This special meditation/visualization technique is designed for busy people. It's quick and easy, and will open doors to real changes in your life!

Despite what you may have heard or read about meditation in the past, as Samuel teaches it, it is not difficult and doesn't require a lot of time, diligence, or discipline. The only requirement is that you care enough for yourself to give yourself the gift of ten minutes or less daily.

The long meditations of most other traditions were appropriate, Samuel says, for the human mind as it was a few thousand years ago, when those techniques were developed. Since then, though, we have evolved and accomplished much of what those early techniques were designed to help us do.

We are now more self-aware and, being more aware of our thoughts, we only need to take the time to direct them to our purposes. Since thoughts come into existence and operate almost instantaneously, directing them appropriately in the active part of our meditation requires only brief moments. This active period of meditation is a second point of difference from older traditional approaches which present meditation as a time during which thinking should be suppressed. Although it is the mind's nature to think, most techniques attempt to minimize mental activity, and consequently they tend to generate conflict and frustration, especially in the early stages when we need encouraging results. Samuel stresses daily meditation as a time to focus on our thoughts, but also to apply certain conscious processes to them.

A period of passive meditation, much like that of older traditions, is also a necessary part of our technique, though. It is then that we are using our meditation as a means of tuning in to our higher selves or other sources for support and inspiration.

We need to try not to direct our thoughts then, but to simply recognize them and put them aside. This process also takes only brief moments, and, once we are open, the channeling of information into our unconscious minds takes place instantaneously. For this reason and others, Samuel suggests daily meditations of no more than five minutes.

Though most of the actual processing takes place unconsciously, it is our conscious willing of these processes that sets them into motion. For instance, simply sitting down to meditate tends to give the mind a spiritual focus and initiate the relaxation and focus that lead into meditation. Affirmation of that relaxation deepens it, as does creative use of the imagination. In a similar vein, willing that useful thoughts or information come to you during the more passive moments of meditation assures that you will receive exactly what you need at that moment.

Getting Started

Meditation itself is very simple, and the technique which Samuel recommends is designed to guarantee success. First, though, you must believe that you are worth a few minutes daily or you will not give them to yourself regularly, and consistency is probably the most important requirement of all meditation.

It will help if you already have the ability to quiet and relax the body quickly. A few minutes of yoga or similar limbering exercises just before meditating, or sometime earlier in the day, is a great help in quieting the body's fidgets and other distractions—it is not however, a part of the meditation itself. Working through these distractions seems to be a necessary process in the early stages of meditation, and you shouldn't be discouraged by them. With regular practice these will very soon become a minor problem.

Sit in a comfortable erect position, with some support for your back if it helps, and relax the body as much as possible without losing support of your posture. Bring the center of your attention within by focusing on your breath or visualizing a color or scene which helps you calm your body and mind. Allow about 30 seconds for this.

Active Portion

Make an affirmation such as, "This is the active part of my meditation, and I ask my higher self to help me become aware of where love is needed." Then simply wait and listen. When thoughts of people or projects, or worries about your life situation or your daily activities arise in your mind, actively send your best creative and loving energy into those thoughts. Don't dwell on them, but simply convert them into the most positive thought-forms you can formulate at the time, and release them again. Keep it relaxed. The way you find yourself doing it is the right way for you to do it. Devote about 2 to 2-1/2 minutes to this. This practice will eventually have an important carryover into your daily life. As you get the habit of mentally converting your worries into anticipations, your antagonisms into conscious loving, your frustrations into opportunities, and as sending your caring and support to those you know are in need of them becomes easier with practice, optimism and love will spill over into your entire day.

"This is the active part of my meditation, and I ask my higher self to help me become aware of where love is needed."

Passive Portion

Next affirm that, "Now I begin the passive part of my meditation, and I ask my higher self to provide me with the energy and wisdom I need at this point in my life." Again, wait and listen, but when thoughts arise during this time, try to simply observe them and let go. (As Samuel says, it is all right to notice that you're hungry during this time, but you've lost your focus if you find yourself planning supper!) Allow about the same amount of time for the passive period as for the active one, for a total meditation time of about five minutes. During this time try to be as open as possible, and remember that much of what takes place here happens quickly once you attain this openness, and it may happen largely below the level of consciousness. This is not to say that what comes consciously to mind is beside the point. Quite the contrary, there is likely to be much more happening than what you are aware of. Conscious thoughts may, in fact, come welling up to the surface. They come from the unconscious levels and are brought up for good reason, too. They deserve your attention, and it is important to try to understand their significance, but not to get too swept away by them during this time. If you do, you're soon going to be off in the kitchen planning dinner again!

Realize, in using this approach, that you are turning control of the process over to your inner wisdom, and trust it. Meditation brings about the development of what we are at best, which is Perfection. You are not seeking outside yourself during this time (though outside sources may be contacted), but you are trying to make the most important kind of inner connections. Trust yourself to give yourself what you need, and try to let the process unfold naturally, without forcing. There is an analogy that could be made here with the experience some people have with yoga. At first they wonder if they are doing the postures exactly correctly, but with practice the body itself learns to discern what is correct and helpful and what is not, and confidence in yoga comes with learning to listen to and trust the body. Experience with meditation will eventually bring that same ability to direct yourself along the best path.

"Now I begin the passive part of my meditation, and I ask my higher self to provide me with the energy and wisdom I need at this point in my life."

The Five-Minute Meditation Step-by-step

1. Relax and bring your focus of attention within yourself, taking about 30 seconds to do so.
2. Affirm to yourself the purpose of active meditation and practice it for about two minutes.
3. Do the same for passive meditation.
4. Thank yourself for giving yourself this time.