Planetary Symbolism And Visualization

Planetary Symbolism And Visualization

One area where this planetary system really excels is in the area of symbolism and visualization. Each of the planets, and the corresponding Godforms have long traditions of being called on for people for centuries. Of course, all visualizations will be highly personalized, but it nevr hurts to have a strong foundation to build on.

The art of visualization and meditation can also vary from person to person, but using some simple techniques can be useful. The key is to make some “quiet time” and to shut off the outside world as much as you can. If you’re wired and tense, it’s difficult to achieve a meditative state. For this years, adopting a yoga posture and practicing the fourfold breath is essential for good practice. The main key is to try and still your thoughts as much as possible. Slowing down your breathing and maintaining your posture are keys to success in this practice.

As far as breathing techniques go, the four fold breathing method from The Golden Dawn has proven to be quite effective. The concept is simple. Breath in through your nostrils on a count of four. Hold for a count of four. Exhale through your mouth for a count of four. Hold exhaled breath for a count of four. Repeat. The cadence is up to you and will be as fast or as slow as you need it to be. There’s no reason to overexert yourself. Just find a pace that you can hold comfortably and stick with it.

If this is your first attempt at doing the four fold breath, ten minutes should be sufficient. My advice is to sit in the basic Lotus yoga position. Cross your legs, and point your soles skyward. Your heels will be pressed against your lower abdomen. Sit with your spined as straight as possible. Place your hands, with palms upward, on each of your knees. Your eyes are closed and your head will be up through the meditation. This is the most basic meditative pose, and is called the Lotus because you will resemble an inverted lotus while seated this way.

Relax and begin your breathing. The key is to try and keep yourself from being distracted by your own thoughts. When you do find a random thought attempting to break your concentration on breathing, re-focus it and renew your concentration on the four-fold breath. 1 2 3 4. In. 1 2 3 4. Hold. 1 2 3 4. Exhale. 1 2 3 4 Hold. Make sure to keep your body completely still and avoid the urge to scratch yourself or to move. If you’re like me, you’ll find that the physical part is pretty easy, even as a beginner. The hardest part is controlling your thoughts. You’ll quickly realize that an internal dialogue is always going on, and it will take Herculean effort to quell it completely. But that is your noble goal, because true meditative work will require your mastery of this action.

10 minutes is enough to gage your progress and see where you stand. If you find the practice to be simple, then by all means extend the time spent. But there’s no good reason to just try and do more time, because adeptness is your goal. If you rush your progress you may end up forming some bad habits, and that’s one thing you definitely need to avoid.

I would suggest keeping a journal of your practices and attempting this exercise every day for at least 30 days. You’ll be working on other aspects of the planetary system, but you may as well get started and keep going with yoga and meditation. In the end, yoga is the key to many psychic experiences. If you plan on a career as a mystic or magician, you’ll find the breathing and Lotus to be important foundational pieces.