Messages

Ash,

>> 1) it absolutely cannot be forced. I only realize it has happened after I snap back. During the process it all seems perfectly natural. I can't reproduce it if I actually try to move my awareness.  <<

 I'd agree that it can't be forced, but there is a "navigational tool" you might try.  Using this tool is in my view a way to "reproduce it."

 We seem to be able to shift our focus of attention from one area of consciousness to another using "feelings."  You can think of the "feeling" of moving up and to the right as an indication that you are shifting your focus of attention from physical reality to a nonphysical one.  One that's, conceptually, located a little up and to the right of your physical body.

 Using such feelings as a means of navigating is one of the "tricks" I teach folks.  If after relaxing at the beginning of your session you remember the feeling of moving up and to the right, to the point of actually re-experiencing that feeling, I'd say that you are causing your focus of attention to shift to a "location" up and to the right of your physical body.  

Yeah, I'd agree that you can't "force" this to happen, but I'd suggest there may still be a way you can intentionally cause it to happen, to "reproduce it."  And if that's the case the more you become aware of the various feeling qualities associated with moving up and to the right, the more of those qualities you'll be able to remember to the point of re-experiencing them.  In my view when you can remember/re-experience those feelings easily, you can cause that shift to that "location."

 Also, there is a feeling quality or set of feeling qualities associated with "being in that location" as opposed to "moving to that location."  Remembering the feelings of "being there" to the point of re-experiencing them is a way to "be there."

Bruce

Ame,

 Fear can be a little tricky.  As we shift our focus of attention to nonphysical realities we are entering a very "plastic" place.  By that I mean that this place is easily molded.  Feeling fear can project our fear outward into this plastic place and our fear can take the form of what we fear.  For example, if we fear meeting a "demon" that fear can take form and appear to be a demon.  If we don't understand that what we are perceiving as a demon is just our own fear being reflectd back to us it's easy to believe there are demons "out there."

 Fortunately there is a simple way to deal with fear and the forms our projection of it can take.  Love and fear cannot be in the same place at the same time.  I'd suggeest that the next time you experience the presence and begin to feel fear, cause yourself to remember the feeling of love to the point of actually re-experiencing it.  Remember a time in your life when you were feeling loved or loving.  Let the memory of that time help you re-experience the feeling of love.  When you can feel it, attempt to open communication with the presence.  I'd suggest you act as if someone is really there and you'd like to communicate with whomever it is.  Ask the presence anything you can think of to learn more about who it is, why it's there, etc.

 You may be in for a pleasant surprise.

Bruce

Robert Monroe explored human consciousness using the OBE method and labeled different areas of consciousness based on the kinds of people and the characteristics they shared.  In Focus 23 he found people who were no longer physically living who had become trapped or stuck within isolated, self-created realities after death.  You could think of these folks as having created their own dream based on beliefs and expectations about what their existence would be like after death, or based on the circumstances of death.  The people stuck in Focus 23 remain stuck until someone comes to assist them in becoming aware of other choices available to them.

Focus 24, 25, and 26 are areas of human consciousness Monroe also called the Belief System Territories.  Folks here also share the characteristic that they are no longer physically living.  They are trapped or stuck within group created realities.  For example, a religion that convinces its followers to believe that a heaven exists are in a very real way creating that heaven as a reality within the Belief System Territories.  At death those who believe that specific heaven exists, and that they deserve to go there, are the only ones who enter that heaven.  Not everyone who shares the belief in that heaven necessarily goes there, but the only people in that heaven are those who share the same belief system.  So, for example, there are no Lutherans in Catholic heaven and visa versa.  Lutherans have their own heaven created around the group held belief in the existence of that heaven which are different from the Catholic beliefs about heaven.  Same goes for hells.

The common characteristics of folks in Focus 27 are that no one forces their beliefs or will on another person.  All people "living" there are in free and open association with all others living there.  They are also all deceased.  There are many of what are called "Centers" in Focus 27.  These appear to be places of learning, healing, etc.

Any of these focus areas are open to exploration by us physically living humans.  And, by learning the Art of Retrieval we can be of service to those stuck after death, assisting them in moving to a better afterlife place, most typically moving from where ever they are to Focus 27.

I don't expect anyone to take my word for any of this.  I'm a big proponent of handing people the map of the place and suggesting you explore there yourself and come to your own conclusions.

Bruce

Frank,

>> I think I hit on something here, because after only about 10 minutes of this I found myself stepping into 3D blackness! <<

 That's one of the best descriptions I've read about doing something I call prime the pump exercises.  As part of the preparatory process for afterlife exploration I encourage folks to actively imagine images, sounds, smells, tastes and touches.  It's a way of shifting one's focus of attention to the nonphysical senses.

 Having a song running through your head is a perfect way to practice using one's nonphysical sense of hearing or stimulate that sense for use during exploration.  Remembering a parent, a pet, or something else that evolks a mind's eye image is the same sort of thing for our nonphysical sense of sight.  

