I don't believe that the religion will change if the current pope dies. But who knows; perhaps it will.

When I was a child, I remember reading that when black smoke comes from the chimney of one particular building in the vatican, it is a signal that the pope has died. When white smoke is seen, a new pope has been chosen.

hmmm... well, perhaps she'll drop by of her own accord sometime.

I've been pretty busy lately, but this weekend I'm pretty free, so I'm looking forward to listening to the whole Bruce Moen interview.

Have a good weekend,
Mark

Just listening to Art Bell's show.

Ginny's voice really fits how I imagined her, its uncanny !

Hi Gandalf ! I've had similar experiences, but also plenty of occasions where reading was not a problem. On one occasion, I remember reading guitar tab for a song I'd never heard of before ! Remembering it was nigh on impossible afterwards though..

Perhaps you could try focussing on one object in your dreams... This isn't an exercise I've attempted at length, I'll admit. I've only tried it on a few occassions, for a few seconds. I read about it a while back in Castaneda's "the art of dreaming".  As I recall, the object of the exercise was to focus on an object, thereby practising your ability to remain focussed upon one scenario, or train of thought, within the astral.

Kind regards,
Mark

hey there Nick, I was just thinking of Ginny as I read your first post !

maybe you should drop her a PM, if you haven't already....

regards,

Mark

Hi there Stone ! Interesting post !

I've never had the problem of being "snagged" on a sleeper....but then again, I really can't recall ever coming across a "sleeper" whilst projecting ! Though this might be just a consequence of my lack of "projection" experience.

How did you feel, when you "woke up" from the experience ? Looking back, how do the memories sit within your mind.....have they taken on a dream-like quality, or can you look back at the events as if they are as regular as e.g. going to the shops ?

Sorry, my last two questions aren't really addressing your points; I'm just curious !
Mark

that one was easy....  

has anyone ever tried it? I might give it a shot.

Hi Nisucy ! Take a commonsense approach to this......If you try it, & it goes wrong, you could seriously damage your physical and / or mental health.

However, if it works (lets be fair - the chances of it working are probably zero), then....good for you.

I'm reading "stalingrad" by Anthony beevor at the moment. It tells the story of the battle between the Russians & Germans during late 1942. The German 6th Army was surrounded, with no food or water. Let me tell you, they came to a very unpleasant end.

Kind regards,
Mark

if you guys didn't get it,
its making fun of www.timecube.com

That is the craziest thing I have ever seen.... Whether or not the author was having a laugh is irrelevant; the fact that he spent so much time making that site, is a real worry.....

i believe that it is humanities nature to (rape steal etc.) and yet we defy this. i wonder why. could anyone send me some feedback??

I think that you are making a valid point, however the way you phrase it, makes it sound as if these things are acceptable ! Rape, Theft, etc....are crimes that incur consequences. It is in mankind's nature to punish criminals, in order to protect the greater wellbeing.

There are many dark aspects to the human mind, this is undeniable. We can progress spiritually by conquering these darker aspects.....completely minimising their presence within our minds, until they have completely disappeared. If we were to embrace them, we would simply revert to being animals.

Weren't the elements used as a metaphorical framework which were used to explain many things, including in oriental energy practices how to explain different feelings of types of chi etc? Rather than more literal sounding translations?

Correct, the elements have nothing to do with their physical counterparts. The fire element is simply energy, & has nothing to do with fire as we know it. When reading any texts that discuss the elements, keep in mind that the names are metaphorical. The water element shares certain qualities with the water that we drink to stay alive, hence it was named water.....but it is a different thing altogether.

Similarly, Bardon's electrical & magnetic fluids have nothing to do with physical electrical / magnetic fields.

This holds the promise of allowing a person to manipulate their physical reality from the area of consciousness they currently call their dreamscape. I am still developing this in a subjective sense, but I am hoping to perfom some physical trials in late 2005.

Hey there Frank !

Sounds very interesting....looking forward to reading your findings, as your trials progress / after they are complete.

Mark

During my first OBE I was at a friends house and I remember trying to wake him up, I yelled his name and at first it came out only it sounded a little wierd.  The second time I tried my voice was all gurgly sounding and then I decided to stop.  Can you talk to others on the astral plane, does it take practice or what???

You communicate with thoughts when in the astral.  People who's awareness is still within their physical body(sleeping or awake)  usually cannot hear you when you are Astral.

Trying to communicate with sound will waste energy.  
 

I often get the feeling, upon waking after an astral experience / lucid dream, that perhaps I wasn't having a conversation. The more I contemplate the conversation / speech, the more I become unsure as to whether or not I was actually talking !

Whereas, when you communicate with something/someone with thoughts alone, you are left in no doubt that the communication was "telepathic", for want of a better word.

From my limited experiences, I deduce that the "talking" that we believe occurs during dreams / astral experiences, is merely the mind filling in conversation, where it is expected to occur. I believe that there isn't really any need to talk, as we know it.

Mark

[All you need to do is believe]

Hi there xzultima !

You don't need a "shield" of any sort, but controlling your fear will definitely help you.

I think there is a film out at the moment, called "neverland", based on the life of the author of the Peter Pan tales. In the movie trailer, Jonnie Depp (the lead character) says to a boy "You can visit neverland whenever you like. All you need to do is believe."

However, with your references to fearlessness & shields, maybe you are confusing this with dungeons & dragons ?!! Believe me, after you experience being fully concious within another reality, & after you realise that it is no more / no less real than this physical reality, your views on life will change !

anyway, welcome to the forum !!!
mark

All 3 of his books make great reading. Furthermore, you can see how his understanding of non-physical reality evolves & changes as he gets more and more experienced over the years.

The sheer volume of his OBE "flying time" (for want of a better phrase) over the years, is something that most of us can only dream about !

Mark