The conscious mind is a mirror of physical life. The mirror is out of focus during meditation. When this happens, the mind is essentially inactive and the conscious connection to physicality is temporarily halted. This opens a doorway to the subconscious. In deep meditative states, similar to the state of dreaming, data flows through the door into awareness. Before the door closes, it is important to transfer this information to the conscious mind. Failing to do this means the memory will be forgotten. It is for this reason that dreams are easily forgotten. Mentally reviewing the dream before stirring the body would strengthen the memory. Similarly, reviewing what is given in meditation before stirring the body will transfer it to the conscious mind. Thus, an important aspect of meditation is mastering the state of being still.

Discovering the doorway to meditation can happen in several ways. When traditional avenues are unable to offer answers to the questions which flood into the mind, seekers explore non-traditional sources of information which may lead one to a meditation class.

Upon arrival at the doorway of the meditative journey, a multitude of questions and visions of euphoric experiences will fill the mind. Be ready with a positive attitude of expectancy or hopefulness. Put away any anxiety, take a deep breath, and be ready to embrace the state of calm. Have no expectations except for the answers to the questions which will fill the mind. These are the questions which will be the subject of the first meditation. 

Each life is unique and complex and would require several sessions to fully crack open the doorway which offers answers. For some, it may require a whole lifetime – but be not dismayed; for the prize will be worth the effort. 

Remember, meditation is a journey. Understanding the state achieved at the end of the journey is the purpose of this stage. Here lies the conundrum: The traveller is embarking on a journey to fulfill a purpose without knowing the goal. Life is complex. The state at the end of the journey is similar to the state of the journey when  it began, eons ago.

Such a journey requires faith. In the truest sense, transcend traditional denominational thought, and view faith simply as self-trust. It is with trusting that there is a greater purpose in life. It is trusting that this purpose will be achieved. It is trusting in the dynamics of life.

Each life is unique; thus the journey will be unique for each person. The challenges along the way which resulted in current state of being have been unique. Thus, the return journey back to the original state will also be unique. Remember this is the last goal. 

View the mind as a tool with access to all of life’s challenges and experiences filed away somewhere in the ethers. There are thousands, or even millions of files which represent the journey to the present. These files can enter the mind during meditation. Dreams can open the doorway into this gigantic filing system. Meditation and dreams are similar in this way. They both have access to that ethereal filing system. Meditation is a tool used to understand dreams and dreams are a source of guidance for meditative journey. As one embarks on such a journey, the embracing life force will offer guidance and direction from both sources.

Consider a mountain climber. The other side of the mountain only becomes visible from the summit. The journey to the top would not be direct but more-so a meander along navigable pathways. It would involve many days and many strategic trips and problem-solving. Unavoidable obstacles would be met. It would need strength, courage and perseverance to reach the summit. 

Consider a mountain-dweller, someone born on the mountain top. Propelled by curiosity, the mountain-dweller embarks on a journey to the valley below, following navigable pathways. Challenges along the way offer experience and wisdom. Then, due to the long and arduous journey, the true purpose is eventually forgotten. The goal of exploring the valley is no longer the focus. The challenges of physical needs and survival changes the focus. Eventually, the true goal is lost. The mountain-dweller now wanders through life from one experience to the other. In quiet, contemplative moments however, feels an emptiness and wonders what might be missing.

The mountain climber and the mountain dweller represents life in society. There is always progress in one direction or the other. It is the dual nature of this realm of existence. 

Meditation shows the nature of life regardless of the direction being navigated. Achieving meditative stillness is the state which reveals the answer to the original question. The great challenge in meditation is being still, not only in body, but stilling the tempestuous mind. The meditative state of stillness reveals how amazing life can feel and can always be.

Take a slow, deep breath and slow the pace within. Take a slow, deep breath, be still, and feel the silence. Listen to the silence. Be still and become embraced by the silence. Become one with the silence. 

Within the silence, there is a feeling of deep peacefulness. Within the silence, answers will emerge.

The purpose of this stage of meditation is first to recognize the silence within, and then experience the feelings associated with it. A doorway between past memories and the conscious mind will open when combined with an attitude of expectancy. Initially, emotions from the past experience will enter the mind followed by feelings associated with the experience. Know that from this point on, life is seen with new light and the trajectory of the journey on is forever changed. The doorway to knowledge of the past can now be opened. When combined with wisdom, this will be the start of the return journey.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of the mind is continuous chatter. The mind is always busy exploring something. A closer look at the internal dialogue will show threads connected to desires within the psyche. These desires relate to unique aspects of the person’s life. The nature would be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. It is the responses of both the mind and the life force to such desires, which propels life.

