Introduction to Mark Kincaid<\/b><\/p>\n
I first became aware of \u2018meditation\u2019 when I was a young
\nEpiscopalian boy in the mid-1950\u2019s. I had my first very
\ninformal experiences, now I realize when I sat in those old
\nhard pews in Church and experiencing the awe and majesty of
\nchurch devotions. A number of years later I went on Church
\nretreats they were called back then and quiet time and
\nreflection was a regular part of our weekends.<\/p>\n
However it wasn\u2019t until I went away to college in 1969 that I
\nfirst became aware of more formal meditations. My first
\nmeditation technique was a Yoga practice of AnandaMarga yoga.
\nIt was a simple mantra practice that I practice for about 20
\nminutes twice a day, but after about a year felt something
\nprofound beginning to change for me.<\/p>\n
In 1971, I went to a lecture on the Transcendental Meditation
\ntechnique and though I turned to my friend and said: \u201cWould
\nyou buy a used mantra from this guy.\u201d My friend, I\u2019m sure was
\ndevastated with my comment but I knew that I was not only
\ngoing to stop what I had been doing and learn TM but that I
\nwas going to also become a teacher of TM. Don\u2019t ask me why or
\nhow I knew that. As this one of my first earliest experiences
\nof Intuition I couldn\u2019t have explained it.<\/p>\n
So, a short time later I began the TM technique. It took me
\njust 4 days of instruction, of about 2 \u00bd hours each day, and I
\nfelt an immediate, \u2018high\u2019. I, also practiced this technique
\nfor about a year, then I found myself on the TM teacher
\ntraining course which was an intensive 7 hours of meditation a
\nday for over 7 \u00bd months.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, that experience irresistibly changed my life.
\n If you\u2019ve ever meditated, even for half an hour you\u2019ll have
\nsome idea what it\u2019s like to meditate for hour after hour after
\nhour. That intensive, deep meditation gave me an insight into
\nmeditation, that even today when I think of, I feel very
\nmelancholy about.<\/p>\n
Over the next few years I taught TM full-time, I taught over
\n1,000 individuals personally how to meditate and thousands
\nmore in the Vedic Knowledge of Meditation and the Art and
\nScience of Being, or the Science of Consciousness. There are
\ntwo aspects to the Science of Consciousness which are 1)
\nKnowledge and 2) Experience. Most people think of meditation
\nas basically an experience, but I quickly learned that
\nknowledge and experience go together.<\/p>\n
In this column we\u2019ll be discussing all about \u2018Meditation\u2019,
\nwhich will become an intimate companion to your own personal
\nexperiences and practice of meditation at home. Meditation,
\nitself, however, is not meant to be all \u2018theoretical\u2019. At the
\nsame time we can talk about the value of meditation, this is
\nonly \u00bd the story. Conversely, there are many people who only
\nare involved in the \u2018experience\u2019 of mediation and either know
\nvery little about the accompanying \u2018Knowledge\u2019 about
\nmeditation, or never realized that \u2018it\u2019 had a substantial
\nvalue, too.<\/p>\n
Over the years I got involved in a number of other Eastern or
\nVedic disciplines like Ayurveda, including Ayurveda\u2019s natural
\nhealing and preventative system of health. I learned even how
\nto feel the body\u2019s pulse, the basic diagnostic tool of
\nAyurveda as well as all the theoretical knowledge about body
\ntypes, doshas and diseases.<\/p>\n
Then in 1987 while in India, attending an advanced Ayurveda
\ncourse, I was introduced to the Eastern or Vedic \u2018brand\u2019 of
\nAstrology. Called Jyotish, which is Sanskrit for \u2018the Science
\nof Light\u2019, I began a deep life expansion that continues
\nthrough today. Over these last 18 years I have not only
\nstudied Jyotish, but done over 10,000 Astrology charts and
\ntoday have created an International business combining the
\nBest of both Eastern & Western Astrology into a true modern
\nScience of Nature\u2019s Astrology.<\/p>\n
One of the greatest things that have happened to me is coming
\nfrom a meditative and self-improvement background I\u2019ve learned
\nto apply all the practical tools of self-improvement to the
\nvast wisdom and knowledge of Vedic Astrology. Even as I
\ncontinue on a path of bringing this \u2018Enlightenment\u2019 Astrology
\nto the World, the #1 remedial measure or Astrological remedy
\nis still, \u2018meditation\u2019.<\/p>\n
So, even if you do not know your Astrology, but you have an
\ninnate attraction and interest in meditation, this column that
\nI will be doing will have an immediate charm for you.<\/p>\n
\nYou can reach me at: markkincaid@naturesastrology.com<\/a> or visit my new website at: www.naturesastrology.com<\/A>. My telephone number is (641) 472-0000.\n<\/p>\n \nMy Astrology website: www.naturesastrology.com<\/A>\n<\/p>\n \nAstrology newsletter: http:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/NaturesAstrology\/<\/a>\n<\/p>\n