(These are exercises that will take a long time to master but every

investment will improve your life. They are also fundamental to the other
skills you are trying to develop. JAS)

How you can develop the powers of Concentration and

Visualization
by Joseph Bearwalker Wilson
A secret to mastering intense shamanic trance states and experiencing
ecstatic flight of the soul into other realms of existence is a mind trained to
concentrate. Concentration is the ability to focus your thoughts and
attention on a chosen subject. With most of us this ability is weak. When
we attempt to concentrate on a subject we are soon distracted by stray or
unrelated thoughts.
The purpose of this paper is to give you the necessary mental
training tools to develop the ability to produce vivid three-dimensional
imagery by conscious deliberate activation of your subconscious mind in
which you are in full control. This basic tool is the ability to concentrate the
mind deeply and intensively. Concentration, will power, and visualization
are closely related. When you increase your ability in one of those areas
your abilities in the others are simultaneously developed.
The goal of mind training can be divided into several sub-goals
which will not necessarily be mastered in the order listed below. In fact
when you regularly practice the exercises given later in this paper you may
find that several of them are attained simultaneously. Development of one
ability often leads to the attainment of other abilities as well.
These sub-goals are:
1. To develop the ability to rapidly and intensely concentrate on any
desired subject or object as long as necessary ant to instantly change your
attention to another subject or object at will.
2. To develop a keep sense of observation and to think deeply using
your inherent intellectual potential to the fullest extent possible.
3. To concentrate so intensely that your physical environment,
distracting stimuli, or anything
unrelated disappears from your awareness.
4. To concentrate on an imagined sensory stimulation so intensely

that, with your eyes closed, you experience it similar to a hallucination. For
example you concentrate on a lemon and are able to see it clearly in your
minds eye, smell it, and taste it.
5. To produce the same effect with your eyes open. For example, you
visualize a candle with your eyes closed and see it in your minds eye,
vividly, in complete detail. Then you open your eyes while continuing to
concentrate on the image of the candle to such an extent that you are not
aware of the objects in your physical environment.
6. To take a vividly visualized image, such as a flower, and to project
it into two dimensional space, such as on a piece of paper, vividly enough
that it appears to you to be like a picture or photograph that you can trace
with a pencil.
7. To project an image into three dimensional space so that you see it
in the same way you would if looking at the real thing with your eyes open.
8. To be able to mentally change your perception of physical objects
at will. For example you look at a piece of white paper and imagine it
turning blue until you see it as blue. When you can do this you will be able
to produce physical phenomena on your body such as sensations of pain
or pleasure, and the elimination of actual pain.
9. To create any feeling or emotional state such as happiness, anger,
sadness, peace, contentment, and so forth instantly and at will. When you
can do this you will be able to change your spontaneous emotional
reactions when they are aroused. For example you will be able to turn
feelings of anger, anxiety, fear, sadness, or depression into joy,
confidence, happiness, contentment and so forth.
10. To combine more than one intense sensory experience. For
example, you visualize a dog in front of you, hear him bark, feel his fur
when you pet him, and smell him. Or visualize a rose so clearly you see it
on the table, can smell it, and feel it's thorns when you touch it.
11. To rapidly produce all of the phenomena mentioned above. For
example, at first it will take an extended period of time to produce the
image of a rose. With sufficient practice you will be able to produce a three
dimensional image of a rose simply deciding to do so and saying to
yourself something like, "I want to see a rose in front of me now." Or by
saying "I feel happy" you instantly feel a wave of happiness filling your
entire being.

