Messages

I will never condone the use of drugs to achieve altered states of consciousness.

I have two major reasons for this...
First, you never know what you're experience (if you even experience anything) is created by you or the drugs. 
And secondly, the journey you're taking is a long one (for most people)... drugs allow you to bypass the journey and head straight for the goal.
You'll miss a lot of very important lessons.

"The journey is more important than the destination."
It's very true...

I'm not sure if it's a psychosomatic thing, but I tend to hit the vibrations faster after I ask for assistance from my Spirit Guides.  LoL
I could just be crazy.

Thanks for the advices

Basically, when the hypnagogic images start to appear, I should just observe them and try to stay conscious without focusing on anything particular. I've got one last question regarding this state.

When I get closer to sleep state, I experience "brief clickouts"(they last for a few seconds and I only see images during these periods). Between the clickouts I usually return to a more wakefull state for 2-3mins. When this happens, should I use the earhiss (or sg else) until I return to the hypnagogic state, or should I just "go with the flow" and passively wait for the images to reappear? 

What Stookie posted was great.
Just, whatever you do, don't get excited or otherwise break your focus and start thinking stuff.
Just relax... allow anything and everything to happen.

This can only be asked from someone who never thought about total emptiness.

Are you referring to the OP or to my question?
If you're referring to my question, then... why is that? 
Why do you think you require an idea of "total emptiness" to understand "losing your personality"?
Why should we fear the loss of our personalities?

Howdy! 

Overtime it does. You learn shortcuts to get deeper more quickly..etc

^  This
Basically, your body retains the "road map" which makes it easier and easier each time.

Be patient...
Patience would be the #1 skill to learn. 
After that, delve into meditation and go from there.

Welcome to the forum. 
Let's see if I can help a bit here.
I guess you're referring to OBE's.

A)  You *can* go anywhere you want... but yes, you should use your own morale guidance at all time.
B)  Some people use the playing card technique as a way to validate their experiences.  Some can do it, others can not.
C)  You're in luck!  This forum has some very experienced individuals.  Post a question in the appropriate section and you'll undoubtedly get solid answers.

Hi there

All you do is pick a forum that you think suits the experience you want to share with us... then post it. 
If you have any questions, do the same. 

Welcome to the forum! 

Who to believe... oh, who to believe. 

I'll just patiently sit and wait... while meditating in my backyard.   

A warning!  Watch where you poke!
You could poke a hole in the fabric of space and time!

... that'd be kinda cool!  Go poke stuff!! 

Welcome to the boards!

InvisibleMan?
  Where are you?  O.o
I can't see you... o.O



Welcome!

I see you have over 230 posts and your vitriolic nonsense has been tolerated.

So I take leave of this forum based solely on having members like you who just want to trade insults

May the fleas of ten thousand camels be lodged in your beard or scrotum if you do not have a beard

It would be an absolute shame to leave this community.
We need to hear from all the differing points of views to even begin to see the idea as a whole. 

I'm kinda curious... why does the prospect of losing your personality cause fear?

Position shouldn't matter too much...

One tip though is that don't use a position in which you generally fall asleep in... as your body, while lying in that particular position will signal to your mind that it's lights out time.
What you really want to do is pick a position that is comfortable, but you don't generally sleep in.  This should help in keeping your mind awake.

From what I understand, the sights and sounds you experience in the Hypnagogic phase are entirely created by your mind.
I think the general train of thought is that since your conscious mind REALLY HATES to be ignored, this is the minds last ditch effort to keep you interested before your subconscious mind takes over for the night.

It could be a repressed memory.
It could even be a past life memory.

It could be something you've completely made up for your mind to entertain yourself.

Who knows. 

I agree with Xanth. I'd say the best option is #2: Passively observing. Listening to your earhiss may be good for getting to a light trance, but once hypnogogics start your goal is to reach a different state of consciousness (F10), and the earhiss may just keep you at the physical level.

For me, I find clicking in and out can be a good thing. It means you're properly relaxed and your body is at a place where you can fall asleep, yet the "click in" shows you're still mentally aware to a point. And that is the balancing act. Eventually, you'll probably get a crystal-clear image, if only for a second or 2, when you "click in". You'll know you're going in the right direction then.

I click out waaaaaaaay too often... LoL
Lately, I've been too preoccupied and generally end up in the imagery.  >_<

Oh geeze...
I saw that trailer during the previews for a movie recently, I forget exactly which one it was.
But, yeah... *sigh*

That movie is gonna cause so much mass panic... *rolls eyes*

Sounds like a post from another forum I visit.  hehe

Anyways, I *strongly* do not believe in a god.
I believe that we are the highest power... or minds, body, soul...

Anyways, I do consider myself an atheist, but more to the point, I consider myself a Spiritual Atheist!
I don't believe in a god, but I do believe in an US! 

I believe *WE* created and shaped and continue to shape this universe which is our playground.

Don't get absorbed into them... chances increase that you'll just slip into a dream.
I view the hypnagogic imagery as a sort of 'veil' you have to pass through to get to that trance state.
It's the signal to me that my body is fast asleep, but my mind is wide awake.

Less input, but more a request...
Next time you 'see' the hand, turn around and look behind you. 

Before, during and after. 
We call those "affirmations".

Before you practice, repeat an affirmation.
During your practice, repeat that affirmation.
After your practice, ... you get the point. 

Hiya!

Welcome to the forums. 

You might wanna hold off on practicing Astral Projection until you can attempt to balance yourself a bit.
Otherwise you probably won't have the best of experiences.

But we can probably assist you in any other metaphysical activity. 

Is there anything specific we can help you with first?

http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/

Spiders

To see a spider in your dream, indicates that you are feeling like an outsider in some situation. Or that you may want to keep your distance and  stay away from an alluring and tempting situation.  The spider is also symbolic of feminine power. Alternatively, a spider may refer to a powerful force protecting you against  your self-destructive behavior. If you kill a spider, it symbolizes misfortune and general bad luck.

To see a spider spinning a web in your dream, signifies that you will be rewarded for your hard work. You will soon find yourself promoted in your job or recognized for your achievement in a difficult task.  Spiders are a symbol of creativity due to the intricate webs they spin. On a negative note, spiders may indicate a feeling of being entangled or trapped in a sticky or clingy relationship. It represents some ensnaring and controlling force. You may feel that someone or some situation is sucking the life right out of you. Alternatively, if a spider is spinning a web in your dream, then it could be a metaphor for the world wide web and global communication.

To see a spider climbing up a wall in your dream, denotes that your desires will be soon be realized.

To dream that you are bitten by a spider, represents a conflict with your mother or some dominant female figure in your life. The dream may be a metaphor for a devouring mother or the feminine power to possess and entrap. Perhaps you are feeling trapped by some relationship. 

Diamonds

To see diamonds in your dream, signifies the wholeness of the Self. You may be finding clarity in matters that have been clouding you. Alternatively, it represents vanity, conceit, and your unchanging or unyielding nature. You may be distancing yourself from others. 

To receive diamond jewelry in your dream, signifies love. If you lose the diamond jewelry, then it indicates a lost in money or difficulty in your love relationship.

Do you feel like you're distancing yourself from some feminine figure in your life?