Meditation, Contemplation and Visualization

Meditation is a far-reaching concept, which in practice extends from a quiet relaxation, the rejection of thoughts, the contemplative thinking about special contents, the mental repetition of words (like in the old rosicrucian "Ich Bin" - meditation), the mental repetition of indish Mantrams to the inner multiple concentration as for example described on this website .

Widespread exercises are
the mental repetition of selected thoughts like the old rosicrucian "Ich Bin" - Meditation,
the chinese breath-Meditation( Palos),
the Mantra-Breath-Meditation( So-Ham ; Sivo-Ham; Ra-Ma ; Om-Ma; Hong-Sau; Chiang-Chieng; etc.)
the mental repetition of Mantrams like AUM, OM, Hari Om, Om Ah Hung, Naam or even long Mantrams like "Om Namaha Shivaya" or the tibetan "Om Ah Hum",
sometimes togehter with the closing of the ears with the thumbs like in the Nada-Yoga
the meditation of the "Golden Flower", (Tibetan Pho Wa (Wiki) ) or about the 'red Amitabha' above the cortex or the 'Naam-Simran' ala Huzur Maharaj.
Inner multiple concentration as described in the Amitabha-mediation on this Website (and fundamental with letters in the Quabbala-Book of Franz Bardon).

At this the Mantra-Mediation has the special purpose, to create a resonance and vibration which strengthens itself by the constant concentrated repetition and which transforms those regions, which come into contact with this vibration. The deeper the meditation the bigger are the effects of such a vibration.

The concentrated repetition of a mantram creates in the EEG a growing synchronization of the electric brain activity, which amplifies the rhythm of the alpha-waves and causes a mental and physical relexation. [Dissertation(ger. PDF)]

Prerequisite for such meditation is traditionally the control of the thoughts. This has the simple grounds in the fact, that thoughts disturb the concentration on the Mantram. Otherwise such concentration is a cramped holding tight at the mantram. It should be an "IT - istic" looking recur, corresponding with the state of consciousness of the student. : IT acts in the transcendent areas....

A futher reason of the necessity of the previous control of the thoughts is simply, that storms of thoughts that happen in deep meditation can have later chaotic effects, when the deep mental waves come into realization in life. As soon as such chaotic thoughts have transcendental effects in the Akasha, they can have strong karmic effects. Therefore a deep meditation with storms of thoughts can have very negative effects, even if the student notices that and then returns to the mantram.

Another point is, that the deep meditation about a mental content or a mental theme does not take into account, that mental waves have a quabbalistic aspect, so that such thoughts can often have very negative unconscious effects but must not have . (--> Fr. Bardon : "Key to the True Quabbalah")

Generally meditation has three steps :

1. Preparation : Attainment of a quietness, for example through the concentration on the breath or using Mantrams, which have such effects(in Taoism "S-Ung" (quietness) or "F-ANG" (relaxation) or "So-Ham", or even through observation and rejection of upcoming thoughts. Another method is to read a chapter of a holy book, so that the contents of the momentary thoughts are tuned.
2. The Mediation with a certain technique within several steps (until the later Samadhi)
3. The return to the normal consciousness

Visualizations:
Other Methods use techniqs with forms and colours :

Here we can find methods of meditation over elementary forms like triangles and Mandalas or Lotus Flowers, of pictures of deities or buddhas or masters, over cosmic mandalas with a great variety of forms and colours.
Such visualisations make use of the lawful contents of colour and its meaning, and of form and force and of the qualities of those forces. (the Feng Shui offers to this one disputed explanation).
Especially in Tantrism (Mandala, Yantra) and even in Buddhism(Vajrayana) we can often find such visual meditations. Generally these techniqs were used by progressed aspirants with trained abilities of visualization and imagination.

The simultaneous use of sound, colour and meaning makes these exercises much more effective, but because they are difficult to practice, the practise of the single aspects will mostly be necessary before that.
Therefore Franz Bardon teaches the use of letters in combination with colour and specific feelings in his book about the Quabbala, and he explains their individual meaning.
For example in hinduism the meaning and the colours and characteristics of a deities were exactly explained by a real guru before initiation.