Table of content
By Roberto Assagioli and others. Excerpt from the book Creative Meditation.
Introductory remarks
In our time there is a growing interest in meditation. Thinking people are asking questions about how to meditate, and groups are being formed to study and practice meditation. This growing interest means that more and more people are realizing that an overactive outer life must be balanced with a meaningful inner life by observing it and by studying it and by concentrating on the invisible realities. But the word meditation is often used quite arbitrarily, thereby making its meaning unclear, and many different practices and inner states are described in connection with, for example, concentration, reflective meditation, creative meditation, prayer, visualization of symbols and study of their meaning, as well as silence, contemplation and inspiration from higher levels. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to clarify the subject by defining the terminology used here.
In general, meditation can be called a process of sustained, directed inner attention to energy and thought. Under this general heading, certain words will define the various specific types, stages, and techniques. Already in the first instruction, the first stage of meditation was described – concentration. The most important types of meditation will now be described briefly, and only then will it be possible to deal with them in more depth.
Reflective meditation
First, there is reflective meditation , which is purely a mental process. It is a continuous, coordinated thought on a particular subject, theme, word, or thought—this is what is called a “keyword.” It is an appropriate term because the initial or initial thought is the “key” to insight into the subject.
Receptive meditation
Then there is what can be called receptive meditation , because its purpose is to receive the light that the mind sheds on a spiritual subject, a truth or a realization. It is important to understand that receptive does not mean passive. It means instead a state of intense attention without any kind of automaticity. It can be compared to listening or trying to see something distant or, to use the language of radio, the mind acting as a receiving station trying to tune in to the transmitting station. This transmitting station is basically the soul. The process is called inspiration or in some cases intuition, and the result is inner enlightenment. But the effects of such meditation are not limited to that alone, for the new and higher truths received have a power that changes the whole personality. They change the whole man.
Creative meditation
A third type is creative meditation , which aims to build up a “thought-form” that is dynamic and effective, well-defined, imbued with an emotional energy, and animated or motivated by the will, so that it can fulfill a specific function or mission. This function can be performed either in the inner worlds by emanation and telepathic activity, or in the outer world by creating a pattern or taking an initiative in activity.
Elevation or ascent
Another aspect of meditation has been called elevation or ascension . Here the effort is to deliberately raise the center of consciousness to ever higher levels in the inner world. It is like climbing an inner ladder towards the soul, occasionally coming into contact with the soul for a short moment. When the highest point is reached, an active interaction between the mental body and the soul can take place. This is called inner dialogue .
It is therefore clear that when one wishes to meditate, it requires that one first familiarize oneself with this more or less new area and become acquainted with some of the different types of meditation. One will then begin to look at the richness that such inner activities can be and at the great gifts that they can bring. With this in mind, it is the intention to study reflective meditation in this instruction, and the other types will be studied in later instructions.
Reflective meditation
The simplest definition of reflective meditation is “right thinking.” This is a correct definition insofar as it applies to real thinking, but it rarely does, because thinking usually does not involve many thoughts. Man imagines that when he is intelligent, he can think . But right thinking about something that interests him is really only an elementary state of mental activity.
It can be said that the mental body normally “thinks within us” rather than that “we think ourselves”. This means that the activity of the mental body is a process that usually takes place automatically, or it flows irregularly when stimulated by various influences. A more accurate description is that the mental body is normally dependent on the soul and on the will. It is constantly disturbed by emotions, impulses, ideas and external stimuli. Such mental activity hardly deserves the name “real thinking”, for it is only when a strong motivation or interest exerts an influence on the thinking that it functions in an orderly and productive manner.
Meditation and thinking
Reflective meditation is often practiced by people who are not familiar with this terminology and who therefore call it something else. The scientist working on a problem, the philosopher thinking through a concept, businessmen planning trading methods – they are all examples of this, for they indicate a logical and consistent use of the thinking faculty – of the function of thought. The truth must be recognized that these people often think – in fact meditate – more effectively than many of the people who are striving to enter the spiritual path, for they may tend to become excessively passive and to cut off or block the logical sequential activity of the mental body because of too strong emotions.
