Spiritualized Meditation: Mindfulness to Soulfulness in Eight Elevating Steps

By Alexander Soltys Jones

Spiritualized Meditation the ultimate security in troubled times. Most people today view meditation as a stress management practice that helps one relax. Meditation indeed is the best relaxation technique available but meditation does not stop there and can be spiritualized.The deeper reason for mindfulness meditation as taught by Buddha was to gain the awareness that everything in this universe is changeable. Nothing is permanent, is ever fluctuating, and is the eventual root cause of all suffering as we can see today.All God-realized masters who meditated tell us that we can ascend to even deeper levels of consciousness. By going within ourselves we can soulfully realize the changeless and permanent qualities of our soul (our Diamond Essence) and the presence of God where the only true security and contentment is to be found.Spiritualized Meditation leads you from mindfulness to soulfulness, giving you the best that meditation has to offer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alexander Soltys Jones
• Release date: Mar 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781630200039

Alexander Soltys Jones

Here is a Glimpse of my search for life's ultimate purpose.Author, musician, spiritual director and meditation instructor, Alexander Soltys Jones is most well known for his best-selling book Seven Mansions of Color. Published in 1976, it has sold over 24,000 copies and has become a classic in Color Therapy.Perfectly timed for 2021, his newest books are The Diamond Way and Spiritualized Meditation.His other titles include: Journey of the Heart, Spiritualize the Workplace, How Much Did You Love, Awaken the Christ Within You, Christian Meditation, and Conversations with Christ.Alexander was the first to write and produce New Age relaxation music in Canada and has sold over 100,000 recordings. His music titles include Kali’s Dream, Awake & Dreaming and Pranava. His guided meditations include Angels of Color & Sound and Peace Beyond Stress. All have become soothing and enlightening aids to meditation, yoga and stress management classes as well as popular relaxation induction aids for listeners at home.A long-time Stress Management Instructor, Alexander worked at the Dorothy Madgett Stress Management Clinic in downtown Toronto where he taught relaxation classes and a 15 week lecture series to groups and individuals. Many of his clients at the clinic were from the business community. As he worked with these clients they disclosed to him and themselves their own misgivings and vulnerabilities. Alexander saw the tremendous stress and anxiety individuals were facing in the workplace: “It was obvious to me that a deep sense of spirituality was needed in the workplace and hence the creation of Spiritualize the Workplace.”Alexander offers meditation classes based on his book Spiritualized Meditation, and offers lectures and workshops on color, stress management and opening the heart.Alexander, a certified Spiritual Director, graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Pacific Jubilee Program at the Vancouver School of Theology. He is also a graduate of Tyndale University with the degree bachelor of Religious Education.He has practiced meditation and yoga since his twenties and, in young adulthood, spent a nine-month period of seclusion in the Rocky Mountains. At 24, he became a monastic in Paramahansa Yogananda’s Spiritual Organization (Self-Realization Fellowship), dedicating his life in the search for God. He continues to faithfully practice Paramahansa Yogananda’s life transforming meditation techniques to this day.“I have been fortunate to have touched the lives of thousands through my books, music and workshops. Many have said my gentle approach makes it easy for them to feel safe and open to their highest potential...My mission is to help others rediscover their diamond essence and from that inner center meet all life’s difficulties with courage, love, peace and joy.”Check out alexmeditation.com to learn more.

Book preview

Spiritualized Meditation

Mindfulness to Soulfulness

in Eight Elevating Steps

Alexander Soltys Jones

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The Spiritualized Unity of East and West

Through Meditation

This book was originally called Meditation—Where East and West Meet showing the unity of religions of east and west through meditation. Spiritualized meditation continues with the theme of world unity through meditation. We are all Spiritualized in God. There is only one truth and all paths eventually lead to our one common denominator: God. When we realize we are all united in God and act accordingly peace will be established on earth.

Spiritualized Meditation: Mindfulness to Soulfulness

in Eight Elevating Steps

The book has been revised to provide greater clarity, improve readability, and make abstract concepts less difficult to understand.

Copyright © 2021 Alexander Soltys Jones

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Address inquires to the author:

Alexander Soltys Jones

PO Box 188

Millbrook, Ontario L0A 1G0

Canada

www.alexmeditation.com

Published by:

Cygnet Publications

Cygnet Media Group Inc.

www.cygnetmediagroup.com

ISBN: 978-1-63020-003-9

Dedication

To the God-Realized Masters who have contributed to this book through their profound writings and spiritualized meditations.

To my wife Karen, who inspired me to

share what I love and know best.

