The Value of Meditation, Part 3

October 21, 2007

Dear Friends,

I guess I’m on a roll. Last month I wrote two different messages about the value of meditation, and how a daily practice of meditation can greatly enhance your ability to live life in the divine flow.

In a nutshell, I wrote that meditation helps create gaps between your thoughts, so you are more readily open to divine insights, inspiration, and intuitive guidance. I also described the way that meditation helps you stay more connected to your spirit throughout the day, so you can respond to challenging people and situations in a wiser way.

Well, for the last two weeks I have been writing about the importance of maintaining present moment awareness. And guess what can help you with that? You got it! Meditation.

If you are not that familiar with meditation, you might assume that it’s all about mentally escaping the now moment. And yes, there are plenty of guided meditations that do, indeed, take you somewhere else in time and space. But strictly speaking, most guided meditations are really visualizations, which serve a different purpose.

The form of meditation that I practice is specifically designed to center all of your attention in the here and now, by focusing first on your breathing (because your body is always in the present), and then focusing on a mantra (a special phrase you repeat to yourself) to help displace your usual thoughts—the kind of thoughts that propel you elsewhere.

It’s true, that after your meditation is over, it may be a challenge for you to stay in the present moment, and not drift off into reflections on the past or projections into the future. But your tendency to do that will be greatly reduced . . . especially after several weeks of consistent practice.

And the benefit of being more centered in the here and now? You will be much more aware of all the divine signs and celestial synchronicities that are guiding you to your highest good.

As I have said many times before, the presence of the flow is sensed in the present. The present is where you have to be in order to see the signs. The present is where you have to be in order to notice the synchronicities.

In short, to receive the gifts of the flow you must be here, now. And being here—now—is what meditation, as I practice it, is mainly all about.

I hope this adds to your understanding of meditation, and the important part it plays in living life in the divine flow.

Steven

© 2007 by Steven Lane Taylor