A Simple Guide to Christian Meditation

To serve you i n
your commitment to prayer this Advent season,
Father John has provided a simple introductory
guide to Christian meditation.
Each day you should reserve some time 5, 10, or
15 minutes can be a good start to spend in quiet,
heart-to-heart conversation with Christ. This is
called Christian meditation. The goal of this kind of
prayer is to deepen your personal relationship with
Christ, praising God and receiving his grace, and to
identify yourself more and more with the purpose
of your life: to live in communion with God
through the fulfillment of his will. As you develop
the habit of this prayer, you will find ways to
personalize the method. To begin, however, and in
order to overcome the distractions and dryness
common to those starting off on a more demanding
life of prayer, the following structure has shown to
be of great utility.
Be sure to choose a time and place conducive to
the silence and attention required; most spiritual
masters recommend that we do our meditation
early in the day, before the thousand cares of this
busy world tangle us up in their knots. They also
recommend that we do it at the same time every
day, and in the same place, somewhere quiet,
where we know that interruptions and distractions
will be limited. More important than the time and
place, however, is the commitment to make
meditation part of your daily spiritual fare, no
matter how busy you get or little you feel like
praying.
Your meditation can be divided into 4 steps the
four Cs: Concentrate, Consider, Converse,
Commit.
Concentrate
This simply means focusing your attention on God,
on his presence, on your relationship with him.
You renew your faith, your love, your hope in him.
You ask him for the particular grace you are
seeking in this time together with him. You recall
that he created you and is interested in you so
much so that he sent his Son to save you and
established the Church to guide you to your eternal
home. This first step of your prayer means
concentrating on your true center: your identity as
a creature, a beloved child of God in need of his
grace.
Consider
In the second step of your meditation you take a
passage from Scripture, or from a spiritual book, or
the Catechism, of the writings of a saint, or even a
sacred image or a beautiful natural landscape (you
work out what kind of material is best for you
through experimentation and the guidance of a
spiritual director) and you read it over. You reflect
on what it means, what it tells you about God and
his ways and his plans, and what it means for you
personally, in your particular situation and state in
life. In this stage you ponder in your mind and
heart some truth or aspect of Gods revelation, you
apply it to your life and make it your own.
Sometimes asking questions can help your
consideration: what is the meaning of the passage?
What are its key words? What is going on here?
How would I express it in my own words?
Converse
Here is the core of the meditation: a heart-to-heart
conversation with Christ about the passage you
have been considering and the insights that the
Holy Spirit has been giving you. This intimate,
personal exchange is what separates Christian
meditation from other merely psychological
exercises that dont move beyond concentration.
Here is the mark of true prayer, where you
respond to the Word of God with words of your
own, expressing your admiration, your gratitude,
your love, your confusion, your need whatever
the consideration stirred up in your soul. You also
give him time and room to speak to you. He often
chooses to do this not with words or even ideas,
but by moving your will, by directly touching your
heart. (Try not to get hung up on hearing him
explicitly every day, but you should be able to look
back over several days or weeks and recognize his
action in your prayer life.) As you converse, in the
silent depths of your heart you open yourself to
God, offering your life and inviting him once again
to come and show you the way to a living
communion with him. All the other steps of the
meditation are directed to this step, so if you only
need a brief moment of concentration and
consideration in order to enter into heartfelt
conversation with the One who loves you, dont
dawdle on steps one and two. Normally, however,
we need to gather our attention in order to be able
to hear and respond to the Word of God, and steps
one and two help us to do that.
Commit
Finish your prayer by letting it affect your life:
commit yourself to do something concrete today as
a result of the time you spent with our Lord,
whatever you think the Lord is asking of you or
whatever you think would please him. Whether it
means making an extra visit to a chapel to spend
more time with him, or asking someone to forgive
yesterdays temperamental outburst, or visiting
someone who is in the hospital, or calling that
person who needs a call something concrete,
measurable, real; something about which you can
say at the end of the day: yes, I did that, or no, I
didnt. This insures that our prayer life doesnt
become a mere psychological sedative or an
exercise of vanity. As you offer this commitment to
the Lord, thank him for his presence and the
graces he has given you during this time of prayer,
ask pardon for your distractions (especially if you
invited them or gave in to them out of laziness or
lack of faith), and finish by entrusting the fruits of
your prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary through
reciting a Hail Mary.
End with the sign of the cross, and then go forth to
glorify God by fulfilling his will out of faith, hope,
and love.











Meditation
by Nancy Vedder-Shults, Ph.D.