 I call these exercises Priming the Pump of imagination  because I'm old enough to remember carrying a bucket out to the pump to get water for my mom.  If I just started pumping the handle up and down no water came out.  I had to pour a little bit of water into the top of the old pump to prime it.  Keep pumping the handle after that and eventually water filled the bucket.  

I know there's some confusion about what I mean by using imagination as the means of perception and yours is a good example of what I mean.  Imagining the sound of a song to the point of hearing it is that little bit of water one uses to prime the pump of imagination.  At some point the experience takes on a life of its own so to speak.

 I wouldn't be at all surprised to know that if you used the 3D Blackness to "go" somewhere that your sense of hearing seemed to be working well.

Bruce

Adrian,

>>  A proper level of consciousness or trance - mind awake/body asleep is a very important pre-cursor to Astral phasing. . .  This is a pre-requisite state that many find difficult to achieve, and so it would be great if you people could go on record with your favourite most effective methods.

 My work is intended to help folks learn to explore our afterlife through their own direct experience, firstly just to prove to themselves that such a place actually exists, and secondly to explore our human existence beyond physical reality in greater depth.

 What you describe as "Astral Phasing" is very similar to the technique I teach that I call Focused Attention.  If there is a difference it's that simple relaxation replaces the need for a trance or mind awake/body asleep state.  While a trance state might be useful, as you say, many people find it difficult to achieve.  In developing Focused Attention as a system of afterlife exploration I sought to keep it as simple as possible to make it useful to the largest number of people as possible.  What I found is that all that's necessary as a pre-requisite is that a person be able to sense some change in their level of relaxation during a slow, deep breathing exercise.  I wouldn't argue that deeper relaxation, or even a trance state, might not be useful I just don't find that it's necessary.

 Once a person can feel that change in their level of relaxation an energy gathering exercise is used to sort of put one's consciousness on the charger.  This exercise is a variation on the Monroe Institute's ReBall exercise.
 
>> The "phasing sequence" and "Astral shift" through a portal, symbol, gateway etc. being another. <<

There are a couple of things in the system I teach that I recognize as similar to what you're describing: placing intent; and the 3D Blackness.

 Placing intent acts like an autopilot.  By properly placing intent to explore any area of consciousness one's focus of attention is automatically shifted there.  Once there all that's left to do to explore that area of consciousness is to take a look around so to speak.  Placing intent is a process of first clearly and precisely stating your desired outcome, like creating an affirmation.  Then either before, during or after stating the affirmation you just cause yourself to re-experience the feeling of placing intent.  I use a Silly Little Finger Bending exercise to help folks learn to recognize that feeling.

 It's too long a discussion to explain here in detail but suffice it to say that if one focuses attention on any feeling that occurs the instant before a finger bends, one can experience the feeling of placing intent.  For me properly placing intent means remember to the point of re-experiencing that feeling as the affirmation is stated.  Many will recognize the placing intent feeling quality as the one they feel if they're stopped at a traffic light, first in line, knowing that very soon after the light turns green the first horn will honk behind them.  When the light turns green, the instant before any part of your body moves, a feeling like "GO" is experienced.  That one is very close to the feeling of placing intent.  

 The 3D Blackness is an area of consciousness that comes closest in my experience to a place of portals, gateways, or whatever term might used to describe them.  If one closes their eyes and relaxes, looking at the blackness before your eyes, you'd probably describe that blackness as 2D (two dimensional) or flat blackness.  There is another blackness, one that has depth, hence the term 3D (three dimensional) Blackness.  As one shifts their focus of attention to this 3D Blackness there is a noticeable shift in feeling quality.  In fact, once this shift has been experienced and that feeling quality identified a shift to 3D Blackness can be easily accomplished by just remembering that feeling quality to the point of re-experiencing it.  We can navigate to any area of consciousness using this technique, something I call the Hemi-Sync Model of Consciousness.  That model says that every area of consciousness has a specific feeling quality and if we remember that feeling quality to the point of re-experiencing it our focus of attention is automatically shifted there.  

 Once the shift has been made to the 3D Blackness, and either then or having previously placed an intent to explore some other area of consciousness, one just looks around within the 3D Blackness.  What you're looking for is any area within this Blackness that is a discontinuity from the surrounding blackness.  It could be that you'll see a small area that is darker or lighter than the surrounding area.  It might appear as a small, dark swirl or small area of activity within the 3D Blackness.  That is the 'portal' or opening to the pathway that leads to the area of consciousness you intend to explore.  Just by intending to begin moving toward such a 'portal' I usually find my focus of attention suddenly shifted there.

 I don't mean to imply that one must be able to shift to the 3D Blackness in order to reach other areas of consciousness.  I consider this technique a little more advanced than is necessary for exploring our afterlife or areas of nonphysical reality beyond our afterlife.  But, many who practice the Focused Attention techniques I teach have stumbled into the 3D Blackness on their own and discovered its usefulness.

Bruce