Daily Concentration of Thinking

[Federica]

…during this brief time [at least five minutes] one must, entirely out of free will, empty the soul of the ordinary, everyday course of thoughts, and by one's own initiative place a thought at the center of the soul. One need not believe that this must be a particularly striking or interesting thought. Indeed it will be all the better for what has to be attained in an occult respect if one strives at first to choose the most uninteresting and insignificant thought. Thinking is then impelled to act out of its own energy, which is the essential thing here, whereas an interesting thought carries the thinking along with it.
It is better if this exercise in thought control is undertaken with a pin rather than with Napoleon. The pupil says to himself: Now I start from this thought, and through my own inner initiative I associate with it everything that is pertinent to it. At the end of the period the thought should stand before the soul just as colorfully and vividly as at the beginning. This exercise is repeated day by day for at least a month; a new thought may be taken every day, but the same thought may also be adhered to for several days. At the end of such an exercise one endeavors to become fully conscious of that inner feeling of firmness and security which will soon be noticed by paying subtler attention to one's own soul; then one concludes the exercise by focusing the thinking upon the head and the middle of the spine (brain and spinal cord), as if one were pouring that feeling of security into this part of the body.

Esoteric Development - GA 245 - Chapter V

The student focuses on an object and considers its form, substance, color, use, etcetera - the series of representations that cover the whole spectrum of its physical structure, until in its place only the content of thought is left. This operation shouldn’t engage the student’s conscious attention for less than five minutes. At its end, the object should appear before the student’s consciousness as a symbol, or a sign, or a synthesis, pictorially encapsulating all the elaborated content of thought. This is the typical exercise of concentration. Its process is fundamental for the modern inquirer, since it requires the cooperation - although only temporarily - of the constitutive principles of man: I, Soul, Subtle Body, Physical Body, in accord with their originary hierarchy. As fundamental exercise, it is complete. If practiced rigorously, it can alone lead to true inner balance and, later, to the experience of the higher worlds.

Techniques of inner concentration

Concentration has been discussed many times before. But since it is the first active step, and hurdle, for anyone who feels drawn to explore the potential in thinking - that is, reality at large - I thought it would not be redundant to bring this topic to the forefront, one more time. Also, having in mind that Steiner said it’s a good thing to let others know about the Anthroposophical work one has been doing, I would like to make a brief note on the very modest but still noticeable experience of almost a month of daily attempts at concentrating thought. My hope is that this will prompt someone who is not yet doing it to finally leap into action.


THE REAL CHALLENGE

I suspect that the various inner and outer impediments that work against really leaping into the action of regular daily concentration, are by far the biggest problem. The exercise is so simple, but gathering the will and pouring it into the exercise not once or twice, but every single day has been a challenge for me. So I hope that anyone who “would like” to do it doesn’t underestimate this first obstacle and really focuses all attention on it, rather than on the exercise itself.
My opinion is that it’s infinitely better to sit down every day and do crappy but insistent attempts for five minutes, even with plenty of distractions, rather than wait for the right mood, calmness, etcetera, and skip the effort altogether under these pretexts. For my part, I’ve had this scattered approach to concentration basically during the whole year 2023, so I know what I’m talking about. Some of my pretexts to delay daily commitment were:

• I have not yet reached thorough understanding of the basics, better to acquire a larger holistic sense of what I will be doing before I take action.

• I have to work on control of feelings first, since a calm and fully controlled soul is needed for good concentration.

• This could be dangerous. I can’t just DIY it and decide that I am now a student of “initiation science”, that's ridiculous!

• Let’s not force it, I have already changed my life a lot, giving up things, introducing new habits.

• It’s scary. Strange pictures may appear.

and even:

• I will innovate and create a bridge between intellectual and higher cognition. Chances are, the times are ripe, and I will push the limits of the intellect.

RESISTENCE MAY BECOME EASIER TO OVERCOME AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS

From the perspective of only a few weeks of more committed efforts, I think there might be very little objectivity in those pretexts. Please, anyone who may be harboring similar thoughts, take this into account. Also, the necessary effort of will has been easier to manage lately. This might be a general observation: the very tough leaps into action have been in the first couple of weeks. Today it’s still a bit of an effort, I still tend to micro-procrastinate the beginning of the exercise using micro tasks (like tidying up my work space, or kitchen, or files) but I feel I’m coming to a break-even point when the attraction of the exercise, the feeling of anticipation (I can’t call it longing) that something profoundly valuable and important is finally there is stronger than the childish micro-resistance to it. It’s curious to observe how the resistance is still there. I still have to watch myself behaving like a protesting toddler, which is a bit embarrassing. But at the same time, while I am tidying up this or that, I know it’s a matter of minutes before I start the exercise, so I am indulgent towards the protesting impulse. A few more notes:


MORNING PRACTICE

For me it makes a big difference to do it in the morning. Last year, I used to make sporadic attempts mainly in the evening, once done with the daily obligations, or in bed (though I knew this is not recommended). But now I see that morning time is a much better time and I carve out a few reasonably early minutes in the morning for this purpose. Morning time also helps me keep the exercise clean and disciplined, away (for now) from some unknown intruding images that I had grown afraid of last year. I can’t do it immediately after waking up though. Then, I don’t feel proactive enough, and I prefer to express a thank-you thought for the new day and send some thoughts of sympathy and support to a few ‘co-humans’, to use a nice Scandi word.


WATERFALL EFFECT

I believe it’s normal if the picture tends to continually disappear. Or if peripheral parts of it disappear as soon as attention is focused on a particular detail. This is explained by the waterfall metaphor. The vertical water mass may be seen as continually present, thus static, but obviosuly it’s only the persistent inflow of water that maintains that continuity. The same is true for the thought-picture. If continuous effort is not put in, the images disappear, and we have to start all over again. It’s really not like looking at a picture of the same object with our eyes. Then we can be passive, but in thinking exercises, we learn to bring experience into reality, we create, literally! By the way, this sense of effortful creation is very helpful to better grasp the ideal nature of reality, that we know is made of thought across the whole board. So, in a ridiculously modest way, I participate in the collective co-creation process by adding a picture-flow of my own creation (at first sight). Now, I believe it’s fine if the picture-flow we bring into existence is really not very beautiful. There seems to be a whole gradient of vividness that can be poured into it. It’s surely not a one-zero experience and I guess it’s normal that, at first, the pictures look warped, blurred, discolored. They are not ‘beautiful’, but cute nonetheless, like a drawing by a two-year-old is And, no matter how unrefined, as soon as they are maintained into existence for a few seconds they may start to show some life of their own, and generously send our way some of the creative energy they are made of (which is by no means only ours, if we trust the process a little, before we can properly grasp it).

[Cleric K]

Concentration has been discussed many times before. But since it is the first active step, and hurdle, for anyone who feels drawn to explore the potential in thinking - that is, reality at large - I thought it would not be redundant to bring this topic to the forefront, one more time. Also, having in mind that Steiner said it’s a good thing to let others know about the Anthroposophical work one has been doing, I would like to make a brief note on the very modest but still noticeable experience of almost a month of daily attempts at concentrating thought. My hope is that this will prompt someone who is not yet doing it to finally leap into action.

Federica, thank you for sharing this. I also hope your operation was successful and you recover quickly!

I would also like to share something that may be helpful in certain circumstances.

Our development is not a linear process. We go through many hills and valleys, sometimes it even seems we’re going from bad to worse. Such episodes do happen. Of course, we shouldn’t despair but simply keep our sight on the high ideal.

Sometimes we may find that concentration is practically impossible. It feels as if we need an inhuman amount of energy in order to keep focus. The thing is that in most cases, this happens because we’re unable to find the concentric nature of concentration. It’s rather as if we’re straining our body to reach an object which is simply out of reach.

In such situations, we may hear our inner voice capitulating: “I can’t concentrate!” If we’re able to snatch this moment, we’re presented with a very peculiar opportunity. We just need to notice how in thinking this, we feel a kind of release, as if we have been straining to reach the object and then we just give up and release all tension. This is the moment when we can realize “Aha! So you can’t concentrate but you have no problem thinking the ‘I can’t concentrate’ words?”

Then we can simply sense how easy it is to think these words, how effortlessly they come out. We can simply repeat them while maintaining this weightless feeling as if to affirm our helplessness. After repeating them for some time we can make a very simple change in a single sound. The words can become “I can concentrate” because this is what we’re in fact doing by repeating them!

The secret here is to realize that when we fail to concentrate, we’re usually straining in a suboptimal way. Often our concentration is loaded with expectations, there can be tensions in the body, feelings, and so on. But when we capitulate and say “I can’t concentrate”, then in a sense our “I” exposes itself. It produces a thought that is actually much more forthright than many of our slippery thoughts. In a certain sense, the ego can be more honest and straightforward when it capitulates like that, compared to concentrating on a thought that feels much more alien. It is actually supporting such an extrinsic thought that becomes tiring.

