Odyssey Sunday Seminar Easter 3/27/16

Betty Bethards –Referred to herself as a “common sense guru”. Born 1933, Died 2002.  Was a psychic channel, a spiritual teacher, healer and inspiration for thousands of people all over the world. You can find Betty’s channeled teachings in her book “The Sacred Sword”, published by the Inner Light Foundation.  Book is out of print, but well worth finding. 

Meditation As Channeled From Betty Bethards’ Guides

Meditation is a way of going within, of discovering yourself.  It is not a religion but can enrich any faith…and can be practiced by persons of any religious belief, or those who have no formal religious or spiritual beliefs whatsoever.

Purpose of meditation: Leads you to an inner knowing, a receptiveness to the deeper meaning of your existence

On one level, purpose is to develop an inner peace and serenity…to become free of frustration and anxieties, to overcome hostility, to learn to relate more harmoniously with other people, to find clearer direction for your life.

On a deeper level, purpose is to get in touch with the God-center of your being—to become more fully aware of the divine spark within yourself and others.  This awareness puts you in tune with the powerful unseen energies of the universe.  And those forces work with you to help you learn to manifest love and compassion for others.

[FREOMM Note: Reaching an unconscious state in meditation is not mentioned by Betty’s Guides. For more about the unconscious level see Treasure Chest, Meditation Treasures www.odysseyofthesoul.org ]

Two parts of the total process we call meditation.  Concentration is the directed mental effort that precedes meditation.  In concentration you quiet the mind and consciously focus it on something.  In meditation you aren’t trying to focus on anything, but are allowing a free-flowing reception.

We offer a plan requiring about 20 minutes a day. First you will need a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Before you begin you should spend a few moments reading something inspirational, such as poetry, religious (spiritual) writings, or perhaps listening to uplifting music.  This will set the tone for your meditation period.

Choose a comfortable sitting position.  It does not matter how you sit, as long the spine is straight.  Many will find the most comfortable position is a straight back chair, with spine erect and feet flat on the floor.  We suggest you place your hands folded together in your lap or with palms gently touching and fingertips together.  For this first stage…concentration…your eyes can be open or closed.

Part I Concentration

Now focus your attention on one word, one symbol, a picture, a feeling, perhaps a soft light.  Or you might use a sound, as in a mantra or holy chant. But whatever you choose, it should be something which has inspirational or symbolic importance for you personally.  It should suggest qualities like beauty, joy, love, and peace.

If your eyes are open during concentration, you should be focusing on the object you have chosen.  Hold this image to the best of your ability for the full ten minutes.  And whenever your mind wanders, gently draw it back and continue. (More about Mental Imagery*)

Simple as it appears, this process will build energy and help bring together the physical, the mental, and the spiritual into one harmonious vibration.  Without realizing it you will be “feeding” the inner spirit and preparing the way for the next phase which is to follow. 

Part 2 Meditation

After about ten minutes of the concentration, or when it feels right, just turn the hands over, palms up, and let them rest gently on your lap. Continue to sit in the same position.

Now you release your mind from its controlled attention on the concentration symbol.  Put it in neutral and permit thoughts to flow. You are still, or passive.  But you are also alert, fully aware of what is happening. You are in a state of “passive awareness.” You might pretend you are watching a motion picture, letting it progress, not trying to hold it.

This free-flowing receptiveness is a time of listening and learning. The inflowing is likely to come in pictures or images; to some it comes in feelings, or even through “voices.” It could come in the form of new ideas that seem to just “pop in.” Or you could feel a sense of increased energy. However it comes, accept it as your deeper, inner self coming into your conscious awareness. But don’t be disturbed if you aren’t “getting anything.” Experiencing the peacefulness of this receptive state always helps align the forces of the self, and heighten your vibrations. It is the daily practice over an extended period of time that brings results.

Closing Meditation

When it feels right to end the session—ten minutes is a kind of minimum but you can remain for as long as thirty to forty minutes if your schedule permits—you need to “close off” the vivid receptiveness by a conscious effort.  In your mind, picture yourself surrounded by a white or gold light. Or you may picture a huge white balloon, and yourself stepping into its center.

