Meditation has many benefits. It can affect our ability to deal with stress, our emotions, focus, clarity, and a number of health issues. It can be also be a great way to gain peace. Throughout this blog series I offer different meditation techniques to help us gain inner peace, but also to foster it out in the world. The meditations in this blog will include passive mindfulness methods and more active meditations using visualization and journey-work.

I start most of my meditation methods with a progressive relaxation of the body, a visualized countdown and another countdown that just takes us deeper, since that is how we do things in my tradition. That countdown is used in reverse to get back out of a meditative state. This method is used in self hypnosis, the Silva Method, the Cabot tradition of Witchcraft, and in my own Temple of Witchcraft tradition to get your mind into a focused, meditative state. Many mindfulness methods do not use this countdown method but prefer to focus on a particular thought and hold it. I have found the mindfulness techniques enhanced by the countdown.

Meditation does not just benefit our own peace but can effect the people all around us. Multiple tests have been done to show that Meditation in 1% of the population of an area can reduce crime rates. This is called the Maharishi effect. Transcendental meditation was done in large groups in this study to see if the crime rate in DC would go down. This group meditation was shown to have the effect of crime decreasing in the area. This brings us to postulate that we are all connected in a field of consciousness and through meditation we can bring peace to those connected to us in that field. The unfortunate part of this study is that they did the study after the effect of a large groups practicing together. Many of us don’t have a large group we can meet up with to meditate. If our theory of a connective field of consciousness is correct, a personal practice done by enough practitioners in different places might have the same effect on the peace of their area.

All the benefit of the meditation practice are from regular use of it. Daily meditation brings about peace within us and can effect the field of conscious around us. This is a hard one for most people to factor in to their schedule. Commit to as much as you can. Sometimes starting small can get us into the habit of doing it more often then an overly ambitious practice. The following meditation is one to encourage peace within you, someone in need and radiate it out into the neighborhood. Make it your practice for this week if you desire.

Sharing the Peace Meditation

Imagine waves of relaxation flowing from your head down to your toes. Focus your attention on each muscle group as you relax. Let any tension flow out of your toes into Mother Earth to be recycled. Relax your mind and imagine all your thoughts are clouds being blown away by a gentle breeze. When you have a clear blue sky in your imagination, relax your heart, letting any emotions or stresses flow away. Let the light within your heart and your spirit protect and guide you.

Now we are going to count down into a meditative state by counting down from 12 to 1 and imagining it on the screen of our mind. Bring up on the screen of your mind the number 12. You can draw it or just imagine it appearing like a movie screen. Now it fades and you write 11 on the screen of your mind. Draw 10 on the screen of your mind. Getting more relaxed with each number. Draw 9 on the screen. Draw 8 on your screen. Draw 7 on your screen. Draw 6 on your screen. Feeling a deepening relaxation. Draw 5 on your screen, draw 4, draw 3. Draw 2 on the screen, draw 1.  You are now in a magical mind set where you have complete control of all of your abilities and powers for the highest good, harming none.

Release your screen and count down from 13 to 1, just listening to the numbers and going deeper: 13, 12 ,11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. You are now in a meditative state where all you do is for the highest good,  harming none.

Imagine the space around you is filling with prismatic white light. This light seems to sparkle like an opal with all the colors of the rainbow. This light is filled with the radiance of all the colors and is a psychically-adaptive energy to fit all needs to bring about peace for the highest good. As this cloud of light begins to fill your surroundings, you connect with your breath. Take a deep breath, drinking in this energy and letting it fill you with peace. As you exhale, allow anything that needs release to be expelled with your breath. The expelled energy is so heavy it sinks into the earth to be recycled. Continue to take deep breaths, using this imagery of breathing in peace and allowing release. Until you feel you are filled with this radiant peaceful light. You may find that your spirit and even your body feel lighter after doing this part of the meditation.

The power of this peace is meant to be shared. Visualize a person you know who needs more peace or allow someone you know who needs peace to appear before you. In your mind ask if they will accept some healing peace to be sent to them. You should get a feeling or have them indicate yes or no. If no, allow another person to appear and repeat the process of asking. If yes, breathe in the peaceful prismatic white light and with your exhale visualize it being expelled from you to the person. Repeat the process until you feel like the person is “full” or they seem to not be absorbing any more light.  Say farewell with a blessing of “may you find peace.”

By this point you will probably feel full of energy still. To return us to a level full of peace but not overwhelming, as you breath in focus on the light you now contain. As you exhale, imagine any extra light you don’t need is released from your body like a misty, sparkling spray sending particles of the prismatic white light of peace out into your home. The next breath out into the street and area around your home. The last and third breath out into your town or neighborhood.

Begin to count yourself up to waking consciousness by counting first from 1 to 13: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13. Begin to wiggle your toes and hands as you begin to come fully back. Count yourself up again from 1 to 12 coming more back into your body with each number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. You are now fully awake and refreshed. Bring your hands up above your head and sweep them down the front of your body and out away from the body saying. “I give myself clearance and balance, I am in balance with myself, I am in balance with the universe, I banish all that does not serve.”

May your practice bring you peace.

Blessed be!