Choosing The Right Meditation
Practice For You

So you want to start a meditation practice . . . . That's wonderful! Regular meditation can have miraculous benefits for your happiness and well-being... not to mention your ability to work magick.

There are so many different varieties, how do you know what kind is best?

There are lots of ways to meditate because there are lots of different kinds of people. It's not that one type is better than others. Any practice, taken deep enough, will encompass every other path.

So what makes one practice right for you?

Everyone has unique needs and styles. One person may thrive on strict discipline, while another thrives on openness and joy. One may need stillness to focus, and another may require movement to bring their mind to stillness.

The task is to find a meditation practice that suits your personal style.

And the only real way to know which will work for you is to try some. Like the easy and fun meditations listed below.

Tracking Down The Right Meditation Practice

It doesn't have to be entirely random, though.

Start asking other Witches if they meditate, and what kind they do. This can be especially useful, if you ask those who have similar personalities to your own.

You also have another valuable means at your disposal. As a Witch, you have the ability to access deep wisdom and Divine guidance.

Set an intention to be led to the right meditation practice for you. Then give your intention to the Divine, and relax. Pay attention to clues that come along. Inevitably, something will turn up.

And it is likely to be exactly what you need . . . even if it's not what you think you want.

Taking Your Needs Into Account

There's a funny thing about spiritual practices. It's said that the practice that's the most difficult for you has the most to offer you.

This makes sense. But it's hardly encouraging.

It's also said that if it's hard for you in the beginning, you actually have an advantage over those who find it easy. Later on, the tables will be turned.

I find this more encouraging.

However, if like me, you have trouble sticking with a practice that is extremely challenging, then it's so important to choose a meditation practice that nourishes you, even as a beginner.

In other words, the right meditation practice, at least when you're starting out, is one that is fun.

Whether that is a moving meditation like Tai Chi, a sitting meditation like Vipassina, or anything else. If it works for you, it'll work for you.

Some Easy & Fun Meditations You Can Try

Here are a few of my favourite meditations. One of the reason I like them is that they're easy to do.

When I'm not feeling up to a heavy meditation or something demanding, these give me a lift, and inspire me to return to regular spiritual practice.

Drawing Down The Moon

Here's another easy meditation you can try. Drawing Down The Moon is a particularly Wiccan practice, but in its essence it is universal.

What you are really doing is invoking the Light of the Divine Source, and filling yourself with it.

This is just what the yogis do with a meditation practice like the Divine Light Invocation.

Keep in mind that this is not "light" as in contrast to "dark." This is beyond any such polarities.

We use light as the ultimate metaphor for the Divine, because it is as close as our human brains can come to envisioning the formless, boundless Energy that makes up the universe.

Mandala Meditation Practice

Drawing or coloring a mandala is so absorbing and so much fun, it hardly seems like it can be "good for you."

This is one of those meditations I do when I don't feel I have the energy or concentration for other kinds of meditations. It is not demanding at all, but exciting, fulfilling, and energizing. It can be so satisfying to create a picture that in some way echoes where I am in this moment.

And afterward, it's enjoyable to read the mandala, to gain insight into my deep self in a gentle way.

This is one of my favourite spiritual practices. And it can be done lightly, for entertainment, or with deep focus, as a powerful spiritual practice.

So mandala meditations suit everyone, whether you don't like "meditating" or you are an experienced meditator.

By the way, you can download a free mandala template. Then pull out the pencils or felt markers, and play!

Mantra Meditation Practice

Mantra meditation suits many beginners. Mantra is relatively easy to do right from the start, yet it progresses easily into a very profound experience.

And even better, perhaps, is that it immediately feels wonderful in the body and Energy Field.

Another benefit of meditation on a Mantra is that, according to the Upanishads and many sages, Mantra is said to be the perfect spiritual practice for traversing the Kali Yuga — the spiritually-deficient and incredibly challenging "Iron Age" in which we are currently embroiled.

