By Roberto Assagioli and others. Excerpt from the book Creative Meditation.
Receptiveness to the soul’s intuitive impressions
Receptive meditation is a very valuable part of mental training, but it is at the same time the most difficult form of meditation, because mistakes can easily be made in its execution. There are real dangers attached to it, which may cause some to feel tempted to omit it. It is certainly not recommendable for everyone, but for most people there is good reason to practice and become familiar with it and to fit it into a regular part of the inner activity in order to achieve the ability to carry it out correctly and safely.
Important things to know about receptive meditation
First, it is important to know the value of receptive meditation and its potential for insight, both in spiritual realizations and guidance in personal life. Second, it is important to know that receptivity to intuitive impressions is a natural, spontaneous, and inevitable effect when inner coordination and relationship with the soul or direct soul contact have been achieved. Third, it is important to know that when practiced correctly, no danger of any kind will arise, for the right way avoids unconscious receptivity. Since this third point is so important, and since it should always be applied, it would be wise to study it more deeply for a longer period of time.
External influences
At the outset, one must also be aware that one is constantly exposed to countless influences from individuals, from groups and from the masses. Influences from the masses take the form of excitement, panic and hostile attitudes which ripple back and forth through humanity or through parts of it and envelop all who do not know how to resist them. Such waves or influences are registered by means of the senses, which are the normal channels, or by telepathy with psychic impressions or they come from the mental levels.
It may seem shocking to learn to what extent each one is the object or victim of influences of which one is unaware and does not know, and to which one yields in a passive manner. An excellent example, which may be regarded as a gigantic experiment in mass suggestion and in influencing behavior, is advertising, the effectiveness of which from a financial point of view can be estimated in billions. In the beginning, advertising was used more or less as an experiment without psychological intent, but in recent times it has been used more and more purposefully and has quite consciously used special psychological methods.
Insensitivity is not the solution
From the above one might get the impression that the best thing would be to practice being insensitive to external influences, but that is not the right solution. It is practically impossible to be insensitive, and it is also not desirable. No human being lives in isolation, but has close connections with individuals and groups, and this involves a mutual influence. Isolation leads to self-centeredness, and it is such an unnatural state that it very often turns out to be painful and unbearable. The agonies of loneliness that isolation can cause have been described in a vivid way by several existentialists, such as the writers Kierkegaard and Kafka. The most extreme type of insensitive person is characterized by paranoia, where the person is completely obsessed with an idea or a perception and completely unaffected by everything else. This state is certainly not desirable.
Knowledge, management and wise action
Human relations bring about receptivity, and lack of receptivity excludes love. The right solution to this deficiency requires clear thinking and skill in action, and this is achieved through three stages of inner activity—knowledge, control, and wise action. In receptive meditation these functions are found, and they provide the best basis for turning the tendencies, delusions, and dangers that may arise from too open receptivity into assets and advantages. It is necessary to understand and remember that receptive meditation is a specific form of meditation — it is a conscious and directed mental activity. It is quite different from psychic receptivity, which opens up to influences of an emotional and imaginative nature, and the mental quality of receptive meditation enables the meditator to distinguish between the various intuitive impressions and to register them correctly and later to interpret them correctly.
These subtopics will be elaborated upon in more detail when the methods of receptive meditation are described.
Stages of receptive meditation
Since the first condition for a safe receptive meditation is the ability to hold the consciousness steadily on a mental level with clear attention, the meditation should be carried out only when the preparation described in the second instruction, which is necessary for reflective meditation, has been carried out. That is, stages of relaxation, mental preparation by appropriate reading, by eliminating the notion that the soul is identical with the physical body and the emotional life, by raising the center of consciousness and the inner attitude. This leads to a positive state of increased attention. Then at this time it would be advisable to carry out a very short reflective meditation, when possible, because this will consolidate the positive inner attitude and develop the ability to use the faculty of thought as an obedient tool.
Thinking is your inner eye.
To understand the difference between reflective and receptive meditation, one can imagine the mind as an “inner eye,” which it is in every sense. In reflective meditation, the inner eye is (symbolically speaking) directed horizontally by the mind in an attempt to see beyond what is visible, or more correctly, to interpret what has entered the realm of consciousness. In receptive meditation, the mind’s eye is directed “upward,” where it tries to discern what is “above” on a higher level than the known level. The same description can be applied to hearing, where the ear tries to catch an inner sound or message from a higher and more subtle region.
