An Exercise to Clear your Mind:
"Mind at Rest for 10 Minutes" Exercise
Purpose and Source of this Exercise: The purpose of this exercise is to provide you with a tool to experience yourself undistracted by thoughts. This exercise was taught to me by Peter, a practitioner of Hermetics. Hermetics are the teachings of the father of Egyptian Science known to the Greeks as “Hermes” and to the Egyptians as "Thoth." Through tradition, Hermes has come to be known as “Trismagistus” (the “triple great”); and Masonic tradition has it the Hermes was Enoch, after whom was named the biblical City of Enoch (Gen 4:17 and Heb 11:5).
If you are Peter, whom I met at the University of Utah campus, or you know him, please email me. The theoretical foundation of this process in explained in the exerpt of Chapter 4 of the book, Origins and Attributes of Being, click here.
Your Goal: Your goal is to experience yourself having NO thoughts while meditating for 10 minutes (and without falling asleep!). This is totally doable, even though you may not think so at this time. Trust yourself in the process. Your task is to inventory (list and track) each thought while not allowing one thought to trigger another, and to another, and so on. Your job is to simply notice the thought long enough only to remember it so you can write it thought down. Follow the detailed instructions below, and practice the exercise and you will experience yourself with your Mind at Rest – completely at rest, with little or no anxiouty.
Preparation and Items Needed:
1. A count-down timer. An egg timer is best. Something that will allow you to: a) Set a time between one minute to ten minutes. 30-second intervals are better for beginners, and 1-minute intervals will work just fine; b) start a count down, and c) beep or ring when the countdown time has expired.
2. A pad or sheets of paper and a pen or pencil! With these you will make a list of your our thoughts (and create a journal of your experience).
3. A quiet place, void of distractions. A place where you can sit comfortably and not be bothered by external resources, on the floor or at a table or desk with an area for your paper and writing instrument.
4. Set aside whatever time you need to prepare for the exercise and allow 10 minutes to meditate and do the exercise. (As you get more proficient you may want to allow 15 or 20 minutes, however 10 minutes total is good to start!)
5. Of course, always keep your safety and the safety of your family or associates, in mind. You will simply discontinue the exercise whenever appropriate; you can always come back and finish later.
Meditation Instructions:
1. Get Ready: Have your timer and your supplies at your quiet place. And, at first, set your timer for a 1-minute countdown.
2. Get Set: With your eyes closed, take a deep breath and exhale so as to relax. Do this three times, allowing your mind to be as undistracted as possible and even more undistracted with each breath. (As a help, you may choose to count from 3 down to 1 with each exhale. However, do not count during the meditation -- each number would count as a thought!)
3. Go: Start your count-down timer, and as you do, simply notice each thought that comes into your mind. Remember or simply "inventory" each thought, but do NOT "follow" any thought; do not allow you mind to take you on its normal journey of chatter. Simply, as you have a thought, simply let each thought go. And let your mind be free. (You may find yourself thinking "no thoughts!" That's OK to begin with. Just remember that “no thought!” IS as a thought; and simply write it down.) To help yourself, you may want to focus on the sensation of the air passing through your nostrils. Focus on the sensation only. If you have a thought about your nose or sensation, then inventory the thought and put it on your list when instructed to do so.)
4. Stop, Observe and Journal: When the timer ends the countdown, open your eyes as you breathe out and end your meditiation. Now, using your paper and supplies, write down each thought in the order you experienced it. Be kind to yourself, and yet be as thorough as you can. If you experience that you have forgotten a thought, just leave a dash ("—") or check mark on your paper to represent the thought and write down the next one, and so on. If at first you have had more thoughts than you can remember, that is OK. Just reset the timer, clear your mind, and do the process again with the goal to have no thoughts the next time.
5. Tally your Thoughts and Get Ready to Go Again: When you total more than 4 thoughts on your list, reset your timer for the same time period and start again at Step 1, above. Keep repeating the exercise until you have remembered and inventoried 4 thoughts or less in your timed period. At this point you are ready to increase your timer setting by 30 seconds (or 1 minute, depending on the capabilities of your countdown timer). Having set your next time, clear your mind and do the process again.
6. Spend 10 Minutes: During each exercise, set the timer, begin, and then inventory each thought as instructed above. When you have had 4 thoughts or less come to your mind for any period, simply add another 30 seconds (or 1 minute) to your timer and start again. Repeat this process until you have spent a total of 10 minutes in the exercise. At some point, sooner than you think, you WILL have 4 or less thoughts in a 10-minute period. At this point, simply continue to practice each day for a 10 minute period.… or every other day, as your Knowing inspires you.
