THE ARMCHAIR DREAMER

There is the old view of meditation that one empties their mind, and then they are in nirvana. The assumption if we could quiet our mind, then nirvana would arise. The chattering of our worries, planning, the analysis was the enemy.

A brief time doing non-directive meditation reveals that much more enticing than mind chatter are the images that seep into our inner view. These are more than snapshots of some irrelevant street corner or some dreamy unknown possibility. Images become movies, complete with sound, touch, and emotional tone that draws us along. So immersive they are, we lose track of time, the environment around us, our original intent to mediate. We started with the goal of standing off, untouched by our mind, heart, and the world, and instead, we are wrapped up in its drama.

Scenes from the movie on the Buddha’s life, the Little Buddha, capture our struggle not to be overtaken by inner attractions when meditating. Of course, when we are working to increase imagination, we seek out such attractions and linger within them, but that discussion is for another time. Meditation can show us just as frequent and deep our inner imagery is, called or uncalled.

How to Practice Non-Directive Meditation to See Your Inner Movies

This approach comes from a practice called Conscious Mental Rest; at least how I apply it gives a close view of the mind at work.

1. Close your eyes and notice where your eyes naturally go when you let go and rest.

2. Feel the eye muscles and get to know the feeling.

3. Focus your awareness on your relaxing eyes and stop speaking to yourself. Quiet down.

4. Anytime chatter comes up, say “No” and make the chatter stop. Realize that you in search of more important things than your chatter at this moment.

5. Wait with as empty of mind as you can keep. Before long, when you have the chatter under control, and things are quiet, images will seep in. For a few minutes, treat them the same way as the chatter by saying “No” and not letting them go any further.

6. More and more images will show up. When you wish, let go of your opposition and submerge with some imagery.

7. Shake off this imagery and get back to having an empty mind.

This back and forth will show you prevalent imagery is in your mind, whether you are seeking it or not.

I could not believe my eyes when, the other day, I noticed that this long out-of-print and much sought-after book is back in print. The few copies that were around were selling for $100 plus. If you have any interest in knowing far more about the experience of inner imagery get this book before it disappears again.

In 1987, Andreas Mavromatis published Hypnagogia: The Unique States of Consciousness Between Wakefulness and Sleep. In 360 pages, he summarized major and minor writings and added his observations on this powerful experience and easiest path to high-quality inner imagery. Although we are a few decades out from that publishing date, the information is still highly relevant since so little discussion of hypnagogia has occurred in the intervening years. Dreams and dreaming have soaked up most of the research and creative studies around inner states.

He splits his research into three helpful categories:

• the phenomenology of hypnagogia (sensory, cognitive, and emotional characteristics)
• hypnagogia compared to other special inner states
• brain function as related to hypnagogia

He spends a bit of time on methods but this is cast in a more general rather than specific way.  You will find the how-to-do-it steps here at Fireball Imagery rather than in Mavromatis’s book.

Bottom-Line: Get this book while you can.  A must read for those who want to know much more about this inner state.

Where to get it:  Note – The following link goes straight to the bookseller and I in no way receive any payment for recommending this book.
Amazon link

Experience Hypnagogia for Yourself

• Tonight, linger with relaxed wakefulness rather than following straight asleep.
• Bring up a memory or some idea you want to explore.
• Relax more until you start to feeling additional ideas, feelings, and imagery is strongly present.
• Hang out in that place and take in the experience.
• Hold a few things you want to remember later by making a clear mental intention that you will remember the such-and-such item.
• Fall asleep anytime you want.
• In the morning, recall that which you wanted to remember and contemplate that item.