The mental body is a tool
In preparation for true meditation, one must, on the basis of the above, come to the realization that the mental body is really a tool, an inner tool, and in order to make it easier to use it properly, one must not identify with it. In the first step towards true meditation one learns how to practice concentration, how to control the faculty of thought, and how to keep it steady and purposeful in the chosen direction. Now the next step has been reached, and it is about how to lead it forward and, so to speak, make it walk along the path that one wants it to follow towards a chosen goal.
Thinking and meditation
Thinking in this direction means reflecting on a definite and well-defined subject and finding out all the meanings, ramifications and opinions hidden in it. Even if one practices it for only a short time, one will discover how superficial and inadequate most of the so-called thinking is. There is a tendency to draw hasty conclusions and to ponder only one side or aspect of the subject in question. The thinking, which should direct its attention forward, goes in another direction in response to some emotional reaction.
Therefore, the first thing required in order to develop the art of thinking is to concentrate one’s attention very closely on the current thought process. For example, one must be able to immediately notice when thinking begins to deviate from the desired direction due to an emotional reaction or a preconceived mental perception, or – as is most often the case – a response to the automatic thought connections that lead thinking through a series of related topics far from the starting point.
Thoughtfulness
The second thing required is persistence – thinking through . Here some rather strange things can happen. First, after a few minutes of reflective thinking, one feels certain that the subject has been exhausted and contains no more to think about. But if one nevertheless continues to reflect during this blank period, one will begin to discover several unsuspected aspects, and one will even discover that what at first seemed like an empty space is in fact filled to bursting point. Then one is faced with a new difficulty: How to study all the new aspects and complexities that one has received about the subject, and how to cope with the influx of new lines of thought?
Stimulation of thinking
But that is not always the case. Sometimes you feel like you are reaching a dead end or falling into a chasm that you cannot get out of. In such cases, outside help may be necessary. You can also look up the topic in question in a dictionary or encyclopedia, or you can find literature on how others have solved the problem. Another way to get out of a dead end is to write a list of questions that can be asked in connection with the many possible aspects of the topic. The following example in the keyword described in the first booklet will show this clearly.
“I seek to show love, not hate.”
At first glance, this sentence seems so simple and straightforward that it hardly stimulates thought, in fact, it can seem almost banal. “Of course,” you think, “when I am a decent and well-meaning person, I seek to show love and not hate. Why not leave it at that.” But when you start asking yourself the following questions, you realize that the subject is more meaningful than it first seems.
- What does it mean to “show love”?
- What is love?
- How many types of love are there?
- How do I show love?
- How will I try to show love from now on?
- Who do I care about and who am I able to show love to right now?
- Have I always succeeded in showing love in the way I intended?
- And if not, why not?
- What obstacles have there been and how can I eliminate them?
- What forms of love have humanity expressed in the different cultures and civilizations? (Because there have been many forms of love that have been described with different words, such as the Greek words eros and agape).
- To what extent does the quality of my love depend on the people it is directed towards, and to what extent on my own inner nature? Then one can ask oneself the following question about “hate.”
- Under what disguises can hatred hide?
- Am I able to avoid any form of hatred?
- What is the meaning of the paradoxical statement “An enemy is as useful as a friend”?
- What feeling do I have toward those who do evil? Am I taking the right attitude, and if not, how can I correct it?
- What attitude should one take towards evil in general?
- What are my attitudes and emotional reactions towards the people I am in opposition to?
It is quite clear that all these questions cannot be studied thoroughly enough in one meditation, no matter how long one tries to keep the thought on the task. In fact, the questions contain so much spiritual food that the study of them can extend over a long series of meditations, for it will be most expedient to take one question at a time and finish it.
The purpose of meditation
A third requirement to be considered is the purpose of meditation . Before embarking on this form of inner activity, one should think deeply about what goals one is aiming for, for they will determine both the subject to be chosen and the approach to be followed. One general purpose of reflective meditation is purely mental and intellectual, in that it is to achieve clarity of thought on a given subject or problem. Another significant goal is to achieve self-awareness , but that subject will be studied specifically later.
There are countless subjects suitable for reflective meditation, but only a few categories can be mentioned here. There is an almost endless range of psychological and spiritual qualities that are suitable – courage, fidelity, serenity, joy, will, etc. Symbols are another type, which will be studied more deeply in connection with visualization in a later instruction.
