Meditation and the Heathen

[Liffrea]

What role do folks think meditation has in the experience and living of the modern Heathen? Do you meditate? If so how? If not, do you believe it has no relevance or is it something you personally find uncomfortable? Do you distinguish between European forms of meditation like Utiseta and Eastern forms of meditation as practised in Buddhism?

[Baron Samedi]

Runic meditation exercises for magical practices/strengthening the "inner eye".

It's also just a good idea to do period for personal sanity reasons :)

[Psychonaut]

What role do folks think meditation has in the experience and living of the modern Heathen? Do you meditate? If so how? If not, do you believe it has no relevance or is it something you personally find uncomfortable? Do you distinguish between European forms of meditation like Utiseta and Eastern forms of meditation as practised in Buddhism?

Great question!

Different systems of meditation, such as Rajayoga (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Yoga), Zazen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazen), or even phenomenological reduction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracketing_%28phenomenology%29) all have the benefits of strengthening the mind and making possible types of phenomenological inquiry that are not possible to engage in via normal modes of thought. The question that seems to occur quite often in Heathen circles is twofold: 1). did our ancestors practice any form of meditation, and 2). what place, if any, do foreign-based meditational systems have in contemporary Heathenry?

Written records from the pre-Christian equivalents of priests and monks (goðar, druids, etc.) being practically nonexistent, there is no way to know for sure whether or not there were any codified meditational techniques in practice at the time. However, the recdored history of of contemplative thought in Western Europe stretches back nearly a millennium to the Rhineland mystics such as Hildegard von Bingen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen) and Meister Eckhart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meister_Eckhart), which leads me to believe that the impulse, if not the practice itself, is a natural inclination of Faustian (http://faustianeurope.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/oswald-spengler-and-faustian-culture/) man.

As for foreign systems, I see no reason for their adoption. Having spent many years practicing Haṭhayoga and Rajayoga, the chief point of differentiation between Eastern and Western systems is the inherent physicality of the former—the lack of which in Western systems in heavily intertwined with the mind/body split present in Western philosophy since Plato's day. What we can do, without stepping outside of our own tradition-stream, is apply the physiological methods of enhancement to meditation (most of which are now thoroughly documented in scientific literature) to our own systems of contemplation. There is a growing body of literature that examines parallels in both the methodology and outcomes between Heidegger's phenomenological reduction and Zazen (Sekida's text (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270181134&sr=8-5) being an excellent starting point).

Regarding out-sitting, I would definitely place that on the side of the psychonautic tree more commonly associated with "magic" than meditation, since the point of out-sitting is to encounter Gods and/or wights.

[Octothorpe]

Is there really THAT much difference between Eastern and Western techniques? Both lead to a state of synchronized alpha waves, which is (regardless of the spiritual benefits) deeply restorative to the body. Medical studies have shown that blood pressure and cholesterol levels go down in frequent meditators, that cardiovascular health increases, and immune system responses increase measurably.

So, whether you seek the inner calm by zazen or twirling or techno music, why fret about it? We're all recreationists in the modern world, trying to find workable techniques from the past, and sticking to one particular source-mode might not get the job done.

[Atridr]

In my opinion, understanding of the mechanisms of meditation and their constant application to our everyday life is almost necessary for any real spiritual development. It's irrelevant whether you initially study yoga or martial arts or zazen or ritual magick or medieval european swodsmanship. All systems of exercise are just (In addition to whatever other purposes they serve.) mechanisms through which the mind can be shut off through intense concentration on "being present at the moment", so that consciousness can freely flow through our being. Only thing that should limit one's choice of technique initially should be what intuitively feels most natural.

[Atridr]

To put a positively heathen spin on the subject, think for a moment what would Odin do, based on how he acts in the Edda? In mythology, Odin takes advantage of every opportunity to uncover mystical understanding and magical power. He sacrifices his eye, himself and even a bunch of innocent peasants to gain insight in to the runes. What makes you think that he wouldn't learn meditation should the opportunity for such arise? And if he does, shouldn't we also?

[akhileshneo]

The ancient yogis recognized long ago that in order to accomplish the highest stage of yoga, which is the realization of the self, or God consciousness, a healthy physical body is essential that can be achieved through hatha yoga, a spiritual union through body meditation. Meditation is especially true when we direct our attention upon God. Visualization is an essential part of meditation. It is used throughout scripture. What we think upon is what we come to believe and what we will practice.

[Thunderkin]

I meditate occasionally, when I have time. I usually just burn incense and stand in front of my shrine in the dark with my eyes closed.
The only major difference I would say is that I stand, while usually in Eastern meditation its custom to sit.