Symbols of Meditation

[Hellenic_Witch]

Other than the Om symbol, what symbols represent or suggest meditation to you? Or does anyone find that focusing or visualizing certain symbols aid you in meditation?

I've toyed with the idea of a tattoo to represent how much my practice of meditation means to me and has enriched my life. I find the Om symbol beautiful, but since I do not follow a Buddhist or Hindu path, I feel it would be disrespectful to place it on my body.

[Theres]

i am partial to Hekate's Wheel myself (go figure!), and in fact i DO have it tattooed on my body. ;)

but whenever i feel the need for a symbol to take me 'there', this is the one i immediately go to. at this point i would feel very odd using anything else.

[Toby Stimpson]

Hmmm, well meditation isnt a symbolic thing...its more a state than anythign else. It could be said to be a source of knowledge or 'good' feelings...reflection...perhaps a styalized book symbol?

[fangedeshana]

For some reason, my mind automatically turns to a lotus flower. I often invision my chakra are all closed lotus, and as I open my chakra to meditate, the lotus open and light representing each chakra flood out of each lotus and fill my aura.

[Lady Valkyrie]

A couple of years ago I bought a book specifically on Mandalas. I was merely a book called Meditataing on Mandalas and was filled with page after page of beautiful and intricate Mandalas. I still get out that book and just look through it and meditate on them. My daughter recently got an idea for a tattoo from one of the mandalas in that book. She's 12 going on 13 and is in love with the art of tattooing. I plan on letting her get her first on at the age of 16 if she still wants one by then. This girl even has dreams about herself having specific tattoos. Anyway, I'm getting off topic here... I suggest some Mandalas.

[SquareC]

Personally, I envision a rose in the process of blooming. As the sunlight and dew glow on the rose, I fall into my meditation. Of course this is after years of practice in meditation, I can put myself in a meditative state with ease in most cases. I think it is a personal and individual thing, what works for one will have no effect on another, but on the other hand there is no such thing as too many ideas. :hahugh:

[Fatherman]

Hmmm, well meditation isnt a symbolic thing...its more a state than anythign else. It could be said to be a source of knowledge or 'good' feelings...reflection...perhaps a styalized book symbol?

True, meditation isn't a symbolic act, but then again neither is speaking...but we still need the letters.

My brother had the Sanskrit symbols for Shanti (peace) put on his ankle because he chants Shanti to prepare for meditation.

What symbols have become important to you in your practice? A flame? A flower? A tree?

Perhaps you do something related to the Kundalini energy. If so, a serpent of some sort might be cool.

Maybe you use the third-eye. I bet there are some cool symbols for third-eye.

The Buddha or the Christ might make sense to you.

Good luck and let us know what you choose.

Fatherman

[Grimr]

http://www-aig.jpl.nasa.gov/public/mls/home/fayyad/know-thyself.GIF

[Malcolm]

a spiral

[mtpathy]

learning to find symbols to help you represent states or levels of meditation can actually BE what your meditations are about.

Using meditation in such a way can help you discover your own ways of representing space and movement.

A common image to meditate on can be a image of something beautiful,however what does a beautiful image do aside from make you feel comfortable and relaxed,and enjoying the space you currently occupy.

Meditating on a stylized door thats ajar won't denote a beautiful image,but what is the point of a door,if not to move from one space into another.

A beautiful image won't take you from one space into another, but it will help you in feeling the space your currently occupying.

To further explain the meaning behind a symbol that represents "space",and a symbol that represents "moving", lets look at a triangle and a circle.

Neither one may readily represent moving or space,but place the circle ontop of the triangle,and you now have the sun setting behind a mountain.
Imo a mountain represents a "space that occupies",and the sun would represent a portal to move into "doorway".
in this example you would have created a symbol that is all 2 concepts in one.

1. a space that creates a doorway
2. a space that occupies intrest and beauty

Salutations