Of course, this is only a starting point. If the meditation is to lead us deeper, obviously the thought at the center should focus something of our deeper intuitive context. Just repeating “I can(‘t) concentrate” on the surface, won’t take us very far. But still, such a trick can help us better find how our “I” should be concentric with the thought of meditation. We may try to morph the thought into something more valuable while trying to keep the concentric and outright stance (instead of feeling the meditative thought as alien to our “I”).

[Federica]

Concentration has been discussed many times before. But since it is the first active step, and hurdle, for anyone who feels drawn to explore the potential in thinking - that is, reality at large - I thought it would not be redundant to bring this topic to the forefront, one more time. Also, having in mind that Steiner said it’s a good thing to let others know about the Anthroposophical work one has been doing, I would like to make a brief note on the very modest but still noticeable experience of almost a month of daily attempts at concentrating thought. My hope is that this will prompt someone who is not yet doing it to finally leap into action.

Federica, thank you for sharing this. I also hope your operation was successful and you recover quickly!

I would also like to share something that may be helpful in certain circumstances.

Our development is not a linear process. We go through many hills and valleys, sometimes it even seems we’re going from bad to worse. Such episodes do happen. Of course, we shouldn’t despair but simply keep our sight on the high ideal.

Sometimes we may find that concentration is practically impossible. It feels as if we need an inhuman amount of energy in order to keep focus. The thing is that in most cases, this happens because we’re unable to find the concentric nature of concentration. It’s rather as if we’re straining our body to reach an object which is simply out of reach.

In such situations, we may hear our inner voice capitulating: “I can’t concentrate!” If we’re able to snatch this moment, we’re presented with a very peculiar opportunity. We just need to notice how in thinking this, we feel a kind of release, as if we have been straining to reach the object and then we just give up and release all tension. This is the moment when we can realize “Aha! So you can’t concentrate but you have no problem thinking the ‘I can’t concentrate’ words?”

Then we can simply sense how easy it is to think these words, how effortlessly they come out. We can simply repeat them while maintaining this weightless feeling as if to affirm our helplessness. After repeating them for some time we can make a very simple change in a single sound. The words can become “I can concentrate” because this is what we’re in fact doing by repeating them!

The secret here is to realize that when we fail to concentrate, we’re usually straining in a suboptimal way. Often our concentration is loaded with expectations, there can be tensions in the body, feelings, and so on. But when we capitulate and say “I can’t concentrate”, then in a sense our “I” exposes itself. It produces a thought that is actually much more forthright than many of our slippery thoughts. In a certain sense, the ego can be more honest and straightforward when it capitulates like that, compared to concentrating on a thought that feels much more alien. It is actually supporting such an extrinsic thought that becomes tiring.

Of course, this is only a starting point. If the meditation is to lead us deeper, obviously the thought at the center should focus something of our deeper intuitive context. Just repeating “I can(‘t) concentrate” on the surface, won’t take us very far. But still, such a trick can help us better find how our “I” should be concentric with the thought of meditation. We may try to morph the thought into something more valuable while trying to keep the concentric and outright stance (instead of feeling the meditative thought as alien to our “I”).

Thank you Cleric Yes I'm well! (it wasn't a big thing)

When you speak of the *concentric* nature of concentration, are you pointing to the same thing as Scaligero in:
"concentration requires the cooperation - although only temporarily - of the constitutive principles of man: I, Soul, Subtle Body, Physical Body, in accord with their originary hierarchy" ?
Klocek's words also come to mind, that concentration on a static image is entering our physical body; if we make the object move, rotate, etcetera, we are entering our etheric, or subtle body; while meditation opens the door to our body of soul...

[Cleric K]

Thank you Cleric Yes I'm well! (it wasn't a big thing)

When you speak of the *concentric* nature of concentration, are you pointing to the same thing as Scaligero in:
"concentration requires the cooperation - although only temporarily - of the constitutive principles of man: I, Soul, Subtle Body, Physical Body, in accord with their originary hierarchy" ?
Klocek's words also come to mind, that concentration on a static image is entering our physical body; if we make the object move, rotate, etcetera, we are entering our etheric, or subtle body; while meditation opens the door to our body of soul...

Yes, ultimately it is all about the concentricity of this depth hierarchy. Lately, I find that the word 'contextuality' might be more appropriate in certain cases. Here in the forum we've seen the word 'hierarchy' is so negatively loaded that one refuses to see through it, no matter how deliberately things are explained. Also 'contextuality' might be easier to grasp with respect to the fact that we're speaking of something meaningful and temporally extended (most people can more or less grasp what is meant by 'context of meaning').

