Yes. The NP experience does not and is not always an either/or thing. It is possible to maintain focus in both realities at once.

Many of us have experienced this and tackled it with differing results. What I do is simply go to sleep since that's where I am apparently heading anyway. I don't fight it. What I have found is that I will wake in a very lucid dream later in the night that can project from much easier than fighting the need for sleep early on.

I have at times been able to keep my NP focus while also going to the bathroom. It's a matter of grounding your semi-wake self a bit more strongly and taking care of business without really paying attention to details. You've gone to the toilet a million times so you really don't need to fully wake for it.

LOL, maybe we were all chosen or born with a certain genetic code to ensure we would be very stubborn. A quality that might get in the way sometimes but is very valuable in the learning process.

Makes perfect sense Szaxx, it's like that saying, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". And yet I keep stepping into that trap although I doubt I'm alone in being so stubbornly willful, lol. I think cartoons in general are a fun way to look at life. Dr. Seuss was a master pro.

On another note there is something I have finally come to realize that most of you have possibly already figured out. If you want instruction from the NP you have to actually have a purpose. Funny how we know these things and yet have difficulty using that knowledge in a way that makes sense. Here is where Lumaza I know shines, he's been doing it all along with his wire and crystal trees. Plume with her cards and sculptures. LightBeam with her creative writing and teaching and many others as well. Kind of a facepalm moment for me when the concept took hold and jelled.

I feel like I've been playing with the idea for a long time and need a good spanking for being so dense. But finally, I get it! So I'm working with plant materials and whenever I ask questions or for guidance on the NP front I'm actually getting insights through AP, and some mild LDs. That's wonderful as I've been on a dry stretch for months. I'm still not getting anything else but there is this and for now it's enough.

So I'm wondering if any of the rest of you are discovering any new uses for you NP experiences?

Wow T-Man. I agree, AP for sure. Your interpretations I feel are spot on which shows your growth is no small thing. I've a feeling you'll be learning a lot more as bits and pieces fall into place over the coming days.

Congratulations!

Very astute observation LB. It's good you share this as we all need these reminders of how powerful we truly are and how we don't get off lightly just because we think we should. Some lessons are essential and they are about us more so than the one we are supposed to be teaching.

The Rock has got your back it seems. Interesting with the peeling rock, you got a look inside or maybe YOU are what's inside. Nice LightBeam

Omcasey is totally right. The problem isn't usually 'getting out' rather it is identifying it when you do. Great video Casey.

EscapeVelocity - LOL See, it does work.

I only know of one technique that might qualify. And I do mean might. And I only will put this out here with the understanding that anyone who tries this does so at their own risk. But first let me tell you why this is the technique I've chosen here in response to your question.

After years of being online and having had many discussions with people regarding dreams, nightmares and other things that go bump in the night this is the one that seems to cause a large percentage of the madness and mayhem. While we here explore OBEs and the Astral many don't and their only frame of reference are dreams and nightmares and superstitions. Now we here may all recognize many of these as actual astral travels. After a lot of digging and asking questions (not all by me on either of those) it seems there is a physical state that can be alluded to.

I do NOT recommend this because the results are usually nightmare and crazy inducing quality. But it seems to throw people out there. So there's your word of caution and I'm sure others will have something to say that may be quite different or in tune.

Some might think I shouldn't put this out there and they may be right. I am not claiming it will work for you or anyone else. So you have the warning and there are better ways to go but if you just want out no matter what, well the choice is your.

The technique:
Eat a nasty meal (something that doesn't quite agree with you). (This will cause gastric distress)
Go to bed
Lie flat on your back (no pillow or a firm pillow. (This will put pressure on the cerebellum)
Go to sleep.

If you are prone to nightmares and negative energies I HIGHLY suggest you Don't do this.

I feel done, almost finished. Like whatever has made me human is almost gone now. I didn't understand for so long. I thought I had been left, abandoned. This world, people scared the hell out of me but then it showed me such beauty, such synergy, an ebb and flow that had to be experienced, had to be recorded/observed.

And all the while I know now I was being observed/recorded. My actions and reactions were/are being studied. Did I do well? Did I disappoint? Did I overdo it or was I lazy? Did I sometimes lose my way and become more involved than was meant? Did I become involved enough?

I remember bits and pieces of conversations I've had over the years with 'others' Beings seen and unseen. Like you two have observed this often happens while doing something completely mundane and long drives are definitely on that list. I remember a conversation about ego.

