The Sacred Silence Meditations

The Sacred Silence Meditations

Cheat Sheet

By Andrew Koransky (andrew(at)koransky.com)

I’ve found that it helps me to have a piece of paper or cheat sheet when leading sacred silence meditations. I’ve typed this up in hopes that it helps others in leading the meditations listed in Tom Brown’s book Awakening Spirits. It is highly recommended you purchase this book and read it before attempting to lead these meditations. It is also recommended that your followers have read this book as well. Although not necessary, I’d also recommend that you have been led (successfully) before leading others… There are so many nuances you can’t really get from reading this or Tom’s book. However, if you follow your heart, you can’t go wrong!

I don’t claim to be an expert on leading these meditations, but they hold a very special place in my heart and I hope this cheat sheet will help leaders lead friends to experience the same joy I have. I’ve added some tips which I have found helpful. I’d love feedback on this, so feel free to e-mail me at any time.

NOTES:

Practice before leading! You might even want to tape record yourself.
I’ve always given an introduction, or review, to the concepts in Awakening Spirits when beginning with a new group. Hopefully, your followers will have read Awakening Spirits and some of Tom’s other books.
Meditations should be done with the meditator lying down on a mat.. Tell them to use a blanket if feeling even the slightest bit cold. If they have back pain, evelvate the knees with pillows.
Do not fumble with papers/notes. Have everything totally prepared. Remember you MUST minimize distraction as much as possible! If you are looking at the MS Word document, you’ll notice that I tried to put each meditation on a single page.
Music greatly enhances the meditation. Try to pick something relaxing, but not complex. You don’t want people concentrating on the music. Tom uses Kitaro during Philosophy class. I have used Ray Lynch and Kitaro. If music is unavailable, you can lightly tap a drum or use nothing at all. Start or stop the music as you see fit. Alter the volume as you see fit during the meditation. Watch the length of the songs! You don’t want Van Halen to start playing when your song runs out! J Eventually, your meditators should be able to do away with the music.
The meditation leader must be forceful, but gentle. Put feeling into your voice! Speak with emotion and speak from your heart (inner voice!).
Always tell everyone to use restroom before a meditation! The extremely relaxed state can lead to an extremely embarrassing moment, especially when doing the pain sequence. Don’t try to pass the pain of needing to go to the bathroom! J
After the meditation, have the mediators discuss "failures" and "successes" with each other. You may want to partner them up. If you have a large group, ask for examples of successes or "hits" when appropriate.
When helping your mediators’ with their "failures," remind them to not get caught up in expectations (IE trying to feel your heart beat in the breath to surrender). And remember, to encourage… Treat very small things that didn’t have a large impact on the mediator as a tremendous success! "Try without trying. The act of trying negates itself. Just do!"
Have your meditators bring a tape recorder to tape the meditations so they can practice at home. Don’t let the tape become a "hair" though! (See pages 57-61 in Awakening Spirits).
I always describe meditations before giving them so there are no false expectations, but Tom did not do this with our Philosophy class.
The words you use for the meditation have to come from your heart. Anything in bold below are words that I may use when leading. But say it in your own words! Try to get away from the paper.
This is simply a guideline! If something below doesn’t seem to fit, nix it; feel free to add your own stuff as well. Do what works. Remember this should come from your own heart!
Get feedback from your followers! The most common mistake is going too fast or lack of emotion.
I’m happy to try to answer any questions. Again, I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’ve found that this cheat sheet works for me when leading meditations. Send e-mail to andrew(at)koransky.com.
The Original (without Pain Sequence)

Breathing (10-15 seconds)
Pay attention to your breathing.
Command Breath (2-3 times)
I’m now going to ask you to take a command breath.
Remember that the command breath is in two parts:

physical taking in of the breath, holding it, building up
then forcing it out along with all tension, distraction, and disease

Ready? Take that deep breath… Bring it in! Build it up! Build it up! And release.
Body Relaxation
We are now going to go through the body relaxation exercise.
Only tighten each muscle group to ¹/₂ strength.
After each group of muscles, let that part of the body sink into the ground so you don’t know where you flesh ends and the floor begins.
After a group of muscles, feel free to complement the meditatee with a simple expletive: excellent, good. Don’t get too repetitive that it becomes a distraction!
Pause for a moment after each group.
Use the commands for the command breath for each muscle group:

Ready? Take that deep breath… Bring it in. Build it up. Now tighten it up! Tighten it up! And release.

