Month of Meditation

A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to an article called Mormon Mantras. I want to return to that article because there is a whole lot more to that article than what I discussed in One hot mess of thought, which really was a hot mess. I also forget that just because I post a link to something, it doesn’t mean people go and read it. I’m going to try and do a better job of calling attention to items that I post that are really worth going and reading on your own. Mormon Mantras is one of them.

The article was sent to me because of my very first post, titled Listening, in which I talk about meditation and the benefit that I get out of it. Looking back at when I started the blog, I am reminded that the month or so before I started it I was in the habit of meditating almost daily. Although maybe the word habit is a little strong for doing it regularly for just a month. Either way, it kind of laid the foundation for my blog.

I want to get back into the habit of meditating regularly again. Phil describes the benefit he got out of meditating. He started the practice because he was having lots of shoulder pain and headaches and anxiety and depression as a result of an injury he sustained a year earlier. Initially the meditation helped with his physical ailments, but as he got deeper into the practice of meditation, it expanded to other areas of his life. In his words:

Almost immediately, I noticed that my scripture studies were more insightful and my prayers more rich and profound. I soon realized that mediation was not primarily about relaxation and stress reduction but rather an awakening into the Spirit—and that this communion with the Spirit had the power to heal and transform.

After seven months of devoted meditation practice, I began to have consciousness-expanding experiences that provided exhilarating moments in which I felt a deep sense of oneness with the universe and all of creation. I also began to identify much more with my spirit instead of my body, thoughts, and emotions.

As the months passed, unhealthy thought and behavior patterns receded and Christlike virtues became more deeply rooted. After three-and-a-half years of daily meditation, I experienced the realization that, without the goal-setting or other conscious self-improvement efforts I’d tried in the past, I had become much less defensive, selfish, impatient, and judgmental. I had also become far more emotionally vulnerable, open, and honest.

I use to be fairly skeptical, but I think there’s a lot of power in the practice of mediation. I decided I want to engage in it more regularly (daily), and to get myself started I’m going to declare now until Christmas a month of meditation. It’s official, maybe I can get Andrew to make T-shirts. Does anyone want to join me? If you need more details about how to meditate, read the article linked above. Maybe cool things will happen to you if you give it a try…(seriously, as ridiculous as it may sound to just sit there Indian style [is that PC?] with your hands on your legs and thinking about nothing or repeating some mantra, you will be surprised at what it does for you if you’re patient with it.)