Gateway Wave1 pointers

[Frank]

Dan: As much as I would like to be able to give you a definitive answer, it is not easy for me to decide for you whether or not the Cd's would be worth it. I have the whole set, but I reckon the Wave-1 CD is the one people should buy if money is tight and they want to dip a toe in the Gateway water, so to speak.

After all, it is the only CD out of that whole set which I found useful. But that doesn't mean to say such experience is necessarily going to be the same with everyone, and I'm not saying the rest are rubbish or anything like that. I'm just simply reporting my experiences.

If you have the opportunity of getting a copy then maybe give Wave-1 a fair go. I'll be happy to give you any pointers I feel may help.

Yours,
Frank

[PeacefulWarrior]

THanks offering me your take.  When I get the first set and start out, I will definetly be asking you a lot of questions.

[Noxerus]

Hello Frank,

First of all I must say that just like someone above mentioned, I overwhelmingly learned from you and from this giant thread more than I learned from any book in the past.

Now, I do have tons of questions about everything, but as right now I can only guess what F10/12/21 feel like, I'll wait with my questions until I actually try out and practice everything. Always best to try and learn myself []
I do have a really good visualization ability, and I usually integrate everything from visuals to sounds to smells to tastes to touch into what I imagine. I think that all people who play (or used to play) a lot of role playing games (not on the computer) should have a really good visualization ability..

Last night I listened to the Wave I tracks 1+2 for the first time. I don't think I managed to get into F10, but my whole body (except for the middle of my chest for some reason) tingled pleasantly this time; on previous times when I tried meditating/trancing, only my feet and hands would tingle, and so strongly that it was downright uncomfortable.
As I continue practicing, the next step should be when suddenly the tingling would stop and I'll stop feeling my body?

Oh, and another question: when going through the F10 exercise, and visualizing myself going through it, I have something like a running commentary but as if from my visualized self's side. For example, when I reached the F3 stone last night, there was a small levitating purple velvet pillow above it. I (visualized) myself sitting down on it, and when I touched that pillow with my hands I said to myself: "ooh, silky" (as it really was silky . Is that ok, or should I try to visualize only images/sounds/smells/etc and not say things to myself as I'm actually there? I hope that made some sense..

Thanks,
Daniel

[Noxerus]

Just thought of another question.

Have you tried phasing into the RTZ?

[Adrian]

Greetings Noxerus,

Frank is certainly the best person to answer your questions, but I would like to comment on your question regarding phasing into the RTZ - specifically I personally do not think that would be possible.

The RTZ is actually an etheric projection rather than a full Astral projection, and is accordingly really a transient state between physical and Astral. Phasing is a projection of consciousness directly to the Astral via a series on intermediate states of consciousness, none of which appear to involve the etheric state.

RTZ - an etheric projection - is usually achieved by means of conventional OBE involving a projection of the etheric body.

With best regards,

Adrian.

[Noxerus]

Thank you Adrian, your reply was most helpful and also logical. Now all that's left for me to do is continue to practice and wait for an answer on my other questions []

[Frank]

quote:Originally posted by Noxerus

I do have tons of questions about everything, but as right now I can only guess what F10/12/21 feel like, I'll wait with my questions until I actually try out and practice everything. Always best to try and learn myself.

Focus 10 is basically the same mental state as when a person is completely absorbed when watching a movie, for instance; where their attention has been captivated to the extent they are neither aware of the room they are in, nor the chair upon which they sit.

Only difference being, your attention is captivated by the imagery you are perceiving in your mind's eye. And, at the point of being internally absorbed, this is Focus 10.

From Focus 10 you should naturally make a quick and seamless transition to Focus 12. This is where all kinds of abstract imagery can come about; together with all manner of sounds such as, pops, bangs, Velcro-like tearing sounds, and even music.

These events seem to just come about at random. For example, I hadn't heard anything for a while, just visuals. However, this morning I heard a loud series of knocks and, next moment, someone shouted my name at the top of their voice. What all that was about I have no idea.

Another example which sticks in mind, came about the other week: after the coloured foggy mist I normally perceive at Focus 12, all I got was a picture of a man of about 60 years of age repeatedly trying to tell me something. He was at the window of a small wooden building about 10 or 15 feet away. I could see his mouth moving but couldn't hear a thing. I don't know where I was at that stage: Focus 23/24 maybe.

When perceiving these kinds of events, at an early stage in the Phasing process, I found it far more productive to ignore the natural inclination to get curious and start trying to investigate. Instead, regardless of what happens, I avoid commenting or reacting to any of it and simply let events take their natural course.

It's ever so easy to get bogged down *especially* in the early stages of the Physical to Astral transition, as all manner of distractions can interrupt your thinking. Unfortunately, the lower Astral contains every kind of weirdo who ever lived. As a beginner, it is ever so easy to have your focus of attention thwarted by some lower-level circumstance.