The muscle groups:

feet, ankles, shins, calves (feet to knees)
thighs, buttocks, lower abdominal area (knees to waist)
upper abdominal area, back, chest, lats (waist to neck, excluding your arms)
shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, hands
head face and neck
entire body but only to ¹/₈ strength

White Light (about a minute or two)
Imagine a white light entering your body at your feet.
Use the following words when describing the light while moving the light up the body (see below):

so soothing, so peaceful, so healing, so perfect
yet so relaxed, so secure, so comfortable, so warm

Now moving up to your…

feet, ankles, shins, calves
thighs, buttocks, lower abdominal area
upper abdominal area, back, chest, lats
shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, hands
head face and neck

Now expand the light beyond the parameters of your flesh so you are surrounded in a cocoon of white light…
Body Position (20-30 seconds)
Sense how your body lies on the earth
Note where each limb is lying, your arms, your head, and even your fingers.
Sense gravity. (20-30 seconds)
Feel your body being pulled into the earth.
Imagine yourself melting into the earth, now feeling one with the earth.
Floating/Flying Sequence (a minute or so)
We are now going to take a imaginary flight out of your body.
Imagine your self becoming lighter and lighter.
Now hovering over this room, imagine yourself flying over imaginary landscapes!
Soar! Have fun! Make it up as you go.
Pause (20-30 seconds)
Now returning to your body.
Now entering your physical body.
Breath to surrender / trigger sequence (2 times or so)
I am now going to ask you to go from breath to surrender.
With each release, imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, and disease leaving your body.
As grandfather would say, "Give up, Give in."
Ready? Take that deep, but gentle, breath… Bring it in. Build it up. Build it up. Surrender.
Full consciousness
Now returning to consiousnes.
Waking up.
Moving your hands and feet.
Moving your arms and legs.
Beginning to stretch.
Finally come slowly up to a sitting position.

The Original (with Pain Sequence)

Breathing (10-15 seconds)
Pay attention to your breathing.
Command Breath (2-3 times)
I’m now going to ask you to take a command breath.
Remember that the command breath is in two parts:

physical taking in of the breath, holding it, building up
then forcing it out along with all tension, distraction, and disease

Ready? Take that deep breath… Bring it in! Build it up! Build it up! And release.
Body Relaxation
We are now going to go through the body relaxation exercise.
Only tighten each muscle group to ¹/₂ strength.
After each group of muscles, let that part of the body sink into the ground so you don’t know where you flesh ends and the floor begins.
After a group of muscles, feel free to complement the meditatee with a simple expletive: excellent, good. Don’t get too repetitive that it becomes a distraction!
Pause for a moment after each group.
Use the commands for the command breath for each muscle group:

Ready? Take that deep breath… Bring it in. Build it up. Now tighten it up! Tighten it up! And release.

The muscle groups:

feet, ankles, shins, calves (feet to knees)
thighs, buttocks, lower abdominal area (knees to waist)
upper abdominal area, back, chest, lats (waist to neck, excluding your arms)
shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, hands
head face and neck
entire body but only to ¹/₈ strength

White Light (about a minute or two)
Imagine a white light entering your body at your feet.
Use the following words when describing the light while moving the light up the body (see below):

so soothing, so peaceful, so healing, so perfect
yet so relaxed, so secure, so comfortable, so warm

Now moving up to your…

feet, ankles, shins, calves
thighs, buttocks, lower abdominal area
upper abdominal area, back, chest, lats
shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, hands
head face and neck

Now expand the light beyond the parameters of your flesh so you are surrounded in a cocoon of white light…
Body Position (20-30 seconds)
Sense how your body lies on the earth
Note where each limb is lying, your arms, your head, and even your fingers.
Sense gravity. (20-30 seconds)
Feel your body being pulled into the earth.
Imagine yourself melting into the earth, now feeling one with the earth.
Pain Sequence (a minute or two)
Focus your attention on a pain or discomfort in your body.
Identify and give the pain a simple description and a shape.
Now, combine your description with the shape visually in your mind.
Now, very firmly say…
Make the pain round like a ball!
Now make it smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller until the size of a marble!
Now pass the pain out of your body into the earth.
Pause (10 seconds or so)
Floating/Flying Sequence (a minute or so)
We are now going to take a imaginary flight out of your body.
Imagine your self becoming lighter and lighter.
Now hovering over this room, imagine yourself flying over imaginary landscapes!
Soar! Have fun! Make it up as you go.
Pause (20-30 seconds)
Now returning to your body.
Now entering your physical body.
Breath to surrender / trigger sequence (2 times or so)
I am now going to ask you to go from breath to surrender.
With each release, imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, and disease leaving your body.
As grandfather would say, "Give up, Give in."
Ready? Take that deep, but gentle, breath… Bring it in. Build it up. Build it up. Surrender.
Full consciousness
Now returning to consciousness.
Waking up.
Moving your hands and feet.
Moving your arms and legs.
Beginning to stretch.
Finally come slowly up to a sitting position.

