Spiritual Skills - Meditation, Contemplation, and Affirmative Prayer

Meditation-Contemplation-Affirmative Prayer

Do you meditate? Do you set time aside for contemplation or affirmative prayer?

To some, these terms are interchangeable terms; for others, there are subtle or even significant distinctions between them.

Meditation is broadly defined as mindfulness practices leading to self-transformation. There are many different ways to meditate, and thousands of web sites and books on the subject. A set of general recommendations for meditation appears common and crosses many religions and practice groups:

Sit comfortably
Relax your muscles
Close your eyes
Maintain alertness (do not sleep)
Be silent, in peace, and in tranquility
Avoid distractions
Center your attention on a ‘neutral’ subject (e.g., your breathing)
Optionally use a meditative aid, for instance prayer beads
Maintain an open focus
Clear mind of things that bother you
Be in the now
Avoid analysis
Avoid fantasy
Stop self absorption
Listen to within

The primary purpose of mediation is to reestablish your connection with your true self. Put another way, the purpose is to find enlightenment by moving beyond the ego and the other constructs that have come to block and inhibit your connection to source energy.

Contemplation is a similar and often synonymous term to conscious meditation. In my reading, I found that when looking forward (e.g., I will contemplate), the term is usually synonymous with meditation; but when reflecting on one’s past thoughts, the term was more apt to describe what one discovered about oneself (e.g., I contemplated my situation last night).

Like so many spiritual skills, the basic issue is how you see your connection to source energy. Wayne Dyer poses a question when he speaks of contemplation: “What do you use your mind for?” As he puts it, ‘you are what you think about.’ You attract what you think about. If you think about your limitations, shortcomings, or lack in an inhospitable universe, source energy will deliver all these things to you.

‘Think like God does,’ Dyer implores. Think how you are connected to and like God. Practice what you intend to manifest – put those thoughts in your consciousness, rather than think about limitations and reasons you can’t have what you want. Match your thoughts with the originating spirit, and the power of that spirit flows through you.

Affirmative prayer is similar to both contemplation and meditation. The term is a construct of the New Thought movement that started in the late-1800s. Whereas meditation appears less connected with ‘intention’ or ‘manifestation,’ affirmative prayer is often used to reaffirm one’s intention in a positive way. Those intentions are stated ‘as if’ the outcome had already happened.

David Owen Ritz often talks of Affirmative Prayer as involving four “A’s:” Acknowledge, Align, Ask, and Accept. Acknowledge the universality of God/source energy. Align yourself with that energy; see yourself as unified with the spirit of infinite intelligence and abundance. Ask, affirm, or declare you intention or outcome, and your right to bask in that abundance. Lastly, Accept the abundance of the universe with Gratitude; allow things to flow into your life.

Whether you choose Meditation, Contemplation, or Affirmative Prayer, a fairly consistent recommendation is that you spend fifteen to twenty minutes twice a day in such a practice. Many sects devote many hours daily to the practice, however.

Students of these practices are healthier, more creative, and happier than before they embraced these practices.

Namasté

This website is to stimulate your spiritual thinking in the hope that it will contribute to your spiritual growth. The author invites your comments and critiques by reply e-mail to bob@futuremoons.com.