I don’t mean for today to be an introductory talk on meditation. I have already done that work before. I hope to get to the essence of the meditative practice and experience.

Is everyone already familiar with meditation in one form or another? When you hear people talking about meditation, the conversation often winds up sounding rather complicated, does it not? I routinely hear people tell me they can’t meditate for one reason or another.

I think if it’s complicated then it’s not being done right.

People assume it’s complicated, yes.

So today I mean to start with how do you know yourself. So indeed, how do you know yourself?

Contemplation.

Noticing my thoughts and emotion.

This is a pretty universal question in the areas of spirituality and philosophy. I find I frequently contemplate other people’s ideas and life stories. Would that put me in touch with my self?

Perhaps in comparison.

Yes, if you notice how you’re effected?

I reflect on their changing moods and reactions, examining what occurred around those moments. Would that put me in touch with myself?

Not as much.

I think so for you would be reflecting on how it all effects you.

Self by negative definition, isomorphic self, leads to efforts to find the self. This dominates most peoples lives to one degree or another, does it not?

I honestly don’t know how I can be anything other than in touch with myself, so I can’t say how I do it.

Search outside of the self for the experience of self.

When I help a student to calm down and have them doing breathing techniques, I do it with them.

Human beings, most human beings, are innately hard wired as they say. They plug in to people around them. They naturally fall into a social milieu and this takes up a good amount of their attention on a daily basis. With so much attention being held by social experiences, interpersonal exchanges, how often, or rather how well, do people come to know themselves?

It’s why people get addicted to social media, in my experience. They don’t see themselves at all. Social networking is social baby food, easily digested, minimally complex.

Maybe that’s why I’m addicted to role play rather than social media. I could live without Facebook.

I read that the younger generation now prioritizes breadth of contact over depth.

To your own self be true, and thus as the night follows the day you won’t be false to anyone… to paraphrase. Do people live in that way? Are they ready to?

I hope they’re ready to, not sure though.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~