Astral Arc (youtube series)

[AshvinP]

I was going to post this in one of the meditation threads, but figured it would be best to start a fresh new thread. It is a video from the new Astral Arc youtube channel, which looks like it could be helpful for those of us on the path. This video discusses meditative experiences and particularly the building up and extinguishing of the meditative content. It is not very in-depth, but it should still be helpful as an introduction. The more angles we can explore these things from, the better.

Before that, there is also discussion about sharing our inner experiences or conclusions about those experiences with others. That is something which caught my attention because I definitely notice the tendency to prematurely share conclusions in myself, although I feel that it is also improving. We have a great opportunity to exercise our will that most people don't have simply by being on the path and on this forum. Recognizing the tendency is the first and most important step - then we have certainty in the general direction of the task which we must unfold, and can get to work on various ways of creatively unfolding it.

[Federica]

Wow that's fantastic, Ashvin, thank you! Would you subscribe to everything the lady says?

[AshvinP]

Wow that's fantastic, Ashvin, thank you! Would you subscribe to everything the lady says?

In that video, yes (and probably more broadly). It's not very detailed, though, so I would also refer to Cleric's various posts on the stages of higher cognition for additional context on the process of building up and extinguishing.

I came across Lisa Romero soon after starting meditation. I purchased her videos on the "inner work path", which is a good introduction to meditation. That's where I found the 'calmness of soul' exercise that I shared previously (focusing on breathing, body contact, thoughts, and asking "is this I?"). She follows Steiner's approach to higher cognition pretty closely.

[Federica]

Wow that's fantastic, Ashvin, thank you! Would you subscribe to everything the lady says?

In that video, yes (and probably more broadly). It's not very detailed, though, so I would also refer to Cleric's various posts on the stages of higher cognition for additional context on the process of building up and extinguishing.

Yes, definitely, I will reflect on matching the advise from the two sides.

I came across Lisa Romero soon after starting meditation. I purchased her videos on the "inner work path", which is a good introduction to meditation. That's where I found the 'calmness of soul' exercise that I shared previously (focusing on breathing, body contact, thoughts, and asking "is this I?"). She follows Steiner's approach to higher cognition pretty closely.

In the same channel, I am finding the video called Foundations of a Meditation Practice | The Four Stages very insightful. One could say that's because it appeals to the intellect by speaking of four stages, and maybe this is the case. However, it provides a framework that is reviving my intentions with regard to meditation. It makes it feel somewhat less like a jump in the dark. I hope Anthony, Luke, and everyone else following, can find this beneficial in some way.

[AshvinP]

Wow that's fantastic, Ashvin, thank you! Would you subscribe to everything the lady says?

In that video, yes (and probably more broadly). It's not very detailed, though, so I would also refer to Cleric's various posts on the stages of higher cognition for additional context on the process of building up and extinguishing.

Yes, definitely, I will reflect on matching the advise from the two sides.

I came across Lisa Romero soon after starting meditation. I purchased her videos on the "inner work path", which is a good introduction to meditation. That's where I found the 'calmness of soul' exercise that I shared previously (focusing on breathing, body contact, thoughts, and asking "is this I?"). She follows Steiner's approach to higher cognition pretty closely.

In the same channel, I am finding the video called Foundations of a Meditation Practice | The Four Stages very insightful. One could say that's because it appeals to the intellect by speaking of four stages, and maybe this is the case. However, it provides a framework that is reviving my intentions with regard to meditation. It makes it feel somewhat less like a jump in the dark. I hope Anthony, Luke, and everyone else following, can find this beneficial in some way.

That's great, Federica. I started watching the videos on the Work of Love through the Virtues, and I think you would appreciate those as well. The meditations offered should harmonize pretty well with Hermetic Astrology too.

[Güney27]

The video where she talks about the 4 stages of meditation is enlightening.

Level 1 is simple concentration.
Consciousness is focused on one point through words such as rest. With this we sacrifice our everyday I (lower self), which is otherwise always active, and which we identify as our being.


Stage 2 is through verse to connect with non-sensual things after the soul has been placed in a still state.
I can understand this exercise as well.

Level 3 and 4 are irritating.
How to remain active without producing anything (thought-images).