12. To produce all of the above phenomena not only rapidly, but also
under adverse conditions, such as distractions from people, noises,
physical or psychological discomfort. Concentration can be defined as
directing thoughts and attention to some topic or object and keeping the
attention firmly on it. Therefore in concentration exercises you need to:
1. Select an object of concentration.
2. Direct your thoughts and attention to it.
3. Keep your attention on it and intensively think about it.
4. Prevent any unrelated and distracting thoughts from entering
your mind. That is, as soon as unrelated or distracting thoughts enter your
mind you need to send it away and again concentrate and think about your
object. With practice fewer and fewer unrelated thoughts will occur and
your periods of undisturbed concentration will lengthen.
MENTAL PROCESSES USED IN CONCENTRATION
1. INTELLECT: You think about the object of concentration; that is,
you think about its form, color, shape, material of which it was made, its
use, and so forth. You analyze it, remember everything you know about it,
and eventually think about how it could be improved. At this point you
think in terms of words. You speak mentally (not aloud) and tell
yourself in your mind whatever comes to you pertaining to the object. It's
important at this stage to develop in your mind an uninterrupted flow of
thoughts and speaking related to the object. Your thinking should be
similar to the uninterrupted flow of oil poured from a bottle. As long as this
uninterrupted thought flow is maintained your concentration will not be
broken.
2. WILLING: You make decisions to keep concentrating and think about
your object of concentration until a determined period of time is spent. You
keep returning your attention to the object of concentration as soon as your
thoughts slip away, and keep sending away unrelated thoughts.
3. IMAGINATION: You need to visualize and clearly im agine the object of
your concentration with closed eyes. When you begin exercising you may
have very little ability to visualize however with time you will develop
"eidetic imagery." This is the ability to see the object in your mind as
clearly as you can when you are looking at it with open eyes and to
keep the image in your mind as long as you want.
After your exercise session is completed it's important to refuse
to think about your object of concentration until your next session. This will
prevent obsessive thinking about it.

GENERAL RULES
OBJECT OF CONCENTRATION: The object of your concentration
exercise can be anything: a coin, a stamp, a candle, a flower, or a quartz
crystal are all good. Each of those have enough detail to help keep your
mind focused, but are not so complex as to lead you away from the
purpose of the exercises. Using a flower bud or a crystal as the object of
your concentration will have a tendency to develop your clairvoyant
abilities. After you develop proficiency in concentrating on simple physical
objects you can begin using intellectual topics, abstract ideas, and more
complex objects.
PLACE FOR EXERCISES: In the beginning its best to find a quiet place
where you can be undisturbed. This could be your own room, a church, or
any other private place. You might find it useful to use ear plugs such as
those made of wax and cotton which are available in most drug stores. As
you gain proficiency noises and the environment will not distract you and
you will be able to exercise anywhere.
REGULARITY AND PERSISTENCE: Regularity and persistence in
exercising is extremely important. Do not miss even one day. Ideally the
exercises should be practiced twice a day, once in the morning and once
in the evening, and if possible at the same time every day.

DURATION OF EXERCISES: Don't demand too much of yourself at the

beginning. Start with exercises lasting one minute or less, but do them
regularly and correctly. The exercises may be difficult and boring in the
beginning, but they will become fun when they become habit and you
realize the positive effects they have on you in terms of better mental
functioning.
INCREASE DURATION OF EXERCISES: When you gain some
proficiency with a one minute exercise gradually increase the duration of
the exercise by an additional one minute per day. When you are able to
think intensively about any selected object or topic without interruption for
15 minutes you will have made tremendous progress. If you are interested
in occult, magical, or shamanic abilities you should gradually extend your
practice to an hour or more.
The 15 minute time period should be maintained when it is reached.
An effort should then be made to improve the quality of your concentration
and to keep improving it until no disruptive thoughts appear during this
period. It's best to get an inexpensive digital kitchen timer to measure the

