INSPIRED WALK
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By Chris Walker #1 Concentration Concentration is the first exercise in this “advanced human development programme� that we will examine. Concentration is simply the pointing of mental effort, the focusing of the mind so that the object of the attention can be an undivided interest. Concentration involves the coordination of the intellectual parts under the control of the will. The function of the will being to contribute intensity and continuity to mental effort. The average person has poor continuity. They cannot carry a train of thought to its logical destination. In other words, they cannot think things through. Impulses foreign to the subject intrude themselves and the sequences are lost. The untrained person is also superficial as to the degree of their mental effort. Their thoughts are not Chris Walker - Innerwealth - Coaching, Adventures, Retreats, Education, Consulting
sharply delineated nor given proper values, but are so blurred or slurred that they produce little, if any, effect upon their code of action. The purpose of concentration is to begin the organisation of the mental powers so that the mind actually becomes that which it was designed to be; an instrument for the discernment of relative values and realities. Concentration as an exercise cannot do injury if practiced with moderation and not allowed to intrude on the responsibilities of daily life. It should be carefully noted however, that concentration as an exercise is in no way a substitute for labour or action. It is primarily designed to assist the individual to gain from experience those precious truths which are the beginning of wisdom and understanding. In approaching the practice of concentration, it is first necessary to remove the sense of effort involved, because effort brings with it tension and this tension, instead of clarifying the mind, upsets the nerves and often results in serious discomfort. A person is a bundle of tensions. The life that they live is so filled with false intensiveness that causes nervous debility and mental deterioration which afflicts a large part of the human race. As a philosophical discipline, concentration must be performed through the gentle application of will and not by brow beating a thought into a state of grovelling servility. Many people are unpleasantly surprised when they attempt concentration because of the unruliness of their faculties. Their mind pays little attention to their will and consequently thoughts wander promiscuously through the ether of the brain. After a few unsuccessful efforts at concentration, many people become discouraged and develop inferiority complexes and even criticise this age old practice as irrelevant and inconsequential. Little do they know what they are missing out on in life. Others become so enraged at their inability to think that their emotional reactions render them incapable of concentration. Discouragement, disgust, annoyance, and other destructive reactions can prove serious hindrances to the objective of concentration, while the person who can even face failure gracefully will, by their very gesture, achieve a considerable measure of success. The ancients established the desirability of performing concentration in the early morning hours, preferably on awakening and before rising. The advantages of this time are: first, that the super-physical entity (spirit or essential nature) which is out of the body during sleep has just returned to the body and its functioning Is least impaired. As the a activities of the body have not yet obscured the subtle impulses of the soul. Also, there is less tension in the body in the early morning hours because the objective mind bas scarcely assumed the burden of daily cares and distractions. Finally, the vitality which has been Chris Walker - Innerwealth - Coaching, Adventures, Retreats, Education, Consulting
stored up during sleep adds additional strength to the practice. In every respect therefore, the individual is at their best in their efforts at self-improvement in the early morning hours before sunrise. Regularity is also a vital factor. As far as possible concentration should be practiced at the same time and under similar conditions each day. This establishes a rhythm and the changes, that come by human development exercises to the super-physical nature of a person, are nearly all achieved from continuous repetition over a long period of time. As our habits are the product of repeated impulses, so our temperaments will be moulded Into a deeper grace by such repetition. Under no condition should a person who is concentrating begin by making their mind a blank. Such a practice will inevitably sabotage the end which concentration seeks to achieve. On the other hand, it is equally undesirable to use any physical object as the focal point for the mental faculties because such objects lead almost invariably to self-hypnosis. The idea involved is that of an active directionalisation of thought. You are not trying to become mediumistic or to permit extraneous influences from any level to override the seat of reason. Hence, such objects as crystal balls, magic mirrors, lights, and reflecting surfaces are not recommended. Nor is it desirable to burn incense or use perfume in the effort to provoke a result. Pythagoras suggested to his disciples that their concentration should be on some natural fact, such as the flight of a bird, the growth of a tree or the wonder of the human soul. It might even be directed to the contemplation of action, analysis of motive, or the visualisation of a place or thing. One of the primary ends for which the Greeks developed these exercises was for the improvement and ultimate perfection of memory, which they regarded as indispensable to the acquisition of knowledge. By memory, however, they intimated a faculty which not only remembered forms and circumstances but also analysed motive and causation; so that the incident in all its aspects could be recalled at will by the mind for analysis by the reason of the values involved. Now the eventual mastery of concentration is visualisation. This is an essential skill in the art of vision, inspiration and purpose. In Back on Track you have been asked to visualise your purpose and list of loves as often as possible. Three times a day is great. To see in your mind’s eye the fulfilment of your vision (associative). To concentrate and visualise in your minds eye yourself in a picture where your love list visions are already being lived. Chris Walker - Innerwealth - Coaching, Adventures, Retreats, Education, Consulting