Problem is, once you get entangled in some negative-style event, it becomes next to impossible to revert to your original track. All the exciting stuff goes on within the upper Astral which is were I'd advise people to concentrate on heading.

quote:
I do have a really good visualization ability, and I usually integrate everything from visuals to sounds to smells to tastes to touch into what I imagine. I think that all people who play (or used to play) a lot of role playing games (not on the computer) should have a really good visualization ability.

The thought occurs to me you might need to watch you don't start engaging in an act of creative visualisation, as I talk about on both this thread and others. Because this can work against you.

quote:
Last night I listened to the Wave I tracks 1+2 for the first time. I don't think I managed to get into F10, but my whole body (except for the middle of my chest for some reason) tingled pleasantly this time; on previous times when I tried meditating/trancing, only my feet and hands would tingle, and so strongly that it was downright uncomfortable.
As I continue practicing, the next step should be when suddenly the tingling would stop and I'll stop feeling my body?

I'm sorry, but I don't engage in any kind of formal meditation or trance work. I have read posts from people in the past who do, who have mentioned about tingling sensations, and so forth.

With me, I basically do the same as detailed in my Q & A post yesterday, for example. I use the Wave-1 CD with a mental rundown as a kind of primer. During which time I get no particular bodily sensations. Then I Phase for real by ceasing any internal dialogue and avoid reacting to anything I may perceive. Often I might have to use a shortform version of my rundown, just to kick-start the process.

After a while, there is this mental knowing feeling which indicates I made the switch from external to internal at Focus 10. Then I start to perceive all kinds of abstract imagery.

quote:
Oh, and another question: when going through the F10 exercise, and visualizing myself going through it, I have something like a running commentary but as if from my visualized self's side. For example, when I reached the F3 stone last night, there was a small levitating purple velvet pillow above it. I (visualized) myself sitting down on it, and when I touched that pillow with my hands I said to myself: "ooh, silky" (as it really was silky . Is that ok, or should I try to visualize only images/sounds/smells/etc and not say things to myself as I'm actually there? I hope that made some sense..

In my experience, when you come to try for-real, any internal commentary tends to put a spoke in the works. What I think you should perhaps do from the outset, then, is try and think in visual terms only.

HTH

Yours,
Frank


PS
Thank you for taking the time to comment about my work in such a kind way. Plus, your second question I can't really add to what Adrian has said already. Best of luck.

[Noxerus]

Thanks Frank, your post has been very informative - as always - especially the bit about silencing my inner running commentary. Note well taken []

Ah, and I even have an update on my progress! [^]
Last night was just the 2nd time I listened to the Wave I CD (which has a couple of really annoying blips and clicks at some point - results of scratches I assume - which really distract me, but I'll repair it hopefully today), and I also must note that I never did any meditation before; what I meant in my previous post is that I tried kinda meditating while utilizing RB's NEW system for a really short while, but I didn't really like it and stopped.
Anyway, while listening to the first track (not the F10 one, but the intro one which talks only about F3), I was visualizing (imagining would be a more proper term, as it's not just visuals) myself going through a shortened version of my startup sequence, and still having inner running commentary. At some point, I kinda tried to silence that inner voice as I had a feeling I'll have better progress if it shuts up. I have no idea what I thought about next (explanation soon), but then I forgot about my body (obviously I didn't consciously know that at the time) and saw a small, blurry and unfocused image in the center of my field of view (I have no idea if the blackness around it was 3D or not, didn't pay any attention to it). At that moment I managed to keep passively and quietly observing what I saw. But then, it suddenly grew and filled my entire field of view, it also got completely focused. What I saw was an open book, for some reason I knew that it was Astral Dynamics, lying on a carpet which looked just like mine, lighted exactly by the warm-yellow lighting I usually have in my room. But on the upper edge of that book was a black spidery creature, and it was OK for me while it just stood still. Then it started running towards the rightmost edge of the book, and as it did that it transformed into a disgusting scary insect-like thingy. *Shudders*. That really got me startled, disgusted and alarmed, and of course I was zapped back to C1 right after hearing my inner voice shouting "what the f***!?". I was expecting to start seeing images of a sort, but I didn't expect them to be so yucky! The whole thing was just about 2.5 seconds long I guess. After I cooled off for a few seconds, I try to recall what was I thinking about/imagining right before I got to saw that, and no matter how hard I tried to recall it, I didn't have an idea! After I gave up trying to recall what was I doing, I did try to get going again, but of course, as startled, excited and grossed out as I was I didn't achieve anything. By the time I got to the 2nd track I couldn't stop yawning and suffering from neck tension so I just went to sleep. Heh.
LOL, it was quite hard to resist the urge to get up from bed before I go to sleep and check my AD book and see if it's clean [:I]
Now, First of all I am happy overall about the experience, as now I know that I am making real progress (so it seems , and even though yesterday I thought that image is going to traumatize me and now I'll have eternal problems trying to phase, but today I think I (almost) got over it completely.
If that spidery thing was something from a low astral level, it's weird how it seemed to be in an environment so familiar to me (the book which felt like mine, the carpet, the lighting..)

