Friday 13 January 2017

Meditation - The Power of Focusing at the Spiritual Eye

DAY 6
The Power of Focusing at the Spiritual Eye

The spiritual eye, located between the eyebrows, is the seat of superconsciousness in the body and a key to spiritual progress.

In The Art and Science of Raja Yoga, Swami Kriyananda wrote:

In meditation, try to center your consciousness at the point between the eyebrows.

Do not strain. (Some beginning yogis meditate as if their brains were muscles that must be squeezed into the desired attitudes!) Rather, simply channel your awareness calmly, and with a feeling of joyous aspiration, to that point.

What you will be doing, in fact, is focusing more and more of the brain's energy there. The greater this concentration of energy at that point, the more powerfully that portion of the brain will be stimulated and awakened, and the more profound will be your spiritual awareness.

Paramhansa Yogananda, as a neophyte in his guru's ashram, made it a deliberate practice to keep his mind centered at the Christ center throughout the day, regardless what his other activities were. He told us that in this way divine enlightenment can come very quickly.

Because the word "energy" evokes images of strain and tension, however, I suggest you think, rather, of focusing your thoughts and aspirations at this spiritual point.

A painting of the spiritual eye by Swami Kriyananda.

Challenge #3: Visualize the Spiritual Eye

For the next few days, practice this visualization below during your meditations.

Then, throughout the day, make a point of bringing your focus to the spiritual eye. Offer your actions up to it, and hold yourself open to its joy.

The next challenge will be in three days.

Visualization of the Spiritual Eye

Concentrate at the point between the eyebrows. Visualize there a tunnel of golden light. Mentally enter that tunnel, and feel yourself surrounded by a glorious sense of happiness and freedom. As you move through the tunnel, feel yourself bathed by the light until all worldly thoughts disappear.

After soaring through the tunnel as long as you feel to so do, visualize before you a curtain of deep violet-blue light. Pass through that curtain into another tunnel of deep, violet-blue light. Feel the light surrounding you. Slowly, the tunnel walls disappear in blue light. Expand your consciousness into that light — into infinite freedom and bliss. Now there is no tunnel. There is only the all-encompassing blueness and bliss of infinity.

At last, visualize before you a silvery-white, five-pointed star of light. Mentally spread out your arms and legs, assuming with your body the shape of that star. Give yourself to it in body, mind, and soul as you surrender every thought, every feeling to absolute, Self-existing Bliss.

Bliss cascades gently over you, like a waterfall of mist, filling your heart with ineffable peace.

You may find it helpful to print out an image of the spiritual eye on your altar or near your workplace as a reminder.

Click on the image for a larger version of this painting byNayaswami Jyotish. You can also order a print of the painting online, if you wish.