Why Meditation?
by Madeleine Marentette
Practicing meditation is a prerequisite to self-discovery, peace of mind and optimum health. I made it my personal goal years ago to effectively integrate three types of meditation into my hectic life ~ every day. Believe it or not, I am here to tell you it is absolutely possible to practice meditation regardless of how busy your life is. If you have a demanding lifestyle like most people today, all the more reason you need to take up meditation. Luckily for me, I was highly motivated back in the early '80s due to a long-term health issue. Admittedly it took me a very long time, almost ten years, to realize that meditation is not something you squeeze in to your schedule like a conference call or a dentist appointment. Meditation is something you do while you are doing life, while you are on a conference call or lying in the dentist chair!
“You have to know where you are at in order to know where you are going. Meditation opens up the All-Seeing-Eye, the eye being the most potent transmitter and perceiver of energy.”
The above statement was my single greatest revelation ~ it changed my path and my future. I realized that meditation was simply a focused mind ~ a 'Eureka!' moment. The practice of observing life while living life is meditation. Seeing life wholly from this perspective is the point, creates the outcome of a steady mind, accountability, a calmer heart, less adverse reactions to people and situations out of your control. This reduces our stress level and literally saves us from ill-health and even pre-mature death. So now you may be asking, "What are the three types of meditation?" Here they are: Silent Meditation, Contemplative Meditation, Invocation Meditation. Each one represents a different type of brain function. Silence has a healing effect, contemplation of course is our creative and imaginative life, and invocation is what some might relate to as their prayer life. All of these play a significant role in the development of spiritual insight, the ultimate objective of our collective human race.
As I was reminded in one of my favourite books just today: "Where there is no vision the people perish." Vision gives life, directs life, and realizes life.
– Madeleine Marentette