how to meditate

We have literally hundreds of proverbs and superstitions relating to the sky, in particular clouds. From predicting the out come of the weather to provoking vivid pictures of flying saucers, but for millennia specially skilled people have used and even manipulated, some claim, the weather for a form of divining.

 In the fifties and sixties before the discovery of chaos theory people everywhere excitedly chattered of a new age, an age where we controlled the weather; where we could seed clouds to make rainfall or even create the opposite effect, no longer being a slave to the elements but rather there master. In those days the potential looked immense. We may have demystified the science of the sky to a small extent, understanding some of the how’s, where’s and why’s , but with the arrival of the newly discovered chaos theory these dreams of weather control vanished back into the realms of superstitious myths and legends. Once again a more holistic view steered, but  reinterpreted into the modern philosophical concept of the Gaia hypothesis, viewing earth as a biological organism in its own right, self regulating, self healing, and predominantly chaotic. Within the parameters of the chaos theory no possible or impossible possibility can be ruled out.

Possibilities like reports of cloud dispersing by the control of  psychokinesis (PK) maybe taken into consideration. However these reports are inconclusive and as sceptics quite rightly point out, most cloud formations scatter of their own accord within 15 minutes or so, so it rather depends on which side of the fence your sitting on, or which possibility your more drawn to. However  shamans and other wise people from around the world claim to have been able to commune with and induce change to the weather ‘gods’ for thousands of years.

Everyone recognises the clichéd  image of the shaman clad in a buffalo-hide, rain stick in hand, chanting his rhythmic beat to the ‘Wankan tanka’ the great everything. In a book called ‘Black elf speaks’  the narrator at the end of the book takes Black Elk (a holy man of the Oglala Sioux Indians) back to the planes of his lands(just the two of them with the old mans son) that he had fought for. In an apparent drought through ceremony it began to rain. Only within the last few months there has been a report of rain-makers in Roraima, quenching a drought, extinguishing much of the fires in the rain-forest region.  Coincidence?

As well as the control of the clouds, divining systems were used through the interpretations of clouds, probably being one of the earliest of all divining practises, before the astrologers or most other systems we recognise today were structured.

Cloud reading is one of the least effected divining technique’s affected by commercialism, being relatively ignored or forgotten by most, and yet it is a pure form of interacting on the different wavelengths of the spirit. You also need relatively little training to begin with as few if any symbols need to be learned. This is the art of “Neladoracht” as the ancient Celts called it, meaning “ divination by clouds”. The Celtic tribes had trained interpreters for this job. Although the Celts and many other culture had specially trained people it is relatively easy to learn, in comparison to many others.

For people interested in trying this out, first you should find a peaceful place, outside if possible, as having the frame of the window is  distracting, however it is still possible if no other options are available.

While choosing a place higher than the surrounding ground is ideal, lying on your back garden will still achieve the same effects, and will alleviate any feelings of awkwardness at the beginning. Get in a comfortable position facing the sky. It is best to do this on cloudy days as you don’t tend to focus on any one cloud for to long. Focus generally, no particular clouds, let them come into focus of their own accord. Try using a breathing technique, any repetitive breathing cycle will function the same to draw your attention away from the other distraction’s.

Nowadays most people reading these kind of mags and books have quite a repertoire of relaxation exercises and meditation technique’s, however for those of you who have not here is an easy to use one for beginners. Simply clear your mind, by just watching the clouds roll by. Imagine your up there just flouting about man. But it really does work! Imagine your muscles relaxing one by one until you are completely relaxed. When your feeling comfortable think about the question on your mind if your looking for an answer to one in particular. If not just keep your mind blank but receptive to any images you may see in the clouds. Don’t be afraid of moving your head or body, just watch, some clouds will start to stand out more than the others, expressing familiar images, these will in some way give you clues to answering  your question or problem areas. Rely on your first impressions, what feelings etc. the images invoke, what they mean to you. In one sense you could call it a sign from the creator, in another you could call them prompting cards; simply refocusing your attention onto the solution to what you are already aware of. At the end of the day if it helps you live a better life what’s it matter?