There are 4 types of minds: Normal, Concentrating, Meditating, and Contemplating.

What meditation is is a journey of three different steps all which bring you to the desired state of consciousness. Being in this state allows you to feel clarity and serenity as well as bring you to a happy and blissful state. The first state of mind mentioned 

above (normal) is quite the opposite. The normal state of mind is typically abnormal. When we take in stimuli through our senses we tend to react in an out of control way all the while assuring ourselves that we are in total control. As our thoughts race from one area to another different reactions (both emotional and physical) follow. One particular thought can stir an array of different reactions in us at various times. For example, you might see a beautiful flower that used to grow in your grandmother’s yard when you were a child and begin to have happy memories of your grandmother who is now gone.

 These memories leave you feeling happy and warm inside emotionally speaking and relaxed at the thought physically speaking. However, if you were to see the flower at another point in time you may recall that bee sting you got last summer and be fearful of it happening again. This reaction may leave you feeling scared and paranoid to where you are looking around for a bee.

The second state of mind is Concentration. Gaining concentration is the first thing you must do in meditation. Begin by getting into a comfortable place and position and relaxing your body.  In order to help calm your body try saying the word love repeatedly. You must gain control of your mind, which is not an easy task as your mind has served as the master of your body for your entire life and therefore not easily overthrown. Your mind will at first fight against giving over its power by trying to distract your attention with something you find desirable. For instance, if you are saying the word love over and over again, your mind may trick you into adding the word chocolate. Then your train of thought drifts off to the grocery store where you can go buy chocolate. Your mind than reminds you how sweet it will taste and how happy it will make you to have some. All of a sudden, instead of focusing your energy on the word love during the beginning of the mediation process, you are focused on eating that chocolate you really love. The only way to beat your mind is to recognize that you are being distracted and go right back to your original concentration. It is a blessing and very liberating to be able to gain the power of concentration.

The third state of mind is Meditation and is reached when you can achieve concentration and attention that is unbroken. The main difference between concentration and meditation can be found in the old example that deals with putting oil into a bowl from a bottle. When this task is started, there are only drips of oil coming out one at a time (CONCENTRATION). Once the oil stops dripping and goes out in a solid and steady stream you have meditation. Each drop at the beginning of the process represented distractions that interfere with the concentration process but once the stream becomes solid and steady there is no more effort put in. You are there. When your concentration runs into meditation the focus, or object, of your meditation flows more easily, moving you deeper, more effortlessly, into your focus point.

Again, with love as your repetitive word, concentrate while thinking it over and over again. Fell your inner self filling up with love from all areas of your life; your parents, your spouse, your pet, even your car! Anything that you connect with love will come and fill you up. As Einstein pointed out, all things are relative to all other things so meditating on love will ultimately put you in connection with everything else.     

Once you have reached this point (the meditation object and mind are unified) the state of Contemplations occurs which is the where you want to be; the highest consciousness state you can achieve. The experience of contemplation puts you in sync with not only your own body and self but with the universe as a whole. You can now see yourself and the connection you have with everything else that is out there, realizing a sense of unity. It is the right of all people to know and feel this state of being. This is where bliss and joy can be felt firsthand. This is the ultimate reason for using all the energy that we must in order to make meditation a central and important part of our lives.