Discursive Meditation: Phase 2

[ecosophia]

Last week's post on discursive meditation got quite a bit of interest from readers, which was good to see: we're talking, after all, about the most important practical side of the occult path, the process of training the mind to think clearly, deeply, and reflectively. The preliminary training in posture we discussed last week is essential to what follows, so if you didn't spend the last week doing that, pop back to the previous post and give it a try. If you did, why, this image of Hatshepsut, the first ruling queen of Egypt, may help you remember the details. 

This wek we're also going to work on the physical plane, but from a different angle. A little bit of theory will be helpful to clarify this next step, so let's talk about relaxation. 

Most people these days realize that it's possible to be too tense. Since the opposite of one bad idea is generally another bad idea, it's worth remembering that it's also possible to be too relaxed. Until very recently, most people in Western societies were much too tense. It was extremely rare to encounter anyone in the Western world who was too relaxed, whose body was so lacking in tension that it was limp and floppy, and so teachers of spiritual exercises put a lot of focus into relaxation. That had its effect, and now you find people on either end of the spectrum. What you find too rarely is people who have the balanced midpoint between too much tension and too much relaxation, which we can call poise. 

Last week's exercise, and the practice of sitting in a fixed and slightly unnatural posture more generally, is meant to keep you from being too relaxed. Keeping the spine straight, the head held up, the legs parallel, and the body still requires tension. Now we move to the other side of the balance and make sure you aren't too tense. This is done by relaxing your muscles while retaining the posture you've established. You don't move at all; you don't shift or wiggle or stretch; you just let go of the tensions you don't need to keep the posture. 

Here's how it's done. 

Start at the crown of the head, Consciously relax any muscular tensions you find there, and if there's any tension that won't let go, imagine that it is relaxing. (The imagination will become reality with a little practice.) Spend a little while on that part of your body, and then move further down your head to the sides of the skull. Consciously relax any tensions you find there, if you can, and if you can't, imagine the tensions dissolving. Go all the way down your whole body this way, taking it a bit at a time, and doing the same twofold relaxation on each part of your body. This should take you at least five minutes, and quite possibly more than that. All the while, maintain the seated posture without moving. Don't pay attention to your breath -- that's a later phase -- or to anything outside yourself; simply focus on your body, and on the process by which you're releasing unnecessary tensions. 

You may find that when you finish this, you ache from head to foot, or that some part of your body hurts a little -- or a lot. That's what happens when you have a lot of unnecessary tension you stopped noticing a long time ago. With repeated practice, the tension will go away. You may also find that when you finish this, some of your muscles feel as though they've had a workout. They have -- you've been holding your body in an unfamiliar position for a while, and that takes muscular effort. Your body will get used to that in due time. 

So that's the second stage of the process. Five minutes a day or more, sitting motionless in a chair, relaxing your unnecessary tensions. Got it? Go for it. 

Comments

Part One - amazing surprise!

[(Anonymous)]

I read Part One and immediately thought "Im-POSSIBLE! With a back so bad that sitting unsupported for any length of time is agony, and so rounded I could qualify for to ring the bells at Notre Dame! [Unless the Fighting Irish are playing the UFL Gators, in which case, I wouldn't dare.]And being so full of odd itches and twitches it's sometimes painful. But the challenge wouldn't let me go and wouldn't, and....

I did it. Not perfectly. A forefinger jerked up and down off the thigh once. There always seems to be a little finger slippage. Had to close my eyes to keep them from rolling towards the timer. And it was agony. I had to take "Don't move a muscle" as my mantra, which doesn't lend itself to anything more in the way of contemplating anything. But it's now part of my regular practice.

And yes, the back hurt afterwards, but I know well the kind of ache which means the muscles are trying to do what they should be doing, and don't mind one bit. What hurt during the practice was the top thigh muscles. For what that's worth. Will run it by my massage therapist tomorrow.

Pat, the bent crone. And while we're at it, a blessed Friday the 13th to you all! Don't walk under any ladders, and if a black cat crosses your path, scratch his ears for me.

Re: Part One - amazing surprise!

[ecosophia]

Delighted to hear it. One of the things that happens after a while -- and how long it takes varies from person to person -- is that your body starts getting used to resting in the position, and begins to look forward to it.

Meditation Postures

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I was curious about how there are two meditation postures in Learning Ritual Magic, standing and sitting. For some reason, I find standing easier, although have been following the instructions to alternate.

Re: Meditation Postures

[(Anonymous)]

Fascinating. I find sitting much easier. Maybe it's a matter of individual differences?

Re: Meditation Postures

[(Anonymous)]

It’s funny because I assumed anyone would find standing easier. But I have a stellium in the 3rd house and generally struggle with sitting unless it’s to write quickly or drive quickly, could skew perceptions.

Re: Meditation Postures

[ecosophia]

There are various meditation postures, some more awkward than others. The key to any Western meditation posture is that the soles of the feet should face downward, toward the earth, so that the energy centers in the soles can connect with the earth currents. We used two postures in that book because the lessons were originally meant to prepare prospective members for a magical lodge, and they'd have to do meditative work standing as well as sitting in the course of lodge ritual. For our present purposes, though, sitting is quite adequate, and most people find it more comfortable.

Poise

[(Anonymous)]

Poise is precisely the word I used in my journal to describe what we were after here. I know it's something I for one could use more of!

I twitched a time or two, even scratched an itch on my chin once before catching it, but mostly I was very still. I did the 4-count breath with it sometimes and now see that I probably shouldn't have. I also repeated one of my affirmations (which is about breathing) at other times.

