Meditation As Medicine For Humanity

An exploration of some of the many physiological as well as spiritual benefits that introducing a regular meditation/mindfulness routine into your life can offer

What is the single most powerful act any one of us can choose to provide medicine for our body, mind, heart, spirit, society and all our fellow beings on this planet (and beyond)?

Perhaps we can vote for the right person to get into office and they will then use our tax dollars to fix all that ails our society (through threats or bribes) and they will purchase and hand out all medicine we need to be our best selves?

Nope! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but our current involuntary governance structure is inherently immoral and those who do rule over us are psychopathic.

Or maybe if we perform the correct dogmatic religious ritual and swear allegiance the correct alter (and use the right name for God) a savior will emerge from the sky, get rid of all the bad guys, fix everything on Earth for us and give us tickets to an eternal all inclusive four seasons resort in the clouds?

Unfortunately, that too is nothing more than a comforting story we have been told which serves to breed complacency, stagnation, separation, segregation, oppression and scapegoating to escape our own responsibility to shape our shared experience and shared future through our day to day actions (and thoughts).

What about starting a regenerative garden or planting a food forest?

Well that is a step in the right direction and does indeed offer its own kind of lasting medicine on all those fronts, but it is also true that the most foundational pattern that offers the most profound medicine in all those areas, begins by tending the garden within.

Tending a garden outwardly is an important choice and offers a multitude of benefits but it is also possible to grow garden resentfully, frantically and unhappily (while holding stress in one’s heart, fear in one’s mind and with a disconnect between the two vital organs).

Thus, in order to become the change we want to see in the world and live that change and vision for a brighter, more equitable, hopeful, abundant, peaceful, compassionate and honest world around us, we must first plant the seeds for those things to set down roots and grow strong within us.

Meditation is a pathway to tend the garden within and plant the seeds for that which we want to grow in the world around us to flourish within, so that we can become a walking exemplar of those aspects of our envisioned preferred future.

We live in a universe composed of fractal patterns and thus when we re-organize, re-structure and harmonize the patterns within our heart, mind and spirit, the ripple effects we send out into the world through our actions (and energetically) are potentiated exponentially.

There are many effective methods/techniques for meditation, and they can achieve many different things. I have found through my observations that (invariably) when a path inward is embarked upon with genuine willingness, humility, courage, patience, and persistence... lasting benefits for the body and mind will become manifest (regardless of what ever technique or form that path inward may take).

Not only does the act of meditation offer benefits for your own heart, entire body, the mind and spirit, it also offers tangible and measurable positive ripple effects in the world around you.

Let us begin with the benefits offered to the heart. When I say heart, I do not just mean that meditation offers improved cardiovascular longevity and optimal blood pressure levels (which it does), but in addition to those things I am also referring to the benefits to what some scientists now refer to as the “heart-brain” (aka “Heart-mind”).

Did you know that the human heart (in addition to its other functions) actually possesses a “heart-brain” composed of about 40,000 neurons that can sense, feel, learn, remember and communicate energetically beyond the physical confines of your body?

The heart brain sends messages to the head brain about how the body feels and more. The heart also produces a rhythmic electromagnetic field (which is about 5000 times stronger than that which is produced by the brain). This electromagnetic field is modulated and encoded with specific information depending on what we think and feel. This field of encoded energy extends outwardly beyond the physical confines of our body and has measurable effects on the people (and all other beings we share this world with). This modulated energy field has also been measured to have an effect on the very matter your body and this world is made of on a molecular level. Each emotion and thought you create (and choose to allow to linger in your heart/brain) is communicating energetically with your fellow beings and the living planet herself. In light of these new scientific discoveries I feel it is important to ask one's self the question, What message am I non-verbally communicating to my fellow beings, my body and the living planet?

Are my thoughts and emotions life affirming? Are they aligned with my vision for the type of world I want to live in? Or are my prominent emotions and thoughts the byproduct of the conditioning of a fear, lack and doubt based society and world view?

Traditionally, the study of communication pathways between the head and heart has been approached from a rather one-sided perspective, with scientists focusing primarily on the heart’s responses to the brain’s commands. We have learned, however, that communication between the heart and brain actually is a dynamic, ongoing, two-way dialogue, with each organ continuously influencing the other’s function. Research has shown that the heart communicates to the brain in four major ways: neurologically (through the transmission of nerve impulses), biochemically (via hormones and neurotransmitters), biophysically (through pressure waves) and energetically (through electromagnetic field interactions). Communication along all these conduits significantly affects the brain’s activity. Moreover, our research shows that messages the heart sends to the brain also can affect performance.