The mind’s chatter will relate to a current or anticipated everyday situation such as higher education, finding an amazing job, acquiring great wealth, achieving health and longevity, improving physical beauty, visiting far-away places, or finding a soul mate, twin flame or even acquiring the meaning of life. Feelings related to the ego of the person – such as the need to experience power – would be associated with the chatter. These feelings however, often fall in two categories. They are either seeded with fear or love. Choosing based on love, leads in one direction and choosing based on fear, leads in a totally different direction. These define two unique pathways or directions in life which in essence is the dual nature of existence.

The presence of wants or desires offers an opportunity to the conscious mind. It is the opportunity to exercise the free will, and to choose a direction in life. What happens next is the response by the life force. This will be unique to each person predicated upon tradition, economics, or even an innate fear. 

To explore this further, consider an example where the wish to feel powerful fills the mind of a person. Perhaps it is a parent seeking respect from children, or someone who wants to be controlling in a relationship. It could also be  a boss that bullies,  a CEO of a huge corporation demanding results, or even a prime minister or president of a country who wants power over the lives of the people. Innate intentions emerge from such wishes.The challenge in meditation is being able to view this situation with objectivity: find the intention and make a conscious choice on how to respond.

The one with the wish to feel powerful sees only two options:

1. Embrace the path of power.
2. Choose a different path.

The mind would analyze these options considering pros and cons. On the surface, choosing would seem a simple process. Karmic history will influence the decision. The journey of experiences (defined as karmic history) brought the person to the current situation. This history will influence all decisions. Additionally, emotions often emerge from karmic history. Perhaps the person abused power in the past and it resulted in guilt, regret and shame. The memory of all such experiences are available to the life force throughout eternity. For most, the memory of the events would be vague shadows. However, the emotions such as guilt, regret and shame would resurface when similar situations occur. 

The person in the example has the freedom to walk away, forgoing the opportunity to face and overcome the past, thereby allowing fear to dictate their direction in life. The person would also have an innate awareness of the potential the situation offers, realizing  with the freedom to choose also comes the opportunity to revisit a situation and relive the deep emotions. With strength, courage and wisdom embraced through meditation, the person would choose to manifest only love and truth, thereby transcending the events of the past. In the case of the parent, only love and acceptance would manifest. The boss or CEO would manage with fairness. The prime minister or president would lead with fairness, love, compassion and justice. All of these actions would transcend the events of the past, forging a new direction in life. This is a path of growth through change.

The free will to choose is the force which navigates life. The simple act of choosing navigates the path that life will follow. Whenever there are inner wants, the responses can lead in different directions. The foundation of duality lies here. There are two choices, two directions and two pathways. One path leads back to the original state. The other follows the current trajectory. The dual nature of life is always present. Meditation will become the compass pointing to the way home, the original state of existence when the journey of life started.

Be aware of your purpose, or have an objective when embarking on this journey. The awareness of identifying an objective or a purpose will aid in framing the sessions and help define a path towards that goal. 

Realize that many people meander through life aimlessly; living from day to day unaware of any purpose or objective. They are simply following a pattern imprinted by parents or society, and therefore denying any calls from within. Subconsciously however, there is a purpose and a path which has been established by a very long history of personal choices; choices which emerged from emotional, mental and physical challenges along the way. These are the choices which have defined the life as it is in this moment. These are the choices which navigated a path from the original state to the current state of existence here and now.

How does one become aware of this path? Some feel propelled to seek answers after a surviving a personal tragedy. Similarly, a traumatic experience can cause a change in focus and fill the mind with questions. Others may naturally be seekers. What is crucial however is the awareness of questions and the quest for answers. How those questions are addressed becomes pivotal on the journey ahead, and have the potential to change the trajectory of life or define a new path onward. Where would this new path lead? Perhaps it is about revisiting the physical, mental and emotional challenges which were defined the past.

During meditation, an elevated state is achieved where the conscious mind becomes attuned to the life force within. It holds the potential to open a doorway into the past; awakening the buried memories and emotions filed away eons ago which are still impacting life today. Meditation will offer a new perspective on life. It offers the wisdom to make different choices when faced with similar emotional, mental and physical challenges. New choices will result in a change of trajectory.

Meditation will not only offer answers, but will also present many questions. It is a journey where one’s consciousness and their relationship with life will be observed and scrutinized by the subconscious life force. It is the opportunity to see the self objectively. It is an opportunity to dissect and disassemble the conscious and understand the subconscious self. It offers the opportunity to reassemble and rebuild the self on a solid foundation – the metaphoric rock of eternal truths held together by the motor of eternal love. This is the purpose to be realized and then ultimately embraced on this journey called mediation.

In essence,  the purpose for being here at this time and place is to embrace the opportunity to change. Growth is only possible with change. The purpose of life can be defined as growing towards the totality of self. It is about the return journey. It is about returning to the original state of being which existed before the journey of choices began, where one can truly say and mean, “I AM ALL THAT I AM”.