Isn't Stage 3 an exercise in inspiration?
When you teach your awareness to let other things flow in?

[Federica]

The video where she talks about the 4 stages of meditation is enlightening.

Level 1 is simple concentration.
Consciousness is focused on one point through words such as rest. With this we sacrifice our everyday I (lower self), which is otherwise always active, and which we identify as our being.


Stage 2 is through verse to connect with non-sensual things after the soul has been placed in a still state.
I can understand this exercise as well.

Level 3 and 4 are irritating.
How to remain active without producing anything (thought-images).


Isn't Stage 3 an exercise in inspiration?
When you teach your awareness to let other things flow in?

Güney,
for stage three, maybe the following metaphor can work. In the gym, imagine you do pull-ups with the help of the machine, say you set it to take 10 kilos off of your body weight. When you later release the aid from under your feet, then you have to maintain the activity, but you don't have any support to rest on, any longer. The activity remains, but it's all on your own strength this time. Likewise in meditation, your activity remains, but you have to sustain it only based on inner strength, without any external support. That would be my basic inexperienced idea.

[Federica]

In that video, yes (and probably more broadly). It's not very detailed, though, so I would also refer to Cleric's various posts on the stages of higher cognition for additional context on the process of building up and extinguishing.

Yes, definitely, I will reflect on matching the advise from the two sides.

I came across Lisa Romero soon after starting meditation. I purchased her videos on the "inner work path", which is a good introduction to meditation. That's where I found the 'calmness of soul' exercise that I shared previously (focusing on breathing, body contact, thoughts, and asking "is this I?"). She follows Steiner's approach to higher cognition pretty closely.

In the same channel, I am finding the video called Foundations of a Meditation Practice | The Four Stages very insightful. One could say that's because it appeals to the intellect by speaking of four stages, and maybe this is the case. However, it provides a framework that is reviving my intentions with regard to meditation. It makes it feel somewhat less like a jump in the dark. I hope Anthony, Luke, and everyone else following, can find this beneficial in some way.

That's great, Federica. I started watching the videos on the Work of Love through the Virtues, and I think you would appreciate those as well. The meditations offered should harmonize pretty well with Hermetic Astrology too.

Ok, thank you for the recommendation, Ashvin. Tomorrow I will try stage one and two, focusing on the self through the suggested verse from Steiner. Then I'll surely watch the other videos. I look forward to trying!

[Federica]

So this morning I've tried the first two steps of the meditation on the higher self. As expected, I have first struggled to achieve restfulness of soul. But I had good motivation, and I felt I was moving back and forth toward restfulness. It's 'only' that I couldn't maintain the state of restfulness. As advised, after a while I moved to the second step, even if the first was not achieved. I thought about the mentioned verse, trying to vividly think and visualize the words, and to create an openness for an encounter, or humble discovery. Again, I couldn't achieve much, but I had a sense of movement, of something happening, of dynamism of the heart, although short-lived. And the most surprising thing, when I closed it, was the time elapsed: more than one hour. That was well beyond my subjective sense of time passed, and by far beyond any previous meditation attempt. I look forward to trying again tomorrow!

[AshvinP]

So this morning I've tried the first two steps of the meditation on the higher self. As expected, I have first struggled to achieve restfulness of soul. But I had good motivation, and I felt I was moving back and forth toward restfulness. It's 'only' that I couldn't maintain the state of restfulness. As advised, after a while I moved to the second step, even if the first was not achieved. I thought about the mentioned verse, trying to vividly think and visualize the words, and to create an openness for an encounter, or humble discovery. Again, I couldn't achieve much, but I had a sense of movement, of something happening, of dynamism of the heart, although short-lived. And the most surprising thing, when I closed it, was the time elapsed: more than one hour. That was well beyond my subjective sense of time passed, and by far beyond any previous meditation attempt. I look forward to trying again tomorrow!

Federica,

What you say about the subjective sense of time passed is interesting. For me, it's usually the opposite effect - I feel that I have been meditating for an hour, but it was actually only 15 min. clock-time. It reminds me of something Cleric wrote about how it could depend if we are viewing feeling from the perspective of thinking or thinking from the perspective of feeling. Perhaps I incline towards the former and you towards the latter. What do you think? Has that remained pretty constant for you?