Hi guys, it’s 3a.m. and it’s quiet.  Perfect time for meditation, I think to myself.  And then I realize I’ve been saying those exact words to myself for over 30 years.  At age 16 I first began exploring books and museums for anything having to do with Egypt, The Third Eye, Magic, Pyramid power, and of course, Meditation.  I was curious about anything that had to do with spirituality and the interior life.  I mean I was pretty out going with sports and everything…….but……..if you looked around my room……….there were books, magic tricks, little pyramids, dragon statues……..all that Hobbit, God, sword fighting stuff!! (lol!)……..pretty normal kid.  But the first time I actually went to a class and learned from a yoga teacher, the benefits of meditation there was no turning back for me.  I never went back to the yoga teacher……but I did go to the book store and get books on the Kundalini, the Chakra’s, Transcendental Meditation etc.  What sealed it for me on the first occasion was the feeling I got.  Once you slow your breathing in a serene environment you become aware of your minds eye.  And as the teacher was saying “now let the white light begin to fill you up slowly, slowly working the light up your legs, into your chest, the warm feeling filling up your whole body…”   WOW!!……I mean I could feel thjis amazing power inside of myself……and for a kid it’s like wanting more candy.    I couldn’t get enough.  Now, as an adult looking at this in retrospect, it really was one of the best commitments to anything i’ EVER made in my entire life.  I have studied and chanted meditation practices with different people all over the world.  It is accepted as normal in every culture and every country I have ever visited.  Why?  Because it works!!  Think about it literally.  Meditation IS self observation. (which is why I chose the picture of the thinker above)  It is a state of concentrated and focused attention on an object of thought or awareness.  There are many, many, types of meditation used by cultures and religions across the globe.  It shows up in nearly every important religious or philosophical text ever written.  It is continuous and profound contemplation, designed to help one grow in understanding of themselves and the world around them.  It is a solitary practice through which one learns to quiet the mind, slow the heart rate, and attempt to find some form of transcendence, Nirvana, Bliss, Out Of Body Experience, or paranormal experience ~ depending on how much faith you have, how much interest you have, and how much WILL you have to succeed at that which is inexplicable.   WOW!!….mouthful right?……my point is, even doctors and priests agree with politicians that meditation is a positive thing! (lol!)……..I’m sorry I don’t mean to be silly here ~ I’m just setting you up for some of my upcoming posts on Meditation because I have taken it to extremes, and I will need you to remember that you agreed with this post when you read some of the upcoming stuff that will make you say “NO Friggin’ WAY!!”…..please, allow me to leave you with this simple truth.  There are mentions of meditation practices found in hindu scriptures dating back 5000 years.  Once you understand just how old 5000 years actually is……you will then begin to find the interest you need to take meditation to the point where you can sit in your comfortable meditation pose and leave your body for a while ~ just to go take a look around the universe………..I am Dartanion2……….and that’s the way I see it…………cheers…….tony xo