{"id":13929,"date":"2020-03-27T10:45:05","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T09:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennethsorensen.dk\/?p=13929"},"modified":"2026-01-26T10:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T09:13:50","slug":"group-meditation-in-a-time-of-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethsorensen.dk\/en\/group-meditation-in-a-time-of-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Group Meditation in a Time of Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Group meditation can be a powerful service to our community and a tool to clear the collective mind of psychological negativity that influences us all in times of crisis. In this article, I look at the practice of group meditation, examining what Assagioli thought about it and looking at how we can use it to influence the present collective mind with positive energies. In particular, I will focus on a spiritual ritual that was an important part of Roberto Assagioli’s life, namely his group full moon meditations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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By Kenneth S\u00f8rensen<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong> – See also my article <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>New Moon and Full Moon Meditation<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In times of crisis, as in the current pandemic (2020), it is relevant to investigate how we can influence the psychological environment we are a part of. What remedies do we have to hand as practitioners of meditation and psychosynthesis? In this article, we will hear the thoughts of Roberto Assagioli, the founder of psychosynthesis, on this subject.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

When we are in the middle of a crisis, we have two options. We can sink into the abyss of the lower unconscious and be overwhelmed by fear, depression, anxiety, anger and frustration, or we can work with disidentification by becoming aware of the mass emotions at play in the media, containing our reaction, and choosing to hold a higher perspective. In the latter, we try to keep our mind steady in the light of the soul, while adopting a realistic and courageous attitude to the many problems building up. In so doing, we are choosing to maintain a positive and constructive attitude by working with our mind and raising our awareness to the inner levels of love, clarity and courage.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This attitude is particularly important with respect to the coronavirus because we need to strengthen our immune system, which is deeply affected by our psychological state. We know from science that anxious and negative feelings activate stress hormones and lower our immune system. In other words, we need to have a mental health strategy to help clear the psychological smog of fear that is so prevalent during a crisis. This is how Assagioli expresses this idea in his book <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The Act of Will <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>[1]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> <\/em> \u2013 note the pertinence of his thinking with respect to our current situation:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“A campaign against the sources of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>psychological<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em> smog and pollution, parallel to the present ecological campaign, urgently needs to be started. It might be objected that, while one lives in the world, one cannot withdraw completely out of range of these influences; this is true, but it can be done within certain limits. In many cases one can deny them attention and interest.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“Moreover, exposure to them may be counteracted by ‘disinfectant’ measures, during and after. Doctors and nurses working in departments of infectious diseases are not afraid of infection, but take precautionary measures (gloves, masks, use of disinfectants, etc.). Similarly, we can have recourse to disinfectants and precautions against psychological poisons. What methods are to be used by the skilled will to achieve psychological hygiene?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“The fundamental one consists, as I have said, in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>withholding attention and interest<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em> . Most people can do this to a considerable extent, once they understand the advantage of it. So it can be of great help to foresee in clear terms the harmful consequences of absorbing such poisons. An even more powerful approach is the already mentioned method of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>substitution<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em> : the cultivation of other, better interests, the systematic focusing of the attention on constructive things. This tends to give immunity to the negative, harmful, or poisonous influences.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n