[Help] Is my meditation "working" or am I just experiencing tricks from my body?

[Evotushon]

Hello everyone, fairly beginning practicioner here. I am focusing on meditation before giving a serious try to other magickal practices as I have seen that I do not have enough focus to perform even basic sigil work. I am sure that what I am doing is working to some extent, but I want to know if you think my "routine practice" should go through some changes, and also if you think that what I do feel during meditation sessions is a sign of a correct transition to a meditative state.
Before meditation, I usually do a simple LBRP, though I don't consider it necessary and I just perform it to cleanse my own room.
My meditation starts as I lay down in a comfortable position (so that it is easier for me not to move) and close my eyes and stare into darkness of my eyelids. I also start a breathing exercise (4 seconds box-breathing) and when I start to get a little more comfortable I try to follow Quareia's Apprentice Book's First Meditation Exercise: pressing into my third eye (though I usually try not to) and focus on it, then visualizing white smoke coming in and black smoke going out; I also try to feel as if I am breathing through my entire body first, then through my third eye. When I exhale, if I really cannot focus, I mentally say "I am meditating"
I usually "achieve" no thoughts during the 4 seconds in which I am holding my breath and I am able to just observe the darkness mostly without any single thought.
It is during this state that I feel "something", though I usually just bring back my focus to the darkness.

• First of all, I feel myself "vibrating" as if there was an earthquake right under me. And this vibration is usually not constant, again it feels more like a really small earthquake.
• When observing the darkness, I sometimes see something which resembles stylized eyes, especially if I (mostly accidentally) start looking upwards or downwards; this destabilized me the first time (although I have also experienced this during the Qabbalistic Cross that preceded the LBRP; I do not recall seeing them in the Qabbalistic Cross after it) but I just ignore it now during meditation.
• I see concentrated bright lights similar to stars; again, I am not really shocked by them and I just go on with meditation.
• I once felt as I started vibrating from my left foot to the rest of the body. This was some weeks ago and I was not as "grounded" as I am now, so I quickly ended the session.

This is what I experienced.
I usually end sessions by just slowly opening my eyes and starting to slowly move my body. I usually follow with a final qabbalistic cross for good measure, then I usually go to sleep or eventually take a nap.

This is what I ask you:

1. Do you think, both from what I've described and from what I've experienced, that my meditation "technique" should be changed a bit?
2. Do you think I'm following the right path to achieving deeper mental states? Are the experiences I have gone through normal?
3. Lastly, do you think that the "eyes" I described are of a spirit or an entity in general or am I just overthinking?

Thank you in advance for your answers

 

[Audiolog Edu]

Your practice is very similar to mine, but I do meditation first and banishing, working on the middle pilar later, I dont work with Golden Dawn material, I work with Greek Qabbalah from Aurum Solis and is a bit different from GD, I have other meditations from the Aurum Solis books, for example one with visualizing a castle, obviusly with closed eyes, and then you ring a bell, physically, after that you inhale as you suppose to be doing, and on exhale you chant Ohm while you imagine the sound of the bell coming from inside the castle you are visualizing, also the Ohm must be in your visualization, not as letters, but as heavy vibration, that is a good meditation I do some times before my practice, is like a good warm up before rituals and it has helped me vibrate divine names better, I sucked before starting this meditation.

 

[solxyz]

Your meditation approach seems fine to start with, but you're going to hit limits with it. On the whole, your approach to meditation seems rather uptight. When your concentration is good enough, try to shift toward a more relaxed, open awareness mode for a bit, relaxing your focus on visualizations and specific breathing patterns (I'm not a fan of box breathing myself). Or you might try starting your meditation with some progressive relaxation, and see how that changes the experience. The quiet mind during the bottom of the exhale does feel good, but don't get too enamored with it: real life has to work with a full and continuous breath cycle.

As for your experiences: the vibrations and stuff are cool, in the sense that they are a sign that your concentration is strong enough to create effects, but beyond that, don't pay it any mind. The vibrations may also be somewhat a side-effect of physical and mental tension. And definitely ignore those eyes. That's probably just your mind messing with you, but even if it is some kind of spirit contact, don't let that distract you during meditation.

 

[Evotushon]

Thank you for your replies