A few times over years, I've concluded that I was some type of schizophrenic and that I needed to shut up and stop doing this stuff or I'd surely end up in a pink padded room. I've quit many times for fear that I was making it all up in my head and that THEY weren't real and I was just having illusions of grandeur. You know what? I always missed being kind of person that THEY say I am. I always felt lost and not really sure what to do with myself or what kind of a career to move forward with. I really tried to be smart and logical and to get a real job in industry I was formally educated and trained to do. It really sucked. I just couldn't get into flow of it. I couldn't find success or happiness doing anything else but this save world stuff. "Teach them how to be happy. In doing so, you'll find your own happiness."

I know there are people out there like me. I'm not alone. Are we making a difference? Do weird things we teach really work? Do crystals have healing powers? Do aliens telepathically communicate with us? Can many religions be united into one root concept - love one another? Can Lightworkers hold energy of enlightenment for us until we figure it out for ourselves? Does any of this even matter?

I also know there's people out there who are nothing like me. They're majority. They believe their version of god is only version that matters. They believe only in what their five senses can see, hear, and feel. If science can't prove it, then it's not real. We're all just a bunch of quacks you know.

Even as I write this, my heart swells and I feel so blessed to do this work that THEY have asked of me that I am moved to tears. If you knew me, you'd know that I really hate that sappy crying in public stuff. It just goes to show how deeply touched I am by fact that I get to do this. So like Joan of Arc, I hear these voices and THEY tell me to go do these great things, and I listen and I do them and people seem to like it, to be helped, to be touched on a soul level. If I am crazy, please don't give me that pill. Let me live to my dieing breath believing in THEM and that I'm doing work of angels. Don't cure me.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge

Last but not least, is misconception that mind must be void of all thoughts for meditation to be effective. The key in meditation is not necessarily to “empty” mind, but to gain control of mind, to know and understand where it travels and why. The main goal of meditation is to “know thyself” and by learning hidden motivations and reasons behind our seemingly random thoughts we begin to do just that. The process aids in removing random mind chatter, and streamlining thought process.

If you are paying attention, you will notice that as you read this, your mind has likely churned up several thoughts that have popped up as you have gone along. If you haven't noticed this, you are not alone. Many never really pay attention to just how much “noise” mind makes. The simple act of paying attention and noticing is a first stage of a positive meditative practice. Through dedication we learn to sift through noise and retrieve what is necessary and beneficial to us on our path. We are better able to slow mind down, which in turn reduces stress and anxiety.

Meditation is a practice that costs little to nothing and can benefit anyone willing to put some time and effort into it. It requires no special talents , merely desire to grow and learn. For those seeking a more fulfilling and rewarding life experience, meditation offers a simple but powerful method to pursue personal and spiritual growth. Throughout rest of this series I will share answers to common questions, explore many benefits, and detail some different meditation techniques that can be modified to each persons unique preferences.