We spend our lives trying to get into a state of resonance. You might say that everything we do is aimed at getting ourselves into rhythm with the universe. We eat and drink and sleep and do drugs to feel right. We endeavor to control our environment, establish routines, indulge our habits, seek stimulation and connection. That is all meant to regulate and feel in step with existence itself.
The first thing to do if you are wanting to start practicing meditation/contemplation is to start by paying attention to and “tracking” everything going on inside yourself. Your inner experience is complex. It is made up of your thoughts and feelings, but there are other things, too – physical sensations, imaginings, intentions, a million little impulses. Before practicing meditation/contemplation, your inner experience can feel out of control. The goal is not to completely control your inner life or eliminate all the “noise.” It is just to start with what is there and organize it a little to achieve a more centered experience.
From time to time, I get out of the habit of practicing meditation/contemplation. And it becomes important to re-engage with these practices that help me sink deeper into myself and reconnect with contemplative thought. These meditative practices are what I need to live a serious, creative life, which I was born to do. From time to time, people also ask me to help support them in their own meditative practices. Basically, the questions center around how to start, what to do, and what is supposed to happen when you do it. Most of us understand contemplation/meditation will be helpful, but we are unclear about what we are supposed to be achieving through it. I would like to outline here some purposes, or we might say outcomes, of meditation/contemplation. In subsequent posts, we will then outline practical steps to achieve these ends. Some purposes of meditation/contemplation (the two terms are used interchangeably):