Meditation
A foundational practice for self-awareness
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“I saw and was silent, I saw and pondered.”
– Hávamál 111
Introduction
Meditation is a vast topic with a huge amount of cultural trappings. But in essence it is extremely simple. It is often associated with its results—peace, wisdom, and clarity of mind. But these results do not come without practice, and that practice, while simple, is difficult.
It is simple because the actual steps required are very basic and minimal. It is difficult because meditation involves looking at one’s own mind and gradually coming to terms with what is there. In an externally-driven society that is always on the move, where attention is a commodity, meditation seems altogether foreign. But it is worth the journey.
Meditation is difficult in the beginning, yet it becomes easier with practice. Practice takes time and cannot be forced or rushed. It cannot be bought or bestowed. The only way to arrive in meditation is to do it properly—there are no shortcuts, and those who pretend are only cheating themselves. Those who meditate effectively experience greater inner clarity, focus, stillness, depth, energy, meaning, and purpose.
I began meditating 30 years ago and have kept up the practice every day. It began as part of my journey into Eastern philosophy—Buddhism, Daoism, and Vedic Yoga—which extended into shamanism and various other paths, before I returned to my own Western traditions—Druidry, various pagan paths, and a broad exploration of Western culture, literature, history, and other fields. With my journey, I adapted meditation practice to new contexts, like a river crossing the land, and I found the essence of meditation to be a reliable daily practice, regardless of cultural background. I may have missed the occasional day, but I also had many years where I would sit for up to 3 hours a day. Eventually, I became the practice—steady, focused, clear awareness—in every moment. Meditation has been the most beneficial activity across my entire life.
Meditation and wizardry
This article is an introduction to meditation as a foundational practice of wizardry. By foundational, I mean it provides a foundation upon which other practices can be built. Even though the technique described here is basic, it is not something only beginners do. Meditation takes a lifetime to master and requires continual reapplication.
Mastering basic meditation creates the proper framework for wizardry as a practice of self-mastery and the development of wisdom. Why? Because meditation done well helps resolve the internal knots of the mind and it builds deep peace and stability. Ultimately, meditation facilitates clear self-awareness, which is essential for wisdom.
Some may say that this article outlines an Eastern practice of meditation. Certainly that is how I first came to learn meditation. But the essence of the technique is universal. Meditation is found in various forms across all of the Earth. Wizardry Sphere is focused on wisdom for the emerging world, and is willing to learn from that which best facilitates such, while adapting it to the Northern ways.
Making meditation a central practice of wizardry provides a solid technique for self-transformation and the cultivation of powers of awareness. One does not become a wizard without first undergoing an alchemically transformative quest. Meditation, while not the only approach for such transformation, is among the best.
Disclaimer: This article shares general educational practices for self-transformation. It is not medical or professional health advice. Please read the full disclaimer1 and our Terms and Conditions before trying any practices. By continuing, you agree to both.
The ultimate art for cultivating awareness
Meditation is essentially the cultivation of awareness. Here I will outline the basic practice.
Time and location
Start with a set duration (10-15 minutes is good), ideally at a regular time each day. If you can only practice every second or third day, or once a week, this is better than nothing, but daily practice at a regular time promotes a steady rhythm.
Morning is best—at dawn or just before is even better. Evening is also good. Work within your existing schedule. Some people find they tend to fall asleep at such times, especially after eating—choose the time that works best for you. If you do feel sleepy, do some exercise or movement for a minute or two beforehand, to get your energy circulating.
Try to find a location where you won’t be interrupted. Put the phone in another room, or on silent. If possible, have fresh air entering the room, and natural or gentle lighting. Avoid using the same place as where you sleep, particularly if using a laying down posture (see below). Some people like to play music in the background; better to have a quiet natural place. Music can end up becoming an external distraction. Having a dedicated room or corner where you can sit helps with associating that place with meditation practice.
Posture
The most important point with posture is to have the spine naturally straight. If you can sit cross legged on a cushion, that’s good. Otherwise, use a chair. You can also lay down, on your back if possible. Place your hands on your knees or lap if sitting, or by your sides if laying down. Some types of meditation involve walking or moving—these are a different practice from what is explained here.
The purpose of the posture is to facilitate energy flow. It should be comfortable, not rigid. Let the body soften and relax; keep the spine straight, but not rigid. The aim is to be comfortable and alert for the duration of the practice.
Technique
This simple technique is one of many. Some people may swear by certain details—a specific mantra, visualisation, or breathing technique—as the best meditation. But in reality, these techniques are only useful to the degree they enhance the practice of steady concentration.
Steady concentration is the key to all meditation. These days, concentration is a very under-exercised faculty. Meditation is essentially the practice of concentration.
To concentrate requires an object of concentration—something you focus on. Here we will make the object one’s breathing. It could be anything, but choosing the breath as an object of meditation has benefits: breathing is innately connected to both your body and mind; it is essential to being alive; and when focused upon, it integrates body and mind.
Begin in your meditation posture, close your eyes, relax your body, gently draw in a breath and release it slowly, letting go of whatever occupied you before starting the practice. Then bring your attention to your navel—the belly button. As you breathe in and out, your navel will move slightly. Just gently place your attention on your navel as it moves with each breath (this is true navel-gazing).
If your mind wanders away (and it will), gently return your attention back to your breathing at your navel. You are likely to not notice that your mind has wandered away (into thoughts, feelings, memories, imagination, or external sounds or sensations). Become aware of this ‘not noticing’, and gently bring your attention back to your navel.
