Today during lecture, we learned about the mind and how most of us lack the necessary concentration and focus when it comes to actually process necessary information and overall learning. We are too easily distracted. As this sort of like are already written in the ToZ, it is a nice reminder. Especially for newer people, but also for the more advanced. The mind is a tricky place, and for us Zevists, we have to be keenly alert on this.
The use of smart devices with push advertisements from media have serious negative effects on our overall focus and concentration. While smartphones and related mobile technologies are recognized as flexible and powerful tools that, when used prudently, can augment human cognition, there is also a growing perception that habitual involvement with these devices may have a negative and lasting impact on users’ ability to think, remember, pay attention, and regulate emotion. [1]
How long are you able to read a book, an article, watch a series, documentary or film without being disrupted from looking at your phone or so called smart tablets? Scrolling through popular apps like newspaper, twitter, snapchat, instagram, facebook, what have you.
It takes only a little time, in fact, extremely little time until the drawing compulsion, magnetism and urge to reach out your hand and look at your phone or change apps. If you try to resist, the mind may trick you to "watch the time". Just so you can look if there are any notifications. And usually, you only see and read halfs. The mind doesn't learn to process wholes. This is an addiction and compulsion. The mind is tired, exhausted, not to mention untrained and uncontrolled. Unfocused.
When you see something such as all the likes on a picture you shared or cute cat videos, your brain release a chemical, dopamine, that is rewarding your action. Dopamine is a chemical produced by our brains that plays a starring role in motivating behavior. It gets released when we take a bite of delicious food, when we have sex, after we exercise, and, importantly, when we have successful social interactions. In an evolutionary context, it rewards us for beneficial behaviors and motivates us to repeat them. [2]
The constant distraction and feed of information affects our memory, learning process and concentration for the worse.
When we meditate, we increase our overall bio-electricity i.e. life force. With this we strengthens the neurological patterns in our brains. And this include the already existing patterns such as mentioned above.
How many times have you went to bed and you cannot fall asleep because certain songs, commercials, conversations or even scenarios are playing through your head non-stop against your will? This is nothing more than a symptom from an untrained and unfocused mind. Your mind is addressing you to solve this issue.
When you have the power to still your mind, you will find yourself at ease. When you are at ease, you will sleep much faster and gain a better sleep quality that is also good for the health. Another benefit is, you are the one who controls your thoughts and emotions. This is imperative with advancement through meditations and the use of magick. The mind needs a lazer-like focus.
Through Void meditation, you train the mind to hold it still. When practiced everyday, you will learn to "still your mind" for longer periods of time (link below). In the beginning, this can be extremely difficult, as thoughts will come into your head continually. Before you know it, you will again be thinking about something. Don't get upset with yourself as this is very normal and even for advanced practitioners, certain meditation sessions may not go as smooth as usual. Just keep bringing your mind back to focus. Patience and persistence are the keys here. [3]
The results of practicing Void meditation are exceptional benefits. You will gain better memory, process information better, thus understand information better, concentration and focus will increase, control your thoughts and emotions, and you will be able to deal with stressful situations much better. Your overall cognition improves.
In nowadays society we live in, it is already an overwhelming access with information, and with the distracted mind? This can prove disaster for many things.
Easy things to do in order to improve your life from this, is controlling the notifications from your smart devices. Remove the notifications or "silence" them. My only notifications are actual phone calls and actual messages, the rest is turned off. This has helped me tremendously, as well from the benefits of Void meditations. Void meditation is mandatory for every Zevists that are serious.
I hope this makes people think a little more about how they spend their time, focus and motivate them to improve themselves!
Take care,
Dark pagan 666.
Sourses:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403814/
2. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/
3. Void meditation:
https://templeofzeus.org/Zevist_Void_Meditation.php
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