Jakalyn said:
"One of the reasons that people meditate is to transcend the 'little ego' and have a personal experience of connectedness with the universal consciousness."
Well said, Jakalyn, finally somebody in 'Learning Strategies' who says "universal consciousness" instead of "a sea of awareness" Too many of these masters talk about becoming aware of Awareness in their guided meditations. As if there was no difference between Universal Consciousness (or Universal Intelligence) and what they call a sea of awareness.
And I also agree with the rest you say, about the western religious political agenda and their smear campaign re: meditation.
And taking control of your own never ending chattering mind is indeed empowering even though it does not really mean "to shut off your thoughts altogether" for long periods of time like many buddhists do practicing meditation for hours and hours every day of their life.
"To be still and know" does not mean to sit motionless for hours and shut off your thoughts altogether. It means "to quieten your mind and heart from turbulent thoughts and emotions".
See my message "About Stillness" under "Beyond Human".
From a magnificent little known book published in 1963, titled "The Door of Everything" channelled through Ruby Nelson who doesn't say a word about who he or she is, our Creator gave us a very clear message explaining so many things which have been confusing peoples' minds, I like to report just a paragraph from it:
"Trying to make your mind a vacuum and turn off all thoughts will do little to help you live upward toward that Door (The Creator calls 'The Door of Everything' that door or veil which will open to connect us to Him or Universal Consciousness). There is no place in all my cosmos for a vacuum, least of all in the minds of men."
Think about it for a moment: If shutting off your thoughts altogether was the way to reach Higher Consciousness or connection with The All That IS, wouldn't all those Ashrams and Buddhist monasteries be full of "fully Conscious" humans, able to come and go at the speed of thoughts, healing anyone who come close enough to them even without their own being aware of it, restoring perfection wherever they go and literally moving mountains instantly if they so wished?
So where are they these Fully Conscious humans?
In that small precious book, the Creator says: "I am a God who requires understanding" and He really gives it in that message.
I must add that since the message was given in a traditionally christian country (USA), He refers often to words credited to Jesus. The truth is that every religion has had Messengers who gave almost exactly the same words as given by Jesus.
In fact, there are three books that everybody of every religion should read:
1) THE WORLD'S SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIOURS by Kersey Graves
2) SUNS OF GOD - Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled by Acharya S. also author of The Christ Conspiracy
3) THE CRUCIFIXION OF TRUTH - by Tony Bushby, also author of The Christ Scandal.
Very interesting readings: it seems that among all religions there have been 16 previous "Saviours" each one of them called "The Only Begotten Son of God" whose date of birth was the 25th of Dec., whose mother was a virgin and who were crucified to save mankind for their sins and their teachings were all very, very similar. If you want an explanation of how that could be possible, see my article in "2012" also "Beyond Human", which very strangely received no comment from anyone who read it. Did it blow your mind?
If you cannot find the book THE DOOR OF EVERYTHING and you'd like to read it, either leave your email address or ask for mine and I shall send it to you as an Attachment since I have typed it all word for word because some friends of mine could not find it.
Blessings to all,
Starchild