Before one starts meditating, there is motivation. It remains a central and continually important topic on this path.

Since I assume the reader already has their own motivation - at least enough to begin - I will start directly with the first practice and address the topic of motivation in detail later on.

Beginners and advanced practitioners

When I offer guidance for beginners and advanced practitioners, I am by no means referring to different spiritual standards. A person’s spiritual maturity only partly depends on their meditation experience.

The level one is on spiritually depends more on the foundation one was born with, the extent to which one has lived for the sake of others, and the love that has motivated such action.

So when I speak of beginners and advanced practitioners, I am referring solely to experience in meditation practice.

I may have some meditation experience myself, but I often find myself in the position of introducing people to mystical practice who are spiritually far beyond me.

Additionally, it is important that even so-called advanced practitioners maintain a beginner's mind in order to avoid stagnation. 

As soon as we feel secure in our practice, the next level awaits, where we begin again from zero. In this sense, we are all beginners and seekers on the path to God. In front of God, 20 more or fewer years of meditation make no great difference.

It's hard to determine when one is considered advanced based on a fixed time. To provide a rough orientation, one could take about three years of regular meditation of 30 minutes as a guideline. During this period, the changes begin to gradually stabilize. The experiences I mentioned in the phase of deepening occur.

However, it is not necessary to strictly categorize oneself.  Simply take the guidance that best fits you.