length of your exercises. These can be set in one minute increments and
make no distracting noise from the time they are activated to the time they
ring.
BODY POSITION: During the exercises your body should be erect, with
your spine, neck and head forming one straight line. You may find it helpful
to do these exercises sitting in a straight backed chair, your feet flat on the
floor, and your hands resting on your knees.
BODY RELAXATION: Your body relaxation must be complete, except
for the muscles which hold your body in the appropriate position. Make an
effort to relax every muscle before starting the exercises. If, during the
exercise, you notice that nay muscle is getting tense, immediately relax it
then return to the exercise. Although you need to be completely physically
relaxed, you should not fall asleep and your mind should be alert. The rule
is that your body should be relaxed, and your mind intensively active.
QUIETING THE MIND: This is done before the exercises begin. You do
this by (1) excursion of thoughts and (2) rhythmic breathing.
(1) Excursion of Thoughts: Before starting an exercise relax your
mind and let your thoughts come and go as they please. It's important to
keep a distance from your thoughts and just observe them as you would
observe the flow of a river from a bridge. Don't get involved and carried
away by passing thoughts, just observe them indifferently and they will
slow down after a couple of minutes.
(2) Rhythmic Breathing: It's very good to breathe rhythmically before the
actual exercises in concentration are started. Your heart beat should be
used as a measure. The rule is that your inhalation should equal your
exhalation in duration, and the pauses between inhalation and exhalation,
as well as those between exhalation and inhalation, should last half as
long as the inhalation. For example inhale for 6 heart beats, hold your
breath for 3 heart beats, then exhale for 6 heart beats, hold your breath for
three heart beats, and repeat. This should be whatever length of time is
comfortable to you since the actual length of time is not important, but the
regularity and pattern is. It's important that your breathing be done
effortless and without any strain.
During inhalation think and imagine how air is entering and filling
your lungs, during retention imagine how it is absorbed by your lungs, and
during exhalation visualize how it smoothly leaves your lungs. These
exercises should calm your mind and let you create a temporary distance
from distracting everyday events.
The number of rhythmic breaths taken can vary from 6 to 20

depending on your mood and the available time.

DECISION: As you begin your exercise session think to yourself, "I
shall concentrate on this (name
of object) for (amount of time). I shall permit no other thoughts to
enter my mind. If any unrelated
thought enters my mine I will immediately send it away and
concentrate on this (name of object).
Every day I am concentrating better and better. I shall concentrate on
this (name of object) for (amount of time) and nothing will distract me."
SPECIFIC EXERCISES:
1. CONCENTRATION ON A SIMPLE OBJECT. Select your object, for
example a 25-cent coin.
Assume an appropriate body position, relax, perform the excursion of
thoughts and rhythmic breathing, and make the decision that you will
concentrate for your selected period of time on that quarter.
Now start thinking about the quarter. Think about its shape, color,
material from which it is made, how it is made, what can be bought for it,
and so forth. Keep an uninterrupted flow of thoughts directed at the quarter
and send away any unrelated thought that may appear. Simply keep
returning your mind to the quarter as soon as it wanders away.You will see
some inscriptions
on one side of the quarter; "Liberty", "In God We Trust", and the date.
Think for a while about the meaning of the words, but don't permit yourself
to be carried away too far from the quarter. When you think about "Liberty"
deliberately turn your attention on that concept and think about what it
means for a moment, then deliberately turn your attention to the
second inscription, and so forth. Then spend some time thinking about the
image of George Washington, then again turn your attention to the coin.
The second task is to direct your attention to the form of the coin
in order to be able to visualize it later with closed eyes. Look at it without
strain, calmly and attentively. Try to memorize its form.
Then close your eyes and try to imagine it. At first you probably won't
succeed in visualizing it clearly. Therefore, open your eyes again and look
at the quarter to get a better impression of the parts that you were not able
to visualize. Repeat this process until the time for the exercise is expired.
You may find it useful to concentrate on only a part of the coin in order to
get a good picture of it, and then to go to the next part. For example you
can try to imagine clearly Washington's forehead, then his nose, mouth,
and so forth, and finally combine all those parts together in a clear image
of his face.
If you find that you run out of thoughts about the object before the

