3rdeyemeditation

Meditation Practices for awakening the third eye

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,thy whole body shall be full of light” Matthew 6:22 The meditation practices on this session are taken from Dr Samuel Sagan’s book Awakening the Third Eye. Dr Sagan is the Director of the Clairvision School. It is an international school of self transformation which works with spiritual development in line with the Western tradition of esoteric knowledge.

The techniques used by the school are designed to bring about a direct experience of spiritual realities. It must be stressed however that the aim is not to take you out of the world or to awaken psychic powers and clairvoyance and spectacular states of consciousness but to connect you with deeper levels of yourself enabling you to live more fully and authentically.

The Clairvision School does not see itself as a New Age organisation. The techniques of spiritual awakening which they offer rest on quite different principles from those used in the New Age movement. They do not, for example, use visualisations or positive affirmations.

The focus is upon a process of inner alchemy which permanently engages more and more subtle levels of being. The process is one of awakening what we might call our mystical anatomy. It could be seen as mystical body building! The school uses a vast arsenal of techniques of transformation. The starting point however is the process which works on the third eye.

Dr Sagan writes: ‘In both Christianity and Buddhism the body has been likened to a temple. Using that analogy, the third eye can be understood as being the temple’s portal.

Crossing the portal takes one from the profane to the sacred, from the stage where one reads and thinks about spiritual life to the stage where one starts experiencing it.’

(1990:25) Before we can enter the sacred portal, however, it must first be located, unlocked and opened! That is what this session is about.

The practices offered here focus on awakening an experience of the third eye in the space between the eyebrows, but it is important to realise that the ‘eye’ is more like a tunnel than a spot or patch on the forehead. The tunnel runs from the area between the eyebrows to the occipital bone at the back of the head.

It is also important to realise that the ‘eye’ is not physical.

It is a subtle organ of perception. It will not be seen by a brain surgeon no matter how much work you have done on developing it!

No former spiritual training is necessary before beginning the practices. In fact it is preferable to come to them without any preconceived notions or expectations. That way you can engage them with fresh awareness.

The first practice is designed to give you a `thread’ to the third eye by awakening a certain feeling between the eyebrows. To help to achieve this it introduces you to a certain type of breathing (friction breathing) which acts like a key to third eye perception, a key to our sacred portal. You will probably only need to do the first practice a few times over a short period of time and then you will be ready to move on to the meditation technique on track 2.

The second meditation technique is offered as a long term practice which you are advised to do on a daily basis.

You may well choose, in due course, to dispense with the guidance of the sessions in which case you can either lengthen or shorten the practice but we would advise you to continue to give equivalent lengths of time to each of the ‘phases’ involved.

Daily practice, preferably in the morning, helps you to reach a stage where you can remain aware and centred in the middle of the eyebrows all the time. You learn to ‘connect’ with your ‘eye’ when you awaken and this instantly modifies your energy bringing positive benefits for the rest of the day.

PREPARATION

We suggest that you begin working with these practices at a time when you have little else to do - over a quiet weekend perhaps, or when you are on holiday. Choose a quiet room and wear loose light clothing.

Cultivate the sense of a sacred space by lighting a candle.

You can do the practices with friends - it will make the energy experience more intense - but don’t have anyone in the room who is not participating. Leave the phone off the hook!

In the first practice you lie down on your back, ideally on a mat or blanket on the floor. It should be something that gives support to your spine. A soft mattress would not be appropriate. If this position stresses your lower back, try supporting your knees with cushions or a rolled towel or blanket. Preferably your head is level with your spine so you don’t rest on a pillow. If you find this uncomfortable, try giving your neck support using a rolled towel or blanket. Your temperature falls when you are deeply relaxed so make sure that you stay warm - especially around your lower back.

The soul is not in the body but the body is in the soul

Meister Eskhardt

Meditation

Practices for awakening the third eye SUGGESTED MEDITATION POSITIONS

In the upright meditation practice posture is extremely important. Please follow the instructions carefully in that regard and keep the spine straight.

Relaxation Pose Kneeling

If you feel at first that nothing much is happening for you in the middle of the eyebrows, remember that the vibration experience is subtle. It is not meant to be like a dagger in the middle of your forehead! If you are not experiencing anything at all, it could be that you are trying too hard.

Don’t look for the vibration, let it come to you. It is also possible that you are in fact experiencing subtle vibration but it is nothing new to you - it is there all the time - in other words, you already have a `thread’ to the third eye.

Sometimes people seem to by-pass the vibration stage and go straight into the experience of light. That is not a problem. Simply work with the light rather than the vibration. Above all, persist and the process will unfold.

EXPERIENCES

Sitting

Cross Legged

Caution If you experience discomfort in your knees while sitting cross legged, modify your posture. Knee ligaments are easily strained.

DIFFICULTIES

Spiritual awakening, generally speaking requires a great deal of hard work and dedication! It can indeed be a struggle but paradoxically, the most important weapon in this struggle is the capacity to let go.

Dr Sagan writes: “In the physical world, when you want something you have to strive for it. But in the spiritual worlds, if you want something you have to let it come to you. It is a new skill which has to be developed. It could be called ‘active letting go’ or ‘creative letting go’. It is the capacity to be transparent and let states of consciousness be revealed through you.” (1990:6) In other words, don’t try too hard with the practices. Relax into them. Follow the instructions and allow things to happen, flow with whatever arises and what is hidden in the depths of your consciousness will be revealed to you.

