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Exploring Meditation
"Exploring Meditation is a 'must own guide'
for every metaphysical student, layperson, or teacher.
A gifted teacher, Susan demonstrates in practical and informative ways
how each one of us can utilize the opportunities
surrounding us and empower ourselves,
so that we can truly enjoy freedom of the heart and mind."
--JAMES VAN PRAAGH, author: Talking to Heaven


Exploring Meditation brings home the esoteric world of meditation and Eastern philosophy to people from all walks of life. This spiritual self-help book offers easy, step-by-step ways to master the ancient arts of meditation and enlightenment. It provides practical techniques to increase love, power and energy, reduce stress and tension, improve health, reverse aging, and bring well-being, contentment, and peace of mind to everyday life.

Through Exploring Meditation, readers learn and master:

1. Meditation, even for the meditatively-challenged.
2. Yoga exercises, even for couch potatoes.
3. Karma and past lives, even for the skeptical.
4. Spiritual healing, even for the doubting.
5. Prayer power, even for the faithless.
6. ESP, even for novices.
7. Eastern wisdom, even for neophytes.
8. Spiritual enlightenment, even for the ignorant.

This book does not assume any prior experience in inner exploration. It demystifies abstract concepts and provides a road map to the inner life, leading beginners safely through the maze of the spiritual path, pointing out signposts and pitfalls along the way. Its field-proven methods have been tested and verified by thousands of students from all backgrounds, who have experienced significant benefits.

This new, systematic approach helps novices in the field of spiritual development begin to understand the basics, as well as surprising information that even "experts" are not aware of. Therefore, after reading this book, readers can come away with even a greater understanding than many seemingly street-wise metaphysicians.

AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES EVERYWHERE!

SUSAN G. SHUMSKY, founder of Divine Revelation®, travels extensively, presenting lectures and seminars nationwide. She has practiced meditation and self-development disciplines for over thirty years, and holds a Doctor of Divinity degree from Teaching of Intuitional Metaphysics. Now contact her at:

Divine Revelation, P.O. Box 7185, New York, N.Y. 10116, 212-946-5132.


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PRAISE FROM GRATEFUL READERS

"Exploring Meditation by Susan G Shumsky - I began reading it 2 days ago and I simply couldn't abandoned it. I thought it would be full of different meditation techniques - but how wrong my predictions where. It's truly an amazing spiritual book full of inspiring material, one brilliant meditation technique, learning how to talk to your higher self, spirits and more. She also writes about karma in a way which is different from what I have seen before- making it easy to understand this very complex matter in a new way. She has been working with spirituality for 36 years, and shows you how to avoid pitfalls and much much more. I highly recommend it!"--Grateful Reader

"Susan Shumsky's book goes one step further than claiming to be great for beginners -- it truly delivers. Offering meditation for the meditatively challenged, yoga exercises for couch potatoes, karma for skeptics, prayer for the faithless and enlightenment for the ignorant -- EXPLORING MEDITATION blazes new trails into eastern philosophy that almost anyone can easily master. Written in a clear, descriptive, straightforward style, this book opens the doors to understanding non-duality, chakras, ESP (extra-sensory perception), karma, yoga, meditation, intuition, healing, vedas, gunas, and spirit.

Great Book! This book contains life changing material if you read it with an open mind. It guides you into easing into mediative state and it is really interesting. I gave my first copy to a friend and had to order it again so I can re-read it again someday.
--B. Coleman, Jersey City, NJ

"Great book with a lot of information! This book has so much information in an easy to read & follow manner. I read it in the library and felt I had to have this book. I decided to buy it. Now come on most people just read a book and then that's it. This book has information that every one should know. Buy this book. It touches on a little of everything with easy to read directions. Anyone can follow this."
-- Jennifer Loeffler, Staten Island, NY

Great book! Great book on meditation. It's great for beginners as well as for those who are more advanced. It provides in-depth information on various meditation techniques. Even if you have never entered a state of meditation before, you can do so using the book as a reference. The instructions in the book are step-by-step and very easy to comprehend. Besides meditation techniques it teaches you almost everything you need to know about the subject and related issues."
--Elena, USA.

