The Dedicant Path program requires the dedicant to perform 5 months of Mental Discipline training. This is beneficial because it gets the person into a routine of perfecting their spiritual practices daily or weekly to get the time required. This 5 months was not too difficult for me, but it stressed me out if I was getting close to the deadline to do them, as if you do not do it within 7 days of the last meditation entry you have to start the 5-month period over again according to Michael Dangler Wheel of the year dedicant program he wrote.
My history with meditation goes back to a time in my teenage years. I first started meditation training when I was possibly 12-13 starting with the Energy system Qigong. This later moved to reiki training. But I can remember all thru my life to this point dabbling with meditation off and on. I am fascinated by the fracases of the practice and the benefits one can get, mentally, physically, and emotionally, with meditation training.
During this period of the 5 months, there was a handful of difficulties that surfaced, the main one being quieting my mind during Meditation, I recently discovered I might have ADHD, but I suspect many other people have issues pertaining to quieting of the mind, where thoughts would ebb and flow from one thing to the next, throughout this period I have learned how to make your mind like a river, an visualize those thoughts that pop up as a tree branch just gently leaving your mind. The other difficulty is like many others on this path, finding the time to mediate, my plate has been full since starting the Dedicant Program, between working all day and starting an exercise program that takes all my free time, time has been short, what I did for Meditation Training is after my exercise use meditation to relax my body before heading to bed, this did not work well as I was stealing from my sleep. But after 5 months I have made it work somehow.
I have tried a few different meditation types during this period, the Daily Devotionals is what I started with. I found a meditation written up by a member that incorporated the Core order of Ritual into a Devotional; it is a 10-minute ritual that allowed me to calm my mind and commune with the Gods. Nature spirts and Ancestors. The Breathing Pattern I followed throughout this approach with the 4-2-4-2 breathing, starting out it was difficult as I felt I was not getting enough air, but later after going to a more relaxed state, my breathing slowed down, and i could sustain this pattern. I have tried other breathing patterns but felt the 4-2-4-2 where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, breath out for 4 seconds, and hold for another 2 seconds and repeat worked well.
The Two Power Meditation was a Foundation of my meditation, first starting out, it was difficult to get the visualizations flowing from thought to feeling, but after these 5 months it is still powerful in its way to Ground and center oneself. First couple times I used the audio Guided Version, but after that I had the principle down and go off on my own. Quieting of the mind, this is what I call it when you sit quietly and try to keep your mind blank while doing the breathing pattern, this works well If you have limited time, start off by doing the breathing patterns, then go into the two powers to ground and center yourself, and then move into the Quiet of the mind meditation. This type of meditation relaxes me more than any other if you can keep the thoughts out.
I have been a reiki master for many years now, so during this Meditation Training, I figure it couldn’t hurt to incorporate this into my practice. Reiki helped me practice visualization. With reiki it uses visualizing symbols going into the charkas, and purple light encompassing the person, objects, or rooms.
Candle Meditation was another favorite of mine. Going into a trance while looking at a candle is relaxing, and you can get visions often easier than any other method. I used an actual candle, or you can visualize one in your mind’s eye. I use the visualization of a candle if I have trouble sleeping because thoughts keep going thru my mind; it helps my mind relax and keeps the thoughts out to this day.
And lastly Guided Meditations, there are a considerable amount of good, guided meditations on YouTube, those will keep you engaged in meditation, and there’s nothing like having someone guide you through it. When I do those, I come out of in a daze, and must do the two-power meditation to come out of it.
The Meditation Principles I incorporated in this period built a foundation of my meditation practice for a lifetime, between the breathing patterns I learned, with the 4-2-4-2 being the cornerstone of focusing my attention, the two powers meditation, whether the traditional or the slingshot approach to ground and center myself. What I learned in this period will always be with me.
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