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MEDITATION FOR THE NEW AGE
The Information Age
It
has been said by many, that we live in an age unlike any other.
Over the last century, the advancements in technology have allowed us
to have immediate access to world news, entertainment, and literature,
and are able to communicate with anyone almost instantly, anywhere in
the world. We are living in the Information Age.
“Information Age
is a name given to a period after the Industrial Age. Information Age
is a term applied to the period where movement of information became
faster than physical movement, more narrowly applying to the 1980s or
1990s onward.” (1)
With the advancements in
recording techniques, transmission and computers, in the 1980’s, it
didn’t take long before communication devices became portable and
affordable for every household. Communicating via the internet is
now commonplace and allows us to receive instant replies from friends
& businesses worldwide. The days of ‘snail mail’ are over and
we are becoming more and more a society requiring instant information,
instant answers… instant gratification. We become impatient if we
have to wait for anything. In days gone-by, we waited months for
a package from overseas and weeks for a letter – even waiting a day for
a reply by mail can be irritating to some of us, when it could be
emailed or faxed or send by SMS and received immediately.
Young
people today don’t even like to wait for a movie to be released at the
cinemas or a TV series to start in the New Year, they just ‘download’
it to their computers and get to see it before their friends. It
seems ‘waiting’ is a waste of time. Or is it that time itself is
speeding up and we, in an effort to keep up with it, are anxious to fit
as much in, and receive as much information as we can, at any given
moment?
With the fast pace of life, plus all the other
stressors modern man is subjected to (deadline pressure, relationship
problems, money problems etc.) we could be creating a generation that
is chronically stressed. Perhaps now, more than any other period
of time in the history of mankind, we need to be able to clear our
minds of unwanted chatter, learn to relax and live in the moment.
The Astrological Ages
As well as evolution of the Industrial Age and the Information Age, mankind has also been evolving spiritually!
In her book “Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can”, Caroline Myss talks about the Astrological Ages which relates to the historical development of human spirituality
over many ages. These spiritual ages relate to the human Chakra
System and can be correlated to the gradual development of our
individual spiritual natures through the course of a lifetime.
Each Age generally goes for around 2,000 years and her theory is that
humanity has an evolutionary leap on a psycho spiritual level at the
change of each Age. (2)
Prior to the birth of Christ was the Age of Aries, the last 2,000 years was the Age of Pisces and we are now in the Age of Aquarius.
The Age of Aries related to Tribal Power. During that time the
focus was directed towards developing unified tribal communities so
that man survived. It began at the time of the Book of Genesis in
the Bible and heralded the beginning of a tribal consciousness and
tribal identity – a more organized tribal system than the previous Age of Taurus,
which was more primeval. They believed in “a God of justice, law
and order, a jealous and vengeful God”, (3) which was a reflection of
their tribal community.
During the past 2,000 years, the Age of Pisces
and the development of the individual, while still being under the
control of the tribal hierarchy, people were given freedom to make
decisions about who they married and intellectual development was
flourishing, but still under the strict rules and regulations of the
‘tribal leaders’. Buddhism, at the beginning of the Age of
Pisces, evolved into a compassionate philosophy and allowed the
path to enlightenment be available for all humans not just monks. The
coming of Christianity heralded the opening of the heart of humanity,
with Jesus introducing a father-figure God and openly speaking of love,
brotherhood, forgiveness etc. So mankind began to have ‘choice’,
which the tribal community had lacked.
