[Founder Review]Meditation[Skill]

[Clyde Sullins]

HD approval Lore Workshop Thread Peer Review Introduction Meditation is the skill of clearing one's mind of thought and outside forces. At lower levels, it allows the meditator to better concentrate on a task and deal with annoyances and distractions. At its highest levels, it gives the ability to delve into deep meditative trances in which they can cut off entire senses at will, focus through the worst of distractions without being unnerved or losing focus, and even deepen understanding of themselves and the world around them. Some truly great masters of meditation have even been rumored to be able to enter the Chavena at will, and to enter Dreamlike states where they can look upon their own life, and even protect their dreams from outside influences. It is used by a wide spectrum of people throughout Mizahar, for both mundane and magical tasks, or even spiritual or intellectual ones. It can be used in varying degrees to enhance one's life, and many people who have skill in meditation will take time to center themselves before doing something of importance; oftentimes finding themselves better off than those who do not. Though obviously this is only helpful if they can predict the upcoming event, and prepare and center themselves beforehand. Something that comes by surprise will be hard to prepare for, or to meditate in advance of. [Contents] 1 Prerequisites and Related Skills 1.1 Personal Magic 1.2 Combat 1.3 Exercise 1.4 Observation 1.5 World Magic 1.6 Gnosis 1.7 Mental Defenses 2 Training 2.1 Breathing 2.2 Focus 2.3 Posture 2.4 Sources of Meditation Instruction 3 Phases of Meditation 3.1 Initial Phase 3.2 Centered Phase 3.3 Trance Phase 4 Skill Progression 1- Prerequisites and Related Skills Meditation is a complementary skill, thus it does have not any prerequisites. It is capable of enhancing or assisting various skills if the meditator centers themselves prior to the activity, or to aid in the aforementioned mental fortitude. There are even some skills that compliment meditation to the point that they can enhance certain meditative techniques. It is important to bear in mind that anything that would be considered a distraction for the meditator's level will knock them out of a centered state. Only experts or masters can keep centered while being active or doing anything strenuous such as combat, and experts can still lose their centered state by greater distractions. 1.1-Personal Magic First and foremost, meditation is commonly used in several initiations into personal magics. Certain magics, such as morphing, hypnotism, and voiding require days or even weeks of solitude and meditation to unlock. It also affects some of the factors or strains that influence using personal magic, that of "ability to concentrate" and to a lesser extent "fatigue." (These quotes are in reference to those mentioned here) By centering oneself prior to casting, the Mage is more easily able to focus their magic, to control it, and to concentrate through distractions. In general, a mage who is skilled in meditation will be harder to distract and will be able to concentrate more than an uncentered mage in similar circumstances. Additionally for experts and masters, it may become easier to resist the impulse to cast more and more magic known as sweet whispers. Meditation is also believed to mitigate the consequences of overgiving to a degree. One can do this by centering themselves, or resting in a deep trance to fight the effects. While this can lessen some of the mental effects, and accelerate recovery time, it won't usually assist with any permanent effects brought on by overgiving. Meditation, unlike leeching, does not allow one to do more magic. Doing more magic after meditating to mitigate overgiving will only make any previous attempts at doing so void and take away any relief that has been gained. Where leeching allows one to put off overgiving to a later time, and potentially makes it worse, meditation can assist in coping with and or lessening its effects. Regular meditation, over a period of time, can accelerate the time needed to recover from a particular instance of overgiving. Deeper trances would lessen the effects felt due to overgiving. 1.2-Combat Meditation can often help in combat by keeping people from being distracted in a number of ways. It helps them stay focused on the task at hand, and keeps them from becoming distracted by irrelevant information, outside stimuli, or even physical injuries. In order to achieve this, however, the person needs to center themselves before fighting. This means that if one is caught in an ambush, and they did not have time to meditate, then this skill would be nearly useless. It is mostly used when a planned spar or scheduled fight is occurring. Generally, only experts or masters in meditation can keep centered in the midst of a fight as the activity would be far too distracting for anyone else. Both experts and masters are capable of staying centered if they sustain a minor injury, but it is only the master user that can stay focused if if he sustains a serious injury. 