meditative state | Oneness Ministry

Meditation Intro

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Meditation is a tool to gain greater peace and tranquility in your life. It is a great way to cope with the many changes that are occurring today or any day. This is an introduction and it is not meant to be all inclusive so please explore further when you are done here. These are tools that I know and use on a daily basis.

First we must understand what I am talking about when I say meditation. I mean a state of being relaxed, peaceful, and harmonious with your surroundings. It is a state of deep mind relaxation where the brain is in an alpha brain wave form. It’s purpose is to simply deepen your connection to Spirit by moving ‘you’ out of ‘your’ way. Meditation does not have to be complicated! It is the simplest thing in the world and the great part is that we all do it whether we realize it or not!

Let me give you an example of how we all use meditation. Have you ever been doing something repetitive that you do all the time and just drift off into a waking dream like state? Or maybe you are standing at the supermarket in a long line of customers and your mind drifts off into space. If you noticed how you feel at that moment it would be relaxed, calm, and at peace. We often pass through this place in boredom. It is a feeling of being connected to something greater than yourself. Meditation is a great feeling that supports your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

To put yourself into a meditative state takes very little knowledge and only a little practice. Start with getting comfortable and slow your breathing down. Focus on slow even breaths with a pause in between. As you do this consciously, relax each muscle in your body starting either at the top or bottom and working all the way through your body. It will feel like a wave of relaxation is sweeping though you! If you have ever laid on the beach in the waves or floated in the wave pool you can use that memory to help. Just keep it smooth, slow, and relaxing. Close your eyes softly but do not get too comfortable because you do not want to fall asleep. If you do, that is Ok, just try again next time. Thoughts will be bouncing around in your head and that is normal, just let them go and instead focus on something peaceful. A flame, a statue, a photo, a blank wall, a spinning tire or whatever is present can be used as a point of focus. Now that you have your comfy spot, slow breath, relaxed muscles, and point of focus just let go and allow your mind to relax. Do not “try” to focus, just be gentle and soft with your focus. As you relax pay attention to your body, feel your breath, notice how the seat feels, be in your body completely. Meditate for about 5mins. to start with and work up to 30mins. or an hour depending on the amount of time you wish to invest in this activity. Yes, even meditation is an activity, because technically it is not possible to do nothing or you would not exist!

Meditation can take place just about anywhere. Here are a few suggestions, try a ‘waking’ meditation the next time you are in a stressful situation. Stop right where you are for 10 seconds and take a deep breath and allow your body to relax. Now go back to what you were doing and feel the difference. Walking meditation is one of my favorites since I walk often as a form of exercise. Take slow deliberate steps, let your mind go and focus on something peaceful. Feel your body moving through the space, the wind blowing on your face, the sun shining, leaves rustling, be totally present. Breathe slowly and deeply feeling your diaphragm move up and down. When you finish your walk notice how you feel. I mentioned the work meditation earlier, and basically just do the same things as you do with a walking meditation just do it while you work, or sit in the car on a long trip (someone else is driving). Do this while you are on trip or simply at home for the evening. Soft music is fine if it has no vocals and can help to set the mood, just be careful about getting too relaxed, this is not about snoozing. Driving meditation works too. It involves simply letting go and relaxing while focusing on the road ahead. Many of us do this without even thinking about it, the only difference is you are now making it a conscious exercise. Think of all the things that are going perfectly in your life, the good times you have had, or count your blessings. Use your time alone constructively. Remember that Meditation is just a relaxed state where you feel at peace. If you choose to make it difficult and want to do it the way a Buddhist Master would do, then I suggest looking into ‘Binaural Beat Meditation’ by searching on the internet. Blessings on your journey of Love!

Sequoia Elisabeth

Spirituality Transitions

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Peace Is Within

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The blog has been less frequent lately because I am out living the dream! I am sure you are as well in your own way. As a Spiritual Peacemaker it is my calling to help others find Peace within. It is important to realize that Peace is always and all ways present. You may or may not be aware of it, but it exists as surely as the air you are breathing. In fact air can be removed, while Peace cannot. For instance Peace exists in outer space while air does not.

One of the best ways I have found to reach Peace is meditation. Many people find meditation difficult and this is because you do not fully understand what meditation is.

First of all let us consider what Peace is. Without dragging out the dictionary, think of Peace as the Spirit within you and all things. It is a still, calm, quiet, serene place but can also be active, forceful, and dynamic. Peace is quite simply the force of Great Spirit, Universal Consciousness or God. We find it calming and comforting because this is our home, our natural state. Finding Peace then is like finding yourself!