The Aries,
Tribal mind was externally focused and corresponded with the qualities
of the first three chakras. The Pisces Age was focused on our
internal selves and the energy of chakras 4 to 7. The Age of Aquarius
relates to the 8th chakra and the Symbolic Power. The 8th chakra
resonates above our physical body and is always enticing our
unconscious self to discover our true energy and nature, “giving us the
freedom to embrace all that life is without fear that we are not
powerful enough to know life fully”. (4)
One can access this 8th Chakra energy in Meditation, particularly in Tantric Yoga
practice. This practice focuses on awakening kundalini energies
in the body, via nerve plexuses located in the chakras which align with
the spinal column. Once activated in meditation, this energy
shoots up from the base of the spine towards the brain, energizing and
purifying each chakra and settles just above the head (the 8th chakra)
connecting “with one’s divine will and causes the polarization of every
cell in the body” (5), producing a form of self-illumination or
enlightenment.
The Age of Aquarius heralds
the beginning of Symbolic Power, the Golden Age. Aquarius is an air
sign & equates to new ideas & fresh thought. In the 60’s
the ‘dawning of the Age of Aquarius’ was sung about and the emergence
of Flower Power, the search for Nirvana, Women’s Rights, the Sexual
Revolution, the Civil Rights Movement, the use of illicit drugs, the
Hippy Culture etc., all reflected this search for something else; a
step away from the tribal/patriarchal model of religious society, where
one followed blindly the teachings of old. At that time, this search
for freedom was expressed externally and not internally. Hence
the development of a drug culture which sort to externally access this
energy of connection with the divine.
During the late 50’s
and early 60’s the exile of the Dalai Lama & the upheaval of
Christianity following Vatican II, enabled the teachings of the Eastern
& Western religious traditions to be more easily available to the
ordinary people. People all over the world started, and are
continuing this century, to question the traditional religious models.
Westerners started investigating and practicing Eastern ways, and a new
sense of spirituality and consciousness has immerged, heralding a New
Age of awareness, as well as acceptance of all spiritual practices as
worthy of respect has accelerated. (6)
Since the 60’s
we’ve learnt that this desire to have the Kundalini or Nirvana
experience, can be achieved internally and in ways other than using
illicit drugs. Aquarian consciousness relates to holism and holistic
practices such as vegetarian diets, yoga, meditation, chanting etc. can
assist one in the quest for connection with the Divine, once believed
to be the experience of only the mystics and saints of the old
religious traditions. It also means unity or oneness with people
and their beliefs rather than division and separation caused by
cultural and religious differences in the Piscean Age.
How
can mankind mesh these two ages of development into one? How can
we keep up with the advancements in technology & the development of
our consciousness or spiritual selves and not succumb to the dangers of
living in the fast lane, ie to stress overload?
Fight or Flight Response
Stress
is a normal part of life & early man used the “Fight or Flight”
response to survive threats in his environment. This response was
first recognized by Walter B. Cannon who described it as “the internal
adaptive response of the body to a threat”. (7) A perceived threat
causes the body to respond by secreting catecholamine or “stress
hormones” which arouse key organs preparing the body for fight or
flight. In the modern world, prolonged or chronic stress creates
the same physiological & psychological changes in the body as when
subjected to acute stress, such as a near-miss accident. The
stresses we face today are more likely to be psychological or
interpersonal and may not be dealt with as early man did in a fighting
or fleeing response. These symptoms include: increased heart
rate, blood pressure, blood sugar & muscle tension, lowered stomach
& intestine function; plus psychological responses such as racing
thoughts, anxiety and panic. (8)
If these symptoms go on
indefinitely, chronic disease may develop as studies have shown “that
the immune systems tends to be suppressed or become less active, the
blood cholesterol level rises and calcium is lost from the
bones….hypertension, increased muscle tension can lead to headaches or
aggravate pain, unusual changes in the intestinal tract can lead to
diarrhea or spasms” plus increased susceptibility to colds & flu.
(9)
Why has this “fight or flight” mechanism persisted throughout
evolution? Is it part of the “survival of the fittest” in our
species or have we missed the message of Hippocrates who equated health
“to a harmonious balance of mind, body and the environment”. (10)
Or is it possible that evolution has not kept pace with modern forms of
stress.
