I do, and I think it helps a lot. It's simply a process of sitting still, calming the mind, and observing the breathing for the most part. I think people get the wrong idea about it that it will "empty the mind" but it doesn't; you hear all the chatter you'd expect. As you learn to get through this though, it brings a different kind of focused attention to who you are, where you are, and what you are doing which I find helpful.
Helpful because:
- If you know what calm & focused feels like, when times get tough you might remind yourself of that feeling and try to return to it, sort of like how a person (when they get angry) might remember sitting on a beach with a cold drink to calm themselves
- gives time & space to explore symbols & allegories. How does the 24" gauge apply to your life, right now?
- it's just relaxing. Anybody got lots of stress in their life? It's good for that.
A while ago I got trained as a facilitator in the Masonic Legacy Society method (https://masoniclegacysociety2026.com). This was an effort to bring contemplative practice to the blue lodge. It's a form of group guided meditation done with brothers, focused around a masonic theme or topic. Anybody who is interested in meditation and Freemasonry should either check that out, or the Academy of Reflection out of the Guthrie OK AASR
You know, that’s an interesting thought. There are a lot of people out there who share your idea of riding a motorcycle as a way of meditation.
For me, I have a different take, although it might very well lead back to what you’re saying. I’ve been commuting to work on motorcycle for 18 years, but it’s all in-town. As such, there’s a lot of road hazards, from kids running in front of you to people who can’t seem to understand the true meaning of the stop sign. As such, when I ride, I’m focused on the ride. So it increases my situational awareness, which, over time, had bled not only into my driving habits when I drive my 4-wheeled vehicles, but also in other aspects of my life. This might be related to a form of meditation, since it’s a form of focus.
People call it wind therapy, I call it cycle therapy. In my area I have amazing back country roads that allow me to disconnect from all outside distractions and troubles, and concentrate on the road ahead of me.
I’m currently reading a book written by Neil Peart, the drummer for the band Rush called “Ghost Rider” who recently passed away. Back in the 90s he suffered two tragic devastating losses within a year, his daughter died in a single car accident, and his wife died months later from cancer. He decided to go on an epic motorcycle ride that covered over 55,000 miles as a way to heal his broken heart. It was his way of coping with his loss, and I think it’s a wonderful idea. Sure, time heals all wounds, but I think it really did help. He certainly did.
Most days, I try to take about an hour or so to sit quietly, focus on a mental image of the seashore, and relax to sound of waves lapping the beach. I do it mainly for pain control, and it helps. Other times, I go downstairs to my pottery studio, put on what I call my "far-out, drug-oriented Hindu space music", slap some clay on the wheel, and disappear into meditative throwing for a while. Clay is very therapeutic! The feel of it slipping through my fingers, watching it take form, calms me. The music I listen to is New Age tonal stuff--Liquid Mind, 2002, Secret Garden, steel drum (Hang Massive), Deuter, and the like. Very relaxing. When I finish (run out of clay or energy), I feel better enabled to face the chaotic world again.
I’ve been practicing meditation, on and off, since I was a teenager. There are many kinds of meditation, with different goals, and done properly I believe they are all valuable. The method that is probably the most important to a Mason is, in my opinion, zazen, mindfulness meditation. The benefits of this simple style are clearly documented, and I myself have experienced them. You simply sit, clear your mind, and count your breaths. When you mind starts chattering again, you clear it and start counting again. Counting usually runs in cycles of 10 breaths. A simple 20-minute session can have amazing results. Over time this method can help with two very important benefits. 1- you learn to stop you mind from chattering. The next time you find yourself getting angry, or scared, imagining outcomes that are harmful but not necessarily real, you can simply stop. In this case mediation is analogous to exercising a muscle, The more you use it the finer your control of it. 2- You begin to notice patterns in what your idle mind does, and realize this is the background noise of your life, and maybe you can decide to change it. Natural consequences of these benefits are usually a person becomes calmer (subdues their passions) and there is a tendency to become more compassionate (charitable). These benefits are totally in line with “making a man better.”
