It helps improve my power of claircognizance. It is where you are able to predict your future and other's as well. Also you can read into the past. It helps out with the other 3 clairs as well. Helps you sense energy and all that stuff.
Meditation is many things. It can be used for many things. The most common form in use today is mindfulness meditation. It is being fully aware of the here-and-now, and not in other worries or thoughts.
Meditation aids in mental focus, which not only helps in a magic practice but also in daily life.
Another form of meditation is deep concentration, being single-minded about a specific thought or purpose. Again, this is great help with both magic use and non-magic use.
A daily practice of meditation trains the mind to do these things, in stead of struggling with keeping on a specific task or being 'in the moment.'
It quiets extraneous mental chatter, and has been shown to improve aspects of one's health.
Meditation is unusual to me, I close my eyes to see the blackness, it also shows colorful shapes. Is that normal or does it have to be pitch black. When meditating do you just focus on breathing while maintaining a clear mind?
Seeing the shapes and colors is natural. It is typically either rods and cones still firing off, light filtering through the thin membranes which eyelids are, or it is laght-activated chemicals in the eyes. Some people will use this for scrying, but I digress.
Clearing the mind is something some people do practice with meditation. So is concentrating on breath.
In fact, concentrating on breathing, perhaps with a count, is a way that many people begin with meditation. Don't overthink it. That's something which hinders a lot of people: they're so worried about doing it the 'right way' (hint: there's no such thing) that they get distracted from meditating.