now the reverse is most certainly true as well: holding thoughts of fortuitous things leads one to fortunate circumstances. Countering negative thinking is not simple. But it can be achieved by “enthusiastic thinking” and paying attention not to put yourself in harm's way. Mindfulness means to fill the mind with a single thought, and concentrating on it at the exclusion of all others. Doing so with excitement, or worry will equip the thought with more power to form in the ethers and then to transcend into the physical world as an end result. This is called the Law of Manifestation.
It means thoughts are actually prayers - whether known or not - and, as it is often said, “what is held in the mind, and believed, is realized in the world”. The more one thinks of or dwells upon something - positively or negatively (and amplified by emotion like enthusiasm, or worry) - the faster it becomes part of the life. Good Luck, or Bad Luck is, therefore, a state of mind.<
Friday the thirteenth is only a day like any other. It’s what you choose to make of it. May that choice be one of Good Luck!
Douglas
P.S. Please pass on a Happy Fathers Day to all...
Special Announcement
Douglas has been busy working on his next book, a sequel to his break-through work, Secrets Of Life. We are excited to announce that the title of this much-anticipated second book is Dreams: The Language Of The Soul. This is much more than a dream dictionary. It is a guide to mastering the power of your intuitive mind to enhance your life, and the lives of others through paying attention to the messages in your dreams. Douglas will be making a public announcement about this new book at the International New Age Trade Show in Denver, Colorado, later this month, but you can get an exclusive sneak peek in this issue of the newsletter! Here is a preview:
"In attempting to understand your states of mind, begin with your dreams. For any and all who attempt to explore within themselves, the dream offers the easiest and safest method of undersanding oneself to correctly manipulate one's life. For the dream state is the language of the mind; the language of the soul. Any who can interpret dreams can be given inspiration directly from God. This is not seen as a light talent, but rather one that is a natural extension of the God that is within each and every one of us: the soul itself."
Scheduled for publication later this year. More details coming soon!
Reserve your copy today. Call Karen Cottrell toll-free 1-877-268-8735.
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 Hot Summer Deals!
This summer, we are featuring some great products bundled together to save you money! Like the Intuitive Meditation master series or the Modern Mysteries CD series. 6 CDs for the price of 5! Many more deals in store. Click here for details. New to the Online Store is Magnesium Taurate 180 caps. Save $15 when you buy this larger size (60 cap size reg. $19.95). Click here to order.
June 28-30, 2008. INATS West, Denver, Colorado. Douglas will be signing books and giving free "mini-readings" at the New Leaf Distributing booth all weekend long.
July 17, 2008.
International Institute of Integral Human Studies Conference,
Hotel Delta Centre Ville,
777 University St, Montreal, Quebec.
Douglas will be giving a lecture and seminar.
www.iiihs.org
This month, Douglas illustrates the role of Karma in keeping you on the path to enlightenment and perfection. Recorded live at a recent lecture.
Click here to listen.
Have you missed one of our previous month's newsletters? We have all of our past issues archived online.
Click here for more.
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