BTW, I didn't imagine that image/animation, it was vivid and real and engrossing that it was exactly like real sight, but as if I could zoom in really really close to things, and also view them from not-exactly-possible angles.

Daniel

P.S
Yay, just noticed that I can simply copy this post to my Astral Progress Journal (which, even though I'm definetly not an expert and I myself have one only for 2 days, I recommend everyone to write) instead of rewriting about my experience []

[Frank]

Noxerus: That sounds like a typical lower-level Focus experience.

As I say, all manner of distractions can interrupt your thinking. Now you have experienced first-hand how, once you get entangled in some negative-style event, it becomes next to impossible to revert to your original track.

In a similar vein, the last major false-awakening experience I had was last year. I came back to Physical (or so I thought) and was laying in my bed, in my bedroom. Yet, what I was perceiving, was entirely an Astral construct. The search-link is here http://www.astraldynamics.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=619&SearchTerms=astral+experience+example


I'm pleased you're happy overall about your experience. I really wouldn't worry as, chances are, you'll get zapped to C1 a good many times yet. Not that I am wishing it upon you, you understand. It's just that I always try to be realistic. From what you say the thought occurs to me you could have a bit of a knack for this kind of thing.

Yours,
Frank

[Frank]

BBA: No, sorry I can't help you with that as I never experienced any dizzyness.

Yours,
Frank

[Gandalf]

I agree. Learning NOT to get zapped back to c1 every time you notice anything unusual is one of the hardest hurdles you have to overcome IMO.

Just have to keep at it!
Regards,
Douglas

[Trace]

Frank, I hope you are still watching and interested in this thread.  I have been studying it and working with the incredibly helpful ideas and thoughts you have posted.  Thank you so much.

At the beginning of the thread you said you wanted to learn about where Monroe was coming from with regards to phasing into the astral.  What have you learned in this regard?  What is your current working definition of 'phasing'?  At what specific points in your process do you phase, and exactly what is it you do?

Also, farther up this page of the thread, on April 29th, you referred to a post you made on the previous day regarding " I basically do the same as detailed in my Q & A post yesterday".  I have searched for this post/thread and haven't found it.  Can you suggest a search strategy?

This next question may be impossible for you to comment on, but I was making perceivable and repeatable progress until the last month or more.  For the last 4 - 6 weeks it appears as though nothing is happening at all - no progress.  Heck, I can't even get as far as I was getting before (partial exits from the physical).  Have you had any flat periods?  If so, what did you do?

I would be most grateful for any comments.

[Gandalf]

Trace_

Frank is away from the forums for now as he is busy moving house, however, I believe I can help with the last part of your question.

For some reason we all go through periods of progression followed by peiods where nothing happens at all. Sometimes these flat periods can go on for some time. I know Frank has commented in the past that while he used to get annoyed at these periods, now he just accepts them and waits them out. Sooner or later, your progress will resume, as long as you still have the intent to do so of course. Forcing it won't help, instead just try not to worry about it.

Even while you ARE making progress you can stil get stumped. While Frank says that at times he can phase after about half an hour of focused attention, at other times he will still lying there after several hours! (long after I would have given up, to be honest!).

So don't worry, just keep doing you exercises and wait for progress to resume. You can even take a break for a while, I have done this in the past and found it to help.
I have had flat periods in the past of several months so six weeks isnt that bad!

Regards,
Douglas

[Trace]

Thank you Douglas - your thoughts make sense to me.  Today I went back to my original approach, following Monroe's approach as I understand it (hence, my intense interest in Frank's posts).  After 2 hours of staying in F10 (trance state) I entered the vibrational state by squeezing my etheric body - a technique I thought of myself (if others use this method, I'm not aware of it).  It was brief, a few seconds, but I am happy to have something happen.  I have an intense, chronic, health condition, and one of the many things I've learned in 5.5 years of physical suffering is patience.  So, during my flat period I remained engaged and happy.  But I asked the question to find out what other(s) do during flat periods.  My understanding from your post is to just keep practicing.  I hope Frank's move goes well, and still hope he finds this thread upon his return.

[Focus15]

Hi guys;
Check this lady out and her book,""The Interstate of Consciousness", it will answer a lot of your questions.
Here's the link:

http://www.qcentral.com/basics.html

Blessing
Focus15