Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Effects of Spiritual Practices

A SIMPLE METHOD TO TRACK THE EFFECTS OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

For the millions of us who are on the independent path of spiritual development, learning to perceive exactly what effects any given form of spiritual practice has upon us is essential.

One simple yet highly effective method is to take a moment after any energetic or meditative practice to ask yourself the silent question: "How has this practice structured my body of Energy and my Consciousness?"

a) Feel the different vibrations in and around the body resulting from the practice: identify specific areas of increased vibration or lowered vibration. Identify specific chakras, acupuncture points, etc. which are more active. Map out the qualities you feel in the areas which feel different: do they feel Sticky or Smooth? Warm or Cold? Bright or Dark? For those attuned to the energetic spectrum of a particular quality (colors, sounds, smells, etc.) then these can also be used as metaphors to describe the specific qualities which are being developed in parts of the body affected by the practice.

b) Feel the energetic flow patterns in and around the body. What energy centers, organs, areas in or around the body do they flow between? What direction do they run? Does the energy circulation feel grounded and stable, or erratic and unstable? Does the energy flow inward or outward? Does it flow upwards or downwards? What is the 3-dimensional movement pattern of the energy flow? After checking out the above aspects, move your attention so that you can mentally see the entirety of your body and energetic fields from the outside; see the full context for each of the individual energy movements you identified, finding how these different movements connect to one another. Do you see greater geometric patterns, which the energy movements you found are in reality just the smaller parts of?

c) Become aware of any shifts in your emotions, and in your state of consciousness. What qualities of the emotions or the mind do you experience as a result of the practice?

d) At a higher level of development, one may become aware that the practice has activated a particular vibration and geometry in or around the body, which resonates with specific spiritual beings or planes. What do these beings or planes feel like, what images arise in the mind to represent their nature? Are there lines of connection to these beings being formed as a result of the practice, especially connections to the energy centers of the body or to locations in the Vertical Column of Energy above the head?

e) At a still higher level, we can identify what structures are being formed in specific levels of our subtle bodies by a particular practice. A good foundation for developing this ability is to study Sacred Geometry, developing a strong knowledge base of the different layers of the subtle bodies and the specific Sacred Geometric patterns which are hallmarks of each layer.

http://spiritofmaat.com/oct08/sacred_geometry.html