By Ean McClane

The classical description of meditation is that it is the relaxation of the mind and body and the expansion of the heart into intuitive awareness. This is a mental and verbal description using the symbols of words to describe a wordless and transcendental process.

The actual experience of meditation far surpasses what words can describe since it reaches into and affects the deeper wordless recesses of the mind. Much of our feeling sense is in the heart and when the heart expands during meditation we feel this expansion as a loving kindness. When this flow of the natural love of the heart is turned upwards towards the spiritual eye we feel spiritual devotion, upliftment and ascension. This devotion into the cosmic flow is what liberates us from our small self definition that we refer to as the ego. We become aware of who we really are – a spirit without bounds.

The masters of this intuitive awareness have throughout the ages proclaimed that meditation is the most accessible way to realize this expansive spiritual oneness. There are other ways to achieve this awareness such as many of the shamanic practices, near death experiences, spontaneous and mystical realizations, various therapeutic modalities, etc. Meditation is a simple method that we can all utilize in the comfort and ease of our own home, in our own space and time.

Since the mind is the first manifestation of cosmic Consciousness, it is one of the three identifiable aspects of the cosmic Trinity. Those three cosmic aspects are Sat, Chit, and Ananda – which translate into Being, Consciousness, and Bliss. The mind is a mirror that reflects the emanations of the cosmic trinity back to itself.

Cosmic Consciousness thinks or dreams the manifested world into apparent existence by reflecting thoughts in the mind. So all of existence, or the universe as we know it, is a projection of thought-manifestations and it is the Cosmic Consciousness that perceives or is aware of the reflection of these mental thought-manifestations. There is no actual separate existence. All of apparent existence is a reflection of projected and reflected thoughts in the manifested mind of cosmic Consciousness.

When the evolution of thoughts reflected in the mind finally projects a body of cells with a nervous system and a brain, it is only the universal Consciousness that is aware of the reflection of nervous impulses that this body and brain produce. There really isn’t anybody home in these projected minds and bodies, only a cosmic Consciousness that is aware of the reflected thought-projections.

We as scientific-materialistic humans think that it is our brains that are conscious and aware, but it is actually cosmic Consciousness that projects and perceives the reflection of all atoms, molecules, and nerve cells. The body and brain are only an apparent pathway of sensation.

The “Fall of Man” that is spoken about in most of the Genesis stories on this planet refers to the process that has occurred whereby the cosmic Consciousness forgets that the reflections in the mind are its own projections and, just like watching a movie, thinks that it IS all of the thoughts in the mind including thinking that it IS the body. It then takes on a game of individuality we call the ego with all its limitations and fears.

It’s similar to when we humans go to the movies – we enter into the world of the story of projected images and sounds and we forget that we are actually in the audience watching a projection. The world around us is a similar projection and, by mastering our consciousness, we can return to being aware that we are only a witness of this projection. We as Masters can even control the projection of world-creating thoughts and thus perform so-called miracles.

Enlightenment is returning to the perspective where the Cosmic “I” remembers that it projects a manifestation of minds, thoughts, bodies, and brains, and lives as a projected thought in these bodies but no longer limits its identity to those bodies. Enlightenment is simply a change of perspective, a remembering of who we really are.
It takes practice to master the art and science of meditation. While one can read about meditation and begin a practice based upon that understanding, it may be optimal to refer to a person that has meditated for a period of time so that the deeper understanding of the art can be conveyed. Meditation is an art because the process of deepening awareness and understanding is creative and intuitive in its nature. The scientific aspect of meditation is due to the actual practice itself, of preparation, sitting, breathing, focusing, and releasing.

Since meditation is the art and science of relaxing, quieting, and setting aside the mind, with practice we master this art just like a musician masters her instrument. We begin to notice that, what remains when the quiet mind is set aside, is a clear and peaceful space where Being resides. As we rest in this Being we start to recognize it as our true Self. We remember this place, it becomes familiar to us again. It is the Source and the root of our conscious awareness.

We knew and resided in this place when we were very young but forgot it as we gradually learned knowledge of the world. Language filled our mind and we attached words to everything. Eventually we started believing in things that were not true. Things like we are a separate individual apart from the rest of nature. This one erroneous thought causes most of our anxiety and depression. This one thought triggers loneliness, fear, helplessness, and even anger. The emotional flinch reaction from these feelings causes a contraction of the flow of life force that animates our being, our body. When this flow of Chi or Prana is diminished we lose consciousness. We meditate to relax the flinch reaction and to regain this lost consciousness.

Psychologists call this loss ‘unconsciousness’, ‘the unconscious mind’ or ‘the collective unconscious’. We discover that much of our suffering begins in this part of our minds that have become numb from repression, denial, and neglect. As we open up and embrace these lost parts of our mind we become more alive and aware again. We remember who we really are and that the Universe is actually a Benevolent place to live. There is nothing to fear, nothing to repair, nothing to improve. We regain our true nature that is Pure Being. We live in ever new conscious Bliss. We Love freely without fear, without conditions, without limitation.