The heart communicates with the brain and body in four ways:

- Neurological communication (nervous system)

- Biochemical communication (hormones)

- Biophysical communication (pulse wave)

- Energetic communication (electromagnetic fields)

It would seem that the most up to date scientific data is confirming something that ancient spiritual teachings have been saying for millennia (the importance of "seeing with the heart"). This is no longer just a fun metaphor, it is now confirmed to be literally true. The heart is capable of acting as an organ of perception and a means of intentionally communicating (through energetic means) with the cells in our body, the people and other beings we share this world with, and with the very matter that makes up everything on Earth and beyond.

This potential organ of perception and means of communication is in atrophy in most people (or at least not working coherently and with conscious intent) due to our conditioning by a system that teaches an inaccurate view of what the heart really is. Most public schools still teach the fallacious and outdated viewpoint that says "our brain is where all the perception and communication happens". This is leading to many millions of people growing up without ever learning to tap into their own innate abilities and true potential as a human being. The potential to heal their own bodies, heal and promote resilience in the other beings they share this world with and the potential to tap into heart-based wisdom on demand, aka 'intuition' (which is really data being transmitted and received by the heart via modulated electromagnetic fields and synthesized into a conscious knowing) all through conscious and coherent thought.

That means the majority of humans in modern western society are living their lives with a significant handicap. They are only being taught to see, interact and communicate with the world through half of their own innate sensory, cognition and communication system. Taking time to still the mind through a practice like meditation and 'take an inventory of one's prevalent thoughts/emotions', then taking steps to consciously guide one's heart/mind to new patterns is taking steps to reclaim our birth right to be able to heal ourselves and speak the universal language of the heart (energy we emit based on our coherent thoughts/emotions). This is an essential step as we strive to move forward and chart a new path a species as we unfold higher potentials of what it means to be a human being and create the kind of world we all want to live in.

In purely the context of the brain, I see the kind of meditation where one stills the mind like "de-fragmenting a computer hard-drive"... its a process that allows neural networks that have been firing chaotically, to realign, strengthen lasting bonds to memory centers, increase efficiency and response time. When the brain operates more efficiently, it in turn communicates with the rest of the body more swiftly and precisely and that means the body`s resilience increases.

Having access this 'upgraded operating system' (brain) the body is then able to deal with any issues it may face (eg. threats to one`s immune system, pain, physical trauma/healing or the need for precise and decisive hand eye coordination with split second timing.) in a more effective manner.

These are only a few of the things that daily meditation can offer to one`s physical being: Lowers the risk of heart disease, increases athletic performance, boosts memory and problem solving skills, lowers cortisol levels, accelerates cellular regeneration, initiates anti-inflammatory response in muscle tissues, improves digestion, makes you look younger and helps maintain a healthy serotonin level (prevents depression).

In my essay titled Washing the dishes like your bathing a baby buddha, intentionally stimulating neurogenesis and renovating your synaptic scaffolding I elucidated on other physical benefits which taking the time to meditate and develop a mindfulness practice in one’s day to day life can offer.

For example, from the perspective of science your choice in perspective and in allowing specific thoughts/emotions to dwell in your mind, heart and body means you have the potential to intentionally stimulate neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons, or brain cells) ‘renovate your synaptic scaffolding’ via stimulating dendritic branching (synaptogenesis) or the creation of synapses which connect brain cells and modulating your epigenetic expression (which literally means consciously altering the way your genes become manifest in your cells, organs and body, resulting in a shift what phenotype, out of hundreds if not thousands of possible phenotypes, that your DNA is expressing).

Beyond those physical benefits (and the added extended physiological benefit of meditation literally making people feel more peaceful in the world around you through the modulated electromagnetic fields it creates) a daily meditation practice can offer a gateway to something so much more valuable than all the those things; the chance to reacquaint one`s conscious mind with the soul.

