Favorite Spiritual Ritual

Meditation - I have been doing this in one way or another for over 10 years.  I have developed a few methods that work for me, and here I will describe my favorite one that rarely disappoints, when performed mindfully.

1. Prepare a hot bath.  Ensure that the water will cover your stomach, even if slightly.  Ensure that the water is hot, but not quite scalding.  
2. Get into the hot bath and lay there for 5 minutes.  Breath regularly, and do not force any muscle within your body.
3. Breath a deeply as you can without discomfort 4 times.    Place a normal breath between deep breaths - Deep (1), normal, Deep (2), normal, Deep (3), normal, Deep (4)
4. Perform Progressive Muscle Relaxation.  This is a common technique you can search for online, but let’s briefly describe my technique here.  Begin at the top of the head.  Relax all muscles from the top of th ahead to the chin.  Take a few moments to do this loosen everything up until none of the muscles are doing anything whatsoever.  This is not as easy as it sounds!  Then, proceed to the neck, loosen all muscles.  Sweep downward like a scanning machine and progressively loosen the muscles you are focusing on with your imaginary scanner.  Keep on going downward until you reach your toes in the same fasion.
5. Do absolutely nothing for 2 minutes.  If you feel any group of muscles tensing up during this period, bring your focus to that muscle group and relax those muscles.
6. Perform Eye Fixation.  Again, this is a common technique searchable elsewhere, but I describe my own here.  I focus upon a cross pendant my son gave me for father’s day.  I see it in my mind.  I do not let any other image into the mind.  I bring it closer to my face.  I let it grow - larger and larger to the point I can climb onto it, it is so big.  Then, I direct my energy to the object.  I pour forth energy into the object.  I then change the colors of the pendant.  White, red, yellow, black, blue, green, etc.  I then change the brightness of the object.  I do this until I reach a point of satisfaction and complete relaxation.

Often, during point (6), you will receive a revelation from your intuition (or God or the universe).  Sometimes you will receive many revelations.  Often this is a problem completely solved in your life, and at other times, it is a new idea to think about for days or weeks to develop from a creative perspective.

Also, during point (6), you will often feel as if you ego is dissolving into nothing.  Your sense of self may change, and you become more in touch with another spect of consciousness you can rarely access any other way.

Enjoy!  I hope you experiment with meditation and find your own way with what works for you.