Relaxation Response
The
term “Relaxation Response” was coined by Herbert Benson of the Harvard
Medical School. (11) The nervous system has the capabilities of
inducing the Relaxation Response, via the parasympathetic nervous
system and will lower heart rate, blood pressure and muscle
tension. Stress management techniques, such as meditation,
breathing, yoga & exercise are aimed at inducing a positive
parasympathetic response to symptoms of stress. Relaxation helps
the body compensate during periods of short-term and long-term stress
by lowering heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. (12)
Meditation
Meditation
and relaxation would have to be the answer for the generation of people
who are ‘stuck in the fast lane’. It can be done anywhere,
anytime, any place. It doesn’t have to cost anything, although
there are numerous books, CD’s and classes you can attend to grasp the
basic principles of the practice, but basically taking time out, for 10
or so minutes a day to ‘do nothing’ is simply all that is needed.
Meditation
can quiet our usually busy minds that have been bombarded by constant
communication via telephone, internet, television etc. . It
can assist in achieving heightened mental clarity and clear the clutter
of a busy life full of activity. Bloomfield claims “Inner silence
is crucial for health” and that this deep state of ‘resting’ the mind
can create a decrease in heart rate, oxygen consumption, perspiration,
muscle tension, blood pressure and levels of stress hormones. (13)
The
Age of Aquarius symbolically is the ruler of electricity or
energy. We are coming to an understanding of how interconnected
we are, and how energy plays such a role in our lives, not only
technologically in this Information Age, but spiritually as well.
As we become more aware of ourselves as energy systems and how we
relate to all other forms of life, an understanding of measuring health
not solely as a bodily function but as a management of our entire
energy system, will become more apparent. (14)
Today,
it is commonly understood that a healthy body is influenced by our
thoughts, relationships, work, spiritual practices etc. Just as our
body needs proper nutrition, enough exercise, avoidance of toxic
substances, our human spirit requires daily nurturing through the
practice of prayer or meditation. “These practices nourish the
energy system and help unite mind, heart and spirit.” (15)
Following
a spiritual practice, such as meditation, can help us understand the
role the Divine has in our lives and what our purpose in life is.
It can improve our health when combined with a healthy lifestyle and
assist us in facing up to the challenges that life presents in a more
balanced and inspirational way.
Meditation has to be
the simplest, cheapest, most energy & time efficient method of
maintaining a well-balanced and healthy life-style in today’s busy
world and indeed into the future Age of Enlightenment.
Bibliography:
- www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_age
- Myss, Caroline, 1997 Why People Don’t Heal & How They Can,
Harmony Books, page 67
- Myss, Caroline, 1997 Why People Don’t Heal & How They Can,
Harmony Books, page 71
- Myss, Caroline, 1997 Why People Don’t Heal & How They Can,
Harmony Books, page 117
- Davich, Victor N., 1998 The Best Guide to Meditation, Renaissance Media, page 117
- Myss, Caroline, 1996 Why People Don’t Heal & How They Can,
Harmony Books, page 86
- Goleman, Daniel, 1995 Mind Body Medicine, Choice Books, Marrickville, p 22
- Goleman, Daniel. 1995 Mind Body Medicine, Choice Books, Marrickville, p 23
- Goleman, Daniel. 1995 Mind Body Medicine, Choice Books, Marrickville, p 23
- Goleman, Daniel. 1995 Mind Body Medicine, Choice Books, Marrickville, p 22
- Goleman, Daniel. 1995 Mind Body Medicine, Choice Books, Marrickville, p 24
- Goleman, Daniel, 1995 Mind Body Medicine, Choice Books, Marrickville, p 25
- Davich, Victor N., 1998 The Best Guide to Meditation, Renaissance Media, page 23
- Myss, Caroline, 1996 Why People Don’t Heal & How They Can,
Harmony Books, page 91
- Myss, Caroline, 1996 Why People Don’t Heal & How They Can,
Harmony Books, page 124
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