1.3-Exercise Meditation can be useful in exercise by helping to focus on repetitive or repeated acts. Less strenuous workouts can be used as a means to center oneself. If already centered, highly skilled users can use it for more strenuous workouts as it allows them to be able to work through the pain that would normally make them stop. This can also be dangerous if they push themselves too far as strained muscles and bone fractures can easily be overlooked in this state. 1.4-Observation Observation is a skill that can aid certain meditation techniques. When a person is skilled in both observation and meditation they can enter deep trances where they have the opportunity to reflect upon recent events and experiences; reliving the moments in order to notice details that were previously missed. This does not enhance their observation abilities, nor does it allow them to sense things they cannot normally sense within their abilities (i.e. thoughts, or things outside of your sensory range), but it can help a user to focus and notice things that they might normally ignore or pass over as unimportant at the time. It may also be helpful to delve through memories in order to pick out specific facts of that event that they may have forgotten, or that they might see in a new light with what they know now. However it is still limited to what was directly sensed and what they were aware of at the time. 1.5-World Magic Certain world magics that require a strong willpower, such as Spiritism, where users undergo possession by spirits, and Summoning, where they are dealing with another beings will in order to control them, can be aided by the force of mind and willpower gained through long term meditation. The aid in mental fortitude can be invaluable to such practitioners. It does not make their magic any more powerful, but can help them in dealing with others, and in keeping from being controlled against their will by these entities. 1.6-Gnosis While meditation does not directly enhance one's gnosis in some cases it can be helpful in activating, focusing on the task of using the gnosis, or approaching a state of mind in which you can better understand or connect with a deity. Such gnosis that are aided by meditation include: Dreamwalking, Inavalti, Izentor, Lykata, Oceanus, and Severing. However, it is important to note that the only enhancement occurs to the wielder; using meditation does not make the gnosis itself any more powerful unless specifically stated on that gnosis's lore. 1.7-Mental Defenses Someone who is skilled in meditation will likely have more mental fortitude than someone without similar training. This is due to a combination of training one's mind, learning to deal with distractions and stressors, and the general self awareness brought on by spending time in introspection and getting to know yourself. This means that they will be better able to deal with stress over time, or to break free of mental prisons, such as the ones created by high level chaon. Users can also better defend themselves from having their mind altered or dominated by another persons will, such as against practitioners of hypnotism. This can be done in various ways. Against higher level mental attacks or techniques it may require a user to retreat inside of their mind where such outward influences cannot touch them. For lesser techniques simply centering oneself may be enough to fight off the mental intrusion. Note that this does not mean they can immediately do so, nor that they can break free of effects far stronger than their own skill in meditation, but it can assist in mitigating or lessening such mental effects. Along with this the more subtle or stealthy such an effect is, the more difficult it is to combat or to even notice so as to be able to raise one's mental defenses, such as in the case of very subtle uses of hypnotism. 2- Training Meditation has many common practices which can aid in meditating or gaining a meditative state while remaining calm and focused. 2.1-Breathing One of the first things someone will learn in meditation is to control their breathing. Keeping an even pace to one’s breathing can be calming and can assist in entering a meditative state. 2.2-Focus When meditating, it is common to focus on a specific object, concept, or action. Object/Image- Often, this is something the person is familiar with. They concentrate within their mind and form a specific image and exclude all else. It could be a smooth pebble that they saw earlier that day, a complicated knot within the bark of a tree, the waves of surf crashing upon a beach, a God they worship, a person they love, or even a favorite sword - as long as they can concentrate on it alone. Generally, this is either a pleasant image, or a calming or neutral one. An image that elicits strong emotion such as hate, anger, lust, or greed, or that is directly conflicting with what you are trying to achieve or what you are meditating on is not recommended. Also note, this only helps in the initial phase, and can actually be counterproductive to meditation when trying to go any deeper. Concept- This is another means of focus, in which the person focuses on a specific concept, instead of something that is physical. This could be the concept of absolute emptiness, or justice and righteousness. It could be of chaos, of darkness, or of life. Often this is used by practitioners who use their meditation as a form of devotion or worship to a deity, and the concept they often follow is that of the domain of their deity. These people often feel that meditating on the concept of their deity brings them closer to them, and to understanding them. Action- This means of focus is similar to ones used in personal magic; of incantations and gestures. It is also better for people in which sitting still and doing nothing is particularly difficult. Instead, they can use the specific repetitive action to calm and focus them, and send them into a meditative state in which their actions mean nothing, due to the repetition. Examples of this are chanting the same word or set of words over and over, moving in a set pattern such as a set exercise or activity, or simply walking at a steady pace while clearing one's mind of thoughts. This can be counterproductive to higher phases beyond becoming centered. 