The Ultimate Guide to Crystals & Stones: A Practical Path to Personal Power, Self-Development, and Healing - Uma Silbey 2016
Training the Mind
Personal Preparation for Crystal and Stone Work
In most people, the mind drifts endlessly from thought to thought, half formed and half followed. These thoughts are triggered by the sights we see, the sounds we hear, sensual impressions, memories, and by any other thoughts that are always vibrating around us or are specifically directed towards us. As the uncontrolled mind resonates with these various vibratory states around us, we are influenced by them. Thus, if people around us are angry, we become angry. If they are happy, we are happy, etc. If the sky is overcast, we may feel depressed. Busy city vibrations can make us feel tense and wary. We may dwell in our memories rather than in the present, those memories creating certain emotional states that, in turn, create corresponding thoughts, to which we then react to, continuing the cycle of the past.
All too often we become the slave of our mind, rather than its master. When we need to focus our mind, the “muscles” are not there. We cannot hold a thought or image or calm our mind. The more we try to still our mind, the busier it becomes. We are unable to concentrate, our thoughts endlessly chasing after each other, each thought only held until we are distracted by another stronger thought. This describes the state of the average undeveloped mind.
The alternative is to develop our mind so that we are its master rather than its slave. The developed mind can be likened to a still body of water. Thoughts, like waves, cross its surface, but the water itself remains undisturbed. In other words, thoughts come and go, but they do not ruffle our mind. Our mind rests in a state of peaceful awareness. When our mind is than called upon to direct its attention in some way, it does so with strength and steadiness. No distractions deflect its attention, which is held by our will. When the developed mind is focused, it is aware of nothing else but what it is focused on. It is held steady. When the need for focus is over, our mind then returns to its prior state of balanced equilibrium. Only when the constant chatter of our mind is quiet and its endless judgments stilled can we become aware of the continuing stream of wisdom that flows through us, both to guide us in our work as well as in our everyday life.
It is vitally important to have a clear and steady mind in our work with crystals and stones. It is not enough to merely learn about the stones uses. Though the stones can do some things themselves just by being in our proximity, for the most part we need to be able to summon the will to hold a steady focus and open our subtle hearing or seeing that cannot be discerned when our mind is full of chatter. To be able to effectively use the visualization practices that are needed for energy projection and reception, we need to be sure that our visualization is held unwaveringly for the amount of time that is needed to accomplish the results. Our thoughts need to be focused with strength and clarity so that only one set of vibrations is transmitted and the crystal or stone receives its impressions clearly rather than being confused with other competing thoughts or visions. If our mind is cluttered and uncontrolled, there is no way that this can be done. There is no control over the other thoughts that impinge upon the intended envisioning. Furthermore, the images or thoughts need to be held steadily while our will is applied to direct them through the crystal or stone to be transmitted in the way intended. The more focused and in our control our minds are, the more effective our work will be.
The following well known meditation technique is a very powerful tool for calming the mind and developing the underlying mental muscles that, when employed with a strong and steady intention, will help us to focus one-pointedly. If we want to strengthen our efforts, we can surround ourselves with a circle of clear crystals as we do this practice.
FOLLOWING THE BREATH TO CALM THE MIND
1. Sit in a place where you will remain undisturbed. Be relaxed, but have your spine straight. You may lie down flat on your back, however, this has a tendency to cause you to fall asleep, so it may be best to sit up.
2. Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breathing, continuing to breathe naturally. Notice your breath slightly tickling either the tip of your nose, the front of your nostrils, or your upper lip. Instead of a tickling sensation, you may experience this as a slight coolness or breeze. If you don’t notice where the air passes on its way in and out of your body, continue to focus on the tip of your nose or the middle of your top lip until you feel the air’s passage. As you continue to sit upright in a relaxed manner, breathing naturally, keep your awareness focused on the slight tingle of your breath as you breathe in and out.
3. If you find that your attention has wandered, let go of those thoughts and again focus your attention back to the tickle of breath. Continue this process.
4. As you continue, you will find yourself becoming very calm and focused. Your mind will eventually quiet down until there is nothing in its awareness except the tickle of breath.
5. After some time, you will find that you enter a state of deep concentration, aware only of your breath. You may find that your breathing becomes more and more faint. It may even entirely stop if you are in a state of extremely deep concentration. Don’t worry about it. The instant you realize that your breathing has stopped, you have broken your concentration with these thoughts, and your breathing will return. If that happens, like any other interrupting thought, just let it go and bring your attention back to your breath passing in and out of your body.
6. Do not try to manipulate your breath. Just notice it. Ignore any visions, emotions, feelings, or realizations you may have. They will merely distract you from this state of deep concentration.
7. Do this practice for at least three minutes to start. Then increase your time to seven minutes, eleven minutes, twenty or more. There is no limit to the time you can spend doing this.
8. If you are new to this, you may experience boredom, impatience, and other impediments. You may also notice that your mind seems to be more active. This mind activity has usually been going on all the time, but you just never noticed it before. Don’t worry, for it will eventually calm as you continue this practice. Most importantly, do not judge yourself or your progress. If your attention is distracted by these considerations, like any other thought, just release these evaluations and bring your attention back to your breath.
This practice will develop our mind to be calm and peaceful, and center us in the present, which is where we need to be if we are going to be able to hear the stones and be aware of other subtleties. Along with this, we will gain the ability to focus and effortlessly direct our mind. We will also learn about the workings of the mind as we notice how thoughts just seem to effortlessly come and go of their own accord, floating through our mind rather than originating in it. Some thoughts are attracted to us, and some are not, depending on our desires and inclinations. The thoughts for which we have no attraction, or that we don’t resonate in harmony with, do not stay with us. They leave quickly or are entirely unnoticed. In a clear, directed mind, only the thoughts that are specifically called up and willfully directed are the ones that the clear mind works with.