Letting go of thoughts during meditation is of course a big difficulty at first but once again the secret is not to try and control them. One cannot under any circumstance force the mind into being silent! Just allow thoughts to come and go and don’t worry about them or give them any energy.

One of the joys of these practices is that as your third eye develops, thoughts automatically become less and less of a problem. The third eye takes you effortlessly into a thought free space and the experience of pure awareness.

The friction breathing is an essential part of the process and sometimes causes throat irritation, but that will pass.

Once again, try not to worry about it. If you become anxious about whether or not you are doing the breathing properly, gently touch your Adam’s apple.

The Adam’s apple is an external protuberance of the larynx and if you are successfully generating the friction there rather than in the upper throat you will feel the larynx vibrate under your finger, especially on your inhalation.

In the beginning, the practices can cause headaches as well as a sore throat! Do not be dismayed. A headache can be a strong indication that the process is working. It is likely to be caused by the intensity of the energy vibration in between your eyebrows. In which case you can bring some relief by releasing the energy through the top of your head with a ‘sssssss’ sound - like a hissing.

The meditation practice can be seen as having four basic phases, each linked to a particular experience and mode of consciousness.

They can be summarised as: 1. Friction breathing + vibration in the larynx 2. Friction breathing + vibration in between the eyebrows 3. Friction breathing + light 4. Space Esoteric traditions, both East and West, recognise that we are made up of a number of layers, or bodies - rather like the Russian dolls that sit inside each other. Our physical body sits inside an energy body. This has become known in the West as the etheric body. It is the layer of the life force (prana in the Indian tradition or Qi in traditional Chinese medicine).

The physical and etheric complex can be understood as being inside what is known as the astral body. The astral layer is the layer of mental consciousness and emotions.

Unlike the physical and etheric bodies, the astral body can transcend space and time. It is the vehicle of higher consciousness.

The third eye manifests these different layers. In the meditation practice we could say that they are being peeled back - like the skins of an onion.

If we return to our four phases, phases 1 and 2 are understood in this practice as being techniques for awakening the etheric layer.

Any vibration or tingling or pressure between the eyebrows signifies the activation of the etheric part of your ‘eye’ (such experiences are not of course exclusive to the eye’. Any tingling or vibration experience anywhere in your body signifies a stimulation of life force - an activation of your etheric layer.)

Meditation

Practices for awakening the third eye Phase 3 brings you into the astral layer. Any experience of non physical light be it a vague haze, cloud or glow, or colours and organised patterns - signifies that something is being activated in the astral part of your third eye.

It has been said that consciousness is now in a race against catastrophe. The challenge of our time is to nourish the external landscape of science and technology with the wisdom and compassion of the inner realm of the Spirit.

Phase 4 takes you into what is known in esoteric traditions as the astral space. It is usually experienced as purple and the meditation practice becomes a journey into the purple space, but it can also be experienced as dark blue or even as black. What matters most is not the colour but the feeling of vastness and peace which it engenders.

Third eye meditation is like a key to that inner realm. It can liberate consciousness from the petty fears and constraints and antagonisms of the personal ego - the little self. It can awaken us to our full potential as Divine beings.

One of the aims of the practice is to establish a permanent connection with this inner cosmic space. It stays with you in the midst of your daily activities reducing agitation and bringing a certain fullness of being.

Do not however expect your meditation experience to be one of bliss and light even if you have overcome headaches and sore throats! In any process of meditation in which you move deeply into yourself you are likely to stir up unresolved and painful issues. The astral layer houses all past hurts. These may manifest as physical discomfort of one kind or another or as raw emotion.

Once again the strategy is one of letting go, of allowing. Don’t repress these experiences but don’t give them any energy either. Let them come and go, just like your thoughts. The process then becomes one of purification.

BENEFITS

Dr Sagan writes: ‘From a therapeutic point of view, it is my experience over the years that many clients get better when they connect with their third eye, whatever the nature of their problems... as soon as it is activated, the third eye tends to set in motion several circulations of energy.

This automatically results in the correction of a number of physical and emotional disorders, a process that could be described as a kind of self-acupuncture.

Moreover, even the beginning of third eye awakening tends to put people in touch with more profound aspects of themselves which in itself has a major healing action.’

(1990:25)

We wish you joy in your spiritual endeavours. Success rests in three words, practise, practise and practise!

INFORMATION

If you find that the meditation works well for you we recommend that you connect with: Clairvision School PO Box 33, Roseville NSW 2069 email: infoQclairvision.org website: www.clairvision.org Or you may like to contact me: Dr Gillian Ross PO Box 74 Nimbin NSW 2480 email: gillian@drgillianross.com website: www.drgillianross.com Warning: These practices are not recommended for anyone who has a history of psychiatric disturbance and they do not mix well with alcohol or any mind altering drug.

This does not of course mean that third eye awakening is a panacea for all ills but there is no doubt that our ‘sacred portal’ is a gateway to largely untapped healing resources.

Dr Sagan predicts that ‘third eye therapies’ will soon come of age.

On a personal note, I can honestly say that my discovery of these meditation practices about ten years ago has proved to be far and away the most transforming event of my life. Their benefits are immediate and lasting. They are truly awakening.

They have given me what I refer to as a ‘mystical connection’ - a transcendental reference and perspective which allows me, in the words of Joseph Campbell, ‘to participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world.’

The soul is not in the body but the body is in the soul

Meister Eskhardt