Techniques:
Mindfulness
Guided Visualization
Mantra Meditation
Since the late 1960s when the Marishi Mahesh Yogi
introduced the Beatles to TM (transcendental meditation),
the popularity of meditative practices has grown in the
West. Meditation has once again become part of
mainstream religion and medicine, with scientific studies
proving its mental and physical benefits, especially in
countering stress.
Until its recent resurgence, meditation was relegated to
secondary status within the religions of the book
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Even so, each of these
faiths has maintained techniques for gaining direct
experience of the divine. Within Christianity, contemplative
orders of monks and nuns have traditionally retired from the
world to meditate with the aim of attaining a personal vision
of God. Meditation plays a part in mystical Judaism as well,
whether its the kabbalistic tradition or later Hasidic
contemplative practices. And mystical Muslims called Sufis
practice dhikr a devotional technique that includes
repetition of phrases from the Qran , other Islamic
aphorisms, or the 99 Names of God as well as other
forms of meditation.
In contrast to the West, the East has emphasized
contemplative practices for millenia. Hindusim, Buddhism,
and Taoism have each created numerous meditative
techniques. Those known in the West include mindfulness,
mantra meditation, qigong, and the use of koans, those
seemingly nonsensical problems meant to challenge the
mind to see reality as it truly is. In each of these traditions,
novices are taught to empty their thoughts in order to
experience the immediacy of life and the oneness of the
interdependent web of existence.
For use in divination, I have gathered three meditation
techniques: one based on sound, one on vision, and one on
sensory perception. When employing any of these methods,
its important to feel relaxed and comfortable. If youre
sitting, make sure to plant your feet firmly on the ground
about shoulder-width apart. Also soften your neck and
lengthen your spine in a relaxed way, so that your head
rests gently on top of your neck. This will also allow your
shoulders to drop and your breath to deepen.
Before you begin either mindfulness or mantra meditation,
state your question out loud, then meditate, only returning
to your question once you have finished. After a minute or
two of meditating, you will probably notice your breath
deepen and slow. This will make it easier for you to
experience the present moment rather than the to-do lists
clamoring for your attention or the difficult relationship that
keeps knocking at your mental door. This or any of the other
noise you usually hear in your head is what the Buddhists
call your monkey mind. Gently bypassing all this normal
chatter is the aim of meditation. Letting your mind unfocus
as you meditate will allow your unconsicous to work on
your oracular issue. Once you have cleared your thoughts,
new approaches to your question often appear. When youre
done, thank your inner guidance for its help.
When youre searching for inner clarity about an oracular
question, meditative techniques can prove useful. In fact,
meditation can help when you perform any type of
divination. It quiets the mind so you can hear, see, or sense
your inner guidance. Meditation has long-term benefits as
well. Meditating daily, twice daily, or even weekly will help
open your mind to your inner wisdom while decreasing the
tension in your life. I highly recommend it as a regular
practice.
Mindfulness
Anywhere Anytime Sitting Sensory
Tools and Ingredients
A quiet place to meditate
Mindfulness is probably the most straightforward of the
meditation techniques. At its simplest, it involves following
your breath with the ultimate purpose of investigating the
mind-body experience on a moment-to-moment basis. If
your mind starts to wander, use this opportunity to gently
bring your focus back to your breath.
Steps
1. Find a quiet place where you wont be interrupted.
2. Formulate your question.
3. Sit comfortably.
4. State your question out loud.
5. Follow your breathing for ten to fifteen minutes by
either:
Counting your breaths or
Thinking to yourself I am breathing in as you inhale and
I am breathing out as you exhale.
6. Return to your oracular question in order to
experience it with a fresh mind. Within a few minutes,
you will often sense an answer to your query.
7. Interpret the outcome. If it has arrived as a symbol or
feeling, you may need to use free association to
analyze its meaning.
8. If you need further clarification, meditate again the
next day.
Guided Visualization
Anywhere Anytime Sitting Sight, Sound, & Symbol
Tools and Ingredients
A quiet place where you wont be interrupted
Paper and a pencil or pen to record your visualization.
Guided meditation techniques are aimed at people who
perceive visually. Since I use my ears more than my eyes, I
find that if a visualization includes at least some auditory
elements, I can make it work for me. As a result, when
creating guided meditations for groups of people, I try to
incorporate as many of the senses as possible so that
everyone can participate, no matter what their perceptual
preference.
