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The third condition of meditation is bringing body, mind and spirit into attunement. In our earthly experience, we often think of these as separate parts of ourselves. We experience the body through physical sensations and actions, the mind through thoughts and choices, and the spirit through ideals, intuition and our longing for God. Yet these are not intended to function independently. They are three dimensions of one living being.
Meditation helps restore this unity. It quiets the physical body, gives direction to the mind and opens both to their spiritual source. One of the clearest definitions of meditation explains: “What IS Meditation? It is not musing, not daydreaming; but as ye find your bodies made up of the physical, mental and spiritual, it is the attuning of the mental body and the physical body to its spiritual source.”—281-41
True meditation therefore involves more than thinking about spiritual subjects. The whole person participates. The body becomes quiet and receptive, the mind turns toward a spiritual ideal, and the spirit supplies life, direction and purpose. When these dimensions begin to cooperate, meditation becomes an experience of inner unity.
The same reading continues: “It is the attuning of thy physical and mental attributes seeking to know the relationships to the Maker. THAT is true meditation.”—281-41
Physical relaxation and mental calmness are valuable, but they are preparations rather than the final purpose. The deeper purpose is to awaken our conscious relationship with our spiritual source. The body and mind become instruments through which the soul may become more aware of God.
The physical body enables us to act within the material world. Through it, we see, hear, speak, move, work and serve. The body is not necessarily an obstacle to spiritual growth. It is the instrument through which our spiritual ideals may be given practical expression.
The mind acts as the builder. It interprets experience, directs attention, forms attitudes and exercises choice. It stands between spiritual impulse and physical expression. What the mind continually accepts, entertains and chooses eventually appears in some form through the body.
The spirit is the divine life, purpose and creative impulse within. It calls the individual toward truth, love, unity and constructive expression: “The spirit maketh alive, the mind is the builder, the application is the experience in the individual life.”—262-119
This gives each dimension a particular function. Spirit gives life, mind builds, and the physical life provides the field of application. When they cooperate, the spiritual ideal becomes a living experience rather than an abstract belief.
Another passage expresses the same relationship: “The expressions are in the physical, the motivative force is the spirit, the mind is the builder.”—262-83
The spirit supplies the motive or ideal. The mind decides how that motive will be understood and directed. The body reveals the result through words, actions, habits and relationships. Meditation brings these functions into conscious cooperation.
Inner conflict arises when body, mind and spirit move in different directions. The spirit may prompt forgiveness while the mind continues rehearsing resentment. The mind may recognize a higher ideal while the body remains controlled by an old habit. We may pray for peace while continuing to entertain thoughts of fear, criticism or conflict.
Such division weakens us because our energies are moving in competing directions. One part says yes while another says no. We may sincerely desire spiritual growth while continuing to feed the attitudes that prevent it.
Meditation makes these contradictions easier to recognize. In silence, we begin to see where our thoughts, desires and actions do not agree with our ideal. This awareness should not produce self-condemnation. It gives us the opportunity to restore cooperation within ourselves.
Self-examination helps us become united “in desire, in purpose, in aim” with the divine ideal. It is neither self-condemnation nor self-glorification. It is the recognition that the mind builds, the will chooses what will be built, and love is the true goal of the building process (262-106).
Harmony develops when spirit supplies the ideal, mind freely accepts and directs that ideal, and body gives it expression. The three then cease struggling against one another and begin functioning as one life.
The readings describe this threefold nature clearly: “These elements, then, are made up of the physical body, the mental body, the spiritual body, each with their attributes and associations and connections that must all work in unison.”—262-8
The phrase “work in unison” is central to the third condition. Meditation is not meant to develop only one part of ourselves while leaving the others behind. It is not simply a mental exercise, a physical relaxation technique or a search for spiritual experiences. It is the coordination of the whole person.
We are told that this greater wholeness may be entered: “Through meditation, through attuning not just a side of the mind nor a portion of the body but the whole, to that at-oneness with the spiritual forces within.”—281-24
Meditation that remains only intellectual may produce interesting ideas without transformation. Meditation concerned only with bodily sensations may produce relaxation without spiritual direction. Meditation that seeks unusual spiritual experiences while ignoring mental and physical balance may become ungrounded.
True attunement includes the whole person. The posture, breathing and nervous system become calm. The mind becomes clear, focused and receptive. The spiritual ideal provides direction. Each dimension supports the others.
