So much of the time, life seems over-whelming and we turn to various means of quieting our nerves, relaxing, getting away from it all... What we are doing is trying to hush the voices in our heads. And yes, we all have many voices in our minds every day. That doesn't mean we are psychotic and really believe that someone is talking to us. The "voices" I'm referring to are all the condricting thoughts that we experiece. The fears, concerns, worries, the doubts, indesicions, pros and cons, etc. We have voices, or thoughts, that condemn us when we've performed less than our best, that tell us all the bad things that might happen to us because we've made some huge mistake, that worries about whether we've made the right desicion, that fills our minds with terrible images of what may have happened to our child who is late coming home at night. Call it "thoughts", "imaginaion", "conscience", "morals", "perfectionism" .... it's all the same. We have voices in our heads constantly warning us, praising us, or concerning us. Many suffer insomnia because their minds won't be quiet long enough to allow them to fall asleep -- constant re-hashing some event, hurtful words, an embarrassment -- fears, concerns, worries, angers... and these are the voices we wish to quiet so we can rest, relax, and stop thinking about all those things. More times than not, these thoughts have their root in low self-esteem, fears of either inadequacy or fears that God will not take care of us, or because our conscience is bothering us over something we did which went directly against our own morals or good judgement. We seek to turn these thoughts off through a variety of escape mechanisms... television, sex, drugs, alcohol, excessive talking... there are many ways we can become obsessive and compulsive in our behaviors. The one problem with turning off all these voices in our heads is that we also turn off the voice of God. The answer then is to get our spiritual selves in order and all those annoying voices will fade away.

And because it is often difficult to quiet our minds long enough to really consentrate in prayer and meditation, I have found a way that words very well for me. I am certainly not saying this is the only effective means of meditation. Each of are different. We have different needs, different problems, and we are at different levels of spiritual and emotional development. Therefore, you may have to experiement to find which manner of meditation works best for you. There is no right or wrong way to meditate. Again, it is results that we are looking for, not methods. If you are able to quiet your mind simply be sitting in a quiet place, closing your eyes, and consentrating on a visual image that is relaxing to you, then by all means, go ahead. For me, even after 15 years, I cannot keep my mind focused long enough to meditate in that fashion. Only because this has worked for me so well for so many years am I now willing to share with others the form of meditation which has worked miracles in my life. The results will be covered more extensively in the next assignment.

I engage in this meditation every morning, and often at other times of the day and night when something is really bothering me. I have found this to also be the most effective way for me to deal with negative emotions such as fear and anger. I sit down in a completely quiet place where and when I will not be disturbed. I say a quick prayer asking God to help me express what is inside. I then take my notebook and pen and begin by writing a letter to God. I address it, "Dear Father." I don't think first what I am going to write nor try to figure out what it is I am feeling or why. I just start writing whatever comes to mind. Many people have told me they haven't done this because they just don't know what to write, or they aren't any good at expressing themselves on paper. These are just excuses; signs of unwillingness. Anytime someone responds with, "Yes, but....." that indicates unwillingness -- unwillingness to realize their problems are not unique from anyone else's and unwillingness to change. With written meditation, you aren't supposed to know "what to write" nor how to express yourself. This isn't about writing for an audience; something for anyone else to read. This is about communicating with God and with yourself. It is about finding the truth, and the truth is within each of us. There have been many times that I felt upset or maybe just uneasy, and hadn't a clue as to what was bothering me, nor why. I couldn't think of a thing to write, but once I turned it over to God and took the action of sitting down with pen and paper, the truth always came pouring out. At these times, I even begin my "Dear God" letter by writing, "I have no idea what to say..." and then I just continue to write whatever comes to mind from there. Before long, I have uncovered and discovered what has been causing me problems. I am often quite surprised at what I find!