When first setting out in the spiritual life, most people encounter a first obstacle: they are unable to meditate because they do not know how to concentrate. Why? First, because they have not learned how to choose subjects for meditation; they throw themselves into it blindly, with no method. The first rule is to choose a subject of a spiritual nature, and the second, a subject that is something heartfelt. The love you have for a person or an object is what attaches you to him or it. When you do not love, you are, if I dare say so, like a stamp without glue: you will not stick!
Beginners make the mistake of wanting to concentrate right away on the most abstract, philosophical and mystical matters: truth, eternity, infinity, the Absolute, or the supreme Being… Begin instead by concentrating, for example, on a pure, beautiful image that you love, an image of nature or art. In this way, your brain will become accustomed to concentrating, and gradually you will be able to meditate on more abstract subjects. For results in the spiritual life, you must know how to use the miraculous power of love.
Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
