In Eastern countries, it is often conceived that meditation is when a person sits inside the array of candles and hum or say mantras. However, more recently such conception has been changed as meditation offer too many benefits for the people who are practicing it. But there is more to meditation aside from the serenity it brings to a person; it is believed to be one of the ways to enliven the spirit to spiritual awakening.

Meditation has been taught in different schools which teach their students different techniques and style of focus to fathom the deeper peace inside the person. There have been techniques which specialized on the background perception while some set their focus on a certain object and drift away to the inner self. These meditative techniques are known to be effective in this field.

Meditation is a popular way to relieve stress, calm the mind and relax the body. With simple techniques, people can enjoy the benefits of meditation every day. Generally, it is really helpful not only because it brings peace to the mind but also, it is therapeutic in nature. Aside from that, the concentration of a person is increased to bring more focus in life. Decision-making would easier for person who practices it.

Meditation has countless of benefits to offer, most of them are related to health like better blood circulation to stabilize blood pressure which is really beneficial to hypertensive people, it also reduces the risk of anxiety attacks and stress which is helpful for the people whose minds are disturbed, prevention from arthritis and other chronic diseases is also offered by meditation and people who are newly operated can also enjoy the benefits of meditation to hasten healing of the body.

Perhaps, one of the greatest benefits of meditation is that one can truly listen to his inner self and be free from all the noise of the world as well as get separated from the pressures in his life. While listening to the inner self can be beneficial, it is also the way to be able to understand and listen to the higher self. People who can deeply listen to their inner selves will be able to develop genuine happiness, fulfillment and guidance towards a healthy living.

Meditation can be best practiced in a place where peace abides. In fact, there are religions which advocate the practice of meditation; they tend to develop techniques and introduced them to their advocates. However, techniques and methods which are taught are not as important as the reason behind why meditation is being practiced.

Being focused and the ability to control one’s attention are required in meditation as there are too much distractions and noise all around. These will enable the person to set attention to a certain object to attain or arrive to yet another state of “one-pointedness.” This state, however, can only be attained by doing and mastering meditation which would take years and years of faithful practice.

Spiritual bliss is a state where one can truly experience peace and happiness; this is far too different from the state which can be experienced in the physical world. One-pointedness is needed to arrive at such state, however, it is only in meditation that spiritual bliss can be discovered. It is believed to be yet another deep spiritual experience or the so-called spiritual awakening which connects one to the Supreme Being. It is far too different from the physical world which everyone sees, feel or touch.

Five thousand years ago it was easy to be a religious person. You could take any old rock, start worshipping it. No one would think you where crazy and soon you’d have a bunch of other people worshipping it as well. Job done! Ok well maybe it wasn’t quite that easy. One thing people didn’t have to put up with in more ancient times was a society turned very banal towards any real form of spiritual awakening by the people. Even most main stream religions do not encourage their laymen to do more than pay some small lip-service to the religious institutions themselves, rather than truly help people undergo any form of spiritual growth on a mass yet still personal level.

To confound the problem we live in an extremely fast paced world. Where once people wanting to spend time exploring the spiritual nature of the universe could devout many hours to such pursuit, in environments free of distraction. This is often something very hard to achieve for a modern seeker of spiritual awakening, especially one who lives in an urban environment or communal property.

That is not to say that everyone is meant to follow some lofty spiritual goal. Most people are not, and it is not an evil thing for those who spent theiar lives contemplating the divine, to be supported by those who wish to express their devotion. Especially to people who may help others in times of spiritual or even any other kind of real need (on behalf of the divine). However, as you are reading this, it is likely that you are not one of those people. Perhaps you have an inner thirst that you cannot satisfy? A desire to have your own spiritual awakening no matter what form it may take…

If you have recognized this longing then you are already on the path. It is long, treacherous and even when the journey is done and you have had your spiritual awakening. You can fall asleep again just as easily should you stray from the new path that will open before you.

If you wish to have a spiritual awakening my best advice for you is to ask for it. In anyway you wish. It can be said out loud or perhaps written on a hidden blog. Through a thought projected in your mind or maybe used as a mantra for meditation or prayer. The important thing is that you spend fifteen to thirty minutes a day really concentrating on this idea, that you want to get to know your spiritual self, that you want to remember the creator or the divine essence that makes up the cosmos. Then listen for that small inner voice to guide you towards that which you need, and you will understand that you aren’t alone.

I can’t show you the way, that is a path only you can travel. All I can do is give you some advice. The first piece of which is that you will learn you have two inner voices, make sure you choose wisely in which one to follow. Learning to identify the divine voice that will lead to your spiritual awakening is the first step on a very long road. Take a look at the practises of the world around you, and do that which is right for you.