Silence
The description of this stage should be studied thoroughly, as there are several forms of silence. A safe and important form that is needed is a positive silence, and it is about maintaining a positive inner silence for a certain period, during which one must eliminate the spontaneous activity of thought as much as possible.
This phase of silence is a necessary condition for receiving and registering higher influences. A student who was striving to achieve this inner silence once wrote about it in the following amusing way: “I was in deep meditation and knew that I had arrived at a very clear and luminous place, and like a flash the thought came: ‘I know that I am in a real and true inner place, and yet I am deaf and blind and see and hear nothing.’ After a second, a funny response followed: ‘If you were also mute, you could possibly see and hear.'”
Inner silence – a difficult task
To achieve and maintain inner silence is a difficult task, requiring perseverance and a firm determination. It is achieved by an act of will. The psychological mechanism of man is not accustomed to such discipline, it rejects it and tries in every way to shake it off. A stream of intuitive impressions, sensations, emotions, ideas and thoughts invade the area of consciousness, and a fierce struggle for victory begins. It seems as if it will never be possible to dispel the undesirable tendencies that constantly intrude from all sides. But this must not lead to drastic actions, because too persistent resistance is not desirable and misses the goal.
Different methods
There are various methods that can be used. One is to repeat a phrase or word over and over. Another is to create an image and hold it clearly and persistently in the mind. The best words and images for this purpose are those that inspire calm, peace, and stillness. For example, a good and effective example is a phrase in a hymn used in the Greek mysteries: “Be still, oh strings, that I may hear a new melody.” The following images are particularly good for calming the mind: A still lake reflecting the blue sky, a majestic mountain peak, or a starry sky in the stillness of the night.
Students who have already had some practice in the practice of meditation will be able to use the method of observing the flowing mental stream in an unprejudiced and uncontested manner, and as something objective and not concerning themselves. When one succeeds in maintaining such a positive observing attitude long enough, the flow of emotions will flow more and more slowly until the “psychic waters” have become completely calm.
In contrast to this positive state, the result can be a drowsy state, and one must be careful to avoid this, because it does not contribute to creating the possibility of receiving intuitive impressions, but can instead create a psychic mediumistic state that is not desirable and even dangerous.
An effort that pays off
It is truly worth the effort and diligent training to achieve true inner silence. In addition to being necessary in receptive meditation, inner silence has a spiritual value in itself, as it contributes to building a harmonious state of peace and quiet joy and leads to an expansion of consciousness. It is fundamentally calming and renewing. The value of silence has been emphasized not only by mystics and thinkers, but also by many writers.
Methods of reception
When the desired state of stillness is finally attained after a period of striving and concentrated effort to attain this stillness, one is ready for the next stage of reception. The inner attitude must be one of quiet and present attention and patient waiting. The stage can also be described as a great interest—without emotional feelings—in what one can experience and what one can become aware of. The source from which one expects to receive the intuitive impressions, and to which one therefore directs one’s focused attention, is the soul. The soul is the sure source of true intuitive impressions, but it is not the only source. Intuitive impressions from other sources, when they are high and true, are often channeled or transmitted through the soul to conscious thought.
Inner vision
The methods of increasing receptivity are different. Spiritual intuitive impressions can come to consciousness through sight, hearing , impulse to action and in other ways. What occurs most often is probably through sight or by inner enlightenment. The faculty of thought is purely symbolically an inner eye, and often the word “vision” is used symbolically, speaking of insight, of inner enlightenment, and of “seeing” when it comes to understanding the meaning or significance of some circumstances or events, and one speaks of “seeing” a solution to a problem and having received a “brilliant” idea. Occasionally it is a geometric figure or some other symbolic form that emerges in consciousness. A series of concrete images and shapes and colors may also appear, but it is a product of the imagination and is not of a mental nature. Such a stream of images should be stopped or at least observed calmly for a short time without showing any particular interest in it.