I found that it lead me into ritual practice really smoothly, with focus already there in spades, not something that had to be wrestled with.

Between this and a ton of daily journaling, I'm also finally getting some results in the exploration of my buried rage. So that's very promising. It was a good week, and I'm excited about finally adding this potent practice to my arsenal.

Tripp

PS - Hi, Pat in Gainesville. Here's a short prayer you may find useful in your new town:

Hail Mary!
Full of Grace,
Notre Dame's
In second place!

(Go Gators!!)

Re: Poise

[ecosophia]

Good. Keep at it!

Re: Poise

[(Anonymous)]

Don't you worry about that, Mr. Greer. I'm utterly and completely hooked.
Tripp

Outdoors

[walt_f]

I intend to eventually do my meditation outdoors as much as possible, in a particular spot that has a metaphorical flashing neon sign on it that says "meditate here!" Do you think it would be better to do these exercises there, or to stay in the more controlled surroundings indoors until I have the techniques down? So far I've been doing about half and half; it hasn't made much difference for sitting motionless, but could the potential distractions of wind, weather, birds, insects and so forth become an issue down the road? Indoors, nothing in view moves.

Re: Outdoors

[ecosophia]

Try both options and see what works best for you.

[(Anonymous)]

Seems quite similar to the "body scan" technique in Buddhist meditation. After doing an hour or so of body scan(mostly Culadasa's version, though I have done others) a day for a year or so, this is quite natural for me. The Western seated form is a little more tense than the cross legged though, and it's a bit easier to keep the mind in that state of "poise" this way. That tension between being alert and relaxed is such a fine line, and gets finer and finer! Of course, just doing it for 5-10 minutes is a lot easier, but it's strange how no matter how long a session, it's those last 5 minutes that are the most intense!

[(Anonymous)]

I agree that this similar to the body scan meditations that I've done. I have always started with the feet and worked upwards to the crown of the head. Is there a reason for the top down movement of the attention rather than bottom up?

[ecosophia]

Yes, the top down movement helps counter the tendency to withdraw from engagement with the earth energies; it literally "grounds" you, which is something you want for discursive meditation.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you.

[(Anonymous)]

I have been practising this de-tensioning for two months now as per the DMH, and as I mentioned last week, I look forward to it immensely and go back to it during the day when I feel I need it. I am convinced this is improving my general posture. Now when I de-tension I can feel a gentle tingling in the parts of my body that I visualising, and the soles of my feet can keep tingling throughout the entire meditation. I think I am being reminded to be grounded..
Here is a relaxation tip from childbirth classes - if you unstick your tongue from the roof of your mouth and position it gently without touching any part of your mouth, you will relax right down your core through to your pelvic region, hence its value in childbirth. I often don't realise how much tension I am holding onto until I do this.. to the women here, you might recognise this as having exactly the opposite effect of kegel, or pelvic floor exercises..

Blueday Jo

PS Tripp, I am hearing you on the utter transformative process of the magical journey. I am becoming aware of issues I have been completely blind to. It's rather extraordinary. If disconcerting. But in a good way.

[(Anonymous)]

And I hear you, Blueday Jo! The last 4 months have really been, well...magical! I never really expected it to work this well. From every angle. In fact I just got a response from my dad to an email I wrote earlier about my buried rage probably relating to his 2nd wife and her need to control me. It was very supportive and reflective on his part, more emotional than I'm used to him being. Promising.

Funny you mention the tongue thing. I've been working on a dental issue that came to my attention recently, and that is one of my main tactics for dealing with it, for taking stress off my teeth. And I've noticed that it is good for more than just my teeth too...

Really appreciate the dialogue.
Tripp

[aghaveagh]

I get extremely dizzy doing this exercise. I close my eyes to avoid them darting around or focusing and de-focusing on objects around me.

I cannot tell if this sensation is negative or positive, it feels like I am about to fall asleep but must stay awake, and losing my bearings very suddenly, not knowing up from down. When I open my eyes, the feeling remains for about 10 second,s and then slowly fades.

I will try doing this exercise in a different chair and room tomorrow.

[ecosophia]

Most people who have this problem find that it works better to practice with eyes open. That requires making a steady effort to control the eyes. Try keeping your eyes open and fixing your gaze on something below eye level. Don't let your eyes leave whatever you choose. Yes, it'll take effort!

should I adjust my posture?

[roseredloon.wordpress.com]

I have a question and a comment.

First my question - while doing the first exercise (sitting still), I realized part-way through that my posture could be better. I wasn't sure whether I should adjust it or not. Since the exercise was to stay still, I decided not to adjust my posture. I made an effort to start with better posture the next day. This happened a few times. I figured since you are so literal, I should take you at your word. Did I do that right? Or should I adjust my posture if I can tell it's off? I'm a ballet dancer, so I know how it feels to be aligned.

Now my comment. Except for the issue just mentioned, I found the first exercise easy, but I'm finding the second exercise difficult. I am used to stretching to relieve tension and it is so hard to resist the urge to stretch. I'm trying though!

Re: should I adjust my posture?

[ecosophia]

No, don't adjust your posture in the middle of the practice. Take a moment before you begin the next session to check your posture and improve it. As for wanting to stretch, that's normal! You can stretch all you want once the five minutes are over.

[peter_van_erp]

This morning, as I was working / thinking down one arm, I felt a flow of tension down both arms at once. Eureka! I'm starting to get somewhere.

[(Anonymous)]

But... didn’t you teach the relaxation bottom-up in the Druid books?

[ecosophia]

Yes. So?