What you see is what you get. Stretch your vision. Your vision is the spark which your actions make the inferno. Visualise and focus on what you do love, not on what you don’t, your purpose not your illusive problems. Exclude all other interests from your mind. And in this the power of concentration is vitally important. Whatever you consistently see in your imagination, your visions and visualisations, germinates, grows and manifests into reality. Concentration adds clarity by clearly focusing your mind’s picture on ever finer detail so as to become present with the image. Vividness brings vitality. Do an experiment. See how long you can maintain an inspiring sample picture or idea in your mind. If you can truly hold any one picture or idea in your mind for more than seven seconds, you are exceptional. Until you can hold on to your picture or idea long enough for it to begin manifesting, your many other scattering pictures or ideas will overtake and weaken it. By focusing on ever finer detail of the desired picture or idea you minimise other scattering pictures and ideas. Your eyes are your radio dials that allow you to tune in to your mind’s many stations. Each eye position tunes into a different station. Once your two outer eyes become one inner eye, your third eye comes into being. Your third eye transcends boundaries of space, time and matter. Your third eye attracts instantaneous manifestations. TRAINING IN CONCENTRATION AND VISUALISATION LEVEL 1# The average person when beginning the practice of concentration will have the greatest measure of success if they will start by visualising some simple familiar object which involves the elements of symmetry, beauty, and high symbolic significance. The lotus blossom or some other beautiful flower would be appropriate. Flowers bring a reaction of peace and nearly every temperament responds constructively to the beauty which they have captured in their parts and colours. The lotus brings with it a wealth of symbolism, for it signifies the soul floating upon the surface of life's ocean, with its bidden roots deep in matter but with its glorious heart turned upward to the light. The rose is the lotus of the West with similar significance, represented by the opening of its buds, the flowering of the ideals of humanity.
Chris Walker - Innerwealth - Coaching, Adventures, Retreats, Education, Consulting
Having chosen some such appropriate figure, the mind should be given the task of envisioning it and the practice continued until the imagined object can be created in the mind any time and held an indefinite period of time. It may require from two to five years of daily concentration to capture this elusive shape and hold it securely. But the strength created by this exercise on the human faculties is of inestimable value. The flower should be envisioned as about two feet in front of the face, hanging as if it were in space, and after the concentration is sufficient to retain it there, the blossom may be given animation, opening from a bud to a full blown state. At the same time that the faculties of visualisation are projecting the outer image of the flower, the mind can be contemplating the qualities of the plant and seeking to explore the universal mysteries revealed through the flower’s structure. Under normal conditions, a beginner will not be able to perform this practice with any degree of success. If they can retain the image for twenty seconds, they may consider themselves as unusually successful. Within six months to a year, however, they will be able to lengthen the time to a full minute. Under no condition or at any time should the exercise be extended beyond five minutes. The average person cannot concentrate for a full five minutes upon any subject or object without seriously depleting the mental energies. During the exercise, centre your two outer eyes upward then centre your inner mind’s eye on your target of visualisation. One particular bit of advice should be borne in mind. When in the process of concentration and once the image has been created if some disturbance destroys it, do not attempt to force it back but consider the attempt finished for the day. And never perform the exercise more than three times a day. Most of the unpleasant effects of concentration result from the effort to use will power and force to bring back the lost shape of the object. This is always disastrous and is the real reason for the nerve fade which many people complain about in the early stages of attempted concentration. Without long periods of training and practice to strengthen the faculties, all human development exercises should be performed sparingly, always aiming to do too little rather than too much. In metaphysical subjects it is much easier to prevent trouble than it is to mend the damage afterwards. If performed as I’ve suggested, the exercise can cause no harm to any normal person. But if there is supersensitiveness, subnormal vitality, emotional distress or any abnormal mental or emotional condition present, those issues should be corrected as far as possible before any metaphysical exercises are undertaken.
Chris Walker - Innerwealth - Coaching, Adventures, Retreats, Education, Consulting
As concentration is primarily intended to order the thinking equipment and is the first step towards development of true inspiration, it has no direct effect on the psychical centres of the body, and therefore, cannot create a condition beyond the control of the individual. Concentration strengthens the mind and the mind, endowed with greater powers of discrimination and discernment, in turn impels life to a more worthy end. With this, a circle is established in which the means and the end mutually benefits the other and the entire outlook is transformed.
If you can’t see it in your mind’s eye you will not be able to create it. A vision statement is of no value except to the ego unless the mind can construct the image of the vision in virtual reality before hand. This is a vital step. Visualisation is therefore the greatest power a leader or any individual of higher consciousness can subscribe to. And, it can be learnt.
Love and Wisdom Chris
Chris Walker - Innerwealth - Coaching, Adventures, Retreats, Education, Consulting