deprived of mutton?

[Ginny]

quote:Originally posted by Chris:

I'm recording this here as my meditation journal because I left it at work.  It's not that exciting, but personally interesting.

I go into my meditation routine and within about 15 minutes I find myself sitting around a table with other adults.  We don't seem to be a family but somehow aquaintances possibly living together.  We have on cloathing that is from some past century.  Hard to put a fix on it.  Anyway, as I phase into this consciousness I have one thought on my mind.  " Your giving me less mutton than yourselves! ", I'm thinking angrily toward the others serving the mutton around our large wood table.  On my place is a piece of meet which is visibly much smaller than the others.  At that point I don't seem to be aware of being me Chris.  However, in another moment I suddenly realize, "oh... I'm in meditation... and I suddenly phase out of it and open my eyes in this reality while retaining and remembering the experience in the other reality/time.  It was quite vivid.  I don't know what to make of it.  It could be a past life or just another reality or what?  who knows.  but the experience was very real and definitely outside the scope of my own experiences.  I certainly have never eaten mutton in this physical life and didn't even know what it was until I looked it up on the internet after coming out of my meditation.  

Chris


"Do not empty the mind... focus it!"

Hi Chris,

Oh I think this is fascinating! How many times does this happen to so many of us and we pop right out of it, writing it off as inconsequential. Would you be willing to go back into your meditative state and see/feel that scene again? See if you can pick up where you left off or have more interesting info come to you? I've been really interested in returning to similar experiences to gain more information---if it is another me in another life or what.

Thanks for sharing and much love,

ginny

[Frank]

It sounds very much to me like you projected your focal point of awareness within the Astral. How you describe it is what it's like: as if you were totally immersed in a completely different reality.

Are you saying this is the very first time ever you have managed to project, or the first time you have interacted with other Astral residents?

Yours
Frank

[Adrian]

Greetings Chris!

Thanks for sharing that with us.

Could I ask you - when meditating, were you projecting your awareness somewhere that could have a link with where you phased to?

I noticed your sig: "Do not empty the mind... focus it!" which is not like meditation, but more like conscious phasing.

It makes you wonder what the Astral residents make of it when you suddenly left the table like that http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile.gif" border=0>

With best regards,

Adrian.

[fredhedd]

that's  a great story, and mutton is such a cool word.  caulk is too.  

what do you mean by your signature?

[Chris]

Thanks for the interest in the topic.  I didn't expect much interest.  I was just using the forum to write it down so i wouldn't forget to put it in my journal later.  This type of experience happens to me quite frequently when I do a good meditation session.  I've experienced being a young black african man crossing a desert to get married, a young spanish boy living in a modest house in spain with one brother, a WWI or WWII pilot going down in an airplane, etc.  

In all these experiences I get what amounts to short clips of experience and then the experience ends.  I would love to play them out longer, but I think I must get too emotional or excited and it ends.  So far, that I can remember at least, I've never been able to return to the same experience... except in dreams. I've returned to the same dreams or dream worlds before and felt like I'd lived in or known the place my whole life.  However, in terms of lucid meditation I don't seem to be able yet to control where my consciousness goes... it just goes where it feels like I guess or where it's tuning at that moment.  I'm still trying to get a handle on the dial so to speak.

I'm fairly certain that what I was experiencing was not the Astral.  I have experienced the Astral many times and there is a different feel to it.  This was more like another physical time/world.  However, I could be wrong.  What I'm not sure of is whether I was experiencing my own past lives or whether I've simply been tuning into the past experiences of others... maybe there is really no difference between the two.

As to whether I was projecting my consciousness the answer would be no.  I do not project my concsiousness.  I first relax my whole body, do some energy raising, then set my focus very intently (though without effort) on my Dan Tien chakra point and simultaneously attempt to tune into other states of consciousness.  It sounds very similar to the concept of phasing.  I'm attempting to tune into thoughts and knowledge on deeper levels of consciousness... to create a bridge so to speak, so that I can bring some of that information back to this physicaly present consciousness.

Are there any techniques in particular that you have used to help gain better control over this?  My feeling so far is that this really cannot be taught, but it has to be felt... much like riding a bicycle or driving a car.  You can teach people some technique and give a little helpful suggestions, but each person needs to develop a feel.  I'm currently trying to develop the feel for better control of my radio dial.

Regards,

chris




"Do not empty the mind... focus it!"

[Chris]

..."what do you mean by your signature?"

Well, I used to hear and read about people encouraging you to empty your mind when trying to meditate.  I've found that actively trying to empty your mind is difficult if not impossible.  I do not believe the mind can be emptied, so it's not quite right to encourage people to do that.  However, our mind can focus.  It can either spread it's focus out on many things, or it can sharply focus on one or two things.  Focusing the mind on one thing obviously stops everything else from causing so much noise.  Once the noise stops, then it is much easier to phase into or listen to other things that might be happening below that noise.  Focus is what facilitates deeper levels of consciousness.  So, I never encourage people to try to empty their minds.  I encourage them to learn to focus it.  Also, in truth I believe that the ability to focus is one of the major areas that distinguishes someone's level of maturity.  I believe this proves true not only in our physical world (looking at the difference between babies, children, and adults), but also on a soul level.  

