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Meditation is sitting quietly and focusing on something. That could be breath, a mantra, or an idea or question you need an answer to. The thing is calming the mind and focus on a specific thing.

Yes. Because in astral travel you leave your body. In meditation you can stay with in your body and mind. you dont need to leave the body to be in a trance or meditative state.

Not as often as I would like right now. However that will be changing when I get to the lesson on meditation. Once I have that lesson I'll be meditating more often.

To focus my mind and gain insight. I also do it to relax and get into a calm state. Quick meditations have helped me deal with my anxiety in various situations. I find meditation to be a useful tool for any one who wants to take the time to learn how to do it and use it.

I sometimes have a hard time letting myself just acknowledge the various thoughts that drift in my mind during meditation. So it becomes difficult to meditate and get into trance. I just keep trying though smile

Repetitive action is one way. Another way is through self hypnosis and counting backwards.

I haven't tried many meditations based on movement. Though I have gotten into some trances through kata.

Yes. I think it could help many people manage stress better.

What is meditation to you? Mediation to me is a process by which to relax the body and mind which then opens up the barriers and allows for a calm yet focused mental state.

Is meditation different than astral travel? Yes. Meditation is the process of getting to that relaxed and open state, once there you can choose to astral but you don’t have to you can do other things in your meditative state.

How often do you meditate? I try for once daily, though it is probably more like 5 days a week.

Why do you meditate? To balance and center myself, to focus my thought, to astral travel to other worlds, and to discover innate knowledge trapped in my subconscious.

If you have difficulty doing meditation, why do you think that is? I did at first, and my primary problem was learning to just let thoughts pass, to allow the chatter of my mind to fade back into white noise.

How do you get into a meditative state? I use a few different methods, sometimes I sit and listen to nature sounds with instrumental music and let myself drift on the melody other times I sit with my eyes closed in the quiet and focus on an infinite brightly light space. I also focus on my breathing and use mantras on occasion.

What haven't you tried that other people have tried? I have never ingested, smoked or injected any substance to help attain a meditative state.

Do you feel meditation is an important skill for pagans, or the population in general? I think it is an important skill for the population in general because it helps people be more in touch with themselves, gain more control of themselves and to alleviate stress.