"I personally most enjoy reading the sections on how to trouble-shoot one's meditation problems. Have you ever intended to meditate, but kept finding the same tedious thoughts racing through your mind? How about the problem of listening carefully, but not getting any clear messages? Susan Shumsky answers all these questions and more with grace and aplomb.

"Have you longed for a 'Do-Nothing' method of meditation? Would you like to learn the art of yogic breathing, and discover how grace overcomes karma? Are you ready to become spiritually street-smart? Are you interested in learning what we are made of and how we fit into the cosmos? Do you want to discover the personal aspects of your divine, higher self? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you'll definitely get a lot out of this book."
--Cynthia Sue Larson

"My background was in serious study of Yogananda's teachings for 10 years. I began reading EXPLORING MEDITATION, but I really didn't want to give the book much of a chance, because 1) it wasn't under the lineage, 2) it couldn't have much information because it was only 250 pages. So I thought I'll just read it to criticize the woman author who calls herself a Doctor in Metaphysics. I started reading from the front cover, word for word...A few hours into my book, unspeakable bliss took over my total being, and I am at a place I've only been a few times in the past 10 years--Samadhi! Samadhi again and again with such ease. And just when I think I've got it all...you bring "Grace" to me as it has never been explained--with the simplicity--that I can now say "I fully accept God's Grace" insomuch that all I've said to everything that has come my way (large or small) "God's grace is sufficient." Each time that I say it or even think it, I feel liberation rising, taking collectively, my very being and making me feel the wholeness, oneness, unconditional love. All I've ever wanted was to be taught a spiritual path of truth. What I've spent 10 years hoping to obtain has now become a reality in just a few hours through a small book that I haven't yet finished."--W.L., prisoner in Wayne State Prison, GA.

"Thank you for your book EXPLORING MEDITATION. How wonderful to know that I am what I have been looking for. Amazing!...I feel like I have just come out of a desert. Your book has given me hope for the future and I can go forward now and help someone else. Thank you so very much."--Val Moss, Plymouth, Devon, England.

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EXPLORING MEDITATION

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Discovering Your Higher Self
Chapter 1: What Is A "Higher Self" Anyway?
Chapter 2: Dialing A Direct Line to Spirit
Chapter 3: A User-friendly Guide to Your Self

Part II: Discovering Meditation
Chapter 4: Recharging Your Body, Mind, and Spirit
Chapter 5: Meditation for the Meditatively Challenged
Chapter 6: Travel Tips for Exploring Inner Space

Part III: Discovering Yoga
Chapter 7: What Is Yoga?
Chapter 8: Better Health through Yoga Postures
Chapter 9: Greater Power through Yogic Breathing
Chapter 10: More Energy through Healthy Diet

Part IV: Discovering Karma and Past Lives
Chapter 11: Dispelling Myths about Karma
Chapter 12: Healing Your Past the Easy Way
Chapter 13: Making Your Dreams Come True

Part V: Discovering ESP
Chapter 14: Opening Spiritual Sight, Sound, and Sensing
Chapter 15: Trusting Your In-house Counselor

Part VI: Discovering Enlightenment
Chapter 16: Riding the Spiritual Superhighway
Chapter 17: A Guide to Secrets of the Universe
Chapter 18: A Guide to Mysteries of Consciousness

Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index

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EXPLORING MEDITATION
CHAPTER 1
by Dr. Susan G. Shumsky

What Is a "Higher Self" Anyway?

In This Chapter
Asking Questions about Spiritual Development
Taking the "Meditation IQ Test"
Getting Acquainted with Your Higher Self

Chapter Affirmation: "I AM a radiant being of pure light."

A homemaker from Staten Island, New York came to me to learn how to meditate. Like so many of us, she was seeking an unmistakable, concrete signal to help her identify whether she was in contact with her higher self. When I led her into meditation and asked her to describe her experience, she said, "Peace." I asked her to take a few deep breaths and then repeated my question. She still answered, "Peace." This went on a few more times. Finally I asked her where this "peace" was located. She promptly replied, "It's that feeling of having a cloak around my shoulders that everyone gets when they meditate." I explained that this feeling of a cloak was her own unique experience, different from what others experience when they meditate.

This story illustrates a simple point-we all have preconceptions and misconceptions about meditation. There's always room for new learning, even for experienced meditators. You might be surprised at what this book has to offer.