I do, and I think it helps a lot. It's simply a process of sitting still, calming the mind, and observing the breathing for the most part. I think people get the wrong idea about it that it will "empty the mind" but it doesn't; you hear all the chatter you'd expect. As you learn to get through this though, it brings a different kind of focused attention to who you are, where you are, and what you are doing which I find helpful.
Helpful because:
- If you know what calm & focused feels like, when times get tough you might remind yourself of that feeling and try to return to it, sort of like how a person (when they get angry) might remember sitting on a beach with a cold drink to calm themselves
- gives time & space to explore symbols & allegories. How does the 24" gauge apply to your life, right now?
- it's just relaxing. Anybody got lots of stress in their life? It's good for that.
A while ago I got trained as a facilitator in the Masonic Legacy Society method (https://masoniclegacysociety2026.com). This was an effort to bring contemplative practice to the blue lodge. It's a form of group guided meditation done with brothers, focused around a masonic theme or topic. Anybody who is interested in meditation and Freemasonry should either check that out, or the Academy of Reflection out of the Guthrie OK AASR
Riding is my meditation.
You know, that’s an interesting thought. There are a lot of people out there who share your idea of riding a motorcycle as a way of meditation.
For me, I have a different take, although it might very well lead back to what you’re saying. I’ve been commuting to work on motorcycle for 18 years, but it’s all in-town. As such, there’s a lot of road hazards, from kids running in front of you to people who can’t seem to understand the true meaning of the stop sign. As such, when I ride, I’m focused on the ride. So it increases my situational awareness, which, over time, had bled not only into my driving habits when I drive my 4-wheeled vehicles, but also in other aspects of my life. This might be related to a form of meditation, since it’s a form of focus.
People call it wind therapy, I call it cycle therapy. In my area I have amazing back country roads that allow me to disconnect from all outside distractions and troubles, and concentrate on the road ahead of me.
I’m currently reading a book written by Neil Peart, the drummer for the band Rush called “Ghost Rider” who recently passed away. Back in the 90s he suffered two tragic devastating losses within a year, his daughter died in a single car accident, and his wife died months later from cancer. He decided to go on an epic motorcycle ride that covered over 55,000 miles as a way to heal his broken heart. It was his way of coping with his loss, and I think it’s a wonderful idea. Sure, time heals all wounds, but I think it really did help. He certainly did.
Most days, I try to take about an hour or so to sit quietly, focus on a mental image of the seashore, and relax to sound of waves lapping the beach. I do it mainly for pain control, and it helps. Other times, I go downstairs to my pottery studio, put on what I call my "far-out, drug-oriented Hindu space music", slap some clay on the wheel, and disappear into meditative throwing for a while. Clay is very therapeutic! The feel of it slipping through my fingers, watching it take form, calms me. The music I listen to is New Age tonal stuff--Liquid Mind, 2002, Secret Garden, steel drum (Hang Massive), Deuter, and the like. Very relaxing. When I finish (run out of clay or energy), I feel better enabled to face the chaotic world again.
I’ve been practicing meditation, on and off, since I was a teenager. There are many kinds of meditation, with different goals, and done properly I believe they are all valuable. The method that is probably the most important to a Mason is, in my opinion, zazen, mindfulness meditation. The benefits of this simple style are clearly documented, and I myself have experienced them. You simply sit, clear your mind, and count your breaths. When you mind starts chattering again, you clear it and start counting again. Counting usually runs in cycles of 10 breaths. A simple 20-minute session can have amazing results. Over time this method can help with two very important benefits. 1- you learn to stop you mind from chattering. The next time you find yourself getting angry, or scared, imagining outcomes that are harmful but not necessarily real, you can simply stop. In this case mediation is analogous to exercising a muscle, The more you use it the finer your control of it. 2- You begin to notice patterns in what your idle mind does, and realize this is the background noise of your life, and maybe you can decide to change it. Natural consequences of these benefits are usually a person becomes calmer (subdues their passions) and there is a tendency to become more compassionate (charitable). These benefits are totally in line with “making a man better.”