You might want to read the section on pain in Awakening Sprits (page 150) after this meditation.

The Medicine Place Meditation

You can shorten any of these sections or leave them out as people become more comfortable with the sacred silence. Don’t leave the trigger out!

Keep the medicine place natural! Don’t tell partners about your medicine place… you can share it with them later on a spirit trip! I’d recommend reading pages 177-180 in Awakening Spirits to your meditators before performing this meditation.

Breathing (10-15 seconds)
Pay attention to your breathing.
Command Breath (2-3 times)
I’m now going to ask you to take a command breath.
Remember that the command breath is in two parts:

physical taking in of the breath, holding it, building up
then forcing it out along with all tension, distraction, and disease

Ready? Take that deep breath… Bring it in! Build it up! Build it up! And release.
Body Relaxation
We are now going to go through the body relaxation exercise.
Only tighten each muscle group to ¹/₂ strength.
After a group of muscles, feel free to complement the meditatee with a simple expletive: excellent, good. Don’t get too repetitive that it becomes a distraction!
Pause for a moment after each group.
Use the commands for the command breath for each muscle group:

Ready? Take that deep breath… hold it! Tighten it up! Tighten it up! Drop it.
OR
Ready? Take that deep breath… hold it! Bring it in! Tighten it up! Drop it.

After each group of muscles, let that part of the body sink into the ground so you don’t know where you flesh ends and the floor begins.

feet, ankles, shins, calves (feet to knees)
thighs, buttocks, lower abdominal area (knees to waist)
upper abdominal area, back, chest, lats (waist to neck, excluding your arms)
hands forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders
head face and neck
entire body but only to ¹/₈ strength

White Light (about a minute or two)
Imagine a white light entering your body at your feet.
Use the following words when describing the light while moving the light up the body (see below):

so soothing, so peaceful, so healing, so perfect
yet so relaxed, so secure, so comfortable, so warm

Now moving up to your…

feet, ankles, shins, calves
thighs, buttocks, lower abdominal area
upper abdominal area, back, chest, lats
shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, hands
head face and neck

Now expand the light beyond the parameters of your flesh so you are surrounded in a cocoon of white light…
Body Position (20-30 seconds)
Sense how your body lies on the earth
Note where each limb is lying, your arms, your head, and even your fingers.
Sense gravity. (20-30 seconds)
Feel your body being pulled into the earth.
Imagine yourself melting into the earth, now feeling one with the earth.
Breath to surrender / trigger sequence (2 times or so)
I am now going to ask you to go from breath to surrender.
With each release, imagine the last shreds of tension, distraction, and disease leaving your body.
As grandfather would say, "Give up, Give in."
Ready? Take that deep, but gentle, breath… Bring it in. Build it up. Build it up. Surrender.
The Journey
Imagine a path or trail, anything that makes you feel good. Add anything you like along the trail. Give it a personality.
Now imaging yourself walking your trail. Notice the beauty of this place you have created!
Now noticing your set of stairs in the distance. Approach your stairs.
Pause for a moment at the top of your stairs. You can see the archway below. Pause.
Take a step down your stairs, then another, then another, then another, then another.
Now pausing, look back up your staircase. Kneel down and feel the surface of your stairs for a moment. Pause.
Rise and take a another step down your stairs. Then another, then another, then another…
Now in front of your archway. Walk to the right side of your archway. Feel the archway in your hands. Put your face against it.
Now return to the front of the archway.
Walk through the arch and into your medicine place. Create! Be like a child! Have fun!
I usually turn up the music here. Pause for about a minute here.
Now halfway through the journey in your new creation.
Now approaching the arch. Almost at the arch… Now standing before your arch. Step through the arch.
You see your stairs before you.
Full consciousness
Take a step up your stairs. Then another, then another, then another…
Now returning to consciousness.
Take another step, then another, then another, then another. Beginning to move your hands and feet.
Moving your arms and legs.
Beginning to stretch.
Finally come slowly up to a sitting position.