Others of you may be curious, yet completely unfamiliar with the territory of meditation and spiritual development. Therefore we'll begin with the basics and answer a few of your questions.

FAQ's About Spiritual Development

Q: "I don't understand the concepts of meditation, enlightenment, psychic phenomena, or supernatural experiences. Can I learn about these?"
A: This book provides knowledge of the basics as well as surprising information that experts in this field are unaware of. Therefore, you can gain even greater understanding than many street-wise metaphysicians.

Q: "I tried meditation, but it didn't work for me. Can I learn to do it?"
A: This book will help you meditate easily and effortlessly with sure-fire techniques that work even for beginners.

Q: "I have no confidence in my intuition. What can I do about this?"
A: Here you can learn simple, step-by-step methods to help you develop and use your intuition and ESP power.

Q: "When I have inner experiences, I pretend they didn't happen."
A: With this book you can begin to understand, accept, and have confidence in your spiritual experiences.

Q: "I feel overwhelmed by the maze of occult offerings in pop culture today."
A: In this book you can learn to distinguish between spiritual and mental experiences and avoid the pitfalls of psychic delusion.

Q: "I feel overly sensitive to people and things around me."
A: This book offers powerful techniques to heal negative influences and prevent harm from future influences.

Q: "I don't want to work at hard-to-follow disciplines."
A: This book is easy to understand, with simple-to-learn methods that require no previous experience, background, training, or knowledge.

Q: "I don't like rules, regulations, cults, and organizations."
A: These methods impose no restrictions and are compatible with other forms of meditation and religious philosophies, lifestyles, and personal beliefs.

Q: "I want to grow spiritually, yet I have no idea how to begin."
A: This book can inspire you to a more spiritually directed life, beginning with the basics. How far you progress on your spiritual path is entirely up to you.

Test Your Meditation IQ

Perhaps you feel that since you've studied meditation and spiritual development for decades, this book is too elementary. Even if you think you're an expert, this test just might stump you:

1. What is your higher self?
A. The divine within me. B. My soul. C. The good part of myself. D. Myself after death. E. Part of myself that's above my body. F. A '60s flashback.

2. What is meditation?
A. Concentration of mind. B. Contemplating a profound statement. C. Quieting mind and body. D. Going into a trance. E. Repeating a mantra. F. Something naughty you do with the door closed.

3. What is a mantra?
A. Any word used in meditation. B. A meaningless sound that's chanted. C. A name or phrase used as an invocation. D. Japa. E. A prayer. F. A secret handshake.

4. What is samadhi?
A. Stillness of mind and body. B. A yoga exercise. C. An East Indian philosophy.
D. Freedom from karma. E. Meditation. F. Saturday in the south of France.

5. What is yoga?
A. A specific type of exercise program. B. To yoke. C. Getting into certain postures. D. Eastern philosophy. E. Breathing exercises. F. Booboo's pal.

6. What is kundalini?
A. Enlightenment. B. Mystic coil. C. A sign that I'm experiencing higher consciousness. D. Sexual orgasm. E. An Indian goddess. F. A pasta.

7. What is a chakra?
A. A wheel. B. The center of the body. C. A clairvoyant sight. D. When it opens, I become enlightened. E. A nerve ending. F. That awful screeching blackboard sound.

8. What is karma?
A. Getting back what I deserve. B. Action. C. Reward or punishment for past lives. D. Good or bad luck. E. Reincarnation. F. My mother's Ford Taurus.

9. What is dharma?
A. What I should be doing. B. The path for more highly evolved people. C. Ethical morality. D. My career. E. Following my true heart's desires. F. An expletive.

10. What is unconscious trance mediumship?
A. Letting divine beings take over your body. B. Letting unknown entities take over your body. C. Demonic possession. D. Spiritualism. E. Getting higher knowledge from entities. F. Sleeping through your trans-Atlantic ocean voyage.

11. What is an astral entity?
A. A demon. B. A person who died. C. An evil spirit. D. An earthbound spirit. E. A higher being who gives information through channeling. F. A baseball player from the Houston team.

12. What is intuition?
A. Insight. B. Something women have. C. Psychic powers. D. Predicting the future. E. Telepathy. F. A hospital, school, or prison.