Just watch your breath at your navel. Don’t get caught up in thoughts, sensations, feelings or anything else that arises. When these arise, notice them, then gently remind yourself to return your attention back to the object of meditation—the breathing at your navel.
Whenever the mind wanders, become aware of that and gently return your attention to the object of meditation.
That’s it. That’s the entire practice. I told you it was simple.
Duration
As mentioned above, start with 10-15 minutes. Keep to this duration—don’t over-extend yourself. It is far better to practice regularly for a shorter set duration than to build up, thinking longer is better, only to quit because it was too hard. An irregular practice duration is also not so good. Steady consistency helps form the right habits for long-term practice.
After 10-15 minutes each day for a month, if you feel you can extend the duration then try 20 or 30 minute sessions. Going beyond 30 minutes a day often requires good health and additional lifestyle practices—such as diet, exercise, and breathing techniques—to support it.
Deep meditation, an hour or more a day, means being able to sit comfortably and still for that time. The body needs to be prepared for this (that’s the original purpose of yoga postures). Deeper meditation may also bring various internal and energetic experiences, and this level of practice is not suitable for beginners or for people who don’t live in a way that is conducive for such internal transformation.
Finishing up
When ready to finish, do it gently and slowly. Tell yourself (in your mind) that it’s time to finish the practice and gently return your awareness to your entire physical body. Scan your body with your mind and gently open your eyes. Become aware of your surroundings for a few moments, then gently move your fingers and toes. Gradually move your arms and legs (roll on your side first if laying down), and after 10-20 seconds, when you’re ready, slowly stand up. Congratulate yourself for completing the practice session.
Additional points
I also said meditation is difficult. This is because our minds are usually not trained to remain attentive to a single object in our awareness for a long period of time.
Like the body, the mind is a living organism. Be gentle with it. Your practice should become natural, effortless, simple, and vivid.
Focus is not force. Don’t force the attention; don’t try to rigidly hold it in place. This will only stir the energies of the mind up more. Stir up a pond with silt at the bottom and it becomes cloudy. Let the pond be still and the silt naturally settles to the bottom, leaving clear water. When the water is clear, one can see clearly what is in the pond.
Another analogy is riding a horse. If you’ve ever tried this, you will know the horse has a mind of its own. The rider needs to learn how to harmonise with the nature of the horse, rather than force it, in order to get to where they need to go. The mind is similar. There is an art to mastering the mind.
Low energy, high energy, and oscillating energy
The mind will tend to either become low or high energy, or oscillate between these. Low energy means sleepiness, dullness, lethargy or moodiness. The practice of returning your attention to the object of meditation (the navel) helps move your energy out of these low-energy states. Aim to remain alert. If you find yourself tending in this low-energy direction, some movement before meditation can help circulate and activate your energy. Healthy diet and sleep habits also help.
High-energy states include an over-stimulated mind, excessive thinking or imagining, feelings of excitement, restlessness, impatience, or similar. This is the stirred-up mind. The aim here is to let the mind settle. Don’t force it—allow it naturally. Just watch, and continue gently returning your attention to the object of meditation whenever your mind wanders.
Oscillating energy means the mind moves from low energy to high energy, then back again. The aim here is cultivate stability over time. Just continue the practice of placing your attention on the object of meditation, noting when it wanders, and returning your attention to the object.
Stages of awareness
Meditation progresses from attention through to concentration through to absorption. The practice of placing the attention is the first stage. The attention will wander, but as practice progresses, you will become better at catching the mind when it wanders and returning it to the object of meditation. Eventually, this results in more sustained attention. The mind rests more on the object of meditation (in a relaxed manner, not strained) and wanders less often or for shorter times before you catch it.
Once the attention becomes steady like this, it becomes concentration—the mind is steadily focused on the object. As practice improves, concentration on the object will extend for longer periods without the mind wandering. The mind becomes more still. The things that make the mind wander may be more subtle—thoughts beneath thoughts, subtle experiences or feelings, or similar. The mind can enter deeper states of focus, but the technique (described above) remains the same.
As concentration extends, there will be a more obvious stability in practice, which allows subtle movements in the mind to emerge. To use an analogy, the big waves in the pond have become calm, making the tiny wavelets or ripples more obvious. Meditation at this stage progresses into noticing these subtle movements and gently returning the wandering mind to the object of meditation.
Once concentration becomes steady and attention becomes more finely tuned, awareness enters a state of absorption in the object of meditation. This is experienced as total focus on the object, such that any distinction between you and the object of focus disappears. You become so absorbed in the object that you forget all else. A sense of unity with the object arises. This is an alert, stable, clear-minded awareness of the object. The mind may present things that would cause it to wander, but awareness is no longer pulled away by them. It remains attentive to the object, and under the practitioners control.
Absorption is an advanced stage of practice that often takes many practice sessions, many years, and a suitable lifestyle, to achieve in a sustainable way. Once in that state, maintaining focus on the object becomes effortless. The practitioner has mastery over their own mind.
As practice progresses through each stage, awareness becomes increasingly steady, clear, focused, and energised. And these results carry over into daily life. Merely existing becomes a higher-quality experience.
Conclusion
There is much more to meditation practice than what we’ve covered here, but this is a foundation. If this interests you, I encourage you to explore the topic further, seek out appropriate guidance, and take your own practice seriously.
Wizardry is very individualistic. As a foundational wisdom practice, meditation should be applied naturally, not rigidly or dogmatically, and should be adapted appropriately to individual circumstances.
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