2.3-Posture Posture used while meditating varies from person to person. Something that is comfortable and useful to one practitioner can be nothing but painful to another. As a result, many different postures are adopted; some prefer to be sitting, possibly with their legs crossed. Others prefer standing. And others prefer to invent their own unique posture to take on while meditating. The posture itself is not important as long as it can be held for a long period of time and is comfortable to the user. 2.4-Sources of Meditation instruction: Meditation is a skill one can both discover and hone by oneself in the absence of teachers and books. However, there are various forms of external sources of training which can be useful. Books- Often the easiest form of instruction for meditation, most libraries or places that sell books will have basic books on meditation going over the basic concepts and usages by a novice, and some very basic exercises or means of becoming focused. Higher level books with information on the trance states or other abilities only available to experts or masters of meditation will be harder to find, and much more expensive if they can be found. Even then, these will often just be a general overview of the concepts or some simple exercises in the specific states. Only the most extensive and largest of libraries will have more complete books written by accomplished users of meditation, and these will almost never be for sale. It is important to note that content found in books will vary from place to place, as it is shaped heavily around the native culture. For instance a book on meditation in Zeltiva would likely have been written by a mage, and so would be more focused on what is useful for a magic user in their castings. Another such book found in Ravok might focus on meditating on the concept of chaos, worshiping the divinity of Rhysol and have more of a religious bias. Teacher- Teachers are usually harder to find than books on meditation, and will also vary from place to place. Like with books, this is usually affected by the people and culture of a place. The teachings of an instructor of meditation will vary quite greatly between a Konti in Mura, a Priest in Ravok, or a knight in Syliras. However, while a book will provide the theory and a few practice exercises, an instructor can lead their students in meditation, providing assistance in becoming centered, while pointing out incorrect methods. They can give hands-on experience and explain what works and what does not. In addition, although their guidance can be limited as meditation revolves around self-reflection and is generally an independent activity, a skilled user of meditation can guide a novice down the correct path and prepare them for the sensations they will experience while providing priceless recollections of their own journeys. 3- Phases of Meditation There are several phases to meditation; all of which are for different purposes and come with their own weaknesses. In general, the deeper into meditation one is; the more ignorant and exposed they are to the world around them. So comparatively, at the shallow levels of meditation one would be aware of everything around them, while at the deepest levels they are oblivious to the world. At master level, while in a trance, if someone were to stab you or someone was standing in front of you talking, you would not notice or be aware of either occurrence. This is because as the deeper you sink into meditation, the less influenced you are by the events outside your mind. 3.1- Initial Phase Often for newer users this is as far as they will get. The initial phase of meditation is when you are just beginning to meditate on this specific occasion. It is very shallow, and is generally easy for one to be broken out of by any distraction that affects the user at their current skill level. If any distraction affects the user during this phase, they will have to start over. It is possible to move in this phase, but only in simple repetitive ways. Considered an action style of focus, it is ill-suited for fighting or doing anything that requires deviation, such as some sort of crafting. In this phase, only very minor advantages are given. People in this phase will tend to be calmer, breathe more evenly, and will be slightly more focused – at least compared to someone without skill in meditation. This is because the person is able to use the same focus techniques used in meditation in their life to calm them down and be able to focus better. Note though that in this case it is the techniques learned in order to meditate that are helping, not actually meditation, as only highly skilled users can meditate while active, and only masters while fighting heavily. If for instance a person is angered, they can take a few moments, breathe, and focus their mind to make themselves calmer and less likely to do something regrettable. These are all common techniques used by practitioners to gain focus. 