Contents

Dedication v

Contents vi

List of Meditation Practices x

Acknowledgements xii

1 Spiritualized Benefits of Meditation and

Your Diamond Essence

Benefits of Meditation

Encouragement to Begin

Connecting to Your Inner Resources

Meditation Goal

Choosing a Benefit of Meditation

Additional Benefits of Meditation

2 Universal Stages to Spiritualize and

Awaken Your Diamond Essence

Universal Paths

The Yoga Meditation System of Patanjali

Seven Mansions of Saint Teresa of Avila

Seven Manifestations of Saint John of the Cross

3 First and Second Steps to Spiritualize and

Awaken Your Diamond Essence

Moral Conduct

Free Will

Manifesting the Virtues

Transforming Negative Tendencies by Focusing on

the Opposite Positive Virtue

The Second Mistake is Worse Than the First

Meditation is the Greatest Cleanser

Understanding the Nature of Thoughts

We Do Not Create Thoughts, We Use Them

Comparing Thoughts to Water

The Power of Positive Thinking

The Importance of Journal Writing

4 Third Step to Spiritualize and Awaken

Your Diamond Essence

Meditation Guidelines

Where and How to Meditate

Time for Meditation

Proper Posture

Eye Position—States of Consciousness

Spiritual Eye

Deep Breathing

Diet

Fasting

Tension and Relaxation Exercises

The Spiritual Heart

5 Using Mantras and Visualization

for Meditation

Mantras

Saint Francis’ Mantra

A Master’s Mantra

Desert Fathers’ Mantra

Other Popular Mantras

Your Own Personal Mantra

Sanskrit Mantra for Meditation

When a Mantra is Not Necessary

Visualization

Special-Place Visualization

Visualization to Manifest Your Diamond Essence

Visualizing the Past into the Future

Example of Excellence

6 Fourth Step to Spiritualize and Awaken

Your Diamond Essence

Observer-mind / Editor-mind

Mindfulness

Working with the Breath

Meditation Technique of Watching the Breath

Mantra with the Breath

Other Methods and Hints to Help You

Follow the Breath

Silence, or Stillness

Early Christianity and Resting in God

The Stillness and Silence of Meditation

Where is Complete Stillness?

Thought-Free State of Meditation

Importance of Watching the Breath

7 Fifth Step to Spiritualize and Awaken

Your Diamond Essence

Interiorization by Meditation Versus Sleep

The Interiorized Mind

The Rat and I

8 Steps Six and Seven to Spiritualize

and Awaken Your Diamond Essence

Mastery of Meditation —

Experience of Your Meditation Goal

Diamond Consciousness (The Soul)

Made in God’s Image

9 Eighth Step to Spiritualize and

Awaken Your Diamond Essence

Oneness of the Soul with Spirit

The Nature of the Creator and the Soul

God and the Soul as Bliss

The Trinity

The Son/Daughter of God

Universal Truths

Additional Goals of Meditation

Meditation on the Absolute

Advanced Meditation

Meditation on the Om Vibration

The White Light

Holy Ghost, or Om

Pure Undistorted Intelligenc

10 The Chakras and Their Colors

Subtle Energy Centers

Chakras with Corresponding Colors, Sounds,

Elements and Qualities

The Chakra Meditation

The Chakras in Relationship to the Eight Steps

In Awakening Your Divine Essence

11 Love for Your Creator

Love for God—Science of the Soul

Loving God Through Your Meditation Goal

The Creator in Form

Love for a Form of God Expressed by the Masters

Developing a Relationship With Your Creator in Form

Meditation on a God-Realized Master

Your Own Effort

Love for God

Resistance to Moving Closer to and Establishing

a Personal Relationship with God

The Romance with God Is the Sweetest Relationship

Two Chairs Meditation Technique

Mantra Meditation On Personal Concept of God

When Meditation on God in Form is Not Necessary

12 Love in Action

Manifesting Outwardly Your Diamond Essence

Conclusion

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

About Alexander Soltys Jones

Books and Recordings by Alexander Soltys Jones

Audio Recordings (Music)