13. What is ESP?
A. Seeing, hearing, and feeling things without the senses. B. Getting higher knowledge. C. Moving things telekinetically. D. Predicting the future. E. Having subtle sensory experiences inwardly. F. A cable TV network.

14. Who is called a psychic?
A. A person who may or may not have ESP. B. A person who knows the future. C. A person with supernormal powers. D. A person who reads cards. E. An astrologer. F. Someone who makes money on TV.

15. What is a guru?
A. A cult leader. B. One who brings light to the darkness. C. A person who should be worshipped. D. A teacher to whom I should surrender. E. A teacher who knows better than me what is best for me. F. The past tense of goyim.

16. What is maya?
A. Being ensnared by a beautiful woman. B. Being worldly. C. Being materialistic. D. Not knowing about enlightenment. E. That which doesn't exist. F. A famous African-American poetess.

17. What is reincarnation?
A. Transmigration of the soul. B. Being born again as a lower life form. C. My past lives. D. Predestination. E. Punishment for bad karma. F. Giving me a flower that someone gave to you.

18. What is enlightenment?
A. Knowing who I really am. B. Being a guru. C. Being higher than other people. D. Freedom from all responsibilities. E. Release from the world. F. Finally losing that ten pounds.

The answers to this quiz are 1:A, 2:C, 3:C, 4:A, 5:B, 6:B, 7:A, 8:B, 9:E, 10:B, 11:D, 12:A, 13:E, 14:A, 15:B, 16:E, 17:A, 18:A.
1. If you got 18 right, your spiritual IQ is 200. You don't need to read this book. You should write your own.
2. If you got 14-17 right, you're a DOCTOR OF SPIRITUALITY. You have tremendous insight into spiritual development and your spiritual IQ is 175.
3. If you got 10-13 right, you're a MASTER OF SPIRITUALITY. You know a lot, but you have a few things to learn. Your spiritual IQ is 150.
4. If you got 5-9 right, you're a BACHELOR OF SPIRITUALITY. You still know a lot, but you have a lot more to learn. Your spiritual IQ is 125.
5. If you got 1-4 right, congratulations, the odds are with you. You've successfully proven that random selection works. Your spiritual IQ is 100.
6. If you got them all wrong, I wouldn't be surprised. Your spiritual IQ is 75.
7. If you chose any of the F's, you get an "F" for Funny Farm. You need to think seriously, not about intuition, but about institutionalization.
Are you surprised at some of the answers on the quiz? That's because so many myths surround these words. Having some familiarity with esoteric terms is not the same as understanding them deeply. As you read Exploring Meditation, you'll acquire profound insight into these terms. Let's begin by answering the first "Meditation IQ Test" question, namely, "What is your higher self?"

 

FAQ's about Your Higher Self

What is a "higher self" and does it have meaning for me in my busy life?

Jerome Ballantine, A New York fashion executive, told me recently:
"In meditation, in my inner eye I saw my higher self as a tall, radiant being in yellow robes with penetrating large brown eyes. Identifying himself as Sananda, he led me through a doorway into a vast space. With stars and galaxies all around me, I ascended into a realm of light and left time and space behind. I became infinitely expanded, and the universe became a tiny dot within me. I was filled with great happiness and peace. For a time I became one with the universe and completely forgot my body and everything else. As a result of this experience, my higher self is with me daily, granting me constant support, comfort, guidance, love, and protection."
Even busy executives can have profound experiences of their higher self. Not just isolated flash-in-the-pan phenomena, these are profound, meaningful occurrences that affect every aspect of daily life.
The higher self is a part of you that usually remains hidden from view. It's thought of as your spiritual self or the higher aspect of your being. Yet most people misunderstand it and don't realize its significance.

In what way does an experience of my higher self have meaning to me?

Experiencing your higher self can literally transform the way you see yourself, how you relate to your environment, and how you interact with others. It can augment your career success and dramatically improve your level of self-confidence and measure of happiness.

Why and how can my higher self transform my life?

