Meditation "Meditation, or consciousness focused upon itself, is the ultimate reveal  of who you really are, and what you truly are.    You can discover an inner guidance within yourself, and that inner guidance will guide you to the destination you need to go. You have already been guided to many things which are opening you to be aware, but the greatest tool for self knowledge is meditation".     Your mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master and not its slave.   Meditation is useful for clearing, focusing, receiving, de-stressing and relaxing. While it helps to have a quiet, peaceful room, to be sitting or lying comfortably and have some soothing music playing in the background, these aren't necessary.   In fact, I've had some of my most powerful meditations while doing the dishes, washing the floors, taking a bath, sun-bathing at the beach, walking in the woods and staring at the stars.... in other words, we can drop into a meditative state just about anywhere, anytime, and most of us do, without even realizing it. I've learned to look deeply into my world for messages and clues, meditation makes it much easier to notice what's there to be seen, felt and heard.   What is Meditation?   During our day our minds are constantly active in the process of thinking. There is a constant sensory input that comes from living our lives. Whether we are watching television, reading or even having a conversation, with everything that we do we are constantly engaging in inner thought. We are so used to doing this that we are not usually fully aware of all of the thought activity that is going on. This constant churning of the mind can make our thoughts clouded thereby making it harder for us to concentrate or focus on a single thing. Meditation allows us to calm the mind and reduce the activity and inner conversation that we have with ourselves. This helps to clear the mind and allows us to become more focused. We experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation and our minds will feel refreshed.   Why Meditate?   The main reason for meditation in psychic development is to make the mind as calm and quiet as possible this allows us to better connect to the spirit world. The higher self is our existence in the higher dimensions or the spirit world, otherwise known as our soul. When we meditate we can calm the mind and strengthen the connection to the higher realms and become closer to spirit but because we are still awake we can remember and understand what we find there. This makes meditation the most powerful tool in understanding our self's, our lives and the reasons why we are here and what we need to learn. Through meditation we strengthen our intuition and the knowledge of our higher self's will come through.   Meditation Techniques   Meditation involves concentrating on something, to focus the attention of our mind and this will help us to prevent the random thoughts and chatter that is usually going on. This may be something that is looked at like a candle flame or a picture but it is often something that is listened too. This can include a single repetitive sound like our own breath or repeating a mantra to reach a state of deep relaxation where the mind will become open and lucid. More specific results can be gained by listening to a guided visualisation, where we use our imagination to visualise ourselves in a particular place or situation according to what we hear. This is usually followed by a period of silence which creates a space where our higher self can come through and information can be passed into our conscious mind. The point of the visualisation before this is to take our mind to a specific place so that we can gain specific information. Some meditation techniques will allow your mind to reach various states of consciousness and may take you to higher realms and dimensions.   Best Way to Meditate   For the best results you should set aside a particular spot that will be used every time you meditate. It should be a quiet place where there are no distractions. You should be comfortable to a point where you able to be still for a long time but not so comfortable that you are likely to fall asleep. Many people find that the best way to do this is to sit up straight on a chair. If possible you should meditate before a meal rather than just after eating. Ideally the best time of day to meditate is early in the morning. Although meditation is beneficial to us whatever time of day we choose. It is said that early morning meditation is more effective as our mind is still relatively quiet after sleep and before the hustle and bustle of the day has begun. However it is much more important that you have plenty of time in which to meditate. If you are worried about how long you are spending and thinking about where you need to be or what you need to get done then you will not be able to relax properly.   Physiological  Effects   Meditation is a great way to relieve or reduce stress as well as lowering blood pressure and pulse rate and decreasing metabolic rate. It not only calms the mind, but also calms the body as well.