A rich and wondrous world waits to be discovered in us, the world of our divine Self. 'Spirituality and Meditation' enables the reader to do just that. Being one with The Self is our true and noble legacy, the Spiritual Way. The many years of walking it, of meditation, and of lecturing on the subject, crystallized this insight and gave to it the impetus necessary to make this volume possible. In it, you will find direct instructions and answers to the questions of How To Meditate and How To Live a Spiritual Life while living fully in the world. We are the Temple of our Higher Self, the Divine entity that resides in us. Willing to listen to its sublime and powerful sound reverberating in our being, we shall hear an inspiring divine voice, transcendental and eternal. Following its echo in our soul is an unforgettable experience, made easier with the aid of this book. Extensive knowledge and information, clear, detailed explanations and tools mixing the old with the new and the practical with the philosophical, elucidate thoroughly the subject matter threading the road toward The Self. This journey, the Quest for the Divine in us, is challenging yet enriching, glorious and empowering. Revealing it fully, this book will prove to be a welcome and indispensable guide, the spiritual seeker's bible.
CONTENTS
Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Some words before all others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Chapter One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Those Heavens in Us – What is Spirituality?
—The Quest for the Divine within—
Natural Infinite Wisdom 4; Nature, Culture and Divine 6
;
The Quest for the Divine in Us 9; The Metamorphosis 10;
The Self and its Source 12; The Self and Us 13; The Journey
of The Self 17; The Awakening 19; The Call 20; The Law of
Universal Love 22; The Resolution 23; Understanding it 24;
The Law of Unity 26; Be Wise 27; Coming back full circle 27
Chapter Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
The How and What of Spirituality
—Walking the Way— How-to and with What—
The Approach 30 - Attitude 33; Teacher 34; Pursuit 36; Lessons
38; The Toolbox 43. Resources 45. Attitudinal Means
45 - The Law of Universal Love 45; The Measure of Non-
Attachment 47; The Approach of the Eternal Present 50; A
Lofty Point of View 54; Involvement and Happiness 55; Be to
the point 56; The Quantum Qualitative Leap 57; Enlightenment
59; Feelings 61; Awareness and Wakefulness 65; Bhikkhu
66; Correct and Incorrect 69; Doubt 71; Love versus Like
72; Serenity 74; Ask, Seek, Knock! 75; Trust 76; Judgment
and Forgiveness 77; “Be what you are?” 78.
Practical Means 83 - Meditation 84; Toxic Substances 85;
Hallucinogenic Drugs 85; Vegetarianism 87; Prayers, Invocations
and Affirmations 89; Prayer 90, Invocations 98, Affirmations
99; Karma 102; Panoramic View and Hearing 105;
Sex and Sexuality 108. Signs of Finding and Reuniting with
The Self 113
Chapter Three 119. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
The First W of M - Why Meditation
—The best Tool in our Quest for the Divine within—
Chapter Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
The Second W of M – What is Meditation
—The Mechanism of Meditation—
Chapter Five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
The Other Two Ws of M – When and Where
—The Environment of Meditation and
Other Related Matters—
Time 130; Physical Ambience 130; Clothing 131;
Physical Posture 132; Mental Attitude 136; Breathing
136; Summary 143
Chapter Six 145. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
The H of M – How to Meditate?
—Systems of Meditation and Techniques employed—
Relaxation Techniques 148; Muscle Affecting Techniques
149 - Progressive Relaxation 149; Release-only
Relaxation 150. Breathing Relaxation Techniques
150. Visualization 151. Concentration Techniques
153 - OM Repetition 155; OM Repetition Plus 157;
Mind Focus 157; Mind Focus Plus 157; OM Focus Plus
158; Super Focus Power Repetition 159. Meditation
160; Contemplation 164; Adoration 167; Exiting the
Meditation Process 168; Troubleshooting 168
Chapter Seven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .171
Wheels that make the Man go round
—the Human Body Structure
—Our many Bodies and the Energetic Matrix,
and other related Things—
The Structure of the Human Body 174; The Chakras 176;
The Head 179; Prana 184; Benefits and Pitfalls of Spirituality
and Meditation 185
Last word 189. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
A spiritual and meditation maven and full-time writer, Dan Barkye (rhymes with 'sky') shares in this book his extensive knowledge and personal experience on the subject. From the conventional background of Electronic Engineering and a B.A. in Humanistic Arts, and the non-conventional domains of Astrology, I-Ching and Tarot, Barkye made the journey into the ultimate spiritual realm, the unwavering search for The Self, Its discovery and the reunification with It. This quest proved to be enriching and empowering by orders of magnitude. Experiencing it and lecturing about it for years, Barkye reached the point in which the aspiration and the will to share his insights turned into a necessity. 'Spirituality and Meditation' is the fulfillment of this necessity, a most noble one in his eyes. The book was written along with other works of prose and poetry. His next projects are the completion of a novel, short stories and poems, and the writing of new ones, a continuous and pleasant process. Firmly rooted in this world while doing his best to live a spiritual life, Barkye is grandfather to a most handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed two years old grandson with another on the way. He lives in SW Florida with his very supporting wife, Sandi, and in the soothing, funny companionship of two marvelous cats. He also supports a feral cat colony.