Intuition
A higher form of spiritual “seeing” can be called intuition . The word intuition can be misleading because it has been used in many senses. Etymologically, the word is related to vision and means “to look into.” Intuition in its highest and purest form can be considered the attainment of a direct transcendent understanding and perception of the true nature and reality of a subject or object—that is, an understanding of the true quality, purpose, and essence of the word. Intuition is quite different from what are called “hunches” or “guesses,” which are psychic intuitive impressions about people or events that are of a personal nature and personal interest.
When the student strives to attain to the seeing of inner realities, it is often described as contemplation or as a contemplative act, but this word is also used more generally when it refers to a calm and quiet expectation. It is also held up before the eye of the mind as an inner goal for meditation. The highest form of inner vision is illumination, which may be called the revelation of the inherent divinity in all things—the presence of God in manifestation, in nature, in every existing being. But this need not be dwelt upon, as it is not a part of the present theme, which is the reception of definitive inspiration.
Inner hearing
Another way in which the intuitive impressions of the soul can be received is through inner hearing. Here again a careful distinction must be made between psychic hearing of voices and inner spiritual hearing. This difference is not easy to detect and requires a far finer discernment than that which was necessary to distinguish between seeing pictures and true spiritual vision. The difference may be described in the words quality and level. After practicing receptivity for some time, there comes a greater and greater clarity as to the level at which consciousness is functioning. When it is functioning on the emotional and imaginative levels, the voices will give messages and inspiration of a personal character and will be strongly colored by emotion.
Impersonal inspiration
Inspiration from higher levels, on the other hand, is generally impersonal in nature. The messages are brief, imperative, and meaningful. They generally concern the spiritual progress of the student and offer wise counsel, perhaps pointing out errors to be eliminated, a spiritual quality to be developed, or a higher goal to be attained. Sometimes the message is symbolic in nature, although it may have a concrete meaning. This was the case with the well-known message received by Francis of Assisi— “Go and rebuild my church.” He first interpreted it as a command to rebuild a small church that was half in ruins, but later he realized that he had received a message to restore the Roman Catholic Church of that time.
Dialogue with the soul
It may happen that a dialogue is established between the conscious personality and the soul. A question asked by the meditator’s mind quickly receives a clear inner answer that seems to be formulated so that consciousness can perceive it. If the personality comments or answers it, another reaction can sometimes be registered. Such a dialogue is described by Martin Buber in several of his books – he describes this type of dialogue in a more general way, but at the same time connects it to all kinds of spiritual relationships. This dialogue can be easier to carry out by using one of the symbols of the soul – the symbol of the old wise man. But this will be discussed in connection with the topic of visualization in a later instruction.
Inner contact
The third form of reception may be called contact , because it is analogous to the physical sense of touch. But this expression should not be taken too literally. It corresponds to what is meant when one says that one “makes contact with someone” or has “come into contact with someone.” This does not mean that one touches the person physically, but it suggests that one has a relationship, a connection, and that there is a good mutual relationship through the will. The same can be said of inner contact, which applies especially to the soul. It means that there is a light connection to or coordination with the soul, which opens up the ability to receive its influence and knowledge of its properties and nature, and it also makes it possible to gradually identify oneself or unite in thought with the spiritual reality or being – although only partially or for a moment.
With this inner closeness and with this “touch” of the soul, one is harmonized, nourished and recharged with energy or something else that one particularly needs at that time and that the soul is trying to transmit. The effects of this give a clarifying state and inner enlightenment, where one feels filled with security, courage and joy and renewed and ready to return to the problems of personal life and to face the crises and challenges. One feels that a higher power has descended and added its power to that which one possesses. Repeated contact can to some extent cause the soul to be influenced to transmit energy or emanations from superconscious levels. When this becomes a more and more permanent situation, the result is what is called a “soul-integrated personality”.
Impulse to action
The fourth way that intuitive impressions can be received is by impulse to action. The attention is aroused with a definite impulse to want to do something, to want to take on a task or duty in some area of service, or it may sometimes be an impulse to an inner action to change something within. This kind of intuitive impression is what the Quakers—who have practiced this form of receptive meditation and silence longer than any other group in the West—call “compassion.”