Ive created a simple oracular visualization that can deepen
every time you enter its landscape. The first time you use
this guided meditation, you might want to tape it for
yourself or have a friend read it for you slowly and with
long pauses. After one or two times, you can probably go
directly to the place described in the visualization. If you
enhance your experience with greater sensory detail during
subsequent use, the place you visit will become richer and
richer, and the being with whom you converse will become
more and more real to you.
Steps
1. Locate paper plus a pen or pencil to record your
visualization.
2. Find a quiet place where you wont be interrupted.
3. Formulate your question.
4. Ground and center by taking a few conscious breaths
as if you were beginning a mindfulness meditation.
5. Begin the guided meditation (below).
6. When you feel ready, slowly come back to your day-
to-day reality by opening your eyes.
7. Record your guided visualization and interpret its
meaning. If you dont immediately understand it, use
free association to discover it implications.
Guided Meditation
Imagine that you are in one of your favorite places a
place you know and love well or someplace you have
always wanted to visit. This spot makes you feel
comfortable and expansive, embracing you with its
beauty and vibrancy.
Look around you. What do you see? (Pause). What do
you hear? (Longer pause). Feel the energy of this
place. Does it revitalize you? Does it relax you and let
you rest? (Longer pause). Breathe deeply and enjoy
this magical spot, your sacred place of knowing and
understanding. Enjoy the play of color, fragrance, and
sound. (Longer pause).
Wander around this landscape, looking and touching,
listening and smelling, until you come to just the right
spot for you to sit. (Longer pause). Ah, there it is, a
place where you can relax and wait for the enlightened
being, the guide who will answer your question. Youre
in no hurry, and this is your favorite spot, so enjoy it
until the wise one joins you. (Pause).
After a while you hear something a rustling, a door
opening, a movement of some kind. Soon you realize
that its the sound of your guide entering this rare and
wonderful place. You look up and see a beautiful
being. Is it human? Animal? A mythical being? A being
of light? (Short pause). Is it a being you know and
love? Or a being you honor and have always longed to
meet? (Longer pause). What does this being look like?
(Longer pause). How does the wise one move?
(Pause). How does this wise one appear to you?
(Longer pause).
Look into the eyes of your guide, the knowing, loving
eyes. Notice their depth. (Pause). Notice their wisdom
(Longer pause).
You may wish to walk around this place of beauty and
chat with the wise one who has joined you. Or you may
want to sit in some snug corner, holding hands and
communing with each other. Whatever you wish, greet
your guide and ask your question. (Pause).
The wise one looks deeply into your eyes and lovingly
tells you what you need to know. (Very long pause).
Such wisdom! (Pause). Such depth! (Pause).
You are grateful for the guidance youve received, and
thank the enlightened being who has given it to you.
(Pause).
When youre finished, ask your guide for any further
advice. (Long pause). Thank your guide again.
(Pause).
The enlightened being is getting ready to depart, but
before that happens, ask if there is a gift for you. (Long
pause).
Notice what the wise one has given to you. What does
it look like? (Pause). Does it make any sound?
(Pause). Does it have a scent? (Pause). What does it
feel like? (Pause).
Ask your guide what power this gift holds for you, and
where you should carry it. (Longer pause).
You are very grateful for the gift you have received and
thank the wise one once again. (Pause).
Now it is time to leave. Your guide tells you that you
can return at any time with any other questions, and
then says goodbye and turns to leave. You take one
last look at your favorite place, and then begin slowly
to return to your present reality, remembering
everything that has happened, especially the answer to
your question and the gift you have received. (Pause).
Mantra Meditation
Anywhere Anytime Sitting Sound
Tools and Ingredients
An appropriate mantra
A quiet place to meditate
Spiritual teachers in the Hindu tradition experimented with
the acoustic qualities of Sanskrit for thousands of years in
order to develop the mantras used today. Adepts use these
sacred formulas Sanskrit words, phrases, or sounds to
cultivate spiritual power and transform their consciousness.
In the West, mantra meditation came to public awareness
as a result of TM (transcendental meditation). Dr. Herbert
Benson researched this type of meditation and published his
results a 1975 book entitled The Relaxation Response . He
suggested that any nonsense syllable could be used to quiet
the mind. I believe this is correct. If you wish to silently
repeat one, as Benson recommends, you will probably
succeed in ridding your mind and body of extraneous
thoughts, feelings, and sensations so that you can truly
enter the present moment and answer your oracular
question with the clarity this state allows.