Focus may also be directly proportional to consciousness.  How conscious a person is may depend on their ability to focus.  It's tied very strongly to awareness.  Example, a person who is very bad at focusing... or someone very tired and unfocussed may walk into a room and then walk out and not remember much of what they saw in there.  A person who is alert and focussed walks in and out of the room remembering very clearly many more details.  who was most conscious or aware?  The focussed individual.

I believe strengthening our ability to focus expands or increases our awareness, which in turn increases our concsiousness.  So, one way to become better at AP or OBE is to do activities that are sort of like mental weight lifting for your ability to focus.  Any activity that requires sharp focus of the mind will help you with this.  Maybe this is one reason that reading a lot tends to increase your ability to both AP and OBE.  Reading requires you to devote your entire attention to the material you are reading, otherwise you just don't get into it.  Additionally, you are creating vivid images with your imagination which I believe is helpful as well.

anyway, just some thoughts.

Regards,

Chris


"Do not empty the mind... focus it!"

[Adrian]

Greetings Chris!

Thanks for your insights - most interesting.

When you talk about "focus", what exactly do you focus on while meditating, and what methods do you use for relaxation and energy raising.

These are all important points for people when attempting phasing.

With best regards,

Adrian.

[Chris]

I think that for myself and others I have worked directly with that if there was any one biggest block to an individuals success in OBE or "phasing" I would say it is lack of awareness.  At the same time one of the greatest way to induce the experience is simply through expanding awareness.  The exercises I use primarily focus on this.  First attempting to become acutely aware of each area of the physical body, secondly developing a feel for the flows and blockages of energy in the physical body... tension etc.  Third, progressing to more subtle energy flows like heat and cold and other sensations and also to the expanded field surrounding the physical body.  At the same time beginning to pay attention to ones thoughts starting with surface thoughts... then subconscious thoughts and then deeper layers.  

Exercises that increase the scope of awareness move one toward the OBE or phasing experience because such experiences reside in areas of our consciousness we are generally not aware of.   At the same time they sharpen one's ability to focus.  Essentially you are teaching yourself to pay attention.

I find that since my energy and state are different from day to day and hour to hour that my meditation technique will vary slightly depending on the conditions of the moment.  However, universally the main principle I use is to become aware and focus my attention on becoming aware.

One day I might be very tuned into things around me and it is easy for me to lie down and enter the "phasing".  Another day I might be scattered and it I need to do some deep breathing and relaxation and focus exercises just to get me settled and then I can move into those levels.  What has been true for me is that I must always first take a moment to assess the state of my awareness and/or focus and then choose the appropriate technique to bring myself into focus before moving on.  I use many of the techniques others on this forum have posted and some of Robert's and some of my own.  Some of my own are difficult to describe.  I have done so before but I don't think many have understood my meaning... or perhaps I'm doing the same thing as others and just describing it differently or it feels a different way to me.  it's hard to say.  I find that the concept of "linking" (which I've described before on this forum) helps me a lot and is essential to a successful OBE and/or phasing.

I hope that helps clarify a little.


Chris


"Do not empty the mind... focus it!"

[Chris]

One other concept or thought is the ability for a person not only to focus but be able to shift focus easily.  In the martial arts you can learn to shift focus in your physical body and move your Qi.  Try this simple exercise.  

Focus all of your attention on the tip of your right index finger.  When you have absolutely concentrated your attention on it, you will begin to feel it throbbing, the blood pumping through it, the heat of it, the surface texture of it, and most of your other bodily censations will cease to exist in your consciousness those those moments.  Then, see how fast you can change your focus from that finger tip to the left index finger tip until you are completely focussed on that one.  As you meditate practice doing this on  your whole body.  The faster and more proficient you become at doing this, the easier phasing into other states of consciousness will become.  I think when you are doing such techniques you are flexing the same muscles so to speak.

chris


"Do not empty the mind... focus it!"

[Chris]

I'm recording this here as my meditation journal because I left it at work.  It's not that exciting, but personally interesting.

I go into my meditation routine and within about 15 minutes I find myself sitting around a table with other adults.  We don't seem to be a family but somehow aquaintances possibly living together.  We have on cloathing that is from some past century.  Hard to put a fix on it.  Anyway, as I phase into this consciousness I have one thought on my mind.  " Your giving me less mutton than yourselves! ", I'm thinking angrily toward the others serving the mutton around our large wood table.  On my place is a piece of meet which is visibly much smaller than the others.  At that point I don't seem to be aware of being me Chris.  However, in another moment I suddenly realize, "oh... I'm in meditation... and I suddenly phase out of it and open my eyes in this reality while retaining and remembering the experience in the other reality/time.  It was quite vivid.  I don't know what to make of it.  It could be a past life or just another reality or what?  who knows.  but the experience was very real and definitely outside the scope of my own experiences.  I certainly have never eaten mutton in this physical life and didn't even know what it was until I looked it up on the internet after coming out of my meditation.  

Chris


"Do not empty the mind... focus it!"