Another passage describes this as: “Its attunement of its whole being, its whole inner self, of a consciousness of that divine force that emanates in Life itself in this material plane.”—281-7
The purpose is not to reject material life but to allow the divine force to become conscious and active within it. Spirituality is incomplete when it remains separated from physical living. It becomes practical when love, patience, truth and mercy are embodied in how we treat other people.
The physical body has a sacred purpose because it provides the place in which spiritual consciousness may be awakened and expressed: “Know that thy body is the temple of the living God. THERE He has promised to meet thee!”—281-41
This image changes how we approach meditation. The body is not something we must escape. It is the inner sanctuary in which we seek conscious contact with the divine presence. Preparing the body for meditation may therefore be understood as preparing a temple.
We can support this preparation by sitting comfortably, relaxing unnecessary tension and allowing the breathing to become balanced. The body should be alert without being strained. A painful or uncomfortable posture that constantly demands attention works against the purpose of meditation.
The body also carries the physical effects of our thoughts and emotions. Fear may tighten the muscles and disturb the breathing. Anger may increase tension. Anxiety may keep the nervous system in a state of constant readiness. When the body becomes quiet, it signals to the mind that it does not need to react to every thought as though it were an immediate threat.
Physical stillness alone does not create spiritual attunement, but it prepares the instrument through which attunement may occur.
Once the body becomes quiet, the mind must be directed. If the body remains still while the mind wanders among worries, fantasies and desires, body, mind and spirit have not yet been brought into unity.
The mind builds according to what it continually holds. It may build upon fear and selfish desire, or it may build upon a spiritual ideal. Meditation gives the mind an opportunity to choose its foundation consciously.
This is why an affirmation can be helpful. An affirmation presents the mind with a clear spiritual ideal and directs its building power toward that ideal. The words are not magical by themselves. Their effectiveness depends upon the purpose, desire and spiritual meaning we bring to them.
As the mind becomes “attuned, clarified, cleansed,” influences of separation may be overcome (281-7). A clear mind does not necessarily contain no thoughts. It is a mind whose thoughts increasingly agree with its spiritual purpose.
Meditation helps the mind become a bridge rather than a barrier. It receives the spiritual ideal and finds ways of expressing it through physical life.
Spirit is the source of life and the highest direction within us: “For the Spirit maketh alive.”—281-27
Yet spirit does not force the mind or body to obey. Human beings possess free will. We must choose whether we will cooperate with the spiritual impulse. The spirit may prompt love, but the mind must choose loving thoughts and the body must express love through action. The spirit may prompt forgiveness, but the mind must release resentment and the body must act accordingly. The spirit may inspire service, but human hands and feet must perform that service.
Meditation strengthens our awareness of this inner prompting. As physical tension and scattered thought become quieter, spiritual guidance may be recognized more clearly. This guidance does not always arrive as a voice, vision or dramatic revelation. It may be experienced as a quiet conviction, a new understanding, a change in attitude or the recognition of something we already know we should do.
The test of spiritual guidance is its fruit. Does it lead toward greater love, patience, kindness, humility and constructive service? An impression that encourages pride, condemnation, fear or self-exaltation should not be accepted simply because it occurred during meditation.
Attunement may be compared to adjusting a musical instrument until it agrees with the correct tone. At-onement carries this meaning further. It describes the bringing of our will, purpose and desire into unity with the Creative Forces: “At-onement…is making self’s will one with the Creative Forces that may become the impelling influence in thought, in mind, that is the builder to every act of a physical, mental or material body.”—262-45 The passage continues: “The will of an entity, an individual, is made one with the Creative influences in the experience.”—262-45
At-onement does not mean losing our individuality. It means that individuality becomes consciously cooperative with its source. A musical instrument does not cease to be distinct when it is properly tuned. It becomes capable of expressing the music more clearly.
In the same way, meditation does not erase personality. It brings personality into harmony with the soul’s deeper purpose.
We should not assume that body, mind and spirit must already be in perfect harmony before meditation can begin. Meditation is one of the means through which this harmony develops.
Some days the body will feel tired. At other times, the mind will be restless or the emotions unsettled. This does not mean meditation has failed. The work is to bring whatever condition is present toward the spiritual centre.
Even an unsatisfactory meditation can reveal where coordination is needed. Physical restlessness may show the need for better preparation. Repetitive thoughts may reveal what continues to occupy the mind. Emotional resistance may identify an area that needs forgiveness, patience or healing.