The World is Your Oracle
by Nancy Vedder-Shults
Linnea Vedder Shults has collaborated with her mother
Nancy in crafting The World is Your Oracle. Linnea is
painting a deck of 48 cards to accompany the book, creating
an oracle of oracles. When you choose a card from this
deck, you select an oracular technique, not an answer to a
divinatory question. You can view her other art work at
www.linneavs.com .
Nancy's forthcoming book, The World is Your Oracle,
compiles hundreds of divination methods, from ancient
oracles to modern-day techniques. The excerpts published
here will describe a few of the ways to access the deeper
layers of our minds and broaden our sense of perception.
A good oracle puts us in touch with ourselves. It lets us
discover our motivations, feelings and thoughts about the
question we're exploring. And it connects us with the
atmosphere or environment surrounding that question
making us aware of the water we swim in, but usually don't
notice.
To receive inner guidance, all we need is to open ourselves
to what our body/mind tells us, what our emotions display,
and what our unconscious knows. In this way, we can begin
to hear with our inner ears and see with our inner eyes.
Using these mystical senses what we might call the
sense organs of the unconscious we perceive holistically,
noticing relationships and patterns rather than isolating,
classifying and judging what we observe. Once we have
gathered this wisdom, we can then use the rational mind to
interpret what we have learned.
We live in an interconnected world, a web of life. Each
segment of that web reflects the whole just like fractal
designs or holography. That's why the patterns we discover
through divination give us information. They mimic the
relationships of the whole at a particular moment in time.
From my experience with mantras, however, I also know
that each syllable has a specific energetic effect. In fact,
Hindus say that a mantra is divine power clothed in
sound. During a particularly trying period of my life, I used
a protection mantra that reduced my level of fear. Ive also
practiced a mantra that increased my creativity and one that
removed obstacles from my path, both to great success.
Within the Hindu tradition, mantra meditation is usually
performed for forty days, but I have had results much
sooner using mantras as a springboard for divination.
Following this oracular method, I list possible bija mantras
(seed sounds) you can use in divination. These simple
syllables are vibratory experiences in their own right and,
as a result, have no translation. Instead, the sound of each
mantra invokes an identifiable energy, for instance the
energy of abundance, protection, attraction, or creativity.
Steps
1. Find a quiet place where you wont be interrupted.
2. Formulate your question.
3. Choose an appropriate mantra.
4. Sit comfortably.
5. State your question out loud.
6. Begin your mantra meditation with a few conscious
breaths as if you were starting a mindfulness
meditation.
7. Then repeat your chosen mantra for 10 to 15 minutes,
chanting either silently in your mind or out loud.
8. Once youve finished meditating, bring your mind to
bear on your oracular question. Within a few minutes,
an answer should begin to take form.
9. Interpret the outcome to analyze its meaning, perhaps
with free association .
10. If you need further clarification, meditate again the
next day.
Possible Seed Sound Mantras for Divination:
Gum (pronounced gum): the bija mantra that can
remove obstacles from your path and bring success to
your efforts. If you feel blocked, gum will clear the way.
Shrim (pronounced shreem): the seed sound for
abundance in a variety of forms. If your question
concerns health, wealth, spiritual abundance, friendship,
family, or tranquility, this is the mantra for you.
Dum (pronounced doom): the bija mantra for
protection. If your concern fills you with fear, this mantra
will make you less afraid and, as a result, more
clearheaded about your choices.
Eim (pronounced Im): the seed sound for creativity of
all sorts, as well as for music, science, education, and
spiritual endeavors. If your query has to do with any of
these areas, eim can invoke a successful understanding
of your situation.








Zen Meditation
Overview
- Zen has its roots in ancient Buddhist thought. Zen
meditation is simply an extension of the lifestyle, which is
rooted in a kind and peaceful philosophy. One attempts to
achieve a single-pointedness of the mind, not only in a way
of life, but in meditation as well.
- Within Zen meditation a koan is used. A koan is an a-
logical (beyond logic) statement that is focused upon while
meditating. A famous example is what is the sound of one
hand clapping? or what did your face look like before your
mother and father met?
- The purpose of the koan is to repeat the question in your
mind, thus occupying your mental processes. There is no
solution to the koan so therefore the question can be
repeated infinitely.
- Repeating the koan releases your mind from other
distractions you may be experiencing.
-Koans are introduced into the zen meditation once the
meditator is in a relaxed and focused state with controlled
breathing. Can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes
depending on the meditators experience.
- Before starting the meditation a body relaxation technique
and the breathing meditation technique is used.
- To begin the breathing meditation, you will focus on
visualizing the air you breathe travelling in through your
nose, down your throat, filling your lungs, leaving your
lungs passing back through your throat, and back out your
nose.