Getting in touch with your higher self awakens hidden aspects of yourself that haven't yet been brought to conscious awareness. These higher aspects, with special properties and abilities, can exercise your mind in new ways. Like an out-of-use muscle that has atrophied, your higher self needs to be used. Then it becomes an ally that transforms your life into something new. You become more happy, successful, radiant, beautiful, and fulfilled.

How can I contact my higher self?

Through meditation you can connect with your higher self. By quieting your mind, you can recognize who the higher self is and what it can do for you. In this book you'll learn some practical ways to do this.

How does my higher self work?

Your higher self works with your ego-self to carry out the process of your spiritual awakening in consciousness. You're constantly reinventing yourself into higher states of awareness every moment, opening to understandings you weren't previously aware of. Each new day brings a higher state of consciousness than the day before. You're waking up day by day, as you recognize the perfection and truth of your being.

What is the purpose of my life?

Your life purpose is to enjoy greater happiness and express more of who you really are. Who you really are and who you think you are may be very different from each other. For you are an enlightened, spiritually awake, highly tuned, powerful being, at one with the universe and with your divine self.

How can I begin to realize who I really am?

Your higher self will teach you who you really are once you experience it directly in meditation and communicate with it. But this must be a direct experience, not an intellectualization. Only by going direct to the source, without any intermediary, can you realize your true self.

What benefits can I receive through contacting my higher self?

1. Love
Contact with your higher self brings more love into your life, since you drop personality façades that previously created walls between yourself and others.
2. Power
You also become more powerful and effective, since you're tapping an unlimited gold mind of power and wisdom at the center of your being.
3. Happiness
Since the experience of the higher self is great joy and deep satisfaction, you naturally become happier and more fulfilled.
4. Energy
You have more energy, since you stop trying so hard to please others and relax into being more natural and true to yourself.
5. Wisdom
You develop your full mental potential when you awaken to the innate wisdom and inner knowing of your higher self.
6. Less Stress
You reduce stress and tension and increase well being and contentment, since you become more self-contained and self-reliant.
7. Health
Your health improves because, as you start to identify with your higher self, you become more physically relaxed and psychologically balanced.
8. Contentment
You feel more content when you attune to the higher self, because you gain trust in the universe to provide for your needs.
9. Peace of Mind
You experience greater peace of mind, since you find what you've been seeking all your life, even if you didn't know it at the time.

What is the nature of my higher self?

Your higher self is your true nature-the divine within. It may be completely unlike what you believe yourself to be. In fact, you may not recognize it as your self when you first encounter it. You might even think it's someone or something other than you. But in reality it's the true nature of your being-beautiful, free, loving, generous, joyous, wise, and creative-the divine in action, expressing itself as yourself.

What does my higher self look like and how does it feel?

Your higher self is a radiant, beautiful light being. It has no heavy mass like your earthly physical body. It may be myriad beautiful colors and isn't confined to the space or even the time where your physical body is located. Deep in meditation you'll experience your higher self as a sense of happiness, fulfillment, wholeness, and profound peace.

Can you tell me more about my higher self?

Yes. It's multi-leveled and multi-faceted. Your higher self is not your human personality and not just your soul. It includes layer upon layer of dimensions. All aspects of the divine abide within you. At the heart of your very nature dwells the higher power (in whatever form you believe that to be), in all its multifarious forms.
You'll experience your higher self in a way that's suited to you and makes you comfortable. For example, if you happen to be Jewish, you may not want to meet Jesus during your trips to inner space. If you're Catholic, you may feel uncomfortable meeting Buddha. (But don't be too surprised if you happen to run across them at some point down the road.)
Beyond all your multidimensional aspects there's an even deeper aspect-the absolute-beyond all forms and phenomena of the material world and even beyond the celestial realm. But now we're getting ahead of ourselves. We'll explore more about this later on.

Why do I need to know this stuff?

If you don't learn it now, it's okay. It doesn't matter. Eventually you'll come back to it in the future, either in this life or another life (whoops, yep, reincarnation). Somewhere along your path you'll have to stop the madness of living in the illusion of maya (identifying yourself as your ego) and wake up to who you really are. It's just that simple.

"The question 'Who am I?' is the one that annihilates all others."
-Ramana Maharishi

Above is an excerpt from EXPLORING MEDITATION, published by Career Press.
Copyright 2002 by Susan Shumsky

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