Concentration – Master Key Experience Week Seventeen

In the Master Key Experience this week, Haanel in lesson 17 focuses on concentration. The word concentration comes from the Latin “con” – together and “centrum” – centre, and means bringing together, or, drawing to a common central point. Concentration can also be described as the ability to discipline the mind, which is what we are working on in this program.

Often, when we are attempting to concentrate, we find mundane thoughts enter our awareness, such as “things I must do tomorrow “or “how will things be at work tomorrow, they weren’t very pleasant today”. We might also find ourselves thinking about family and friends.

There isn’t a moment in the day when we are not thinking. Often, we are not aware of these thoughts fliting through our conscious mind. By having allowed our thoughts to have undisciplined freedom most of our lives, the task of controlling then becomes difficult.

Patience and tolerance of self will help break down the resistance we may feel from wayward thoughts. By our concentrated effort to focus our energies on one specific point, we will eventually bring them under our control.

Haanel says,

“4. Continuous concentration means an even, unbroken flow of thought and is the result of patient, persistent, persevering and well-regulated system.”

“6. Concentration is much misunderstood; there seems to be an idea of effort or activity associated with it, when just the contrary is necessary. The greatness of an actor lies in the fact that he forgets himself in the portrayal of his character, becoming so identified with it, that the audience is swayed by the realism of the performance. This will give you a good idea of true concentration; you should be so interested in your thought, so engrossed in your subject, as to be conscious of nothing else. Such concentration leads to intuitive perception and immediate insight into the nature of the object concentrated upon.”

“l7. The intensity of one moment’s earnest concentration and the intense longing to become and to attain may take you further than years of slow normal and forced effort; it will unfasten the prison bars of unbelief, weakness, impotence and self- belittlement, and you will come into a realization of the joy of overcoming.”

“37. Always concentrate on the ideal as an already existing fact; this is the germ cell, the life principle which goes forth and sets in motion those causes which guide, direct and bring about the necessary relation, which eventually manifest in form.”

Here is a concentration exercise that may help. This cannot be learned in one sitting, it may take many meditation sittings before you can accomplish this.

1. Before you start light a candle and place it about 3 to 5 feet from where you are going to sit.
2. First gaze steadily at the flame of the candle for approximately two minutes.
3. Secondly, close your eyes trying to retain the image of the flame for an additional two minutes.
4. Open your eyes, fix your gaze steadily on the flame, keep your eyelids in their natural position, blink as necessary. Just be aware.
5. Observe the subtle movements of the flame, observe the various colours contained in the flame.
6. Again close your eyes. Retain the image of the flame and try to centre this image. Observe the characteristics of the flame; the differences in form and colour. If the image starts to fade open your eyes and look at the flame again and repeat the exercise.

Like Haanel points out, earnest concentration and intense longing and desire will speed up the process. All the things we are learning in the Master Key Experience.

To your success.

Charlene