Keywords for meditation
One can also meditate on a sentence that contains a specific thought. Such “keywords” are also innumerable, but they can be broadly divided into two groups: In one group, the keywords seem simple and obvious, but they turn out to contain a deep meaning (such as “I want to show love and not hate”), in the other group the keywords are formulated in a paradoxical and therefore challenging way. They often contain an apparent contradiction, but are in reality a union of something higher, or which is a more comprehensive synthesis of two opposing meanings, for example:
- “Works with interest and without”
- “Suffer with joy.” (Which is not the same as rejoicing in suffering).
- “Hurry up”
- “Live in the eternal NOW and in the moment”
- “See action in restraint and restraint in action.”
Much of Jesus’ teachings recorded in the Gospels fall into this category, and they are very suitable themes for reflective meditation.
Reflective meditation on one’s own soul
When one makes one’s personality or soul the subject of meditation, it requires, more than any other subject, that one maintain the attitude of “observer,” as mentioned in the first instruction on concentration. This requires one to be able to distinguish clearly between mere self-consciousness and the psychological “content” of one’s personality, and this means that one must observe one’s own various psychological factors, such as emotions and desires. A little knowledge of psychology will be helpful in this process.
This higher form of attention to one’s own person and the ability to observe one’s own personality from above should not be confused with what is commonly called self-centeredness. Self-centeredness is identifying with and being preoccupied with one’s own personality and its imperfections, and being overly sensitive to the opinions and judgments that others may have of one.
Reflective meditation on one’s own personality must not be understood as a simple and passive observation or as an internal mechanical function of data collection, for it requires that the observed factors be analyzed, that their significance be understood, and that they be then evaluated – the requirement can be summarized as follows: Thinking, contemplation, and interpretation. It is thus a true reflective meditation and inner activity. When one recognizes the shortcomings, problems, and conflicts in the personality, one is encouraged to establish order, harmony, and wholeness within, and to stimulate the will to implement it. And it is possible to achieve this because the soul is not only an observer, it can also act, possessing the ability to decide and direct the direction of one’s life.
Meditation on the Principle of Good Will
The principle of goodwill is the meditation theme for this two-month period. At first glance, it may seem like an easy subject that doesn’t require much thought. But this apparent simplicity—as in the phrase “I seek to show love, not hate”—is deceptive.
The section on goodwill (later in this instruction) and especially the overview at the end of the instruction will be helpful in highlighting its many aspects, its many applications, and how far-reaching and transformative its subjective and objective effects can be both within oneself and in all of humanity. Goodwill is truly a magic key that opens the door to the new age.
Technical suggestions for reflective meditation
The first piece of advice is to never focus on negative aspects, but to direct your attention to those that are positive. It is important to recognize that you are trying to create a better world rather than being immersed in what you feel is wrong. The second is to immediately write down all true thoughts and conclusions that you have reached. Concepts that seem clear and vivid at a certain point can very quickly fade from consciousness and be lost if they are not properly retained.
A verbal formulation of thoughts forces us to think clearly and precisely, which reduces all confusion and vagueness in the mind. The process of writing is in itself a stimulus for meditation, and it can lead to valuable thoughts. Writing in this way is a meditation technique. It is a definite help in keeping the thoughts concentrated and active in the desired direction and in maintaining focus.
Cyclic meditation rhythm
The length of time for which each subject should be used as a theme varies, but it should not be less than a week, and after some practice one will often find that a month is not too long. In fact, some subjects prove to be quite inexhaustible. A good method is to meditate on particular themes cyclically. Thus the worldwide group using this meditation system will go through a cycle each year, meditating on right human relations, goodwill, group effort, harmony, spiritual rapprochement, and essential divinity. Each year a deeper understanding of these subjects and of the inner man is created.
The benefits of reflective meditation are many. First, it gives ever-increasing skill in the use of the mental instrument, and it gives a growing sense of mastery of thought. This is of course only achieved gradually, and perfection must not be expected. But even a reasonable degree of control over the thoughts is satisfactory and very valuable, for the mental body is not a good teacher, but a most useful servant . Gradually more and different results will appear if one continues to work seriously with this form of inner activity, which should ultimately be seen as a necessary preparatory step to other forms of meditation, which will be studied in later instructions. Reflective meditation is a beginning training in this field of work, and it lays the foundation for all future results.
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
