I think Meditation takes on many forms, I prefer to project, before I need to do something, I imagine myself accomplishing it, I think of the thousands of times projecting, it has become second nature, but that alone didn't make me profitable, you still have to sweat out a sweet Trading Plan that been tested back and forwards. I believe doing the same things over again and getting positive results helped more than Meditation. What is normal?
If you don’t see the value of meditation, than do you see value in taking a break from the screen? Because that’s what meditation is. It’s a way of taking a break from what you are doing.
Very profound, but only when understood correctly. Here's one interpretation, hoping to demystify what all this means. There's no such thing as a god in the sense of a deity looking down from the heavens. Meditation (when done for 'traditional' reasons and the traditional way with a teacher and a group) causes a major shift in perspective. Or a radical change in the outlook. Or an epiphany taken to the extreme. Some people who have had such experiences or have had glimpses of them, feel moved or compelled to assign names and labels to such experiences (enlightenment, opening up etc.) and their consequences to something other worldly or holy, aka god. It starts to sound all mystical and esoteric from there on. It really isn't. Of course how you look at things and how you lead your life changes radically when you have been meditating for long, so it is mystical in that sense - but in that sense only and nothing more. You really are not going to have a direct line to a god sitting in the heavens. There is of course no compulsion whatsoever to meditate for 'traditional' reasons. One could simply choose to do it for relaxation, grounding/centering, day-to-day stress relief etc. That in itself is immensely helpful, for trading or otherwise (although I still maintain that there are other things you could do that would be more immediate in terms of giving you an edge in trading). The real danger though is that mediation, at least in the Western culture, is now being bottled and sold as a panacea. Depressed? Suffer from PTSD? No problem, just meditate and see it all go away. High cholesterol? Blood pressure? Fear not, meditation is there. Have cancer? Why not forego chemotherapy and try a 'detoxing' meditation retreat instead? You see where this is headed. A lot of people are going to be completely turned off of meditation because of such bogus claims.
You must have been away for awhile. This book was originally published in 1975: There has been a lot of research conducted and published on the subject matter since then, confirming the premise. Apart from other benefits that people claim to derive from meditation, it has been proven to reduce stress and elevate a person's emotional set point. But, as with exercise and a proper diet, just talking about it isn't quite enough; it seems that some commitment is required...
EDIT: The sentence should read "Some people who have had such experiences or have had glimpses of them, feel moved or compelled to assign names and labels to such experiences (enlightenment, opening up etc.) and attribute their consequences to something other worldly or holy, aka god."
You seem to be underestimating the placebo effect, confirmation bias, and the non-replicability of most scientific studies. I am not saying for a minute that meditation can not or does not have a favorable effect on the body-mind, but once you factor in the above variables, any 'evidence' can very easily be disputed. Just exactly how and to what extent meditation is favorable is a very difficult question to answer. I think at this point all one can say is that one could try it and see whether it works for oneself or not.
I would imagine that properly designed studies would factor out your concerns. However, I confess that I don't have any details at my fingertips to share with you. Nevertheless, I take comfort in the fact that the mainstream scientific community appears to be embracing the value of meditation in some basic form or other. Further, my understanding is that fMRI technology has helped to better and more objectively measure the effects of meditation. But, yes, I think people should give it a try and see for themselves -- much like with diet and exercise. As with most things, chances are they'll get out what they put in.
i found, one way to fast on occasion, which i like to do, is with simply a bottle of water at my side, sipping it now and then... marc
As far as I can tell, the basic idea behind meditation is to be focused on the present moment. Most people on this planet, myself included, are usually in three places at once--past, present, and future. We spend most of our conscious thinking remembering or projecting, and miss the now. Apparently, this is a very scary idea for a lot of people. It's a direct threat to the ego, which loves to be right about things. When I meditate, I get to the place where there is nothing lacking at this moment. It doesn't last long, though. In that place, the ego is temporarily disabled, and I'm back in the river, moving with the current. The first book that gave me a glimpse into this state was by the now late Jimmy Sloman, called Nothing. He did so much work in this area, and was also a trader. There was a tape I used to listen to called, "An Evening With Jimmy Sloman." It detailed his first experiences with trading, and how he was able to acquire a large sum of money through visualization. Don't know if it's still available, but I'd like to own a copy. I was able to work with him briefly at a seminar many years ago, and it was great.