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The reason for this closing down is not to shut off your receptiveness to your “inner teacher,” nor to shut out your concern and caring for others. Rather it is providing you with a “protected sensitivity.” It prevents you from being adversely affected by other people’s negative vibrations. If you fail to close down or protect yourself,  another person’s anxiety could make you anxious or another’s depression make you depressed—without your realizing what was happening.

This closing down is a protective shield with a double purpose: to keep out unwanted influences, and to retain the positive outcomes of the meditation flow. (Use this technique at any time you are being adversely affected by others, or are experiencing a low energy level.)

As long as meditation was confined to the quiet life of a monastery this precaution was unnecessary. But more and more persons are now being exposed to the mystical teachings, and the heightened awareness makes it absolutely essential that a person protect oneself from the countless disturbing vibrations in everyday life.

During meditation some people experience unusual sensations they do not understand, and so they become fearful. Perhaps it is a sudden rush of energy up the spine, the feeling of a breeze on your face, or tingling in your hands. But when you become fearful, you may open yourself to the immediate “seeing” of the results of this fear in a grotesque thought form. This could be from your own thoughts, or from lower entities around you who are aware of your fear.

If you ever see anything “bad” or frightening, you can simply close your palms and open your eyes—this breaks the flow immediately. Or while remaining in the meditation state, you may say to the thought form or entity (however you wish to address it): “Go to progression.”  You are actually saying, “Go on, progress to a higher level; I do not accept you on the fear producing level.”

You can, of course, address your guides directly. [Note: we suggest you ask your primary guide, which is your own Higher Self.]  Ask them to help you understand the experience, and acknowledge that they are surrounding you in the protective light of truth—you are free from all harm, all fear.

Remember, you are always in control. You can at any time break the meditation flow.  If, for example, you begin to rock gently during meditation, your guides are sending you energy to raise your vibrational rate. But if the rocking becomes too great, or you have a slight feeling of nausea, just say, “That’s enough for now. Ease it off.”  (Do not allow this rocking during concentration—only during meditation.)

Also remember that when you first begin—at least the first several years—meditation should be done in moderation with your “everyday living.” Meditating too much and too long and possibly neglecting your karmic tasks, will not result in the kind of growth you expect.  What you learn in short meditation periods should be tested in your daily life. Meditation is the key to help you be more effective in living, not escape from your duties.

*More About Mental Imagery

The purpose of this imagery is to discipline your thoughts. In order to be receptive to the inner stillness, you must learn to control, to quiet, the many thoughts which dart through your mind and scatter your attention. By focusing on a single idea or picture, you are providing the mind an anchor-to hold the thought energy steady.

For an example, you may take the image of a red rose, symbolizing love.  In your mind’s eye you would “see” this rose in all of its delicate loveliness.  You might breathe in its fragrance; sense the softness of each perfectly formed petal.  You become totally absorbed in the idea and the picture of the rose.  Nothing else enters your thoughts at all.

Or, if you are in the Christian tradition you might choose a cross.  You would focus on this symbol—either looking at a cross with your eyes open or “seeing” a cross in your mind with eyes closed.  Again, you would direct all your attention to the beauty and meaning of the cross—no other thoughts would be allowed to intrude. 

Your own creativity will present countless ways of holding and intensifying various concentration symbols. 

How often to meditate?  The answer is daily and regularly. Planning your daily schedule in advance will allow ample and unhurried time. And normally it is best to meditate when you are alert—not right after a big meal, or when you are very tired. Some will find the early morning hours best—before starting the day you put yourself in tune with your highest principles to help guide you. Others will prefer the evening—right before going to bed. This will put you in a receptive frame of mind for the amazing growth and healing that can occur during sleep.

Ideally, you would spend a few minutes in both the morning and evening. Any other times during the day you happen to think of it, you might take about thirty seconds to say, “I welcome the power of love flowing into my being, and I am at one with my fellow beings.” “Moments” are important in developing a totally new kind of awareness. But for the actual meditation periods, your own life style will determine your choice of time of day.

For An Audio Recording Click On Link Below And See 2016 Bette Bethards

https://www.odysseyofthesoul.org/recordings.html