Musing on Monkey Mind and Meditation

A lot of ‘M’s in the title of this musing, using an animal metaphor familiar to Eastern culture, especially Buddhist in usage. I have learned a lot from my partner on this subject, who just happens to have the Monkey as her Chinese Horoscope sign.

‘Just as a monkey swinging through the trees grabs one branch and lets it go only to seize another, so too, that which is called thought, mind or consciousness arises and disappears continually both day and night.’

Extracted from the Assutava Sutta – The Spiritually-Unlearned

The combination of Monkey and Dragon (myself) seems to work really well in our case, as we work in tandem with each others strengths to the fore, one stepping back when the other is in their element. My Monkey partner is not renown for mediatation, but has developed systems of doing things that are practical and efficient, especially around the house. A food shopping expedition cost is calculated to the nearest tuppence as acquired, then referenced against the receipt, invariably correct. Indignation follows, as prices from six months to a year ago on various individual items are recalled and the percentage increase revealed. I am in awe of this ability to recall a host of individual items complete with a comparison of current and former value. She also has a talent for the art of barter and finding the sweet spot for both parties in a deal, developed in the spice markets of Istanbul and honed in car boot sales.

Emerging into the new year, the closest I have come to a resolution is to assign more time and regulate my somewhat sporadic meditation sessions. Physical visits to family history research archives and field trips, also figure. I can recall learning hypnotherapy induction scripts that, looking back, were tailored for a monkey mind, authored by the gifted and innovative hypnotist Milton Erikson. These would enable a trance state with enhanced focus, but without such scripts on hand or from memory, meditation is my tool of choice when resolving to master a monkey mind.

I’m finding that meditation can be a mental swiss army knife in terms of what a person chooses to focus on. The word ‘focus’ is where, for me, it dovetails with hypnosis; progressive relaxation of body then mind is the path I was shown to enter the trance state, done with self or other. I have recently been exploring the guided meditations of Dr Stephen Greer on his CE5 app and will be putting them into practice as situations allow. It seems to me the Disclosure project is doing a sterling job in debunking the Hollywood Hoo Ha about a hostile extraterrestrial threat to humanity. Not only does a guided meditation give the beginner a feel for the practice, it can also allow you to get the most from the experience. There is also the possibility of such a meditation being a gateway to remote viewing and channeling, potentially preparing the ground.

The concept of Mindfulness, or being in the present moment, can also be utilised in meditation. Allowing thoughts to be, non attachment to them while being aware of surroundings, I find helps to embed the experience of living within a physical illusion. Another tool of technique on the knife is what is known as Vipassana meditation, also known as ‘insight meditation’. This involves sitting in silence, focus on the breath as it moves through the body while noting any physical or mental sensations that arise. Label any distraction or aensation, then return focus to the breath. The most profound insight I have discovered using this technique is one of Creator’s love, enabling the manifestation of the building blocks of our reality, light. I’m aware that suffering is the traditonal teaching on this technique, but for me the Creator’s love goes deeper.

When it comes to visualisation, I could do with putting in more practice, my go to sense is to feel for something. There are visualisation meditations, I tend to gravitate towatds shapes, Platonic Solids, Sacred Geometry, once ‘pictured’ I move or rotate them. Everyone is different, feel free to experiment, perhaps on what you might like to manifest in your life. The final tool on my knife is the loving-kindness of the ‘Metta’ meditation. Bringing awareness to people in your life, directing positive energy and thoughts towards them. I find it can be really useful in shifting from an angry state or mood, as well as increasing understanding, positivity and compassion. I’m sure there are other meditation tools that can be added to one’s own swiss army knife, these are mine, what are or would be yours?