3.2- Centered Phase This is the state most users aspire for and attempt to hold for as long as possible. It tends to be easy for lesser users to be knocked out of, and only expert or better users can stay centered while doing any kind of sustained activity. It is in this phase that a person is truly calm and objective; they are able to keep their focus on the subject of their choosing. However, if any of the distractions for their level occur while the user is centered, they will be knocked out of that centered state. In this state, by being more self-aware, a user is able to keep calm and rational, looking at things objectively, and thinking at a deeper level than normal as they tune out the various outside distractions. In general, this is the state of meditation in which one wants to reach before doing whatever important task they have been meditating upon. For instance, prior to completing a specific act of Reimancy, a Reimancer that centers himself will be able to ignore distractions, better focus on his magic, and control it. A scholar, on the other hand, might simply reach this state and think about things in it; using it to stay objective and halt any previous preconceptions that would regularly distract them from free-thinking. 3.3- Trance Phase This is the only state which cannot be used while being active and in general requires the user to be absolutely still; except for breathing. These trances are often what people think of when they think of meditation, where one is their own island in a ocean; unconscious to the world around them. This status can only be achieved by expert or master users, and only masters can stay in this state for prolonged periods of time. In this trance state, a user is able to retreat completely inside of themselves; utilizing a variety of techniques in order to think clearly and delve into their own memories. However, this is also one of the greatest dangers of meditation. By tuning oneself out from the external world, that same world has the potential to become a risky environment to not be aware of. For instance, a person in a trance might not notice the sound of someone creeping up on them, or the smell of smoke in the air if something is burning, like the building they are resting in. Waking Dream/Lucid Dream- This is a type of meditation where a person retreats within themselves and in their mind to go to a "happy place." It is a place populated either by subconscious or by directed thoughts that will it to take on a specific form – it is similar to a dream. Often this will initially take on a common shape or "place", and is usually a location where one feels at ease and safe. For an avid reader this might be a secluded area in a familiar library. For a warrior this might be an often used training hall, or it could be one's childhood home as they sit in a comfortable chair in front of a warm fire. This generally will vary from person to person, and rarely will two people have the exact same happy place. Once they have entered this happy place, the person in the trance is free to populate it with objects or people from their memory, or with more abstract ideas or images that they can think of. Often though these images will be warped by observations or preconceptions of an object or person and will not truly represent the object itself. This type of trance is often used as a stepping stone for other trances, or used as a safe place to retreat to within the mind in-between sessions. It is usually where the meditator appears when first entering a trance state. Some people will actually "view" the results of other trance states from the safety of this happy place. For instance, they could see the memories in a memory trance as if through a window in their happy place like the events of the memory are taking place through the window. Usually those who spend time in their happy place will come out feeling invigorated and refreshed, as if they had just spent the time in their trance in a deep sleep. Deep Sleeping- Considered a variation of the trance state, deep sleeping is something that masters of meditation can do. The normal process for this is to lie down and enter a waking dream trance. Once there, they will focus for a few chimes and then will themselves to fall into a deep dreamless sleep. By doing so they are able to immediately enter into a sleep state where they can sleep without being awoken. The main purpose of this deep trance is to allow the user to capitalize on their time and feel twice as rested when they awaken than the amount of sleep they actually experienced. Similar to a full trance, while in this state, the user will not be able to be roused no matter what is going on around them. For this reason it is only a good idea to use this when in a safe place or with someone watching over them, or else the user risks being killed in their sleep. There are two methods of specifying when to awake or how long to sleep, the focus method and the counting method, both of which are