Visualization

This post/thread was a request from my dear friend Enyalius, to show others that visualization is infact something everyone can do/is doing. It is basicly a few emails and I will put them all on here, so that you can get most benefit out of it. Note: I needed help because I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing in meditation.

Volatile: Hey Enyalius, it is Volatile from ATS. I have some trouble that I assume you could help me with.

I have never really meditated much. I had always assumed that my mind was very clean from thoughts, as I don't feel like think much. Anyway, as you saw, I had started meditating agian. But infact, I found I had so many thoughts streaming through my mind. I am going to picture together what actually happens when I meditate.

1. Sit down on the floor with normal crossing legs (my yoga backfired on me and I have trouble getting into any state of sitting) with back-support from my bed - soft, but hard.
2. Close eyes, take 2-3 deep breaths to remove euforia (I think it is called) from lungs.
3. Relax.
4. Focus on nose-breathing in and out.
5. Thoughts start rushing through, and I try to just observe them, but each time I do such I know that I have interacted with the thought which I shoulden't have.
6. Millions of thoughts going through and through, and I give up and just focus on the breath instead of observing it.
7. Thought comes to mind that correlated with the way I breath.
8. I realize that I had not been paying attention to my breath, but the thought of breathing.

This has made me very frustrated. And I want to get rid of all these thoughts, however I do not think that I will get any real help on ATS other than techniques that I already know (observing the thought). So I thought about you, as you seem the most knowledgable about the spiritual on this forum. Will you help me? Merely give me some techniques I could use, and some guidance. It would be deeply appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Enyalius: Good day,



I’ve had done “meditation” in similar ways. One was in relation to learning how to visualize. Perhaps the following story would give the needed insight.



I’d just lay down on bed and think about things going on in my life. Shortly after I’d get drowsy and just lay there staring at the ceiling. I didn’t consciously focus on what I was doing any more and just let it all happen. After doing this several times I noticed that my thoughts just went their own way without me having to participate. I didn’t think, I didn’t give them special notice, I didn’t focus on anything. The first few minutes you always focus on the breathing technique, but after a few minutes passed you should be doing it automatically an no longer think about what you’re doing or give it any concentrated notice. Just as thought will flash by and images will form in your mind instead of the texts that you thought of. Just let it all play it then.



When you’re done…then it is time to remember as much as possible. The most important thoughts that occurred will come back and those are the ones you need to work with first before moving on to the next. Each time you work with a thought you will get rid of another barrier within yourself.

Volatile: In what way will I be working with the thought? Just thinking about the thought?

That method sounded great, and I am going to do it right away, thanks mate

One last thing: Would you mind telling me about the other kind of 'meditation' about visualization. It is not any concern to the core-subject, but I would just like to learn abit about it, if you don't mind.

Enyalius: You’ll be working with your thoughts. While in meditation you should slowly learn to get an increase in consciously being aware of everything occurring outside and within yourself. Once you reached this stage you could start looking at where thoughts come from, how they are formed, which personal beliefs are in play at creation and outwardly expressing that thought. By analyzing you’ll be able to learn more about yourself and your way of thinking and find things that you might’ve put in the back of your mind or pushed away for a long time. Now it is time to see those thoughts and passed situations and acknowledge them for being there. The next step would be to understanding them and eventually getting rid of them or finding peace with them. Doing so you’ll slowly turn all the aspects of yourself, that you felt consciously or more importantly unconsciously negative about and turn it into something positive.



You’ll slowly be getting rid of a lot of barriers and get to know yourself truly and accept yourself truly. This is something which can be very confrontational and this is also why most meditations do not work properly for people. The minute it gets to confrontational most people will stop and escape back into daily life so that they can avoid themselves. Also most meditations in daily life are so short that most people won’t even reach those confrontational moments and start working with and at themselves. This is something I figured out while going to the 10 day retreats once in a while.



Once you reached the stage where you gotten rid of many obstacles you will notice that you’re more comfortable with yourself. Your ego will be less actively present in the sense that you got rid of those “negative” aspects which causes people to lash out at one another or feel the need to prove themselves right. You’ll be leading your ego instead of the ego leading you. Doing so you’ll be more open and receptive to the universal energies which can flow through you unchallenged by your previous barriers. You won’t feel the need to have doubts or fears about that which you’re doing and just do it without any reserves holding you back.



The visualization technique I used is not really meditational, but something I just did and later became aware of. I just laid on my back on my bed thinking and because I felt tired I always drifted away to eventually fall asleep. Somewhere during these stages I would be half here and half asleep in a lingering state of mind. No longer being consciously concentrating on what I was doing and let it all flow freely. After a while I started snapping out, for no reason, at one point or another and noticed that my thoughts had moved to being shown as imageries to the mind. Everyone can visualize it is just that when we focus to hard on something that we’re actually pushing ourselves further away from it. ...*Continued*...

...*Continued*... The details are hard to explain, because I just did them without recording or analyzing to much.

I feel this is an important aspect when put into context of Astral Projecting. This is because our eyes are only used on this physical realm, because we were taught to since birth and thus it became “natural” to use. However there are “energies”, loose particles, lingering about everywhere. These can be picked up, read, interpertated and used as our eyes. Eyes are just tools and there are many ways to see just as there are more ways that lead to Rome in every context of life. Just look at blind people who know their way around, Remote Viewers who can “look” at long distances without using their eyes, people seeing glimpses into possible futures. These are all thoughts and energies from the surrounding and universal conscious (Buddhist phrase) which are translated to images. You don’t necessarily need eyes to see.

Volatile: Thank you man. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that.

Last night I decided I would give it a go before bed. So I saw down on the floor and waited until my hips were relaxed. I folded my handing into the root-mudra and closed my eyes. I focused on my nose and felt the breath going in naturally. After a while the obvious happened and the images started coming. But after reading what you had said, I had an impulse that I was doing the right thing. And everytime I was thinking; I am doing the right thing, I reminded myself that by saying so I was thinking agian. Everytime I breathed in and out I realised I was thinking it. After a while I gave up conscious control of the breath and observed the thoughts. Good/weird part this time was that I could keep on meditating and not give up because I felt I did the right thing. At one point I thought about my body, and everytime I do that I get this weird feeling that "wakes me up" from the meditation. Its like this chill/cold/euforia in my heart chakra. But anyway bro, I thank you ever much. And don't worry about the late reply. Atleast you replied and helped me .

Enyalius: That is also what is done with Vipassana meditation. You affirm your sensations, thoughts and thus become more aware of what you’re doing and experience it to the fullest. By doing so you’ll be learning more and more about yourself. Once you understand yourself, learned and grew to a certain point…then you’ll naturally be at peace with yourself. Both in daily life as well as during meditation and other activities. You will be “free” and be in the place of stillness that people seem to think what meditation is all about. But that aspect is just an end result, a by-product, of the true nature of meditation…that of personal awareness and growth.

*END*

So in conclusion, when you meditate, its really NOT about trying to keep the mind at peace and trying to just lash away all the thoughts that come to you, but its really about getting in contact with the thoughts and just being aware that everytime you think about something: You are thinking. And also having self-confidence and trust in yourself that you are doing the right thing. Enyalius' help brought me a long way Or so I want to think myself.