time has expired, you can elaborate on the thoughts which you already
covered by going over them in greater detail. You may also just keep
thinking the same thoughts over again. The purpose of the exercise is to
keep your mind on the object, not to produce some extraordinary thoughts.
Use the same object in all of your future exercises until you are able to
create a clear and B image of it and keep that image vividly in your mind.
You may spend a considerable amount of time on this, but you will find that
the same can be accomplished on other objects in a very short time
because you will have trained your mind to concentrate.
2. CONCENTRATION ON READING: This may be done anytime, in
addition to the above exercise. Take a small passage or a sentence.
Decide that you will concentrate on it for, say, 10 minutes. Read it slowly
and get the exact meaning of each word and each sentence. Imagine what
the writer wanted to say and understand it. If some scene is described,
imagine it clearly. Then think about it. Analyze what the writer stated. Is he
correct. Do you agree with him? What do you think about it? What are your
experiences regarding the same topic. Be critical. What were the writer's
motives? Why do you disagree with him? The important thing is that you
again keep an uninterrupted flow of thoughts directed at the passage for a
determined period of time. The passage should be short. The idea of the
exercise is to develop the habit of sharp thinking and not to acquire
knowledge by reading a lot in a fast manner.
3. COUNTING EXERCISES: This exercise can be executed anyplace. You
can simply close your eyes and imagine that you are in front of a
chalkboard. Imagine that you have a piece of chalk in one hand and a
sponge in the other. Now imagine that you are writing the number 1 on the
board. Visualize it written on the board as clearly as you can. Then erase it
with the sponge. Again imagine the empty chalkboard and then write the
number 2. Again erase it after you have formed a clear picture of the
number. Repeat this process with the numbers 3, 4 and so forth. You will
find that every day you will be able to visualize more numbers without
distracting thoughts. Continue with this exercise daily until you reach at
least 100 without distracting thoughts. What is important here is clear
visualization of the numbers and an uninterrupted flow of that imagery and
thinking.
4. DELIBERATE DISTRACTION OF THOUGHTS: The idea behind this
practice is to train your mind to learn voluntary distraction of thoughts. You
can train yourself at any time with this practice, as much as you want
during the day. It is good to do it at least several times per day.
The exercise is quite simple. You consciously distract your

attention from something that attracts it. For example, some pleasant or
unpleasant sight attracts you or stimulates your imagination. Say to
yourself, "I don't want to think about it." and then focus your attention on
something else. The same can be done with any other stimuli, such
as: refusing to listen to some pleasant music, distracting yourself from
some memory, or some fantasy activity. There is nothing wrong with
enjoying pleasant sights or listening to music. This exercise should be
considered as simply another tool for training the mind. The psychological
term for this process is called "suppression." It is a source of strength for
the person who is able to do it. The conscious process of suppression has
nothing to do with "repression" which is an unconscious process by which
traumatic or unpleasant experiences are kept from emerging to the surface
of consciousness.
5. DO EVERYTHING WITH FULL ATTENTION: This is very important.
You must strive to be concentrated on everything you do. The effect of
exercises will be lost if you do one thing and think about something else.
There must be harmony between doing and thinking. That is, if you do
something you should give it full attention: you should not think about other
things, or of something that you will do in the future, or something that
happened to you. For example: if you shave, think only of shaving; if you
read something, think only of what you are reading; if you eat, give full
attention to eating, and so forth. It may take a long time to develop this
habit, but it is a very necessary one.
You will find that after you practice an exercise of concentration in
the morning you will be more attentive and concentrate on everything
you do during the day. Your mind will develop what psychologists call a
"set" of concentration, or a concentrated attitude, which will persist a
long time after the exercise.
FINAL COMMENTS
The above instructions should be read, reread, studied and committed to
memory. They may look complicated, but they are actually simple to
perform in practice. Although they are simple, proper performance will
require great persistence until the habit is developed. Regular practice is
a lesson in self-discipline which will strengthen your ego and aid in
the rapid development of your ability to concentrate and visualize. You will
find that regular practice of each one of these exercises will increase your
abilities to practice the other ones.
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