Hopefully by now you have had some practice with the Quiet Meditation and feel comfortable with the act of meditating. The next form of meditation that I will describe is one that I have not used for many years, and normally do not recommend it. I am including it here because some people do like to use it and I have been asked about it. This is what I call an "Object Meditation" for lack of a better name. An Object Meditation In my personal opinion, this form of meditation is not one that I would recommend because the unblinking stare can cause eye strain which I personally find distracting. But you may like it so I am including it here. The first step is picking something to concentrate on. This may be a candle flame, a crystal ball, a cross, a pentacle, an ankh, a Star of David, a rose or anything else that you choose. For this, you will probably want to be seated at a table or desk with the object of your choice in front of you. Now you may be seated upright with your hands in your lap as in the previous meditation, or you may rest your arms on the table in front of you. Close your eyes. Take three or four (or five or six) deep breaths in through your nose. As you inhale, you may find it helpful to picture a white light coming in with the air and filling your entire body. Then exhale through your mouth. As you exhale, picture all of your tensions and stresses flowing out with the exhaled air. Feel the tensions and stresses flowing out. Just let them go. Now open your eyes. Stare at the object that you have chosen. If the object is fairly large, pick one spot on it to stare at, don't let your eyes wander about. Again, let your mind become quiet and still. You should soon find that the object of your concentration has become your entire world, your universe. Allow yourself to become totally lost in it. If a thought enters your head, don't try to suppress it, or stop and examine it, just let it drift on through. You may find some unusual thoughts passing through your head. You may also find yourself seeing pictures or visions. It is not unusual to see "things" in whatever you are looking at. This may be another object, a scene or some type of activity or action. It could also be a face of someone that you know or have known or a complete stranger. Or you may find yourself feeling things, unusual feelings or emotions. Don't worry about it, just let them pass through. There will be plenty of time to think about it all and examine it later. When you feel that you have been in a meditative state long enough, start coming back to the physical reality slowly. Take a few deep breaths and direct your attention back toward your physical body. After you are back in the here and now, you may want to examine the thoughts, sights and feelings that you experienced during your meditation. Pay especial attention to any sights that you may have seen as this is primarily a visual meditation.