For me, while I acknowledge and understand the myriad physical/mental benefits of meditation, it is predominantly about my re-connecting with my spirit. It is about quieting the mind and asking my ego to 'take the back seat', allowing the part of my Self (that is the essence I was before this life and will be long after this life is over) to guide me.

Through my 11 years of meditation I have been given glimpses and moments of directly perceiving the true nature of my own being and my place in the universe. This awareness has offered me so much more contentment, confidence, peace, motivation, and clarity than any other thing in my life. This path inward, in stillness and surrender has helped me to come to understand that this human experience is about a marriage of spirit with the physical. The relationship is mutually beneficial, a kind of cosmic symbiosis. We come to inhabit these magnificent bodies as they allow us to navigate through the 3rd dimension and experience its beauty through the 5 senses. And the benefit to the physical human being, is we open up gateways to joy and peace unattainable by the ‘ego’ and its body alone… windows into higher complexity and richness of creativity as well as the deep serenity and bliss that comes from the Love we imbue into these lives on earth. The brain is the operating system for these advanced molecular machines (human bodies) that we use to explore and interact on this physical plane. The brain is a bio-chemical electromagnetic computer capable of interpreting and synthesizing our experiences on this plane and storing memories that are painted with the rich spectrum of human emotion. Although this advanced computer can create abstract thoughts, images, along with other sensations, put them into action, store immense amounts of data/knowledge and is even capable of self-awareness, it does not represent the essence of who and what we are.

Many have been conditioned to believe that the path of learning/embracing science is mutually exclusive to the path of spiritual awareness. This prevalent myth has arisen in today`s culture due to inaccurate reductionist views being taught by academic institutions as absolute truths. These are ideas that indoctrinate people into a stagnant view of what a human being truly is, ideas that are no longer backed by the most recent scientific research and rather represent a kind of dogmatic belief system. In truth, is no reason why true science cannot co-exist along side spiritual awareness. They can both serve a meaningful purpose in our life on earth.

Modern science tells that there are aspects of this universe that are very real and yet cannot be perceived with our 5 senses... things that are all around us (microbial life, higher octaves of light, gamma and ultraviolet rays, and frequencies of sound and vibration) beyond the spectrum that we can detect. A few hundred years ago, if you told someone that in a cup of pond water there are multitudes of strange lifeforms taking many shapes smaller than the eye can see, they would have thought you were “crazy”. A few hundred years before that, science thought the world was flat. So the idea that the science of today cannot/ or will not acknowledge the reality of our spirit or "consciousness" isn`t really that surprising.

Mainstream science will eventually catch up and be forced to acknowledge these aspects of our reality and what it means to be human, but in the meantime I feel compelled to trail blaze forward without the approval nor recognition of academic institutions. I feel that we live in times that call for walking the mystical path with practical feet.

Venturing beyond the scientifically verified capacities of the human heart there is something even more profound which honing heart/brain communication and function (through a meditative practice) the heart can serve to facilitate... and that is provide a window into sensing that which exists beyond the confines of this realm of time and space.

One of the most empowering things about being a spirit inhabiting a human body is that the wellspring of gifts available to us is really only limited by our ability to tap into our modes of perception which see beyond the limitations of the brain. When we learn to use the heart (and third eye) as organs of perception to see beyond the veil of this 3D experience we have at our fingertips the skillsets, talents, memories, wisdom and unique perspectives of a thousand lifetimes.

While dogmatic religious belief systems often offer texts and ways of perceiving that contain much wisdom and truth, in my experience I have found that certain aspects of those dogmatic ways of seeing can sometimes serve as an anchor which inhibits growth and moving forward on one’s path to be capable of directly perceiving that which is beyond the physical (and the jurisdiction of the 5 senses) and attune one’s intuitive capacities so that one can be Self-sufficient in being capable of looking at a situation, statement or event and instantly knowing what is true and what is not. And yes, that applies to religious dogmatic belief systems such as Buddhism and Vedanta which typically involve a type of structured meditative practice as part of their traditional structure.

As I stated in my past substack essay titled Spiritual Autodidacticism;

… Being threatened with “eternal hell fire” by priests if you choose an action that is self interested, disingenuous or malicious is not an effective long term solution for encouraging people to be “good”… for even if the one being threatened believes the threat is legitimate, they can always just repent after choosing one of the above forbidden choices. Additionally, said systems of belief that claim to be able to threaten people into being “good” are systems that nurture fear and guilt, rather than love and integrity.