Divine Light Invocation

This is a form of meditation that is very easy to do. It's like a visualisation. The neat thing about it is that even if you can't "see" the Light, I guarantee it's there. Sometimes you just need to accept that it's there even if you can't see it... often that's enough for you to be able to perceive it!

The Divine Light Invocation is incredibly powerful. They say if you do 10 Divine Light Invocations a day for a month, you will experience a miracle. In difficult times, I've been known to do 20 or more per day, and I feel like it has saved me.

See this article and the next for instructions and information on doing the Divine Light Invocation.

Moving Meditations

This is obviously just a sampler of some of the better meditations I've found for beginners, but I don't want to skip this important option. Some people simply meditate better with their body being focused, as well as the mind.

If you are like that, you can try moving meditations such as...

• Walking meditation (Vipassina has a form of this within that technique)

• Tai Chi

• Qi Gong

• Yoga (a true yoga that encompasses mind training and body consciousness, not one of these pseudo-yogas that have become so popular in the West — eg, Bikram's hot yoga, one of the least yogic "yogas", in my opinion)

• Prayer Dance (such as the Divine Mother Prayer Dance)

If You Simply Cannot Meditate

There's something you should know: Humans are in fact designed to "meditate"... one way or another. And there are a LOT of ways available!

It may be that the methods you've tried — so far — don't suit you, but don't write off meditation altogether. All it means is you haven't found the right kind for you yet.

If you find that nothing works as a meditation for you, you might want to try Transcendental Meditation. It is said to be the easiest "pure" meditation in the world, and gives super-fast results ... and the best part is it works for people that nothing else will work for.

And I have to say, my spouse — who could not ever find a meditation that worked for her — has been doing it and even enjoying it. And it gave us excellent good results, from the very first week. So I highly recommend this now, when people say they can't meditate.

It's not cheap to get started in Transcendental Meditation, but on the plus side, you do have infinite ongoing support once you've taken the beginner course.

So if nothing else works for you, it's definitely worth it!

You can find information and contacts on their website: Transcendental Meditation.org.

Quick 'N' Easy Meditation Practices

While a full-on meditation practice can't be beat, it's nice to remember that meditating doesn't always need to be a big deal.

Small moments meditating, scattered throughout your day, can bring you enormous benefits . . . not least of which are relaxation, happiness, and clarity of mind... and increased magickal power.

Diamond Alignment

This is an incredibly powerful and swift form of meditation. You play it on your computer, ideally with headphones on.

It's stunning how well this works! It didn't reach its full effect for me until I'd done a few of them, but then I was super-impressed with it.

Fast and couldn't be easier. Try the Diamond Alignment Meditation here. (You can get access to the free 6-minute version from that page.)

Brainwave Meditation

Another effortless form of meditation takes advantage of the effect of rhythm on the brain, changing the level of consciousness.

You can get meditative music that contains binaural beats — these immediately entrain the brainwave rhythms to alpha, theta, or even gamma states. These are the creative, healing, meditative states that you can get with a lot of meditation practice.

I particularly like Unisonic's products. They use binaural beats with music that shifts consciousness, and they also use the Solfeggio tonal frequencies. In my opinion, the Solfeggio tone produces more true reflection of the power of each tone. (There's fascinating info on that, and Cymatics as well, here: "Kaleidascope" Blog.)

Click here to hear some of Unisonic Ascension's binaural meditation music. (Unison Volume 3 is one of my favourites.)

Virtual Candle Meditation

One "Meditation Moment" that I like to recommend is lighting a virtual candle. (It's free, too.)

Click here for my favourite virtual candle site. (Opens link in new window.)

Make your browser full screen. Then take your time.

While the candle is not real, the light it gives off is available to all who enter this virtual space.

And the momentary re-dedication and awareness of spirit is really what any meditation practice is all about.

The candles on this site "burn down" over time. You might like to keep this site open on your desktop, and check back with your candle from time to time. I find this deepens the experience, and expands the sensation in my body of peace.

It's a refreshing, lovely experience. Enjoy!

With Brightest Blessings,

erin Dragonsong

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