One wishes to rise above the narrow boundaries of his normal bodily senses. In doing so, this type of prayer seeks to break to normal confines of his regular awareness, and develop a greater understanding of himself, his world, and the universe in which he lives. He also hopes to have a greater understanding of his destiny and his creation, and his creator.
In Christian meditation, the ultimate aim is to forget self and surrender self to Christ. The ultimate focus is the Christ and He gives as one needs, the enlightenment that is necessary for salvation and complete union with God--this does not mean you become God, as so many "new age" religions now espouse.
In Christian prayer, there are several types of Mental Prayer : Meditation, is the lowest form of prayer. The next is Affective prayer ; and the last is Contemplation , the highest form of prayer. It is considered to be a gift from God and is referred to by many Holy Seers as the "Gift of Contemplation."
Meditative prayer consists of several procedures. It is the focus of some divine truth with its application to some aspect of one's life. Then one patiently puts into practice this divine truth and effectivly alters one's life for the bettering of self and mankind. Meditative prayer focuses more on self and less on the Christ. This kind of prayer is good, if one does not stop here, but seeks to raise himself to the higher prayers.
Affective prayer is so-called because it has as its focus love. It is for the love of God that this prayer receives its higher elements. In this prayer, one purposely annihilates self and focuses his thoughts on God, as opposed to meditation. This prayer brings the individual, his soul, his being directly into the presence of the divine. When in this presence, it becomes a prayer of consolation. It gives comfort to self and to the God who is already much, too much, offended by man's actions.
The highest type of mental prayer is Contemplation . This is truly a gift from God and has always been very difficult for the saints to describe. Basically, it is a deep and thoughtful consideration of God, His gifts, His merits, and His passion and sacrifice. It is superinfused with love for Him, without human description. One gazes on Him in all His wonderment and contemplates Him in all His love. The person who does this prayer makes no demands on God except to allow Him to infuse him with Him. One remains in this state of awareness filled with healing love from God alone, and is content with this.
The closest analogy to this type of prayer (see also Prayed Up) is what some saints have described as being in heaven and seeing the face of God forever.