Rather than looking to myths of eternal damnation or institutions to threaten us into being “good” I instead look to nature (which is an intrinsic part of Creation and thus infused with God’s design/truth) for inspiration in these matters. When one is planting a garden and seeks to avoid unwanted plants (aka “weeds”) from taking over that space, one can go about it in one of two ways. Firstly, the conventional approach that sees weeds as “the bad guy” and takes on an adversarial approach that fears the “weeds” (seeking to threaten them with physical and chemical ‘punitive measures’ if these sinful ‘weeds’ dare appear). This approach results in an endless and futile internal conflict in the garden, where “weeds” find ways to become resistant to the chemical and physical attacks and they persist despite the relentless efforts of the gardener engaging in the ‘crusade against their evil weed foes’. The other approach seeks to plant the seeds for that which is desired and beautiful to flourish in that garden (until the point in which that which is “good” outcompetes the so called evil “weeds”). This approach to gardening plants can also be applied to the gardens of our hearts and minds.

In the end I feel that the most permanent and systemic change cannot and will not be brought about via any top down policies, threats, bribes nor any other institutionalized/centralized source, but rather must originate from within. The societal changes that set down roots and persist through the millennia begin with seeds planted by individuals that are living and embodying the change they want to see in the world, embracing radical authenticity and starting fractal chain reactions in our collective that spread outwardly in all directions.

In essence, it is the seed that rises from within that is born from living the way one wants the world to be, which readily self sows and sets down roots far and wide. Individuals embodying the intrinsic abundance, purpose and joy that results from living with integrity, compassion, courage and generosity provides an incentive more enticing than any promise of a religious bribe for others to follow suit. They show other people a way of living that heals the broken parts within us, heals the land around us, begins to bind our shattered communities together again and offers nourishment for the soul.

Therefore, for those that seek to embark on a path to learn about the more than physical aspects of our existence and come to know the essence of Self that existed before they came into this human experience (and will continue to exist after the body they currently inhabit ceases to function) I would suggest that embarking on that learning/remembering path without the baggage of stagnant, distorted and often ego inflating dogmatic belief systems and the corrupt institutions perpetuating them is the most effective path to gain a solid awareness of the spiritual aspects of our existence.

Being raised in a devout atheist family and then being confronted by experiences that could not be explained through conventional scientific lenses of perception my path to Spiritual Autodidacticism was embarked upon out of necessity. For me, it began when I would spend time in solitude in the deep wilderness, allowing my mind to become still until I was able to sense that part of me that is more permanent than my human body and mind. That journey inward became a launch pad for perceiving many nourishing, inspiring, humbling and beautiful realizations and understandings and I do not think I would have gotten there if I had sought out some Guru or Priest with predispositions, assumptions a limited dogmatic worldview (and perhaps ulterior motives as well.)

We have all been conditioned to latch onto the comforting (and infantilizing) idea that someone other than ourselves is going to solve our problems for us. This has never been true and it never will be true.

Each of us can choose to embody the template for the type world we want to live in.. Each of us can learn to perceive the same spark we have come to know in our own core in others. This is a pathway for becoming a catalyst for positive change on planet Earth.

Thus, one of the most critical steps we need to take in order to break from the old paradigm and shape a new one we need to stop seeking outside of ourselves and look inward. No amount of book knowledge or research can truly serve to initiate the first meaningful step along this path of spiritual self-learning. As informative and valuable as the scientific data and discoveries are that I shared above may be, that information is just abstract and only becomes real, tangible and able to be directly perceived as true when one makes the conscious choice to still their mind and develop a daily meditative practice. As each of us become reacquainted with the part of our selves that existed before we came into these bodies (and will continue to exist long after) we move into an awareness that involves self awareness and intuitive discernment. Critical thinking is a powerful tool (and I endorse exercising it regularly wholeheartedly) but intuitive discernment surpasses the capabilities of that lens of perception and process of analyzing situations by far. Outside and beyond the ‘jurisdiction’ of that which the human brain can know and perceive, all is already known and perceived.. thus, if one attunes their alternative organs of perception (heart/third eye) through spiritual self-learning (non ideologically defined meditative practices) one becomes capable of perceiving glimpses of that infinite library of knowing and crystal clear lens of unlimited perception in key moments in life.

