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Author Topic: Meditation Question  (Read 2166 times)

Mea

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Meditation Question
« on: December 15, 2016, 03:08:41 pm »
Decided to post my question in a beginner area... on the chance that perhaps others starting out might have similar questions....

When i "meditate"... i go thru steps that were used in a group setting.... Deep Breathing and 10 steps down....(a deep breath for each step)...I visualize Each of the steps along the way.  At the bottom of the steps is a door.... and i open that and step thru it...
.From here... the mind is "Supposed" to travel and various object might be  seen and taken note of.....
But......Every time... all i have is Another door......go thru that... and Another door... on and on........
I get discouraged even attempting to meditate as there seems to be  No point in the exercise.
Is there perhaps a different way to go into this ?   Am i totally missing some step ?
Thank You.

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Re: Meditation Question
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2016, 05:45:26 pm »
Quote from: Mea;200085

Is there perhaps a different way to go into this ?   Am i totally missing some step ?
Thank You.

 
So, the thing is that there are tons of different approaches to meditation, and they do different things. I think a lot of people get confused by this.

The method you describe is a common approach to induction (putting someone in a state to do something else meditative.) It's an induction method that works for some people, doesn't work for others, and is neutral for some people.

It's also a method of meditation that works for some people and not for others. I have a pretty similar reaction to you sometimes, when people have used ths for me, I go "Really?" I have a much better experience when I have a particular goal or question in mind, even if I'm not doing an explicitly guided meditation.

For example, one of my more regular meditation modes when I am doing regular meditation of this kind, which hasn't been for a while for other reasons, is a Great Library meditation, where I open the doors to the library, and then figure out how to find information about a topic I have a question about.

In terms of 'experience in the meditation', it's often like walking through a vast library with many different sections that look extremely different, and when I find the right 'book', I get additional info that helps with my goal (not always the answer). But that only works because I started with a question beyond "Here is a door."

Some ideas:

Anyway, it sounds like you might benefit from trying different approaches to meditation.

1) You say you got this from a group setting.

Different groups use meditation in different ways, so if you are still in contact with the group or the person who used it, it might be worth asking them specifically what else you could try.

2) You could try specifically guided meditation

These are meditations that walk you through a specific situation, while leaving space for your own experience of what's going on. I have an example of one on my website if you want to see the kind of thing that looks like, but there are tons of options out there.

If you're interested in this approach, Diana Paxson's Trance-Portation is a good book that includes other examples, and also has other good information for troubleshooting trance and meditation work.

3) Are you looking for meditation for other purposes?

For example, if you're more interested in increasing attention, focus, reducing stress, etc. there are tons of simple approaches out there where you're not trying to do anything specific. I've been working through the Headspace app's 10 initial series (the initial 10 are free), and liking the way it's done, and there are a bunch of other mindfulness meditation options out there.

Anyway, these approaches don't dump you somewhere and expect you to figure it out - the entire goal is 'spend X time being attentive to what your body is doing' or whatever.

Finally, a formatting note:
I found your question as written, with the ellipses (...) instead of sentences harder to follow than I'd like. I'd rather spend my focus and energy on answering a question rather than figuring out what it says!

I suspect it might be hard for other people too, and it may reduce the number of people who respond to your question. Would it be possible for you to reduce the number of ellipses you use and/or break up comments into separate paragraphs more in future posts?
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Mea

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Re: Meditation Question
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2016, 07:56:16 pm »
Quote from: Jenett;200087


I

1) You say you got this from a group setting.

Different groups use meditation in different ways, so if you are still in contact with the group or the person who used it, it might be worth asking them specifically what else you could try.






Finally, a formatting note:
I found your question as written, with the ellipses (...) instead of sentences harder to follow than I'd like. I'd rather spend my focus and energy on answering a question rather than figuring out what it says!

I suspect it might be hard for other people too, and it may reduce the number of people who respond to your question. Would it be possible for you to reduce the number of ellipses you use and/or break up comments into separate paragraphs more in future posts?

 

I shall answer in reverse order, if that is all right.
My apologies for the ellipses.  I tend to use those as pauses in my thinking.  I shall work on not relying on them so much.

The group setting where that visualization meditation was done, was years ago at the First Pagan Pride Day i attended.  The object of it was to pay attention to objects seen during the meditation  as they may have some meaning. Then to  think over what was seen and try to find that meaning.
  All i ever seemed to get  were more and more doors.  I've often wondered if i  was doing some part of it incorrectly, as i never seemed to have a lightening flash of Ah-Ha !

Thank You for the suggestions.  I followed the link You suggested, and bookmarked the site to read more later on. I appreciate Your time.

Faemon

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Re: Meditation Question
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2016, 05:16:34 am »
Quote from: Mea;200085
I get discouraged even attempting to meditate as there seems to be No point in the exercise. Is there perhaps a different way to go into this ?   Am i totally missing some step ? Thank You.


I used to have the same problem involving a meditation with the stairs or ladder going up. The rungs would break, or the steps would crumble. If there was a door, there'd be a monster in front of it or behind it, which didn't help either.

So I left it alone for a while and...eventually got back into it, years later, but more in the line of just being in a place (like a grass meadow with a river and sun that's shining but not too brightly, and maybe a tree...) and then just waiting there.

I just guessed that I wasn't ready, back then. And that's fine! Maybe it's just not for you right now, but there must be a lot of other ways that are better suited for your development. Or maybe you're really just not supposed to go through the door, but if you like the rest of the meditation, if the routine or the mood and mindset is beneficial...then, maybe just let yourself wander around, regardless of what the guided script is telling you should happen, and then find what you find. :)
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Re: Meditation Question
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2017, 03:29:05 pm »
Quote from: Faemon;200107
I used to have the same problem involving a meditation with the stairs or ladder going up. The rungs would break, or the steps would crumble.

I used to experience a similar thing when counting sheep as a way of trying to get the sleep, the sheep would refuse to do the jump and start doing their own thing & running riot!

Recently I've been trying a self-hypnosis method involving coming down a staircase (it's a spiral one in a tower and I'm coming down it into a lovely sunny meadow beneath, in which it would be great to relax & sleep).  It works better than the sheep, the only problem is that I rarely get all the way down before my thoughts stray and so I end up starting again from the top over and over.

I'm also really struggling with meditation at the moment, can't seem to stick at it and get the hang of it (I've never been very good at it anyway, but lately it seems to be coming harder than ever).  Part if it is that I can't seem to find the time to try it, but on the rare occasion that I do I am getting nowhere and giving up after a short time out of frustration.

So I'm afraid I haven't any useful advice for you, Mea, but I do commiserate.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2017, 03:30:27 pm by Pickle »
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