Meditation
If you are not a regular meditator yourself you probably think meditation is something that is either a) difficult, b) too time consuming, or c) something that only yogis and Buddhist monks do. Anybody of my age group that was raised with hippy culture and the Beatles will know something about the subject, even if you don't have a regular practise yourself.
What shamanic practice and other forms of spirituality have in common stems from doing some form of meditation. In Zen Buddhism the master uses many tricks to try and fool the "monkey mind" and allow the student to experience a glimpse of "reality" - the Satori experience. In Yoga (real yoga - not the lycra clad physical workout that passes for yoga in the West), great emphasis is placed on meditation. Experienced practitioners can create powerful mind/body states that appear as "magical" to the uninitiated observer. In both Buddhism and Raja Yoga, the goal of meditation is the fabled state of "Enlightenment". There are many stages on the path that can create states of euphoria and insight that sometimes fool the meditator into thinking that he or she has reached that goal. But, alas, truly enlightened beings are extremely rare.
In the shamanic practice of journeying we use imagination to "create" an alternative reality - but - before we do this we have to enter a more traditional meditative state or our journey will be lacking in substance or it will be just a make believe story we are telling ourselves. The true journey, although started with imagination and intent, begins to take on a life of it's own and can take the journeyer to places and emotional states that they could never have imagined in "ordinary" reality. Don Juan tells the young Carlos Castaneda that he has to stop the "internal dialogue" - in other words he has to stop continually talking to himself. If you take the trouble to notice, you will observe that whenever you are quiet you are actually talking away to yourself like a proverbial "mad" person. Traditional hunter gatherer cultures really do see us modern humans as mad people because we never stop talking - we live inside our heads are are completely oblivious to the real world outside.
Paul Francis says that it is extremely important to "hollow out" before attempting a shamanic journey. By hollowing out he means emptying yourself of all your middle world nonsense and worries and gossip that we modern humans have become addicted to. This is not always easy to do. A formal meditation practise can help.
In my previous life I used to teach meditation to people with chronic mental health problems. And no, I don't mean in my last incarnation - I mean when I used to work for a living. This forced me to find a very simple but very effective form of meditation that practically anybody could do for about twenty minutes and get real, tangible benefits from the experience.
This is what we would do. Sit on a straight backed chair. Get comfortable but not so comfortable that you fall asleep. Become aware of your body - starting at your toes and slowly working your way up to the crown of your head. Actually FEEL the life energy coursing through your body like a mild, tingling electric current.
When the body is relaxed we focus on the breathing. We observe the breath coming in and going out. We don't try and control it any way. Just observe. Then we begin to introduce a mantra. The mantra I chose to use was the classic universal mantra of yoga - So Hum. One says the words silently, internally, in time with the breath. On the in breath you say So and on the out breath you say Hum. Continue in this manner for about ten to fifteen minutes. If the mantra disappears and the mental chatter returns - don't beat yourself up, just be aware of what has happened and return to the mantra in conjunction with your breath.
You can use any combination of two syllables as a breath following mantra but it is best not to use words that mean something to you - like "be well" for instance. Using words that mean something will get your thinking mind chattering to itself and that defeats the object of the meditation. With practise, this simple meditation can lead to periods of pure silence - no mantra and no thoughts. When you have experienced this you will know what meditation is and you will find the time to practise regularly because it is a wonderful, liberating feeling.
As you explore the world of meditation you will want to experiment and learn more.
There is a wonderful online resource that is free (though there is a paid members section as well) that I whole heartedly recommend. It has been created by an American Yogi and spiritual teacher called Yogani (he has chosen to remain anonymous saying he has no desire to be a famous guru) - the website is vast and comprehensive and is called Advanced Yoga Practices or AYP for short.
My other recommendation is that you study the work of the 20th century enlightened mystic Osho. There are two good websites, my favourite is Osho News and the other is the "official" site which is based at the Osho Meditation Centre in Pune, India. Osho was very shamanic in his way of teaching meditation. He used the body with dance and music and taught his followers how to embrace the natural joy of life. He was a rebel who had no time for rules or priests or politicians, which is why the system we live in persecuted him, vilified him and eventually poisoned him with heavy metals and drugs (which led to his death) while he was incarcerated in a jail cell in the USA.
Apart from "formal" meditation techniques, the art of meditation involves LISTENING - SEEING - FEELING. If you listen intently to music or birdsong or the ocean you will become absorbed in it and you will"lose yourself". If you really take the trouble to see things instead of just looking or glancing at them, you will become one with the object and realise there is no "separation". Feeling means being aware, whether you are alone in your room, with another person or in the middle of the wilderness - be aware of how you feel, be aware of the energy of life that is within you and all around you.
I hope you enjoy your journey into the wonderful world of meditation and if you are already a regular meditator I hope you find it easy tho integrate shamanic practices into your daily routines.
Many Blessings. See you next time.
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