At the time I really hadn't read any of the material I have since read through recommendations given on this forum. Of course I knew what ego was just saying not in this broader context. In that conversation I remember being asked to explain ego. I can't remember precisely what all was said but did end with saying that the ego in my experience was vital to the human condition. Without it humans would have no will.

Later, after joining here and reading many recommended books and online stuff I came away feeling that the whole concept of losing our egos was just wrong. I still feel that way but , I don't know. What I'm saying is I feel trying to purge our ego is like denying an essential part of being human. Anyway that is just a bit of one of those mysterious conversations that take place when I'm not paying too much attention.

The programming, the downloads and codes were a bit difficult to digest at first. When I think about that here and now it seems like I understand it now. Before it was just too weird, how can I be an organic creature and a machine? But that's kind of how it feels. With this very revealing conversation it is all starting to make even more sense. Guys I feel like we are approaching something vital. Not just us although we might be some of the few who are aware of it but everyone.

I just wanted to put these thoughts out here and tell both of you how grateful I am for your forthrightness and bravery.

Looks like you released some old blood (black, dark red).

Hey Shineling, I somehow missed your response up there. It is fascinating!

Your experiences are really starting to evolve. Just keep it up and don't 'think' about any of it till afterwards.

I love that you now know you can AP from within an AP. That's really cool and learning a great deal. And thank god you ignored the group sex, haha. It's a trap.

Gosh, we all need to let this madness out it seems. Thank you all for speaking up and sharing your thoughts and thanks Ryan for asking. I'm impressed Casey you speak of the ground itself. This year is crazy with Mother Earth. I have so many wild plants growing it's downright bizarre. Getting anything to grow here has been nearly impossible for 20 years! BUT all this new growth falls directly in line with where my own instincts have been taking me lately and that is Plant Medicines/Herbalism or for the more mystically inclined witchcraft (lol). I'm learning a lot and getting some guidance on the NP front but not much of anything else there at all.

So you Casey are learning new things about yourself while feeling the stress.
LightBeam is focusing on her own strengths and needs at this time but being very observant to pattern development.
Batgirl seems to be working through some heavy tensions and finding nature is a mighty healing force.
T-Man is working through the low energy crisis that seems to have a hold on most of us if not all while remaining hopeful.
Ryan is feeling the anxiety and looking for relief.

Things are definitely changing. As a group it might be a good idea to surge our energies (what little we feel we have) towards each other. I know I also can not seem to boost my own much at all. Nothing seems to be working right. I was speaking to another member here last night and this came up. Maybe forming or visualizing a circle and passing energy around instead of pulling in. We both agreed it was worth a try and might help so if you guys are on board give it a go or as much of a go as you can maybe. Believe me I know how hard this is when you just don't 'feel' like it. Personally I just haven't 'felt' like doing anything np.

Last night after our conversation I had intended to do exactly this but dang I fell asleep instead without even making an attempt. I'm kind of ashamed to even admit that but that's how bad it's gotten.

Anyway, love you guys so so much!! Hugs!

Seems all the 'pressions are out in full force and have been throughout 2020, oppression, depression, suppression. But holding on and basically waiting it out. One thing I know is nothing stays the same for long although arguably this has been one long year.

The virus doesn't bother me much at all but boy oh boy peoples reactions to it do.

Good question Pelican.

I can't say I actually 'believe' or 'disbelieve in this. To me it is not a question of belief. It either happens or it doesn't. If it happens whether self-induced or otherwise then it is a real and valid experience. But are they illusions? Well first we would have to understand what an illusion is and therein lies a can of monkeys.

All I can say for sure is that this world is chock full of stuff we haven't figured out yet. And even though I have sometimes used the term 'just a dream' myself I can't honestly say I have ever had just a dream. I say that because I have personally had so many validations I no longer even question any of this. And those validations have come from 'just' dreams to lucid dreams to OOBEs to APs to other as yet un-named phenomena.

Look at it this way, a heart attack can just as easily be induced by passing an electric current through the body. Does that negate a heart attack of the natural or self-induced variety?
 

I'm going at this cold yall so wish me fortune and cross your fingers I give you something worthwhile or at least entertaining to read. I'm sitting here at my keyboard with only one goal and that is to visit the island. I have not gone back and reread anything here or in the other thread. I simply want to move from 'here' to 'there'. Here goes...