Audio Recordings–Guided Meditations

List of Meditation Practices

1 Choosing a Quality That Will Nurture You

2 Developing a Relationship with Your Goal

3 Correct Posture and Spiritual Eye Meditation

4 Spiritual Heart

5 Complete Meditation Routine

6 Preliminary Routine and Mantra to Nurture the Soul

7 Guided Meditation for Relaxation

8 Special-Place Visualization

9 Visualization to Manifest Your Diamond Essence

10 Visualizing Your Chosen Goal in the Present Moment

11 Meditation on Someone Who Has Manifested Their

Diamond Essence

12 Healing Technique

13 Observer-mind Listening to a Clock

14 Watching the Breath

15 Watching the Breath with Your Mantra

16 Focus on the Pauses

17 Visualization Meditation on Expansion

18 Meditation on God as the Infinite Spirit

19 Experiencing the White Light

20 Inner Sounds

21 Son/Daughter of God

22 Heart Chakra

23 Greatest Love Relationship

24 Experience Your Creator in Form

25 God’s Presence

26 Divine Mother

27 Two Chairs

28 Personal Concept Mantra

29 Personal Concept Mantra with the Breath

30 Visualizing God as a Companion

31 Perfect Manifestation

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Patanjali, and Paramahansa Yogananda for their profound and enlightening writings. Their thoughts and the scriptures of East and West are a source of great inspiration and truth, and form the foundation of this book.

I thank Ann Emerson, Carole Fisher, and Mona Harper for their assistance with the developmental stages of my manuscript. I would also like to thank Christie Kipping for her helpful comments and suggestions in reviewing my manuscript.

With deepest gratitude and appreciation I thank George Johnston for his invaluable assistance in editing the revised edition of this book and for offering priceless suggestions and content. George, your profound knowledge of spiritual principles and your precision for detail have transformed my writing to be the gift to humanity that I envisioned it to be. Teresa Spanjer, thank you for your friendship, commitment, and your meticulous editing of the first edition of this book and its message.

Brian Alexander, thank you for the countless hours you spent typesetting the revised edition of this book and for publishing it through Cygnet Media Group Inc.

Mother, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your belief in me and support. And to my dear wife and best friend Karen, thank you for your helpful criticism, endless patience and support in all my endeavors. I especially thank Karen for encouraging me to share my passion for meditation.

Introduction

Most people today view meditation as a stress management practice that helps one relax. Meditation indeed is the best relaxation technique available and I personally worked in a stress management relaxation clinic and used mindfulness meditation and guided visualization meditations for this purpose, with great success.

The practice of mindfulness meditation teaches a person how to be mindfully aware of the present moment and not caught up in the past or future. This is accomplished by focusing on the beauty of the present moment, where life is actually taking place.

Due to the high stress level in the West, mindfulness meditation has been the saving grace for a lot of people. Having total awareness of the present moment is a great relaxation technique to calm the body and mind and helps a person to be rather than doing all the time. People’s minds are so cluttered with thoughts about everything and mindfulness helps to concentrate the mind allowing a person to think and do one thing at a time and not live a frantic existence.

But meditation does not stop there and can be spiritualized. The deeper reason of mindfulness meditation, as taught by the Buddha, was to lead a person to total awareness of the present moment so one may gain the perception that everything in this universe is changeable. Nothing is permanent, is ever fluctuating, and is the eventual root cause of all suffering.

Buddha tells us, as do all God-realized masters who meditated, that we can ascend to even deeper levels of consciousness. By going within ourselves we can soulfully realize the changeless and permanent qualities of our soul (our Diamond Essence) and the presence of God where the ultimate contentment is to be found. Spiritualized Meditation leads you from mindfulness to soulfulness, giving you the best that meditation has to offer.

As to what good qualities there may be in our souls,

or Who dwells within them, or how precious they

are—those are things which we seldom consider and so

we trouble little about carefully preserving the soul’s beauty.

I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle

made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal,

in which there are many rooms,

just as in Heaven there are many mansions.

For what do you think a room will be like

which is the delight of a King so mighty,

so wise, so pure and so full of all that is good?

I can find nothing with which to compare

the great beauty of a soul and its great capacity.

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Interior Castle

Your Diamond Essence

and Meditation Benefits

In her writings, Saint Teresa of Avila describes the soul as " a castle made of a single diamond. This is one of the clearest, truest analogies for the soul that I have found, and I often use the term Diamond Essence to refer to the soul and my meditation approach as, The Diamond Way ."

In seeking to realize my Diamond Essence through meditation for over fifty years, I have experienced the benefits of this time-honored discipline and am convinced that the daily practice of meditation is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this life. It is the golden road that leads to the diamond castle of supreme, loving fulfillment.

No matter what you do in this world—go to a movie, have the finest clothing, eat the most delicious food, win the lottery, have many friends, raise a family, take a trip around the world, drive a fancy car, play a musical instrument, rise to the top of the corporate ladder, or become a famous recording artist or actor—none of these things, although enticing and important, can match the joy and satisfaction you can ultimately experience through meditation.

