Leonardo Da Vinci is credited with the phrase “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. Meditation and the knowledge of self (or non self) is a topic one can dwell endless upon, as one can dive and dig into various aspects of our constitutions and psychology. We can really make the topic as complicated as we want it to be. I really want to make this article as simple as I possibly can. I really believe there is great power in simplicity.

So basically in order for us to successfully experience the divine faculties that consist in every person, which are beyond the mind, namely the soul or essence, consciousness and spirit, one has to identify the obstacles which steals our focus and energy and this in turn prevents us from experiencing the higher spheres of reality. These are namely:

1. The Physical body
2. The Vital body
3. The Astral or emotional body
4. The Mental Body

Above is the Kabbalistic tree of life from the Hebrew tradition, it is a map of the microcosm (man) and macrocosm (universe). A human is basically spirit in its true form represented by the sephirah Chesed. We can call this the innermost or the being. The innermost unfolds himself into two souls, namely the divine (Geburah) and the human (Tiphereth). Chesed is related with pure spirit, Geburah is related with divine consciousness and Tiphereth is related with willpower. Further down on the map we will find what is traditionally called the four bodies of sin. Netzach is the mental sphere, Hod is the emotional sphere, Yesod is the vital sphere and Malkuth is the physical sphere. The perfect consciousness from above descends into these four bodies and becomes trapped or bottled up. It is said that humans have about three percent of free essence available and the rest is bottled up in egos, or psychic aggregates that constitutes a false concept of self. We will not go too much into this deep topic about what the ego is in this post, but we must be aware that we are not our thoughts and emotions. In order to experience reality, one must completely transcend the four lower sefirot or the four bodies of sin. We must enter into that which is beyond thought, subjective sentiment, time and space in an eternal now. Many people identify mechanically 100 percent with their thoughts. They completely give into their demands without ever questioning them. It’s as if such a person is so completely absorbed in their own thoughts and emotion that they have forgotten that there is an essence there also, a spark of light which simply perceives the thought. This is what we want to make contact with and strengthen. The recurrent thoughts that haunt and torture us are usually connected with the emotional center. If you start observing your thoughts you will quickly realize that most of your thoughts is either about something you desire or something you want to avoid. So basically it is driven by a state of desire and fear and the mind is always in the future or in the past. Whether it is remembering something we want to experience again or making a future scenario in our head that we fear will happen. If life is an eternal now the mind is just never really here. These desires and fears crystallizes as negative thoughts and emotions because we are identified with a false conception of “self”, the ego and because we lack experience of the more subtle aspects regarding our spiritually. There is an initial spark in every person which shines its light onto wherever we put our attention or focus, giving us the ability to perceive. That perception in its initial state is without any subjectivity thus it is expansive, pure, and can function separate from the mind. You are not your physical body, you are not your vitality, you are not your emotions, you are not your thoughts, all this are simply something we are experiencing to have in any given moment. You are a divine spark of light connected to the whole with a pure state of consciousness. That is what we have to try and experience and in order to do that, we must know the tools required to transcend our lower states which traps our light.

A common mistake many people do when approaching meditation is to sit down and quickly focusing on silencing the mind. We need to learn how to relax at will and also to be patient. If you look at the tree of life, Netzach is the last of the four bodies that must be transcended before reaching higher levels of consciousness and it is a tough nut to crack. Netzach is the mental sphere and is related to the element air which is the most elusive “substance” Its placement on the tree of life is no coincidence. If you observe the three spheres below Netzach, they are there precisely because they are the three bodies that needs to be controlled or transcended before one can attempt to go beyond the mind. One cannot stabilize the mind without calming the physical body and the circulation of energy. So as we can observe on the tree of life, there is a clear path here that one needs to follow.

I dont really care what religion you may have or cultural traditions your race or people might practice. Just like there is a physical universal anatomy of a man, the same can be said for the spiritual anatomy of a man. Man has a spark of divinity inside himself that connects him to a greater reality and cause. Some people connect with this and express it, some people don’t. Faith is needed and we have to ask in order to receive. Therefore, it is great to say a prayer before starting in order to connect us to higher frequencies. The prayer can be anything you want, but it must be done with the heart and you must mean what you say. The prayer can be recited mentally. I would pray something like this:

My adorable being, you who are my real Father, I beg you from the depths of my soul to strengthen my consciousness. Please come unto me, guide me, show me. I renounce to my own suffering behavior. Please forgive me for my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me. I beg you to light me up so that I may bring light to others. Please overflow my heart temple with love so that I may experience my true nature. Oh please take me beyond the walls of the mind and let me experience the eternal. I want to serve mankind. Let gods will be done, Amen, Amen, Amen.