I'm seeing the island from a great distance. As yet I don't see the beach just a mountainous pyramid rising into the heavens. It's all hazy and grey and there's a huge bird or dragon like creature off to the side floating on the currents. I can't make out features yet.

Wow, bald head, white. No, bald face, skeletal. Brown bodied.

It is a dragon. It's not a pyramid but a mountain for sure. From above it has a deep crater like a volcano. The inside looks as though it has had many centuries of molten red crayons melted down the sides. Interesting.

Lots of trees. From up here they look tiny, this mountain is huge. My own preference does not lean towards dragons and colossal pyramids so this is unexpected. There is a massive torch somewhere below, must be stone with a huge yellow flame spitting embers. Seems like a fire hazard. I can clearly see the torch but can't locate where it is.

Now that's odd, I circle lower and proportions seem all out of whack. The lower I go the more normal the torch appears, so not so big after all. It's in the center of a sand stone patio outside the pyramid which is into the side of the mountain. I don't remember it being that way. The steps look much darker than before when I was here with two small white vases/urns sitting half way up. There is something draped or dropped on one of the steps, small and yellow.
 OH wow, the steps just receded and a white stone path comes from inside leading out to the beach! I suppose.

I appproach the steps and can't remember if I've ever been inside the pyramid/castle/mountain.


Wait, is that me. I'm really really thin wearing a thin blue gown/sheath. Long stringy reddish hair. I'm looking back at me. Barefoot, hesitant like she/I am waiting for this me to join her. I kind of don't want to , it's dark inside, I can't even see the receded steps. I get a flash of deep red somewhere near the back or further back. There is a table to front and a little to the right. Big round gleaming brown but it has been moved, I'm seeing that it was nearer the (door) before. I don't know just seeing what I see. There are chairs and light hangs off center above. The thin me is hanging back near the entrance, she doesn't want to come it. Hmm.

Okay, I'm out.
----------------------

Okay now that that is over I just thought I would take a few minutes and see if I could visualize the Island and type out what I saw as I did so. I'm kind of impressed and a bit disappointed. I had thought I might go to the area where we had that one bon fire and maybe walk around the woods and beach a little. I really did not expect to see this huge ominous mountainous pyramid so dark. The dragon wasn't that bog a surprise but had hoped to also see the eagle I remember but not so.

I had to go back and edit the heck out of this. Seems I'm a lousy typist with my eyes closed, lol.

So has anyone else been tempted to go back the Island?

ETA: Correct misspellings mostly.

The Sigma Group - is an award-winning Civil and Environmental engineering firm providing sustainable solutions for the built environment.

I go ogled it. See where that takes you.

Wow GR, that is a crazy lot for you to unpack. Take your time and congratulations for doing well on a number of challenges. Looks like you took some accelerated courses, good for you!

Definitely give EscapeVelocity's thoughts some attention. He's pointed out quite a bit. I've no doubt you will have a few more revelations in the coming days. You've done an excellent job of analyzing your experience.

Great Job!!

Do try the out loud Bob and I hope you get results.

Thanks Casey, Ev is very good at nudging in the right direction, he's a natural.

I agree about the frequencies EV, we're not all tuned into all of them and surely not always at the same time. But we learn and learn and learn.

I took a further looksee but this time I only got some giant mechanical images. Nothing I could really decipher.
Will try again in future.

Understandable, we all need a break sometime. Welcome back any time.

Thanks guys, you always make life better. Hugs
--

I haven't seen my oldest son in nearly a year. About a week ago I just really wanted to see him and he popped up in one of our shared LDs. He was with some friends and seemed really happy. He gave me a hug and told me not to worry. You know I can't help but hope this one is true.

Then the night before last there was another interesting shared LD with my son. We were out in woods picking flowers. He plucked the top flowers off what I think was an elderberry bush. It was so snowy white and frozen. He took a bite and offered it to me and I took a bite. The most (only) frozen flower I have ever eaten. It was amazing delicious.

Good job Shineling. I would say yes your father has your back.

It's amazing the things we can learn from our 'other' selves. If we aren't careful we might just become better people.

Hahaha Grumpy, Roomba sounds about right. Many of odd things seen in the sky can be seen simply by walking outside and looking up, not NP. The exercise was more a mental meditative remote viewing. Can't of course vouche for its authenticity, just sharing what I saw.

I'm grateful for friends like LB to show me the way and Casey to keep me laughing. LOL