During the recorded history of man and probably long before that, human beings have been seeking answers to questions relating to the nature of existence. In all that time there have been many manifestations of religious thought, amongst many variations of human culture. Despite what some religions will preach to their laymen, it is not a question of one religious line of thought being erroneous and another being correct, but rather that they all contain elements that are both true and false. At least in the case of religions that preach from a source of true spiritual awakening at any rate.

How can this be so? I hear you ask. In return I ask you, how can it be that the almighty source of all there is, in whatever guise you want to call it, would deliberately cause the eternal damnation (in whatever sense you understand that word in your own belief system) of those beings it had so carefully created? It does not stand to reason (should you choose to believe in a divine creator of some sort), that the creator would mercilessly and eternally abandon those things it so carefully bought into play. We all have a shot at enlightenment, even before certain modern religions where born. Something ultimately taught by many spiritually awakened teachers throughout the ages.

Humanity is like a swarm, we are legion and we are many faced. Different people, different cultures, even the same people in the same cultures all have different needs for growing their awareness. The search for a spiritual awakening manifests itself to suit the people it guides, not the words of some men long gone. In this way, like a good teacher does, we are led to our own truth and from it we find that which we truly seek.

In the Vodoo rituals of the African nations. It is not uncommon for practitioners to enter an induced frenzied trance in search for spiritual awakening. Whilst in the jungles of south America, potent hallucinogenic herbs are used to induce a similar though less volatile state. It some Christian denominations it is still not uncommon for practitioners to undergo some form of hardship or physical discomfort as a form of penance and to help direct their mind towards spiritual matters.

This is not to say that all the roads to a spiritual awakening on a personal level need be painful ones. Muslims say prayers five times every day, as a means to help remind them of their spiritual heritage and devotion to its service. Buddhist practise meditation and contemplation in order to make themselves more like the god-mind of the Buddha.

These as well as others and a thousand traditions lost to time each hold their own spark of truth. One thing has been made clear by those true sages since the dawn of man. Each must walk their own path. In your quest for a personal spiritual awakening it is very important that you follow the road that resonates for you. You are a being of spirit and life, you were not born into a religion, religion is born from you.

Reiki is an energy healing technique that was rediscovered in Japan during the early 1920′s. It is Dr Mikao Usui who is recognized as the patriarch of the modern Reiki lineage, having learnt the technique after 21 days of fasting and contemplation atop Mount Kurama.

Dr Usui states that during meditation he received a vision, in which bubbles of light floated down from heaven into his hands, granting him access to a form of energy external to his own. As he came down from the mountain, Dr Usui injured his foot, as he held it trying to massage out the pain, he found that he was able to channel this ‘new’ form of energy into the injury, causing it to heal without depleting his own reserves. From that day forth Dr Usui would spend his life helping others learn of the force he had uncovered. Dr Usui called this force Reiki, the Universal Life Force.

In modern times Reiki practitioners can be found all over the globe. It transcends religious boundaries, as it does not impose a rigid belief structure upon its practitioners nor demand such from its recipients.

Unlike other energy healing techniques, Reiki does not require physical contact in order to be effective. True Reiki masters are said to be able to heal a person through their will even if they are on the other side of the planet, though most practitioners will require to at least be in the presence of the person to receive healing. A typical healing session will last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, during which time the practitioner will help place the recipient in a state of relaxation before channelling Reiki energy into the persons aura. Usually via the healers hands, around an inch away from any physical contact, moving slowly about the body looking for areas that may require additional concentration.

A spiritual awakening can go by a variety of many different names. Occasionally referred to as mystical, paranormal, or sacred experiences, all of these phrases mean the same thing.

By definition, spiritual awakenings are known as occurrences where people allegedly have communication or encounters with people, places, or things from an alternate divine universe.

Depending on what part of the world you go to, people’s personal beliefs in what they believe spiritual awakenings are can differ. Some view them as features of the brain that purely relate as part of scientific studies. However, others who have serious religious traditions and convictions view spiritual awakenings as actual contact with one or more gods, or alternate realities.

Examples of some symptoms that may be experienced during a spiritual awakening are as follows:

• Psychic or intuitive visions
• A feeling of being disoriented, confused, or overemotional
• An increase, decrease, or unusual change in breathing
• Body or physical sensations such as shaking, vibrations, or spasms
• Changes in prayer or meditation
• Feelings and thoughts you have that are physically manifested into reality shortly thereafter
• An increase or decrease in pulse or heart rate
• The feeling that time is moving incredibly fast or slow
• Headaches, back pain, muscle aches
• Feelings of dizziness or being lightheaded
• Large amounts of energy, followed by a “crash” feeling as if you have no energy at all

Lasting anywhere from a few hours to possibly years, spiritual awakenings can sometimes be uncomfortable. However, this is nothing to be alarmed about. It has often been said that through these types of encounters, the final result is a new sense of tranquility and peace that one has never witnessed before. Some would even say that a spiritual awakening is the experience of a lifetime.

See also: Spiritual Awakening – The Thousand Fold Path