done just prior to entering the deep sleeping state, and tend to work with varying degrees of accuracy. For the focus method the user will focus on either a time of day they wish to awaken, or they will focus on a period of time to sleep, and then enter the deep sleeping state. For the time of day method to work they must also be roughly aware of what time of day it is currently, which usually means either checking the sun before meditating, or if they have one a clock. If it is night time or one is underground the time of day method can be particularly difficult without a clock. For the counting method, the user must focus on the amount of time they want to sleep while in their waking dream state, and slowly count out an increment of that time before actually entering a deep sleep. For instance, if a user wanted to sleep for two bells, they could count to one chime slowly in their head, and then concentrate on waking in another 120 counts of that counted time. However, if the person is bad at pacing themselves or counting off the time then they could end up sleeping less or more than they intended. It can often be useful for this process to have an accurate clock or such device to help pace oneself in their counting. (The counting method requires at least novice level skill in mathematics) Both of these methods are not perfect, and often the user will end up sleeping less or more time than they intended. For the focus method this is 50% less or more than the intended time, and for the counting method this is 25% less or more than the intended time. For example if someone wished to sleep for 4 bells, and used the focus method, they would sleep somewhere between 2 and 6 bells. Using the counting method for the same 4 bells they would sleep between 3 and 5 bells. Regardless of the length of sleep or accuracy of waking, a user will still gain the benefit of deep sleeping and wake with the benefits of having slept for twice as long as they actually have. Thinking Trance- In this state, a practitioner will totally submerse themselves in their mind; blocking out all distractions, all preconceptions, and everything but the single topic upon which they are focusing. In such a trance, users will find themselves able to create new ideas and new avenues of research or experimentation for specific subjects, as things that would normally seem irrational or impossible can be viewed with a new sense of clarity. It is in this state that the user can truly be innovative, connecting ideas and concepts that formerly appeared disparate due to the distractions of life. They are still limited by their own knowledge of the subject, but those who know a great deal about it already can further their craft in ways previously thought impossible. One could even notice the ways in which a variation of skills can be used in conjunction to reach a greater whole. Memory Trance- In this trance, like the others, a user will become totally immersed in their own mind and oblivious to the world around them. However, unlike the previous state where a user meditates on a specific subject, here, a person will focus on a specific time period in their past. For experts, this is generally limited to only a few days back and at their greatest extent a season prior, but masters can go back as far as they want - even back to their own childhood. In general, the deeper one goes into their past while meditating, the longer it will take one to attain that memory and relive it. However, masters tend to be faster at delving deeper due to their mastery of meditation, so while it might take an expert bells of constant meditation in order to relive a memory from half a season ago, a master could achieve it in merely a few chimes of meditation. A master can go back decades in this state; taking a few bells per decade. Another important tool in this state is markers. Since it is often impossible to go far enough back in a single sitting, a skilled user will memorize a specific portion of time, as a place marker in their work. Then, when they next enter a memory trance, they can start from that same marker, instead of needing to begin over. It is usually useful for this specific portion of time to be memorable, so that it is easier to focus on it and recall it amongst other memories. This is more useful for masters as it can allow them over time to go all the way back to their childhood; often spanning days or even seasons of regular meditation to reach so far back. And while experts are limited to one marker at a time, masters can have several at once, reaching up to three at the extreme limit. Once a specific memory has been reached, it is possible for the user to relive that moment in their mind at the same pace as the first time. They are limited to what they observed with their senses in the time they first experienced it, but sometimes hindsight allows them to make connections with details that at the time went unnoticed. For instance, knowledge that you know now may bring new light to past words or actions said by others. A danger here is in getting lost in the past. While reliving their own memories, the user can get so caught up that they forget about their present life. Many masters of meditation get lost in the “better days”, traveling so far into the past that they find themselves becoming addicted to how life used to be, or on the thought of what might have been if they could change events. 