Meditiation and Altered States of Consciousness Meditation has been shrouded in so many layers of mysticism over time, that to the novice becoming adept at meditation seems to be a skill only a hermit on a mountain top can hope to attain. In reality meditation is so simple that it may appear to be too easy to be an effective tool in altering consciousness at all. Have you ever been listening to a familiar and well loved piece of music and found yourself being surprised when the CD/tape has replayed several times without your even noticing it, until you become aware of how much time has slipped by? Where were you? The answer is that you achieved an ‘altered state of consciousness’. According to the online encyclopedia 'Wikipedia' this is the definition of an ‘altered state of consciousness’ is. Meditation and visualization are skills that every Witch must master. To cast a circle or do any kind of spell work you must be able to see them completed in your mind's eye. You must also be able to concentrate while in analtered state of consciousness. Meditation is the art and skill of acheiving a quiet mind. In a meditative state you are not aware of the world around you. You travel deep within yourself and if you go deep enough it may lead you into an astral journey. Visualization is the skill of seeing the results of your magickal workings in your minds eye. For example: You are working a healing for a friend. Your goal is to make his/her headache go away. To do this you must see the person well. Many see the headache as a dark claoud in the brain, they see this cloud lighten into a cloud of blue-white that symbolizes health. Both of these skills take practice, in fact for most of us they take lots of practice. The benefits of mediation include: Reduces anxiety and stress levels. Increases self confidence. Improves concentration. Improves the ability to reach an altered state of consciousness. Increases energy. Clearer connection to your higher self. Increases mental clarity. Better quality of sleep. Increases psychic abilities. Improves creativity. Peace of mind.