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The Mystic's Life Lesson #21
Meditation The Good Will Witness
Welcome to the doorway of Higher Consciousness!
While higher consciousness is occasionally approached in a way which bypasses the Good Will Witness stage, over ninety percent of seekers first enter higher consciousness through this natural maturation, this exaltation of their good will.
You may wish to study this technique and its method, pausing in your reading of the rest of this website until you've had several opportunities to practice the Good Will Witness. Please keep in mind as you develop this technique that no website or book can replace a qualified teacher and that you should only proceed, with any technique in The Mystic, as far as comfort allows.
If you ever become uncomfortable, simply sit back, relax, and resume the practice again when you find it comfortable.
Also, if you are doing therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist, ask his or her advice before doing any meditative practice. Many who are suffering mental/emotional illness benefit richly from meditation. But some others become too emotional or are haunted by memories.
Now, if you've striven to be more conscious from morning through night each day, and if you have become a thoughtful person with a heart and mind full of good will, you will find great delight in the following practice. This excellent method, which has helped numerous people, is merely a suggested way. You may have a better way to meditate which will bring about the results you are striving for.
Probably you will have greater success if you first read this whole Lesson before doing this method step by pleasant step.
Selecting Your Meditation Object
Stand and take a nice stretch.
Then sit comfortably with your spine straight. Do not do this meditation practice until three hours after a meal. It's good to meditate before a meal or in the morning before work, or in the late afternoon after work, or in the evening. Be sure you are awake and aware as you do this. Falling asleep will not precipitate an experience of higher consciousness.
Now choose a meditation object. That is, something to meditate on. The meditation object can be a word, or a physical object that you will look at. It could be a mental picture that you can hold in your mind while your eyes are closed.
Your object could be a specific center in your body. For example, the point half an inch above where your eyebrows meet is an excellent place. It is called the third eye by most people who meditate there. Perhaps a better place for most seekers is called the heart center. Think of a point inside your spine directly back of the heart. As your concentration moves in the area of your forehead or heart center, it will become quite specific and one-pointed. You will soon be able to precisely focus on your chosen center. Try both centers and note which one is most comfortable for you, as well as easiest to focus upon. Then again, you may not choose to make either center your meditation object.
At first, you may wish to try various meditation objects. But remember never to force yourself to focus and remember that the object you select must be pleasing to your mind. Your meditation object needs to be relatively easy for you to think about; and you should be able to direct your feelings toward your meditation object, naturally and pleasantly.
Words used as your meditation object could be Love, Joy, Oneness. Also, you could choose to think of the name of one of the world's great beings: Jesus Christ, Buddha, Ramakrishna, Moses, Krishna, or others.
Form or Formless
So, first select a meditation object. We are all somewhat differently wired and some people prefer to think about an object in front of them a picture, a flower, a bowl, a candle flame. Others prefer to visualize in their minds the form of Jesus, Buddha, Ramakrishna, Virgin Mary, Sarada Devi, or perhaps one of the great saints or bodhisattvas (potential Buddhas who refuse to enter nirvana in order to serve suffering mankind). Some prefer to meditate on a triangle, a cross, or a circle or sphere which they visualize in the front of their minds.
Others prefer to think of formless, infinite expansiveness. However, focusing on the infinite is rather difficult to do. The human mind can hardly ever think beyond names, things, and shapes. But, meditation on the vast sky sometimes helps those who have the ability to think in a formless way. The sky could be considered an abstract meditation object.
Choose your meditation object, one that is vivid to you. Make it a color you prefer. Your meditation object needs to be as pleasing and interesting to your mind and emotions as possible.
Starting Your Meditation
Having selected your meditation object, put aside your thought of it for a moment. Take three to six deep, slow breaths if you can comfortably do this. Your exhalation should be calming and pleasant. Feel as you bring air into your nostrils that you are imbibing a rare and very subtle wine.
Having done your deep breaths, sit calmly with a relaxed body and an attitude of good will. Now, briefly think of all the people youve made contact with today. Maintain an attitude of good will as you think of each person. Also consider, as you begin meditating, do you have good will for yourself, and for this practice? Or, are your resenting that you are sitting quietly in meditation as other activities come to mind? Are you resenting that you may ultimately achieve higher consciousness and have to change in some ways? (Yes, these are strange questions but some people are against themselves in most everything they undertake.)
Now, while holding the attitude that you are radiating good will out from yourself perhaps from your heart center, perhaps from your third eye, perhaps from your chest and face in general let the energy of your thoughtfulness, of your goodness, move outward from you. Enjoy a period of good will.
Direct You Good Will To Your Meditation Object
Encourage the good will to radiate outward in all directions in front of and behind you, above and below you, right and left. Also, direct your good will to flow through you when you sense it well. Let good will fill your mind and chest, your whole body. Perhaps thoughts of things you don't like about yourself float into your awareness. Let go of them. You can work on your shortcomings with greater insight after meditation. For the present, have good will for yourself as well as others.
At this point, the main phase of your meditation begins. Bring your meditation object, now, into your meditation either the word or words you choose to say, or your heart center, your third eye, the picture before you, or the visualization in front of your mind. All you have to do is simply hold your meditation object in your awareness and direct your good will to it. Let your good will pervade the meditation object. Let good will saturate it. Fill your meditation object with the light of your love, with the light of your thoughtfulness.