Meditation feels like coming home. It awakens you so you can experience the grandeur of your inner native state, behind your habitual thoughts and emotions. Meditation also assists in outwardly maximizing your full potential.

People in many cultures have been meditating successfully for millennia. However, 1984 was a landmark year for meditation as far as health issues are concerned. In this year the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a report recommending meditation, in conjunction with diet, as being more effective than prescription drugs in the early treatment of hypertension. In scientific studies, it has been shown that those who meditate tend to experience lower or normalized blood pressure and pulse rate. In addition, brain wave patterns change, showing less excitability and the level of stress hormones in the blood is reduced. The physical changes reflect changes in attitude that reduce anxiety and stress.

Meditation was shown to be very effective in strengthening the immune system, reducing cholesterol levels, raising the pain threshold,

and improving one’s biological age. The release of joy-producing hormones (endorphins) is aided through meditation practice. In psychotherapy sessions, meditation helps patients learn how to open up and deal with strong emotions, which appear to come from overwhelming, repressed feelings.

Meditation opens you up to be soulfully aware of the peace, courage, intuition, power, love, and joy within you. These divine treasures lie in the recesses of your soul, in your Diamond Consciousness, waiting to be awakened, and manifested in splendor in your life.

Meditation relaxes the body and mind, filling you with peace, which helps you stay calm and even minded during the ups and downs of life and when things don’t turn out as you wish. Due to the law of relativity with its play of opposites such as pleasure and pain or gain and loss the changeless peace we find within gives us a solid anchor to help us to stand unshaken in a uncertain changeable world.

From the peace of meditation you will be able to concentrate more effectively and efficiently in your work and be present to the feelings of those around you. Meditation opens the heart to a greater capacity to give and receive love.

Meditation takes you to the goal of yoga, union of the soul with Spirit. Ultimately, meditation will unite you with the consciousness of your soul and your Creator and completely fulfill you. As you begin to awaken to this union, you will love and accept yourself, knowing you are a child of an unconditionally loving God. In realizing you are a child of God, you will stand face-to-face with your infinite potential.

In this book I have endeavored to cover the entire meditative journey from the beginning stages to the final realization. Although I often use quotes and illustrations to point toward the final goal, it is important that you start where you feel comfortable and continue at your own pace. Even though the complete journey may take a long time, it begins with the first step and there are blessings all along the way.

Practice at your own pace and be comfortable with your relaxed and sincere efforts. Results will come, but they usually evolve over time. Persistence and patience are essential. Practice daily, live in love, with compassion for all, and you will surely unfold your Diamond Essence.

"My soul shall be satisfied ... when I remember

you upon my bed and meditate on you in

the watches of the night"

(Psalms 63:3).

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1

Spiritualized Benefits of Meditation and Your Diamond Essence

In my teenage years I dedicated a lot of time to physical culture. I studied and tried various health-related diets. I practiced weight lifting and jogging, and studied and practiced yoga and other exercise routines long before they became fashionable. Physically I felt wonderful, but inwardly I felt incomplete, that there must be something more. During this same period I was involved in a relationship but still felt an undercurrent of inner loneliness and separation.

Several years later I went to university with the intention of becoming a physical education instructor. I was enthralled with the Greek ideal of a perfect body and mind. While at university I shifted my focus and decided to major in psychology. I studied the capabilities of the mind and began to cultivate them. In fact, in my first year I achieved scholarship marks due to my newfound skills in concentration. Even with these newly acquired abilities, I still felt something was missing.

Eventually I left university, searching for my soul—my Diamond Essence. Finally, I was introduced to meditation, and through practicing it and experiencing its benefits, I began to awaken to awareness of my greater Self.

It is my conviction that the most compelling reason to meditate and realize the Self, or soul, is to find peace, vitality, intuition, love, joy, and the presence of God within you.

In the core of your being you are infinitely beautiful. You do not need to access your divinity as though it were something outside yourself; you only need to unfold and rightly discover what you already are. Most people are completely blind to the majesty of their inner, native state. Meditation is the most direct way of realigning yourself with the beauty and goodness residing within you. It awakens inner faculties and refined states of consciousness, revealing dynamic and pure qualities already present within you.

Meditation is simple and easy to practice if you are healthy and willing. To be successful, you need to have a compelling reason to practice it, such as a desire for peace, love, joy, intuition or union with God. These are wondrous benefits and your divine treasure. They transformed my life and can transform yours.