Again, it is necessary to distinguish carefully between impulses that come from the soul and from high superconscious levels, and those that come from the middle or lower consciousness. The way they manifest themselves in consciousness is the same, but the difference lies in the quality and content of the impulse. When it takes the form of a call to a greater mission or to an action of personal benefit, it should be regarded with suspicion. An impulse of this type is usually of lower origin and is false and should, of course, be rejected.
Registration
After reception comes the stage of recording. Every intuitive impression, regardless of the type and manner in which it is received, should be recorded and written down immediately and accurately. As mentioned earlier in connection with reflective meditation, the higher intuitive impressions are often vivid and clear at the moment they are received, but they have the strange tendency to disappear very quickly from consciousness, and if they are not caught and recorded immediately, they are lost. It is a fact that it is helpful to retain them if you formulate and write them down. This can cause the intuitive impression to develop during the recording itself and allow it to be received several times. Writing down can actually be used as a technique for awakening inspiration, and writing down can create a suitable channel for higher intuitive impressions. But when writing down, you must always be alert and fully present and not allow any kind of “automatic writing,” because this can have undesirable and even dangerous effects.
Delayed reception
Another interesting aspect of receptivity is a delayed reception of intuitive impressions. It may often seem as if nothing is happening during the practice of receptive meditation, because it is carried out in a stable state where the attention is not occupied by anything except perhaps a feeling of calm, relaxation and stimulation. But this does not necessarily mean that the meditation has been aimless and futile, because very often the intuitive impression or inspiration will reach consciousness later in the day or even on another day. It may also appear in another meditation or at a time when one is occupied with completely different things. It may also come during a rest break, or at the moment of waking in the morning, but regardless of when it occurs, one will perceive the connection between the apparently useless meditation and the subsequent inspiration. This connection will become clear when the answer one was seeking to a question or problem flashes into one’s mind. However, there may also be a less dramatic but just as real delayed reception of intuitive impressions, to which one should be alert.
After meditation, one should always maintain and maintain the inner observing and attentive attitude throughout the day – when it is developed it is called a “meditative attitude”. One can practice developing a dual state of consciousness, which means being concentrated on the normal activities of the outer world and at the same time maintaining a part of the attention directed towards the inner world. This is called the “observing attitude”, as the observation applies to what is happening both in the outer world and on the different levels of life in the inner world.
The message of the events
Delayed reception can have another way of showing itself, and it is exciting or rather mysterious, but many have experienced it again and again. It is about receiving a message via external events, it can be an answer to a question or a hint about something you need to know. For example, it can happen that you “accidentally” get a book in your hands that contains exactly what you are looking for, or the pages open to a place where the answer is found. A friend or perhaps a complete stranger tells you something that can be perceived as a long-awaited clue or hint, or it can possibly be an event or a change in the environment that provides the necessary help or suggestion for the direction that should be followed.
It is difficult to explain these events, which show inexplicable forces and relationships, but they have occurred so frequently and have been so striking that they cannot be explained away as coincidences. On the other hand, one must be careful not to attach too much importance to such experiences and not to interpret perfectly normal events in desirable and imaginative ways.
Group meditation
There is a way of practicing receptive meditation that has special value and various advantages – that is to practice meditation as a group . In a group meditation there is a mutual integration of qualities and also a mutual protection against some of the dangers of receptive meditation. It is also a great advantage that one can check and compare each other’s results. But there is more than that, because there is a rather mysterious but very real factor that has its basis in the composition of a group. This can be explained by a physical analogy, in that one can say that in a group an interaction takes place in the same way as in chemical combinations. The effort of the interaction between the different people, even if it is only partial and short-lived, creates something completely different from if one were to evaluate only the effort of each member.
The individual and universal aspect of the soul
It must be remembered that at the level of the soul the differences and dividing lines are not nearly as marked as at the ordinary human level. The soul has two aspects, an individual and a universal. The universal aspect of the human soul makes it possible not only to make contact with other souls and to merge with them, but also to create close relationship and contact with the universal soul, with the infinite realm of spirit and with the higher beings who live in this realm of life. This is what Christ was talking about when he said: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Therefore it is not surprising that many who speak from experience have confirmed that silence and receptivity are more easily achieved as a group, and that the results are both greater and higher.
