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Originally Posted by whitecrow

Good question, and some great responses, too. For a guy born in 1950, it's just really, really cool to see someone from Oklahoma say, "Meditation is the key to who I am." Just for comparison, when I was a kid in New Mexico they still lynched black folks in that part of the country - and many folks did not have indoor plumbing.

I do not set aside daily time for meditation per se. Once or twice a week works well for me. However I do try to bring meditation into my daily life, and I do it by using breathing exercises while I am going about my daily activities - doing almost anything really, except maybe talking with someone.

In the simplest words, this involves filling your mind with awareness of your breathing. As the conscious mind fills with this single thing, other things go on automatic pilot or simply fade away. This is how I begin a real meditation session, too. In this way I find it easy to maintain a detached state of near-bliss and still remain aware and responsive. In a set-aside meditation session, I will continue with this exercise until I become completely detached and in a trance state, but it's possible to hold this empty fullness during an ordinary day, and I find that a valuable practice.

The next step is to let my spirit or my awareness go where it always wants to, which is that dimension I call the Sacred Love Matrix, which is where everything is connected and has common cause. From here, meditation can lead in many directions, but I always spend time breathing Love. Sometimes it's directed, sometimes it's just all-inclusive. This grounds me, keeps me where I want to be, and lets my creativity flow.

I resonate with your words.