Attunement is a gradual process. We are not trying to force the whole being into an artificial calm. We are patiently teaching every part of ourselves to cooperate with the spiritual ideal.
Breathing can help connect the physical and mental dimensions of meditation. Breath is a physical activity, but it is also influenced by thought and emotion. When we are afraid or angry, breathing may become shallow or irregular. As the body relaxes, breathing ordinarily becomes quieter and more balanced.
We do not need to force the breathing. We may simply observe it and allow it to settle naturally. Each gentle breath can remind us that life is being received moment by moment.
As the body settles, attention may move from the breath to an affirmation and then from the affirmation into spiritual stillness. The breath calms the physical instrument, the affirmation directs the mind, and silence opens consciousness to spirit. These are not unrelated practices. They are stages in bringing the whole being into unity.
The unity experienced in meditation must eventually appear in daily life. If we meditate upon love but speak harshly afterward, the ideal has not yet become coordinated with mind and body. If we seek peace while continually encouraging conflict, the threefold nature remains divided.
We are advised: “Let the words of thy mouth and the meditation of thy heart coordinate with thy purposes in Him. For in such does the light and the Glory of the Lord shine.”—262-94
This is a powerful description of spiritual integration. The meditation of the heart, the purpose of the mind and the words of the mouth should agree. What we experience inwardly should become visible outwardly.
Another passage declares: “Body, Mind, Soul must be in the Spirit of truth at all times.”—262-113
The deepest evidence of attunement is consistency. Thoughts, speech and conduct increasingly express the same ideal. We become less divided between what we believe, what we say and how we live.
A simple meditation for body, mind and spirit may begin by sitting comfortably and allowing the body to become still. Relax the face, shoulders, hands and abdomen. Let the breathing become natural and balanced. Experience the body as a living instrument rather than an obstacle.
Then turn attention toward the mind. Notice its present condition without judgment. If thoughts are scattered, allow them to settle. If concerns arise, acknowledge them and gently place them aside for the meditation period.
Slowly repeat: “LORD, LET ME—MY MIND, MY BODY, MY SOUL—BE AT-ONE WITH THEE: THAT I—THROUGH THY PROMISES IN HIM, THY SON—MAY KNOW THEE MORE AND MORE.”—262-89
Allow the meaning of the affirmation to move through the whole being. Feel the body becoming receptive, the mind becoming centred and the soul turning toward its source. The affirmation may then be shortened to: “Body, mind and soul, at one with Thee.”
Continue until the words awaken a sense of unity. Then release the words and enter the silence. Do not attempt to manufacture an experience. Remain receptive to whatever peace, guidance or awareness may arise.
Before ending, consider how this inner unity may be expressed through one practical action. What can the body do, under the direction of the mind and spiritual ideal, to bring patience, hope or kindness into another person’s life?
Bringing body, mind and spirit into unity means that the whole person becomes directed toward one spiritual ideal. The body becomes a receptive instrument, the mind becomes the conscious builder, and spirit supplies life, direction and purpose.
The aim is not to escape the physical world. It is to allow spiritual truth to become active within it. Meditation brings us into the inner sanctuary, while daily life gives us the opportunity to express what we have received.
When body, mind and spirit cooperate, we become less divided within ourselves. Our thoughts begin to agree with our ideal, our words agree with our thoughts, and our actions give physical expression to the spirit we seek to serve.
This is attunement. This is at-onement. This is the gradual restoration of the whole self to unity with its spiritual source: “These…represent SELF; self’s body-physical, self’s body-mental, self’s body-spiritual…and they are ONE in thee.”—281-16
Meaning of Image
The seated figure symbolizes the whole person in meditation. The three streams of light represent the three dimensions of our being: the body, relaxed and still with calm, rhythmic breathing; the mind, quieted, focused and released from distraction; and the spirit, open and responsive to its higher or divine source.
As the three streams meet at the centre, they symbolize attunement. Meditation is more than calming the body or quieting our thoughts. It is the conscious alignment of the physical and mental self with the spiritual source of life. The light surrounding the figure represents the peace, clarity and inner strength that arise when body, mind and spirit no longer pull in different directions.
The image’s central message is that meditation gathers body, mind and spirit into one harmonious current, allowing the whole self to become attuned to its spiritual source.
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