The Society of Guardians

Meditation and contemplative practice lie at the very heart of mysticism, and of the personal spiritual practice of members of the Society. The Late Senior Guardian Michael Freedman was a meditation teacher through his training in India, and as a Psychologist he incorporated his understandings of consciousness and cognition into his teachings. In 1978 he developed a Free Correspondence Course in Meditation under the auspices of the 'Meditative Relaxation Foundation' (a subsidiary branch of the Society of Guardians) and over the years literally thousands of people both in New Zealand and abroad have benefited from these free courses and teachings. 

In the Society ofGuardians a passive/receptive meditation approach called the 'Foundation Technique' is used which is similar to Transcendental Meditation (TM) and 'Christian Meditation' or Centering Prayer approaches. It is suggested that students meditate morning and evening for 20 minutes, and use a sacred word as a focus. At later stages different types of meditation are taught such as active/attentive approaches, which may incorporate visualisation, breathing exercises, or focusing on a symbol.