Though it generally carries the connotation of the above mentioned trance-like introspection, meditation can also simply refer to thought. For instance, look at the term "pre-meditated murder" - here we don't mean that the perpetrator has spent time pondering his act in a buddhist monastery in the lotus position; we mean that he thought of it in advance. When used in this way, meditation generally means deep consideration and deliberation, not a passing idea.