If you have not attempted to do so as of yet, I invite you to the time to still your mind and reacquaint your self with your heart, with patience, humility, reverence, and genuine intent, you will be amazed at the things that begin to unfold in your life.

If one wishes to truly begin to know one`s deeper Self through stillness/meditation, that 'surrendering' or "letting go" aspect is so vital. The ego wants no part in 'surrendering', or 'allowing', it wants to control, and so that threshold of the path inward takes a different kind of courage. At least it did for me, being raised an atheist and being very science minded growing up.

I will attempt to describe and share the kind of meditative practice where my path inward began. It began years ago when I would regularly explore deep into the wilderness and sit in the forests, canyons and mountain meadows in awe of the natural beauty around me. I began by taking some time to sit in stillness, closing my eyes and bringing my awareness inward. Feeling the sensations of the 5 senses (the air moving into my lungs, the smells, and sounds). I would then consciously choose to bring my awareness further inward where I was no longer aware of those sensations, letting them fall away, one by one. When I reached pure thought, I would let my thoughts be as they may, and observed them 'from a distance’ (at that point I began to wonder "who or what exactly, is the one observing my thoughts"). I found the key to go deeper is not fighting thoughts as they arrive, but rather letting them ‘float away’ until I was able to let my thoughts calm down to the point where I was in a state without thoughts. I would then enter a state that was just the awareness of my own Being. This led me to perceive an 'immutable glow', deep in my core, that was/is present without thought… this life force I sensed deeper than thought and before thought, was/is my spirit. Once I was able to enter into stillness and directly perceive that conscious spark that radiates from my core (before thought) that essence of Self that is not limited by space or time, I came to begin to know the part of my Self that was in existence long before I came into this life and will be long after this life is over.

It is just one method, but if you have not yet attempted to explore your own being in stillness, I implore you to try it (or find something that resonates with you more and use it as the path inward). Perhaps a meditative practice with its roots in a specific religion feels more right for you, as that path offers more of a structured and pre-determined path to embark upon and also offers the benefit of a community of supportive fellow practitioners. If that is the case, who am I to say that is not right for you at this time in your life, all I know is the path I described above worked best for me and the rewards that such a journey and awareness offer can not be quantified and last a lifetime (and beyond).

For me, the choice to go inward, tap into my alternative organs of perception and then allow my spirit (or ‘soul’) to take the drivers seat is the single most profoundly beneficial and meaningful action I chose in this life on Earth. For not only does inward stillness, exploration and coming to know your eternal self inevitably invoke beautiful realizations and knowledge, it helps one to attain a kind of lasting inner peace, joy, and knowing not attainable through any amount of outside stimuli, whether that stimuli be “education”, dogmatic religious belief, material wealth, or even intimate connections with other humans.

From this perspective we can move forward not purely for the sake of a benefit to ourselves as individuals, but towards a new path where the evolutionary process is consciously determined from within each of us to enrich the collective of which we are an intrinsic part. This is a path where embracing spiritual autonomy can take our human family. The transformation begins with each one individual, inside out.

There is no elected official, institution, politician, guru, priest, revolutionary, savior or any other external force or individual who can do this for you. Engaging in life on Earth is a voluntary journey that each of us chose willingly. The Creator of all things respects our choice to be here and our free will. We did not come here to see a dramatic dualistic showdown happen and applaud the ‘good guy' for vanquishing the bad guy (from a distance as a spectator). No, each and every one of us (whether we are currently consciously aware of this fact or not) came here to co-author the story. That means no-one else is going to do the hard work for us (not a savior, rebel leader nor a politician) we came here to do that work of transforming this world ourselves.

If you are reading this than that means that on a soul level you chose to be here on Earth in this particular time (and critical stage in the unfolding of humanity) because you are resilient, courageous, capable of spiritual autodidacticism, transmuting pain into wisdom, radiating light from within to make the darkness flee and serving as an exemplar to help those who are ready to also become catalysts for a metamorphosis.

You are the sowers of the seeds of change and the remediators of humanity's collective consciousness. You are the gardeners that sow the seeds of hope, healing, remembrance, kindness, respect, solidarity and compassion (even in the midst of the cold winter winds) having faith these seeds will germinate and their roots take hold when the time is right.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

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