Things to Try

Do the command breath, then the trigger sequence sitting up while someone else is taking the meditator’s pulse.

Partner up and have one person lead the other to their medicine place. Have the leader place their hand on the other’s arm or hand and go through the meditation above. Add some things like "Hand your partner an object" from the trail or during the journey. Tell the leader to "Point out something in the archway." The results from this exercise were astounding in my philosophy class! For example, I was able to describe my partner’s area in incredible detail. Remember, it is simply the leader's INTENT that makes this work.

Have them find a trailhead (physically), but don’t walk the trail. Memorize the path to the trailhead and the trailhead itself. Then go through the sacred silence (without flight or pain sequence). Then simply have them envision walk out of the room, pausing at their trailhead, then walking the trail. Use pure mind (blank out all thoughts and accept what comes).

Partner people up. Have a sender and a receiver from each group. After the breath to surrender, have the sender send the image of an object. Now ask the sender to change something in the object (IE it's state, texture, color) and transmit a feeling associated with the change. Have the receivers use pure mind (blank out all thoughts and accept what comes).

Tracker School Philosophy graduates: Be sure to do the rooted-self meditation on your friends!

From: "Joe Longshore" longshor(at)northnet.org

To: trackers@muskoka.net

Hey Folks,

I just thought I'd add a little more about the Grandfather class… Here are a few exercises that Aron didn’t get a chance to mention. THE QUEST WALK-if you have a question you need answered concerning your life or path or vision try this simple (but profound)exercise of Grandfathers.

Pray with feeling to the Creator and ask Him/Her to reveal the answer to your problem through the entities of creation. This is VITAL to your success.
After you have prayed deeply and reverently as Grandfather would pay no more attention to your problem and simply begin to wander the landscape.
WANDER WITHOUT TIME OR DESTINATION-simply follow your heart, inner vision and interest in the wild. Do not create a destination or limit yourself in time.
Remain thoughtless periodically and though you may wish to talk to God or pray as G-father did remain predominantly silent.
Remain passively open to the messengers of the Creator.
You might find yourself wandering out of the wilderness into civilization-this is fine since there might be a message for you there.
Surrender, surrender, surrender.
End the walk when you have recieved an answer or inner vision dictates.

I had an astounding experience with the quest walk at the Grandfather class. I highly recommend giving it a try.

By the way I wanted to reiterate an exercise Aron mentioned and hopefully answer any questions people have concerning it. The exercise involves be buried in the Earth. I'll give the particulars below but suffice it to say here that this exercise allows you to feel the vibrations in the Earth from vehicles, people or animals far away. Furthermore it relates profound information concerning tracking, stillness, and most importantly to me communion with the Earth. Do you wish to know the Earth? Become the Earth.

Find an area of sandy soil (I've already tried heavier soils since being home and you must use less heavier soil or it is difficult to breath.)
Dig a hole about one and a half to two feet deep. The hole should look like a snug coffin slightly longer than you are tall and slightly wider than your shoulders.
Get into the hole and check it for fit and comfort. Ask the Creator to teach you through the vehicle of Earth Mother.
Place a t-shirt or bandana (thinner material is better) over your face-eyes, nose mouth especially.
Get in the hole and have a partner cover your entire body (except nose and mouth) with 6-8 INCHES of soil. That includes your forehead and eyes. (although you can bury yourself the same way you would camo into an area it is less effective)
Relax into the Earth, surrender.
Have your partner walk around you, stomping at first, then walking, then foxwalking, experiment and be creative.
Have your partner walk over your legs and feel the pressure releases being made in your body.
You'll know that you are deep enough and relaxed enough when you can feel your heart beat in all parts of your body.
When done have your partner dig you out.
Thank the Earth and Creator for the teaching. Folks please try these exercises. So few of us teach this information and as a result Grandfather's vision slowly dies.

Be passionate about these learning tools. They are PROFOUNDLY moving. Try them yourself. Modify them to your liking.

Then pass them down in their original form.

Best of luck.

All good medicine,

Joe Longshore