Concentration is a matter of practice. Our minds are designed to carry out several tasks at once if needed, as a matter of survival. It’s common for our attention to be split in many directions, and our modern society also demands this of us. But learning to take control of the focus of our attention is a critical skill in developing the self-control needed for magick.
If you are experiencing problems with loud noises while working on meditation exercises then you need to strengthen your intention. The mind hasn’t learned self-discipline yet, so it will allow itself to be distracted. We can learn to allow sounds and other potential distractions to simply happen, and realize it does not always require a response from us. By focusing our will, we can resist the temptation to be distracted.
Compare your reaction to watching a good movie, playing a video game, listening to music, or reading an absorbing book. During such activities, you find you can effortlessly watch or listen and be oblivious to outside influences. However, when faced with something less stimulating, you will find it an effort to concentrate. So the trick is to concentrate on something worthy of concentration. Something that will hold your attention.
If sitting silently with your eyes closed doesn’t hold your attention, try opening your eyes and gazing at an interesting object. Candle gazing is a good approach. Stare into the heart of the flames and let your eyes focus gently. Let your eye wander from the wick to the corona of the flame. Concentrate on every aspect of the flame, and gently allow your thoughts to still. You might also try staring into a crystal, or gaze into your own eyes in a mirror.
Instead of simply focusing on the object, focus within and watch the thoughts arise. Once you are aware of a thought, you can choose to either follow the thought for awhile, or release it and return your attention to your focus. Take an object or an idea and mentally list everything that comes to mind: Memories, related ideas, readings, sounds you associate, or people... continue to build the list for the object, and keep referring to the object whenever you get distracted. This keeps the mind interested, and at the same time it puts it back on track. Symbols such as the pentacle are an excellent object of focus in this regard.
After about fifteen minutes, grab a notebook or computer and write down everything that went through your mind that you remember. This will help you to keep interested and make you more mindful. You will train your mind to act as an observer, allowing yourself room to examine your own thoughts. Once identified, you can learn to screen out negative thoughts, and observe patterns of energy in your life.
You can increase the mind watching time up to several hours if you are dedicated. As a general measure, you should eventually be able to focus on an object of interest for as long as you wish. This frequently takes a matter of years to achieve, however. It's typical for an average beginner of meditation to sustain mindful concentration for less than a minute without a thought interruption. The more you practice, the longer you will be able to sustain concentration. All you need to do is practice, even when it’s boring, and even when it seems like nothing is happening.
Be patient with yourself, and be willing to let go of the million thoughts that constantly race through our brains. The stillness found on the other side is the source of all magick.
~Flame RavenHawk