Day 10 – The Matrix of Manifestation: Focus
“Follow your deepest dream, the one you had as a kid…but stay focused.” — Donal Logue
Message of the Day
Our meditation today deals with the second element of the matrix of manifestation: our focus of attention. Just as focused light through a magnifying glass becomes more concentrated and powerful, the light of our consciousness also becomes more powerful when our attention is focused. This concentrated awareness awakens the dormant intelligence within our intention. It is like the warmth that helps the seed of desire sprout. Today’s meditation will show us that the mind can experience deep focus easily, without strain or effort. When the mind is quiet, deep focus comes effortlessly and naturally. Unbounded awareness and sharp focus not only coexist, but they are mutually supportive, and together they form two of the three elements of awareness in the matrix of manifestation.
CENTERING THOUGHT
My awareness is focused.
SANSKRIT MANTRA
Ksham Hoom
My universal awareness holds a single focus.
(This mantra easily collects the diverse tendencies of the mind to a single impulse or point of focus. As you repeat the mantra, let your awareness easily draw into your silent center of attention.)
Journal Questions
“The quality of focus that helps us manifest our desires is a focus that is easy, because it is enjoyable. Illustrate this to yourself by writing about a time in school where you had to focus on something that was not enjoyable – maybe algebra or statistics. Now contrast that by writing about how easy it was for your mind to focus on something you liked. Perhaps it was a cute guy or new music a friend shared with you.”
“Attention stimulates the development of our desires. Write about three cases when your individual focus of attention made all the difference between success and failure. It could be an experience as a teacher, giving one-on-one mentoring to a student struggling to learn. Or it could be a situation in which you had a personal habit you wanted to change in yourself, but ignored for a long time, and were finally able to change when you gave it your attention and made it a priority.”
“The focus of attention at the deep and subtle levels of the mind is different than the mental focus of the active mind. This vague or subtle focus is similar to a mother’s focused attention to her toddler’s activities and needs, even while she is engaged in other tasks nearby. Write about an equivalent kind of soft focus you have used at work or home.”
Reflect further.