When I started meditating in 2013, the way forward wasn’t super clear.

I just knew I was onto something.

Now, 7 years into my practice, I’m so glad I went down this road. Meditation has been the single most important and rewarding aspect of my life since I began exploring it. Every year that I practice, the benefits to my general wellbeing and my sense of spiritual development seem only to increase. My experience on a daily basis is one of deep peace, grounded happiness and an organic mysticism.

When I started my practice back in 2013, I vacillated between different forms of meditation. Because, honestly, I had no idea where to start. I had a friend who gave me some general pointers, but mostly I was on my own. So, I basically tried a little bit of everything.

For the most part, there are 2 kinds of practice:

1. Secular meditation – a practice motivated by the goal of decreasing stress with deep breathing and neutral observation of the contents of the mind. Benefits can include relaxation and increased overall wellbeing.
2. Sacred or non-secular meditation – a practice motivated by a desire to connect to a sense of the divine or to inner wisdom.

I have certainly gone through periods where I thought of my practice as somewhat secular. But overall my experience of meditation has a been a process of connecting with what I will call the divine. In short, this may entail connecting with God or source (everyone has their own experience/definition of this concept), your personal spiritual guides or members of your soul family. It may also entail extrasensory experiences that attune you to the immaterial aspect of reality. Everyone’s process is different, but I’ll try to stick to what I’ve discovered are mostly universal experiences.

If you’re interested in exploring a non-secular meditation practice, here are a few things I can offer to start:

• I recommend sitting at the same time every day. That really changed my sessions. I made a ton of progress when I incorporated more discipline in my practice. I usually sit for 8pm because it’s late enough for me to relax just enough to achieve a light trance state but it’s not so late that I fall asleep.

• Sit for at least 30 minutes daily. I think a 30-minute session is an ideal length to aim for. That being said, when you’re integrating a new habit into your daily routine, starting small can be super helpful. Even 5 minutes a day as a commitment will be a game-changer. The Big Bang factor here is really about showing up to your practice every single day. Especially if your meditating to open your spiritual gifts: healing, clairvoyance, etc. In case you’re wondering, I meditate for about an hour a day.

• Build a sense of divine protection around yourself. It’s important to feel relaxed and at peace when you’re practicing meditation as a means to connect to the subtle realms. This is one of the main reasons more people don’t pick up the practice. It took me about 2-3 years after beginning to really integrate a deep sense of divine protection. A sense of protection naturally allows you to proceed fearlessly. And honestly, my clairvoyance didn’t come online until that happened. Releasing fear is a big part of this process. It’s the hardest part I would say. I plan to write extensively about how to build a sense of divine protection into your practice, but here’s the short of it. To do this work, in my opinion, you need a strong sense of holiness. A strong conviction that you are directly connected to God or the source of Absolute Truth and universal love. I would even say take a month where you employee an affirmation in that way every day so that you deeply integrate this truth. Here are a few intentions/affirmations I use to protect myself. I say the 1st two every time I begin a meditation session. And I don’t proceed unless I can feel them in my bones:

• Let go of any expectations. You hear this one a lot, and it seems simple. But it’s harder than you think. So many people who show up to meditation deeply desire connection to their soul. Some of us have even heard of others who communicate directly with spiritual guides or with God, and we want that too. Why wouldn’t we? That kind of sounds EPIC. But here’s the counter-intuitive thing: your spiritual gifts of clairvoyance or empathy don’t open because you want them to. They open naturally when your soul feels you’re ready. Ambition does not help you in this area of life. I, like a lot of other people, have learned this the hard way through long periods of inner silence and frustration. I can be very goal-oriented in life, and it slowed me way down in my practice. Ambition or expectation is just not the way to go deeply in meditation. Rather, the trick is to surrender. Hand over your desire for achievement to divine will. Join your personal will to the higher will of your soul. And then sit in a state of love and peace with a quiet mind. Enjoy just that. The simple bliss of your in and out breath. And then like rainwater rolls down a hill, the connection will gently come. More on the surrendering process later.

• Stay grounded. Here is a little-known secret about opening your spiritual gifts in meditation. You can only travel as far in the higher realms as you are willing to deeply root here in your earthly incarnation. Here are some ways to make this happen in your life:

1. Abstain from any plant medicines or alcohol while attempting to connect to the higher realms in meditation. My gifts really opened only after I cut these things out. Everyone is different, so maybe you won’t feel called to cut them out 100%, but it helps I believe. ***If you are going through what some in this community call an “awakening,” I would absolutely refrain from using psychoactives. Awakenings are naturally peak psychological experiences, and using drugs and drinking could interfere with your ability to stay psychologically stable during what is supposed to be a naturally ecstatic period of life.
2. Prioritize your physical health with daily exercise and movement. Walking and yoga are great. Your physical body is the vessel for spiritual energy, and your honoring of the body and being connected to it is a big deal in advancing your consciousness. Drink enough water, get adequate sleep and eat wholesome food.
3. Get out in nature. Walk with your bare feet in the grass (called earthing by some). Be around trees and animals. Nature is a potent harmonizer of higher energies in our psychic systems. A lot of people who are moving higher energies through their physical and subtle bodies will absolutely require time in nature. Otherwise, the subtle realms can be destabilizing to you psychologically. This is an important way to make sure you are taking things slowly and gently and that your body will stay adequately grounded in your primary reality (the physical realm).

Practice time…

This post has gotten rather long, but there’s just so much to say in terms of getting started. I’ll be sure to post some more tips here soon.

In the meantime, if you’re new to meditation or if you’re hoping to revamp your practice, here’s where I would counsel you to start:

Try sitting for 20-30 minutes a day (shoot for 2 weeks). Sit at the same time, in the same place. Put on some peaceful music. Light a candle. Let it symbolize your commitment to your development. Surround yourself with a sense of the sacred and just build peace around yourself. Bring your awareness to your in and out breath in your chest or your abdomen. Let that be your focus point so your mind can quiet. And perhaps hold a light mantra of “love” or “god” or “peace” or “center” as you breathe in and out. Use whatever mantra works for you. Or none at all. Focusing on your breathing and/or a mantra is a way to center into the present moment and still the mind. That way, your conscious mind will go into a trance state (a state of inactivity or deep relaxation) and your subconscious mind will take over. This meditative state of mind will feel very much like a dream state and should have a peaceful quality. Think of this part of your day as a psychological bubble bath. Nourish yourself here. Soothe your mind here. Peace is very much the point. Feel free to stop at any time if you feel uneasy or like you need to slow things down. At the end of the day, you are in control of your experience.

Do what feels right for you, and reach out if you have any questions about this process. I’m at sissatsuma@gmail.com.

And in case you missed it above, here is a video where I describe how I got into meditation. I hope my experience can be a help to you.

Do us a solid..

And share what’s working for you in your practice in the comments section below. xoxo