Step 1 Physical body, First we must sit down in a comfortable position, we can use a pillow or just sitting in a sofa. We should be comfortable and our spine should be straight. I am from Northern Europe and my limbs are as stiff as oak. I like to meditate on my cushion in a sort of half or even quart way lotus position. So, take deep breaths all the way down towards the lower abdomen, really breathe in that air. Breathe in with the nose and out with the mouth. Put your focus towards the release of strain in the body. Feel the energy moving into your body cleansing and purifying, relieving strain and tension with each breath. Then, we put our focus on the different body parts to feel if there is any tension, and then we consciously make it relax. Start with one of your big toes, put all your consciousness and focus on that one spot, then that’s where it will be. Then move upwards towards your legs, lower abdomen, back, torso, arms and finally the head. Every time you change a physical area really put your focus there and try to feel that particular area, and consciously release it of any tension.

Step 2 Vital Body, After we are properly relaxed, lets try to feel the energy moving in our body. Try to feel the vitality that springs forth with each deep breath. Imagine the nadis like a big tree springing out of your genital area and blossoming upwards towards the heart and the head. Our life energy is the creative sexual force and it must be balanced. Try to feel the point where you feel your sexual tension from your genitals and below the belly button area. This is a point which causes a lot of disturbances for many people. Try to become conscious about that particular point and try to feel it. Let go of any desire, any blockage and any strain here. At this point, we should put our attention towards our head as well. This is because the sexual center is directly linked towards the brain and any sexual tension will produce strain or agitation in the brain. So, by continuing to breathe deeply, focusing on the sexual energy and relaxing the head at the same time we can little by little feel the energy being released. We must however concentrate and not have any thoughts during this. The focus should be simply on the breathing at this stage and towards the relaxation on the sexual center and the brain at the same time. Try to observe how impulses from the sexual center like electricity strike neurons in your brain producing thoughts, desires etc.

Step 3 Emotional body, Lets shift our attention towards the lower abdomen, solar plexus and the heart area. Lets observe what emotions we are currently experiencing. The lower abdomen is our center of low vibrational emotions, and the heart is the center for higher vibrational emotions. If we feel any anxiety, anger, tension or fears of any kind, try to breath deeper while focusing on releasing the lower abdomen of these energies. Do we feel heavy or do we feel light. As we continue deepening our relaxation, we could imagine our heart like a sun drawing up vital energy into its base, while exhaling and distributing and transforming it out like a sun when we exhale. Any negative emotions we come across, remember, they are only a frequency. Most people are like sponges soaking up the negative vibrations omitted by their fellow men unconsciously believing it is their energy. Becoming conscious about what you carry inside and about what is your natural state will allow you to more easily recognize other people’s negative emotions as not yours. We will feel other people’s emotions, but the trick is to consciously choose what we want to pick up from others. At any point during this practice, we must always deepen the relaxation. If we for example start feeling pressure or agitation in the head region, we simply go back to relax that area again, and then to continue the practice where we left off.

Step 4 Mental body, When we have a great overall relaxation and the energy is flowing freely in our body, we can start by observing the mental sphere. This sphere is called Netzach in Hebrew and this means victory in English. The one who can conquer the realm of the mind is truly a victorious one. First, again make sure your physical head is really relaxed, all parts of the head and specially the temples. Lets observe our mind. How is it? Agitated? Is there alot of chatter? can we observe a thought rising without identifying with it? In order to observe the mind, we cannot have a direct focus on it. We must anchor our point of focus on the consciousness to be able to observe the mind. And when we loose our concentration and a thought steals our attention, we correct ourselves to focus back on the consciousness. We have to be persistent and do this over and over again, while we continue with the breathing and relaxation. Do not be scared of wandering into the unknown without your mind, you will not die, quite the contrary. Have faith in your being that wants to wake you up. To experience to be without the subject mind can be a devastating blow to your mental ego structure, because we go beyond subjectivity. The false concept of self dwells in the mind as the mind is dualistic by nature. It sees everything as dualistic, you – me, good-evil. everything is separated into poles. As your ego structure is a living entity, it doesn’t want to die, therefore it will put up a fight. We need to renounce the egoic mind with all its prejudices, fears and insecurity. Remember to always breathe with your belly and to increasingly relax your mind. Any movement in the mind should simply be observed as it pops up, and then passes away. We use our willpower to “whip” our attention back on the consciousness every time we feel an inch towards entertaining our thoughts. Always using the breath, always relaxing, but with focus, not sleeping. Eventually, we should be able to experience a higher state of awareness where we just are, excluded of any thoughts or subjective emotions.

When one is successful in this practice, it will change our lives. The ability and strength to choose yourself where you put your energy is pure power. To not be controlled by thoughts or negative emotions is bliss. Imagine finding yourself in situations where you would normally get angry or offended etc, but instead we observe the negative emotions, comments and simply choose not to pick them up. Why should we damage our inner temple? This is a practice that should be taken with us as we go about in our daily lives. A proper meditation practice serve as our foundation for spiritual growth and inspiration. It is where we heal ourselves and recharge. Mental exhaustion is a fact when the mind is always engaged in something, and the mind always seems to be ready to play. That’s why the mind must be disengaged with willpower. The above steps are really important and if done properly, they will open doors. Do not be disappointed if you cant do it very fast. Be patient and persistent, that is always rewarded. When we truly want to change ourselves in for the benefit of mankind, magic things can happen.