This book will guide you on a step-by-step journey to experience the benefits of meditation.

You have a soul, mind, and body. In order to have a healthy, happy, and harmonious life you need to awaken, nurture and develop all three aspects of your being. The body needs to be kept fit through proper diet and exercise. The mind needs cultivation by developing its reasoning abilities and powers of concentration. The soul needs to be brought into your awareness so that its inherent qualities of love, peace, joy, intuition and creative energy can bless your life and manifest in your relationships with others and in your work and play. The more you become aware of the qualities of your soul, the more you become aware of your oneness with God.

You are either consciously or unconsciously striving to be aware of a Higher Force or Power. You desire success. You desire understanding. You desire happiness. Ultimately you are craving a love that will totally embrace you, a love in which you feel no lack or emptiness within. You yearn for a love that totally sustains you.

In this school of life you will eventually come to a point where you realize that no worldly pursuits or other human beings can give you the total, loving fulfillment you are seeking. Deep down you are looking for something more lasting and something you can always depend on that will never fail you. In whatever you are seeking, this completeness can only be found in your Diamond Soul and in God.

The something else all of humankind seeks, consciously or unconsciously, consists of the qualities of a refined and sublime state of consciousness we already possess within. It is only through feeling these qualities and their outward manifestation that we can be sustained and fulfilled.

Saint Teresa of Avila has been a great inspiration for me and has changed my whole view of spirituality. She says our consciousness is like a diamond—pure, radiant, majestic and beautiful. She tells us we have all the love, peace, wisdom, joy, intuition, vitality and courage we need, for these qualities are ever within us. India’s renowned scripture the Bhagavad-Gita echoes this same truth: This Self is never born nor does it ever perish; nor having come into existence will it again cease to be. It is birthless, eternal, changeless…immutable, all-permeating, ever calm and immovable, eternally the same.¹ In the New Testament Saint Paul affirms Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.² Even science supports our innate potential by affirming we are only manifesting a small percentage of our capacity.

I have come to the realization that our only problem is we have accumulated mud on our Diamond Consciousness and so have forgotten our native state of brilliance. Unfortunately, we keep focusing on the mud of limitation, thinking we are inferior, and very often we begin to feel and identify with victim consciousness.

Through the residue of childhood traumas and limiting affirmations, which may have come from our parents and peers, we become wounded and crippled physically, mentally and spiritually. These experiences often increase and harden the mud on our Diamond Consciousness so that we become blind to its radiance. I remember one of my meditation students saying that in his case, it felt more like concrete than mud.

These experiences and their effects take time to eradicate but in reality they are not our true nature. We can change and remove the mud of limitations by believing and eventually experiencing the grandeur of our sacred Self.

Meditation is the means by which you can remove the mud of limiting thoughts and uncover your divine essence. As you progress in meditation, you will find you feel better about yourself as you see your divine potential unfolding. This can make you a happier and more balanced individual. Gradually you will find you are better able to motivate and assert yourself, to reach out and attain your external goals. You come to realize you are an exquisite, beautiful being endowed with a consciousness existing for eternity with infinite divine qualities.

People have told me they started meditation as a leap of faith. They felt deep inside it might be helpful to them. Others say they have tried so many other things that have left them dissatisfied, they are willing to give meditation a try. When people are under tremendous stress, they may attempt meditation to feel calmness or experience some healing benefits. A few decide to meditate to discover their Diamond Essence and to commune with their Creator, but are not quite sure how to do this.

It does not matter at what level you want to start the meditation program I offer, or how far you want to travel down the highway of Self-Realization. Feel free to proceed at your own pace and go as far as what feels comfortable for you according to your stage of evolution and comfort level. You will find encouragement and support along the way.

As a meditation instructor I feel obligated to show you the complete meditative journey in unfolding your infinite potential and Self-Realization. Take from these meditation instructions the things that will benefit you now. You can always proceed to more refined levels when your desire for them becomes awakened.

Next I present a list of the benefits and goals of meditation. If you have a desire to achieve or experience any of these benefits and awaken yourself to a higher level of existence, then you are well on your way to unfolding the infinite potential of your Sacred Self.

Benefits of Meditation

The following list of benefits of spiritualized meditation—peace, joy, intuition, vitality and creative energy, unconditional love, along with union with God and creation—are the positive, life-fulfilling goals of meditation. They can be discovered within you and are an internal realization.

Peace

Peace is a great goal and benefit of meditation. The first uplifting experience in meditation is usually a state of calmness. This is not a negative state or just an absence of conflict