- If you find your mind drifting off into other things (like
what's for dinner? or that project is due pretty soon) simply
firmly but gently take your mind back to what you are
presently doing. Take yourself back to the activity.
START HERE: Do This Body Relaxtion Technique Before any
Meditation!
The Method
1. As you take each deep breath, feel the sensation of air
entering and leaving your nose. Notice that the air entering
your nose feels slightly cool, and the air thats leaving your
nose feels slightly warm. This is key.
2. Get to really feel this sensation. Take a few deep billows
of air to familiarize yourself with this.
3. When youre ready, you will mentally count each
repetition you take. You will do this slowly 21 times, each
time focusing on the feeling. Once you make it to 21, start
again.
4.Try to repeat the cycle 5 times or until your breathing is
controlled and your mind is focused.
5. Introduce a koan into your meditation. You can use the
example, what did your face look like before your mother
and father met?
Important Note
- You can do this meditation for as long as you like. Be
patient, because it takes years for many to build the
discipline to accomplish 20 minutes of continuous
meditation.
- The Zen meditation is recommended for advanced users.
That does not mean this meditation is better. It simply
means that a higher level of concentration is needed to
successfully attain a single-pointedness of mind.









Concentration Techniques
Being able to focus your mind and keep your attention
directed is really the foundation of every kind of mental
training. Thats why we are so delighted to be bringing
these concentration techniques to you.
We have distilled the essence of over two millennia of inner
science teachings and technology along with the latest in
mind/body and brain research.
As you read through this section and practice the
concentration techniques, youll learn to think more clearly,
in a whole systems perspective.
Youll enhance your ability to stay focused on target, and
to find a dynamic balance of flow and flexibility in your
daily life.
Heres an exercise you can do virtually any time or
anywhere to improve your concentration and focused
attention.
The practice of concentration enables us to accelerate our
growth and learning because it provides us with direct
access to knowing and understanding. Developing
concentration is similar to developing physical strength --
with patient, persistent practice the following techniques
will increase the strength and duration of your attention.
These mind fitness skills are truly basic training, vital for
everyone. The improved concentration they help you
develop will positively impact the quality of your life and
work as long as you continue to practice the skills.
So welcome to the adventure of concentration techniques!
We certainly enjoyed preparing the guide and clearing the
trail. Now its up to you to explore the territory and enjoy
your expanded frontiers of self mastery. By practicing the
focus and concentration that youre about to learn, you can
gain the power to access the focused mind state whenever
you wish.
Here are the five most important points to keep in mind as
you develop your concentration. Use this list as a guide for
successfully integrating the focused mind state into your
daily life:
Emphasize quality, not quantity, of training time. Take
breaks while your concentration is still good. This will
leave you looking forward to continuing.
Practice regularly. Your mind is like your body: by
working out several times a day for short periods youll
see better results than by practicing once a month.
Initially, practice focusing your attention on objects or
activities that you find beautiful or interesting. You can
then build the power to transfer your attention to things
that are less immediately appealing.
Be mindful throughout the day by directing focused
attention toward your ordinary activities. Then, when you
choose to really zoom in and focus on something, your
mind will already be calm, collected and prepared to
produce optimal results.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, remember to smile
and enjoy your mind fitness training. Build your power
of concentration while doing the things you love to do.
Enjoying your practice is an essential ingredient that will
enhance your abilities and speed your progress.
As youve seen, practicing concentration techniques
requires a dynamic balancing of many qualities of mind. On
the one hand, its like a bulldog sinking its teeth into an
object and tenaciously holding on -- yet its also a fact that,
with too much pressure, the mind will tire and soon lose its
grip.
We'd like to offer you a series of practical, highly effective
concentration exercises to help you develop your powers of
concentration and achieve laser-sharp focus in your
thinking. The simplest and most direct method for
developing mental stability and concentration skills is to
focus upon one's own breath.
So optimum concentration is probably more like holding a
delicate bird or butterfly in your palm. Developing strong
concentration skills can be a challenging endeavor, so we'd
like to offer some concentration tips that will help you get
the most out of your practice.
The complex relationship between stress and concentration
can be helped by some basic relaxation strategies that will
help you maximize your concentration by releasing stress.
One great way to enhance your powers of concentration is
to regularly practice concentration meditation.
If you practice these methods, you are certain to realize the
power of concentration techniques. In this way, youll
enhance the quality of your own life and the lives of all you
meet.