Meditation then is a state of thoughtless awareness. Meaning the mind is clear of thought yet keenly aware. It is possible to be aware of something without thinking about it. For example you can be aware of someone without thinking about them. You don’t have to be in a lotus position to meditate, and in fact we meditate all the time, but do not call it meditation. Manual labor or repetitive tasks are the most common ways we slip into meditation.

Physiologically the mind works at various frequencies from 40 to 1.5 cycles per second and represent 4-5 stages of activity, Beta (40-15), Alpha (9-14), Theta (5-8), and Delta High (4-3)/Delta Deep (1.5-2). Meditation usually occurs in the Theta range of 5-8 cycles per second, but can also be a bit higher in the Alpha.

The wee hours of the morning are easiest to reach this meditative state, because the rest of the ego world is sleeping and so the mental or psychic airwaves are calmer and with less disturbance. Many people will rise at 4 or 5 am to do their daily meditation and while this does make the process easier it is certainly not required. I would say if you are just starting the practice of daily meditation, creating the habit of rising early and doing the meditation in the private space of your room can be a great way to center yourself before the day begins.

Meditation can be as short as 10 seconds or can last for days. Typically a person mediates for 30-60 minutes till they get good at it and then they can meditate literally at the drop of a hat. It does take practice and discipline so set aside a few minutes a day at least and get started! For more on meditation see the website, Unity in Gender Diversity. The eBook “Methods of Raising Our Energy” is available there and covers different methods.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Sex and Sexuality click here

Spirituality Transitions

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Meditation and Transition

by Sequoia Elisabeth

As a method of coping with the challenges of transition I can think of no better way than meditation. Without it my journey would have ended long ago. So this blog is a short look at meditation and how I got started along with several suggestions for you.

Since childhood I was fascinated by those who meditated, especially monks. I could see the benefits but when I tried my mind was too wild and difficult to tame. I fidgeted or fell asleep. I tried biofeedback as a way to calm my mind and to control it which did help a bit however I did not have the discipline necessary to really make it powerful. These things take constant daily practice with determination and confidence. I had neither.

What I did have was sports, not really by choice but by necessity. Basketball was forced down my throat and so this became my meditation. On retrospect my coach was helping me meditate whether we knew it or not! You see meditation is not simply sitting on a mat in the lotus position and putting your mind in a theta brainwave state. Although that is the end result desired. Brainwave amplitude and frequency are the key.

“The brain is an electrochemical organ using electromagnetic energy to function. Electrical activity emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of brainwaves emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of brainwaves. There are four categories of these brainwaves. They range from the high amplitude, low frequency delta to the low amplitude, high frequency beta.

BETA – 13-30 cycles per second – awaking awareness, extroversion, concentration, logical thinking – active conversation. A debater would be in high beta. A person making a speech, or a teacher, or a talk show host would all be in beta when they are engaged in their work.

ALPHA – 7-13 cycles per second – relaxation times, non-arousal, meditation, hypnosis

THETA – 4-7 cycles per second – day dreaming, dreaming, creativity, meditation, paranormal phenomena, out of body experiences, ESP, shamanic journeys.

DELTA – 1.5-4 or less cycles per second – deep dreamless sleep

During meditation brain waves alter. A person who is driving on a freeway, and discovers that they can’t recall the last five miles, is often in a theta state – induced by the process of freeway driving. This can also occur in the shower or tub or even while shaving or brushing your hair. It is a state where tasks become so automatic that you can mentally disengage from them. The ideation that can take place during the theta state is often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically a very positive mental state. (http://www.crystalinks.com/medbrain.html)

Now that you know what meditation is you know that it is hard not to meditate. We all do it every day so why not use this tool constructively. You can see if you go too far you slip into sleep, but I have learned that it is not a bad thing. Meditate anyway and with practice you can get what you need from the exercise. This is key – it is an intentional exercise that you do daily. Focus on some aspect of your life that you wish to change or need help with, focus is good, but try not to think too much. I start off with a situation or dilemma I am working with and then let my mind go. Ask a question and then relax. Allow your thoughts to flow. Don’t judge them or try to direct them, just observe.

One thing I do now days to help the process is binaural beat brain wave therapy. It is simple really and can be very effective. Lots of material is available on the internet now, so explore this further. I started with Centerpointe Research Institutes program of meditation recordings and was very pleased. I used them for about 3 years till they just got too cost prohibitive so I looked elsewhere. Be sure to use stereo headphones to get the full effect. I recommend doing your research on this because I don’t have the space to explain it all and this is important. Start with this link.

The important thing is that you consciously meditate every day! Read my free eBook Methods of Raising Our Energy for more techniques. And know that you cannot mess-up or even avoid mediation. It is a natural part of daily human life!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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