An example of eccentric thought for meditation could be "I am the president of my country". There might be some value in such a meditation but in the end, the thought doesn't fit truthfully in the holistic existential context. The key to meditation and higher cognition in general, is that we, as a spiritual investigator, are not in the background while we explore completely independent realities. The facts of the higher orders of reality integrate into our evolving kernel.

This shouldn't be taken in the wrong way and imagine that we should become drunk on self-importance. It's quite the opposite, our Earthly persona should become completely transparent in the light of the higher facts. It's still true, however, that anything we can cognize of the depths of reality can only be of value if it integrates concentrically with our present perspective of the World state. For example, concentrating on the thought "I'm a human being at this place on Earth, situated in this moment of the historical development of humanity" can be far more fruitful than the previous example, even though on first look the thought states something quite obvious. Yet, by becoming concentric on these simple obvious facts, we become much better prepared to intuit their archetypal nature.

In my experience, most of the time I find it difficult to meditate, it is because I don't find this concentric relation. This happens most easily when we're determined to understand something in itself. If we use Guney's example - it could be very difficult if we want to understand the nature of the physical world in itself, while our existence remains in the background (which is practically the ideal for modern science). This results in inner polarization (we can indeed depict it as two concentric circles that become offset). We understand a lot more about physical reality when instead of trying to see its true nature, we focus on the way our inner life is enchained within it, when we try to feel how we're resisted by its lawfulness. Similarly, when we say "I can't concentrate", it is possible that this thought expresses something much more truthful - as if we're saying "I'm at this place on Earth, at this point of historical development, sitting down and I can't concentrate." In some sense, we might be more concentric with the Cosmic context in this thought compared to the other thought of meditation, which often can be of the nature of "I am a president."

[Federica]

Thank you Cleric Yes I'm well! (it wasn't a big thing)

When you speak of the *concentric* nature of concentration, are you pointing to the same thing as Scaligero in:
"concentration requires the cooperation - although only temporarily - of the constitutive principles of man: I, Soul, Subtle Body, Physical Body, in accord with their originary hierarchy" ?
Klocek's words also come to mind, that concentration on a static image is entering our physical body; if we make the object move, rotate, etcetera, we are entering our etheric, or subtle body; while meditation opens the door to our body of soul...

Yes, ultimately it is all about the concentricity of this depth hierarchy. Lately, I find that the word 'contextuality' might be more appropriate in certain cases. Here in the forum we've seen the word 'hierarchy' is so negatively loaded that one refuses to see through it, no matter how deliberately things are explained. Also 'contextuality' might be easier to grasp with respect to the fact that we're speaking of something meaningful and temporally extended (most people can more or less grasp what is meant by 'context of meaning').

An example of eccentric thought for meditation could be "I am the president of my country". There might be some value in such a meditation but in the end, the thought doesn't fit truthfully in the holistic existential context. The key to meditation and higher cognition in general, is that we, as a spiritual investigator, are not in the background while we explore completely independent realities. The facts of the higher orders of reality integrate into our evolving kernel.

This shouldn't be taken in the wrong way and imagine that we should become drunk on self-importance. It's quite the opposite, our Earthly persona should become completely transparent in the light of the higher facts. It's still true, however, that anything we can cognize of the depths of reality can only be of value if it integrates concentrically with our present perspective of the World state. For example, concentrating on the thought "I'm a human being at this place on Earth, situated in this moment of the historical development of humanity" can be far more fruitful than the previous example, even though on first look the thought states something quite obvious. Yet, by becoming concentric on these simple obvious facts, we become much better prepared to intuit their archetypal nature.

In my experience, most of the time I find it difficult to meditate, it is because I don't find this concentric relation. This happens most easily when we're determined to understand something in itself. If we use Guney's example - it could be very difficult if we want to understand the nature of the physical world in itself, while our existence remains in the background (which is practically the ideal for modern science). This results in inner polarization (we can indeed depict it as two concentric circles that become offset). We understand a lot more about physical reality when instead of trying to see its true nature, we focus on the way our inner life is enchained within it, when we try to feel how we're resisted by its lawfulness. Similarly, when we say "I can't concentrate", it is possible that this thought expresses something much more truthful - as if we're saying "I'm at this place on Earth, at this point of historical development, sitting down and I can't concentrate." In some sense, we might be more concentric with the Cosmic context in this thought compared to the other thought of meditation, which often can be of the nature of "I am a president."

I remember the effect of the word "hierarchy" the first time I heard it in the context of Anthroposophy! Indeed, it sounded unpleasant to me too, though not for long. Concentricity to me is the picture of a flattened hierarchy. It may be the perfect antidote to the negative connotation in 'hierarchy'. Contextuality seems to evoke more formless relationships - meaning is suggested and is approachable by degrees...