4- Skill Progression Novice- A novice is simply learning the basics; how to breathe, finding a means of focus, and a posture. Meditation can only help in very minor ways such as keeping a bit more focused, calmer, and controlled. They are limited to the initial and centered phase, though they cannot hold the latter for long. It takes them at least 30 chimes of focus to center themselves if uninterrupted, and they are easily roused from it by any distraction. A person who is a novice in meditation tends to be easily distracted. Even such simple things as birds calling, or the wind on their skin, or someone talking nearby, can break their concentration. Competent- At this stage they have better learned how to deal with minor irritants and distractions. But any moderate distractions like excessively loud or sudden noises, or someone coming up and pushing them over or hitting them will break them from their state. At this level they can more quickly center themselves. Steady breathing is almost second nature to them, and they find that they have more clarity when focusing and thinking, and on keeping calm and on task even when people try to get a rise out of them by berating or teasing them, or when in stressful situations. They are now skilled enough to hold the centered phase for longer periods of time, and are not so easily knocked out of it. It usually takes them 10-15 chimes to become centered, as long as nothing interrupts or distracts them. At this level daily sessions of meditation and becoming centered can mitigate overgiving to a degree, making its mental effects slightly lessened when the user is centered, and cutting the time of recovery by 1/4. (So an effect of overgiving that normally takes 20 days to recover would now take 15.) This includes things such as imaginary pain, a desire to cast for no reason, or sudden outbursts of anger. This does not lessen physical symptoms or effects of overgiving, such as numb limbs or blurred vision, but it can still accelerate recovery time of such effects. Expert- At this level it is now possible for them to enter a trance. It is at this point that they can maintain a state of being centered in the midst of a battle; allowing them to stay calm and focused. It is also at this point that a focus becomes less important, and they can enter the centered state simply by breathing for a time. Moderate pains and stimuli can be ignored, and once they are fully in a centered state they can even block out certain senses to a degree, not nullifying them but softening them and making them less extreme, making deeper trances possible. They can also enter memory trances in which they can relive events from recent days and notice details they did not notice prior, using only a maximum of one marker at a time. They can enter their "happy place" and rest for a few bells at a time in it. They can also make connections between very different subjects in a thinking trance, and think more deeply upon a specific subject. It takes them 2-5 chimes to become centered, and 10-15 chimes to enter a trance. It is at this stage that safety in meditation becomes an issue, as they can delve deep enough within their own mind to not notice threats or other signs of danger that would have broken their state at lower levels. From this point on meditation is best done with a trusted ally for protection, or while in some kind of safe or isolated place. At this level daily sessions of meditation and becoming centered can mitigate overgiving even more, making its mental effects greatly lessened when centered, almost nonexistent when in a trance, and cutting the time of recovery by 1/3. Master- At this point, a master of meditation is an island within his own mind. Nothing will break their focus, not even being stabbed, run through by a sword, losing a limb, or being set on fire. The only limit is that of the physical body and its inclination towards fatigue and exhaustion. When in a trance they can cut off the input of specific senses or even make themselves oblivious to the world outside of their mind. They can choose between cutting off all senses and cutting off all but one sense. They are almost always in a centered state and can enter it instantly; as well as only needing 2-5 chimes to enter a trance state. When in a deep meditative state, they can go through almost all of their memories - even back to childhood - and notice things they were too young to understand at the time. They can use up to 3 markers at once. By now they also understand themselves at an intrinsic level. They think with absolute clarity and while in a trance of deep thought, they are able to make connections between facts others might feel are impossible or blasphemous in their revelatory nature. They can meditate and stay centered while asleep in order to protect themselves from outside interference and influences, and can stay in their "happy place" without being interrupted for days; barring any physical thing that forces them to stop meditating. They are also now capable of deep sleeping. At this level daily sessions of meditation and becoming centered can greatly mitigate overgiving, making its mental effects greatly lessened when centered, almost nonexistent when in a trance, and cutting the time of recovery by 1/2.