I just came out of a meditation “class” here in Portland that was so incredibly deep I am compelled to write about it. It made me think about sleep and consciousness, and it occurred to me that there is a continuum of awareness that decreases and decreases as we approach “sleep” each time we go to bed. At some point, we cross the “point of no return” and we move from awareness to complete lack of awareness. This is what we refer to as sleeping, and we all do it on some kind of scheduled rest period. As we go deeper along the awareness continuum, there comes a point when our minds become active again and we experience “events” we refer to as dreaming. What happens in a meditation session is that I deliberately attempt to slow my consciousness along the continuum, approaching the “point of no return”, but not actually crossing it into unconsciousness, to the place where I am awake but my mind is shut down as far as the “thinking machine” is concerned. We are taught that if one can attain this mental state, he or she is open directly to one's higher mind, the mind(s) that are connected to the chakra system, or “the higher self”. For me, a good session is where I can stop my thinking and just “be” with my higher self. Each day I practice, I attain some degree along the continuum of slowing my thoughts. Getting beyond “thinking” is definitely an objective in meditation.
What happened today, and has occurred only a few times in past meditation sessions, is I crossed the point of no return several times. Was I asleep? I don't think so. This state of being is different, but it somewhat felt like I nodded off and then crossed back into deeply arrested consciousness at several points. This, like so many “mystical” occurrences, is almost impossible to describe with language (a dualistic endeavor).
Our practice is described as “open-eye meditation”. Shakti is absorbed into the chakra system through the chakras, but also through the eyes. The “teacher” is able to access the flow of Shakti surrounding us all and helps each student by directing a flow of Shakti personally to them. Again, this happens predominately through the eyes, and like everything else in our practice, is physically felt. Teacher J always says,“Ours is a visceral practice”. The degree of which the eyes are open (from completely open wide or down to small, squinting slits) varies from practitioner to practitioner. Teacher J has his eyes part-way open, Teacher K has hers completely open, while Teacher S is squinting, almost as if asleep. Even though the eyes are open, they usually become un-focused so that we aren't actually “looking” at anything.
Today was a very deep meditation session for me, and I hope to have many more like this one. I feel it is a sigh that I'm advancing in my spiritual work, and I came away feeling recharged and refreshed. Thank you for reading, and I am interested in the state of consciousness others attain in their spiritual work. Respond to this post if you feel so moved. Be kind. Love each other.
– Bob