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Coming to Contemplation
Envisioning with God
Ernest Wood in his book Mind and Memory Training mentions how meditation often leads into the summit of contemplation. At a certain point one must stop the flow of thought and dwell for a short time with clear-sighted and calm vision upon the best thing that one has been able to reach. It will often happen that this highest conception has not been the consecutive outcome of your meditative process, but while you were going on with that, a new idea burst upon you in a flash of inspiration. Such contemplation creates new platforms on which consciousness can stand. . . In contemplation you make an effort to see in the indefiniteness, something definite, and refuse to descend to ordinary thought. . .
Unlike meditation that holds to clear-cut, definite mental and spiritual objectives, contemplation follows its own ideals and realizations in an unplanned, creative way. We do not often reach the state of real contemplation. Only when we are highly inspired and have done thorough cleansing work of the personality level does this experience come.
Contemplation comes upon us naturally and with a creative flow after we have been meditating absorbingly. We discover ourselves in a freer and more creative vein of consciousness.
The Path of Contemplation
Contemplation is a high state of consciousness in which the mind is entertained by the soul's vision. It comes through our adoration of God. Then comes revelation and spiritual inspiration. Our thoughts are creatively fed by the source of God within us.
The path of contemplation is a way into the threshold of our highest being. It brings forth Truth intuitively and leads us into a deeper degree of stillness. Nothing else so opens us to the Presence of God and to the inner kingdoms of Reality. The Angels have more ready access to our mind as we exercise and experience contemplation.