That is certainly one way go SueZ. I do feel like that occasionally

The words experience, grace, external are very much in tune to a interpretation of mystical experiences, that tend to be alterations of consciousness which can be derived from meditation, but also flow states, music, dancing, drugs. Besides the flow, there are near death experiences, lucid dreams, psychedelic experiences, all alterations of consciousness similar to mystical experiences described in religious texts. The alterations of levels consciousness (ALC) include many states of consciousness described by meditation masters, including higher levels described in Yoga, Buddhism, but in scientific terms these would be just ALC induced by meditation, but the interpretation differ depending in the school of meditation, which are thousands of them. But I agreed more with the Taoism interpretation and the zen tradition that one needs to experience this states rather than theorizing about them. I am very open minded being atheist and meditation practioner and having experienced alterations in consciousness with meditation without drugs, having seen light, having felt peace, compassion, is now difficult for me reduce consciousness to the brain without exploring more the meaning, and the experience, that is the phenomenology.

Your Answer:
in brief I think that this is what some experience as god. I happy with that, as long as my experience and perception respected, too, if I’m asked. It’s wonderful, and a rising tide lifts all boats, praying is a type of meditation for some. The ones who try to make that peace or grace into a diety that can be handled or cashed in on sicken me, & so I don’t trust or appreciate religious organizations. good questions.

In my opinion only: when you meditate the traditional way of trying to cleanse your mind from the external connections it establishes from the outside world what manifests is the internal data in your mind which you let out in the absence of external data. However, these are not random data created because you are already instructing the thought patterns you want to produce and your brain manifests the thoughts/awakenings/manifestations available. The so-called 'higher plane/conciousness' is just your internal data overpowering your external data. That is why some claim to experience a god because that is exactly what they want their brain to produce. It is like there is a mass murder and a baby survived. A person would look at it and see a miracle happened because a baby survived because in his mind something made this possible which could be a 'god' when clearly there should not have been a mass murder if a miracle god was true. In short for me, when you 'meditate' your brain gives you the desired result you want. There is a man in Europe who cannot function without listening to heavy metal music. His brain is 'wired' to it. I myself meditate while doing a lot of things like eating, working, looking at anything and if I concentrate on whatever it is I'm thinking of inspite of my activities the whole world seems to open to me. To finish, the god experience is manifested to people who have thoughts of a god and for other people what manifests is what they want to manifest like a demon, angel, fairy, etc. Have you tried knowing all the details of a particular subject so much that your brain literally opens up possibilities you haven't thought about?

there is n doubt that the god metaphor refers to the inner god, the one we wear on our faces.
meditations goal is to be able to permanently stop our inner chatter and enable us to control the brain/emotional flow.

I personally don’t like the word “grace”, it has a negative religious assosiation for me, but I love the ideas you describe and I am an atheist. I have tried recently to meditate with an app but my state of mind at the moment seems to be too anxious and distracted for it to work. I desperately want to relax!...does anyone have any advice as to how I can get into meditation?

I meditate and I’m an atheist, no conflict of terms or interest. I’m also a musician and find a similarity. I did not recognize the meditative quality of music before starting a meditation practice and looking at through that lens. I think of meditation as the removal of filters but it sometimes becomes the filter in its own way, it’s my time without judgment or concern for past or future. My meditation is very active in its focus on the present, it’s not a clearing of the mind, it’s the repeated letting go of what comes, what you push away comes at you faster. My desire is to be fully in the present. Without the minds distractions we would have no tools to strengthen our attention. I have not found a point in meditation that makes me believe anything is happening that I did not create but should I feel that way I would attribute it to something created by the mind.

I meditate for relaxation. The rest, nope.

I got nothing for you..... You carry on

It sounds like you're describing the natural "high" of endorphins and corticotropin. Increases in their levels can be self-triggered by an experienced meditator, they can even reach similar levels as they would in a long distance runner during the "second wind".

Although cortisol isn't related to the feeling of a higher state, both practices also trigger it's release. It's stress hormone and steroid. It's easy to see why stress hormones would be released during excercise but much more interesting that it is released during meditation.

And that, folks, is how you get stinkeye_a to follow you.

Mention meditation, "god experience", open minded curiosity, exploration, and higher self all in the same post--and cross reference it against misguided and rigid religions, interpretation, and belief systems, and you become stinkeye_a's new favorite member.

I enjoy clearing my mind daily as well, I call it a nap.