Don't strain, don't try too hard. Maintain your good will even if your concentration or your meditation object flies away at times. Maintain your good will and patiently continue gathering and focusing your good will on your meditation object. Enjoy this. Let your good will develop. It will become progressively stronger with regular practice. Let your applied good will flow easily and naturally into your meditation object, or person.
Now you know how to do it.
The Portal of Higher Consciousness
With patient practice, and several repetitions (sometimes even immediately), the flow of your good will can bring you the following experience:
When your good will becomes steadily concentrated on your meditation object, you will become keenly aware. You'll feel extremely wide awake. The feeling of your radiating good will becomes comforting and calming, very sweet. In this state the world out there begins to feel like a dream. Your meditation object may remain clear to you or it may diffuse and leave you sitting there perfectly aware, perfectly concentrated. The world has begun to seem like a dream free of any pressure, pain, or chaos, but you feel very real and more alive than usual. Your mind is clear and free of ideas. You feel no need to think other thoughts or labor your mind with other images. Yet you sense you are more conscious than usual. Thoughts themselves seem too slow, or perhaps too dreamlike in comparison with the quality of higher consciousness you sense so vividly.
This heightened consciousness abides for several minutes. It flows; it becomes continuous good will. You feel heavenly. No other thoughts or emotions intrude. You are in the Good Will Witness state, the portal of higher consciousness.
Life-Enriching Insights Become Possible
When you can enter the sublime Good Will Witness state easily, you can enjoy it in periods of reflection as well as meditation meditation being a means of centering in your true nature, while reflection and contemplation focus on ideas, problems, and speculations. This "buddhi state," as it's often called, gives great insight for new inventions, compositions, works of art, solutions to personal and global problems. In most of civilization's advances someone contacted the higher consciousness through the Good Will Witness state.
Depending on your temperament and development, depending on your skills and training, you will sense tremendous inspiration in areas which are important to you. You will perhaps sense musical themes or have direct perceptions remember, not slow thoughts direct perceptions of beautiful new works of art, or priceless ideas for new career opportunities. You might also gain amazing insights about how to deal with your daily problems, how to love more, how to overcome obstacles, or how to deal with problem people.
Meditate, Dont Reflect
On no occasion, if you are able to abide in this borderland of higher consciousness, will negative emotions or worrisome thoughts bully you or flood your mind. If unpleasant thoughts or feelings do occur to you, you have been shot down from your high state temporarily, and you must once again patiently direct your good will toward the sublime state.
For your first few weeks, it's best to focus on simply entering the Good Will Witness state. Try not to reflect upon your problems or seek specific inspirations while you're in it. Meditate, don't reflect.
You won't be able to enter the state if you're preoccupied with your problems or if you think of the buddhi only as a place for gathering up bits of information. First become able to enter the Good Will Witness plane of awareness at will. Always be appreciative of your access to this doorway of your higher consciousness. Many new seekers attest that when they take this state for granted or treat it only as a distribution center for personal flashes of wisdom, they soon find great difficulty in entering where they had so easily entered in their more appreciative days.
Beyond Thought
Consider also, while it's essential to take time each day to think deep thoughts, Witness Consciousness is beyond thought. If you think you're in the high Witness state but you're thinking thoughts even profound ones you are not in a Witness state, nor in what is called higher consciousness. Beginners often assume they are superconscious when their fantasies or memories are more vivid than before. Remember, thoughts are too slow for higher consciousness. Higher consciousness expresses itself in direct perceptions, flashes of wisdom, which are later translated into words by the mind. But, bear in mind, as long as you are thinking in words you are in some part of your mind, not in higher consciousness. Your profound-sounding words may be valuable insights or they may be worthless, but you are not in the Good Will Witness State.
Also remember that in being a beginner your mind may occasionally translate a direct perception from the Witness state incorrectly. Insights from the Witness must be tested in the light of your day-to-day experiences. You learn through practice how to understand and cooperate with your Witness. You become able to distinguish between your flashes and your wishes.
Obstacles To Meditation
As you practice directing your good will toward your meditation object, avoid drowsiness. If you get drowsy rather than extra-aware and relaxed lie down to rest or get active by taking a walk or playing tennis. If you try to meditate while feeling sleepy or lazy, and do not maintain your flow of good will, you will allow old memories and subconscious impressions to float into your mind. Your desires will also surface if you're sleepy or if you let your mind go blank. In fact, your desires to be great or important may become highly charged, glorious ego trips in which you think you're having a bona fide vision of your greatness and leadership role among mankind.
When thoughts of your great importance or messianic mission float into your meditation they are almost always vivid personal desires from your subconscious your mental/emotional storage basement. Inner voices and images which proclaim your greatness are not at all characteristic of the humbling and transforming awe which almost always fills you as you draw near true Witness awareness.
How Long Should You Meditate at First?
Abide in your meditation ten or fifteen minutes, preferably fifteen if you're comfortable. Then slowly release the focus on your meditation object. With an attitude of good will (what else?), return your awareness to your body. Tense and relax your legs and arms. Rotate your head clockwise and counterclockwise, if you can do it comfortably.
Calmly sensing your residual good will, gaze around the room. Linger in the pleasantness. This is an excellent time to think about your daily problems in a calm, clear way. In maintaining your good will, you may find insights will spontaneously come from your higher consciousness out into your mental activity.
As mentioned before, your Good Will Witness state is also called the buddhi, which means the first stage of enlightenment.
May you regularly enter this exalted state of awareness through your thoughtfulness and your good will.
REFLECTION