Free and controlled silence
There are several possible methods of group meditation. The first is free silence – ie group silence without any agreed topic for meditation. Another method is directed silence – ie silence with the thought directed towards a specific topic or theme – it may be a spiritual problem or question that interests everyone and on which everyone is trying to gain inner enlightenment or guidance. Then there is the Quaker method – ie a group silence that can be broken by any of the members who feel prompted to speak.
There is another method of receiving in a group . When it is not possible to meet in person, the individual group member can practice receptive meditation alone in his own home. But this method presupposes that there is telepathic communication and telepathic connection between the members, and that they concentrate on the same theme and direct their thoughts in the same direction. However, it is not essential to meditate at exactly the same time, because thoughts and more especially spiritual realization are not limited by time and space. When a group meditates on the same theme for a certain period – perhaps a week or a month – then an interaction and a group communication can and will take place, regardless of whether the group members meditate at the same time. This will be able to take place easily and without problems if the members feel a close inner cohesion.
Dangers and Mistakes in Receptive Meditation
Various situations may arise which are truly dangerous, and it is therefore necessary to understand the nature of them in order to be able to neutralize them in the right way. The two most important forms of danger are, first, negativity and passivity, and second, overstimulation and excitement. A passive state opens the way for the penetration into the sphere of consciousness of forces and elements coming from the subconscious and from the lower levels of consciousness. Unfortunately, they are not always detected, and even if they are detected, it is very difficult to neutralize their influence and resist their onslaught. Difficulties become even greater when they mislead by acting as allurements. They may seem harmless or even of a high order, but nevertheless they have no real value, but can be directly incendiary.
There may also be an intrusion into consciousness from sources other than the individual unconscious. In general terms, it can be said that the influence comes from the collective unconscious, and this may mean that quite common psychic tendencies, symbols and forms (termed by Jung as “archetypes”) are developed, and that special group centers are influenced. This subject is very extensive and as yet relatively little known, but it cannot be studied in more detail here. It is sufficient for the present purpose to point out the real dangers.
Methods of protection
The best safeguard against this danger is a constant positive attention, a process previously discussed. Another safeguard is to develop the ability to distinguish clearly between spiritual intuitive impressions and the various psychic influxes that may occur. Psychic phenomena are not of a spiritual nature, and it is therefore important to avoid getting sidetracked by being overly interested in them. It is wise to remember that primitive peoples and even animals have psychic abilities, as scientific research has proven. Such phenomena are quite different from those that occur in receptive meditation, and therefore require quite different methods of control.
Overstimulation
Another danger against which one must guard is overstimulation. Overstimulation is not dependent on either the nature or the source of the inflows received, for even high spiritual impulses, when they flow into the personality in full force, can in many cases have harmful effects. These effects may range from nervous pressure and exhaustion to emotional excitement, fanaticism, intemperance and feverish activity, and to the production of uncontrolled phenomena. It may be compared to the voltage ratio in an electrical system being very suddenly increased, and this may cause the lights to flicker and the radio or other similar sensitive apparatus to be damaged or rendered completely useless. Such consequences, however, can be prevented by wisely regulating the extent of one’s meditation practice, or when the first indications of difficulty appear, by ceasing meditation altogether for a period.
The fact that there are dangers naturally requires that careful precautions be taken, but this should not create fear of meditation, nor should it act as a deterrent. All good measures can become a source of danger, even the best medicine can be harmful if taken in excessive doses. And by another analogy, both “climbing up” inwardly and climbing a mountain can be dangerous, but with careful preparation, precautions, and skillful action, the dangers can be minimized – and in the case of meditation, the good results far outweigh the risks that may be involved.
Real meditation – effective protection
It must be emphasized again that when receptive meditation is done right—that is, with constant and positive observation—and followed up with a discerning and wise interpretation of the results, then an effective protection is built up against the influences and suggestions that may come from either the outer or inner world, and which have previously been observed and resisted. In meditation, the consciousness is focused on the mental plane, from which it can, on the one hand, keep good control of the area where feelings, ideas, and psychic phenomena arise, and on the other hand, can receive light, inspiration, and power from above.
How to move forward
Here you can receive seven free meditations where you develop different aspects of yourself.
Also read the article Psychosynthesis an Integral Psychology and the biography of Roberto Assagioli
Read the introductory article about energy psychology
Read the introductory article about integral meditation
