An Mionaire, I am Very Small

An Mionaire meditation requires concentrating on a very small non-living or inanimate object. This form of concentration requires focusing on a single point, a symbol on paper, or a very small object (made of metal, plastic, wood or glass). Place the chosen focal point in front of you. Sit in a relaxed position with the legs crossed (if on the floor or ground) or with the legs to the front (if in a chair). Gaze only at the object with an unwavering stare. Do not ask yourself questions about the object, nor imagine anything about it or its possibilities. Simply gaze upon it and observe it. It is for this reason that the more plain and simple that the object is, the less distracting it will be to the focus of attention. It is used as an aid to the attention in this exercise to open a pathway between yourself and the two forms of spirit: That Which Creates and That Which Destroys. In establishing and maintaining this deep connection between yourself and the source or end of ALL Things, allow distractions to be consumed as easily as you breathe or as your heartbeats.

If you feel constrained by your surroundings, go to a place of isolation and safety. If you are restless, make relaxation your first goal (to be accomplished through exercise,
posture, breathing and gentle movement). Always return to your focused gaze and attention upon the object. The object could also be a Mandala or a letter, even an Ogham. The use of such a focal point is a universally accepted standard for shifting the attention so that mastery of the self can be achieved in relaxation. This relaxation and focusing exercise works so well that it is taught to expecting mothers in the Lamaze techniques of natural childbirth. A birth of the self through spirit and a birth of new life from the womb are both assisted by achieving a single pointed/single minded focus. The Lamaze birthing techniques also make use of breath control as a means of achieving control, harmony and unity in the body. Learning to control the breath is the next time-honored technique for improving concentration and accomplishing meditation.

An Neidín, A Place of Safety

An Neidin meditation places one at ease. It is a matter of being absorbed in a rhythmic natural process (i.e. the beating of the heart, breathing like a baby, soothing sounds). A connection is made between the meanma or inner mind and the cycles of the web of life around us. This method of meditation is primarily achieved through centering on one’s own breathing habits and breath, though it could also involve such things as the clouds overhead, the swaying of the trees, or the rolling of the waves. Once again, the technique should begin by assuming one of the three major Celtic relaxation postures. Pay attention to your breathing and attempt to change the way that you inhale and exhale to the way that you breathe while sleeping. This breathing is also the way that a baby breathes. First, draw the breath in through the nose and into the lungs by allowing the lower lungs to fill first and then expand until the air reaches the top of the lungs.

Next, exhale slowly through the nostrils, by pushing the air from the lungs using the abdominal muscles. Once this process has been repeated many times and becomes a second nature to you, begin to count (in your mind) the number of breaths that are taken. Extend this counting to an entire day (at times) so that you know the length of a day in the breaths of your body. When this task is no longer difficult to accomplish, change the focus of your attention to the actual breath itself. Follow the quality of the air as it comes into your body through the nostrils and into the upper chest, reaching the extents of the lungs. Feel the air pass into your blood and journey through your blood vessels, until your body’s own heat and natural exertions have changed it. Return to your lungs along the pathways of your blood through the heart and into the lungs again. Observe the changes of the breath as the products of the body’s dúile have altered the nature of the air within it. Watch these breaths as they leave your body and reconnect to the greater Dúile of the Cosmos. Begin the cycle anew with each succeeding breath. One can assign a sound or a color symbol to better describe and facilitate each part of this process of transformation within the breathing. This method of paying attention can be expanded to the ways in which trees breathe: inspiring from and expiring into Nature. Following such a flow
naturally increases the connections between the center of self and the center of Nature.

An Iarrairdeall, I am Very Large

To become very large, one must expand beyond the barriers of ego by thinning the barriers that separate us from the rest of the universe. This thinning of the ego is accomplished by concentrating on an abstraction that has no form or shape. The process of An Iarrairdeall is actually the elimination of worldly thoughts so that the mind rests in a completely natural state. That is to say, that it is observing everything equally without internal or external prejudice in its attention. This exercise in regulating the attention is the most difficult form of concentration to achieve. It is also perhaps the most rewarding way of focusing the inner attention to obtain imbas. There are two basic methods for achieving this state in my experience: cutting off extraneous thoughts as they occur and sinking such thoughts into a void of nothingness on a continual basis. In the first method, the meditating subject cuts the thought off as soon as it manifests and returns to the preferred posture while thinking absolutely nothing. This done while remaining attentive all transient thoughts that must be ‘chopped’ or ‘cut-off’ as soon as they occur.

The mind eventually becomes disciplined to not manifesting such distractions for itself
(and creating useless work that is counter-productive to its real work). In the other method for focusing on abstractions for the mastery of attention (sinking the thoughts into the Abyss), the process involves yielding to the thought and letting it flow beyond the consciousness into a bottomless pit (or other suitably visualized abyss). A black flame can be used for consuming such thoughts as a kind of void. At other times, this void can be visualized and formed as a black bubble. As the mind continues to be emptied of distractions, it should also be approaching the flame/bubble until it is completely within the void. This is the natural state of the mind and one should and no longer have to sink or discard extraneous thoughts. It is at this point that the realization is achieved that there is no mine or yours, nor anything such as inside or outside.

The consciousness can be extended so that one sees and experiences ‘nothingness’ in every direction equally, both within and without. In this way the attention is equally centered and alert for ‘what is’ and for what ‘is not.’ These are some of the ways that a person can master the attention of their consciousness. They should be everyday practices for Druids and those who hope to obtain imbas through practices of meditation.