NaturalMedications

Meditation is important in building a relationship with the god and

goddess- all aspects of the god and goddess. Some of us meditate and

actually have visions of the god and goddess, and from then on we are

able to have a vivid image of what the god and goddess look like in

our minds, and what their personalities are like. Meditation can lead

us to our spirit guides, animal guides, fairy folk, the guardians,

and even lead us to a magical name for ourselves. In my case, I had

a vision of the god and he gave me my magical name.

Many people are aware of the importance of meditation, but might not

know exactly how to go forward with it. A friend of mine mentioned

to me that she attempted to meditate each night but was unsuccessful-

her thoughts always wandered to other things. I used to have this

problem as well, and really had to practice to bring myself to the

point where I could shut out the mundane world and concentrate on

another realm. About three years after I chose my spiritual path, I

met a lady at college who was a Celtic Pagan, and she helped me

develop an effective meditation technique. I had been successful with

meditation but I always had a difficult time with concentration and

bringing myself to a deep altered state of consciousness. This simple

technique she taught me was what I needed:

When you are ready to meditate and have chosen a place where you will be undisturbed, either lie down on your back or sit upright with your legs crossed. If you chose to sit, make sure your back is straight so that you can breathe properly.

First, begin breathing slowly, with deep, rhythmic breaths.

Concentrate on your breathing for a while until you are relaxed. Make

sure your muscles are relaxed as well. You may want to actually focus

on the relaxation of each muscle in your body- begin by concentrating

on relaxing your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, waist, rear, legs,

feet, etc. Then focus once again on your breathing and refrain from

focusing on your body.

Now, begin to visualize your "astral home." This will be the place

you return to each time you meditate. Your astral home should be a

place that is visually stimulating and beautiful to you. It can be a

real place or one you create in your mind. Have you always been

fascinated with Stonehenge? Why not make that your astral home? Do you have a garden in your back yard where you love to spend time? That could be your astral home. Any place that is peaceful and beautiful

to you.

As you begin to visualize, concentrate on your surroundings and what

they look like. What do you see? Are you walking on grass, stone, a

walkway? Are there trees surrounding you? Is it day or night?

Concentrate on creating details.

Now, concentrate on the sounds. Do you hear birds singing, the wind

blowing? Is there a creek or ocean nearby? What do you feel? Is the weather warm, cool? What does the ground feel like?

Now, when your astral home is visually complete, begin to walk around

and enjoy it for a moment. Look at everything and touch everything.

Next, walk to the center of your astral home and sit down. Take in

the surroundings and breathe deeply. Begin to focus on the reason you

are meditating. Do you wish to find a magical name? Are you

searching for the god and goddess? Open your mind to what you want

and wait for it. You might ask the god and goddess to join you in

your astral home. Tell them they are welcome and that you would like

to speak with them. Don't command them to appear, be polite and ask

for their presence. And don't ask repeatedly, just ask once and wait.

When you are ready to return to the "real" world, bid farewell to

whatever entity you may have contacted, and thank them for speaking

with you. Slowly begin to walk away from your astral home. Visualize

your house or apartment and imagine you are walking through the front

door. Visualize yourself sitting or lying down in the spot you began

your meditation. Now, slowly open your eyes.

You shouldn't expect to be successful even in your first several

attempts at meditating and meeting a deity or finding a name, etc. It

may take quite some time to achieve what you want. Don't be

discouraged, just keep practicing. You will be better focused over

time.

Meditation is not only for the purpose of meeting deities or finding

names, spirit guides, etc. You should meditate on your goal when you

cast a spell also. You most likely won't want to visit your astral

home when performing a spell, but rather concentrate deeply on what

you wish to achieve. You can take as much time as you need for this

when you perform a spell. FOCUS is the key to successful magic.

I hope this is helpful to you. I can't stress enough how important

meditation is in your practice.