Messages

Wow, that "dream" you had about your coworker is amazing!  I hope mine doesn't come true in any way.  I feel especially anxious now that school has started--because of the school bus part, you know.

I've been trying to come up with more details.  But I think I was so freaked out during the dream that I couldn't focus too well!  

I can say that it was a very sunny, warm afternoon.  It seems like there were palm trees either along the median of the street, or along each side--I remember lots of palm trees.  Everything seemed very contemporary.  I know it was in the United States.  I also remember vaguely that the people planting the bombs were both men and women, and that some of them looked "foreign" and some looked "American."  But all pretty ordinary-looking people in street clothes, no different from any of the other people you might see in public.

I think maybe it could be a representation of fear.  I'm not afraid of being a victim myself.  But I do fear for others, especially children.  Maybe that is why I was not "myself" in the dream--because my fear is for other people.  If, Heaven forbid, such a thing happened in a city where I live or was visiting, I would want to protect and help and rescue other people, even if I put myself in harm's way.  If I could save others by dying or being injured, then I would without a thought.

Recoverer,

I find that a very odd idea, too, the walk-in thing.  It's also strange that anyone should be given a choice between life and death, don't get me wrong.  But at least one of my sources is reliable, so... I really wonder.

As for souls... whenever I have encounters with passed-on loved ones, they have nearly-solid bodies.  But that may just be my perception of them, or maybe they can intentionally take on a more solid, recognizable form sometimes.  While awake, I feel their presence wholly on an invisible, intangible level.  It's just while I sleep and/or project that they have nearly-solid form.  But I would imagine that souls, in more "pure" form have very little substance or shape or size.  I can't say for sure, I'm afraid.  Maybe we'll find out soon!

One_each:  It does sound incredibly loud, doesn't it?  That's why it startles me!  Hm... maybe if I do it hard enough, I can jump out of my skin--literally! :mrgreen:

I agree, Aerotus's sister's "wake up call" takes the cake!

I think I got off easy!  My vibes were very gentle, as was my heart chakra's beating.

In the past, like when I was a child, I occasionally woke up feeling like I'd been stricken by lightning, sometimes, having dreamt just before that I had been stricken.  I've always had a morbid fear of lightning... maybe caused by vibes!

Thanks, TVOS.  

Yikes, tech support.  I can only imagine.  And why do library patrons get soooo upset when you hand them books?!

They actually expected me to read for them--while I was the only reference staff on hand, the phones were ringing, I was eye-deep in complex research for others, people were calling me over to fix the computers they'd crashed, AND I had to chase down errant children whose parents thought I was their personal nanny.  

I never quite screamed, though I occasionally spoke very sharply.  Fortunately, I'm a cataloger now and never have to see patrons.  I earned my stripes, though. *sigh*

But yeah---people aren't going to drop their belief structures overnight.  Right now, I don't see why religion and metaphysics can't coexist and complement each other.  If my astral experiences change that, then great.  If not, fine.  Who does it hurt?

As for more traditional projection and phasing... they get you to the same "destinations", don't they?  I'm just the opposite of you... I tried for years to get out of body the "old way."  It just frustrated me and I threw up my hands.  I truly think it has to do with whether a person is naturally "extroverted" or "introverted."  It's second nature for me to "fall inside" myself, but murder for me to "go outside."

[never]

Billion Names of God, and all:

OK, let's try this once more, slowly, since it seems I'm not making myself clear.

First, I didn't say you had to devote your entire life to reading the forums (I spend maybe a few hours a day at most).  I also didn't say that my religion is the only right one, I was arguing against judging entire groups of people.  I may not understand other religions, or atheism, but you would never hear me saying they're stupid, or that their followers are all idiots.

I did tell you I'm new at phasing too, and I told you what I did to learn.  It worked well for me--book-learning is my strength.  If you've already read everything by Frank, or others, and still need help, then I apologize.  I've just gotten jaded by people always wanting me to do their learning for them and serve it up neatly on a platter--I get it all the time, especially at work, but in most other areas of my life.    

As my "penance," I'll summarize it the best way I can, though I'm probably not going to make much better sense of it, and though I am very far from being an expert.

Focus 1 (F1)---the physical world.  Our "primary" focus of consciousness while we're "alive" on Earth.

Focus 2 (F2)---our individual "unconscious" mind.  Where imagination, daydreaming, dreaming, etc. take place.  In this focus our "environment" responds to our own thoughts, desires, wishes, and fears.  What has traditionally been called "the astral" exists in F2.

Focus z (Fz)---the "3-d blackness" or "void" that exists on the border of F2 and F3.

Focus 3 (F3)---the "transition area" where we go once we "die."  Includes various afterlife "scenarios" created by various cultures, religions, etc.  Heavens, hells, all that jazz.  The "higher" realms, however, are free of any belief-system influence, and this is where the real "transition" occurs... we evolve more into pure spirits, lose all "form" such as bodies.

Focus 4 (F4)---where we exist as pure consciousness, with no form.  As I understand it, this is sort of like the "nervous system" of everything.  All our consciousnesses are entertwined, it's more communal, less individual.  I think this area requires much more exploration.

So, there we have it.  Anyone who feels like tearing it to shreds can post their own bloody summary.

[this one]

I don't see you volunteering to help describe phasing to newbies? Sounds as if it's too difficult for you!

I'm still a newbie too, and I learned by reading the phasing posts on the Astral FAQ, especially this one.  I don't see a need to repeat what's there.  I thought you were talking about the way it uses numbers to label the different parts of the model--my answer was that it's a lot easier to use numbers than words to label them, because using words would get out of hand and be much more confusing.

In order to find out what the labels refer to, you just have to read, read, read, experience, experience, experience.  I agree, it is difficult, and there is no fast, easy way to learn the model.  It takes essays to describe it.  That's why I spend 99% of my time on the forums reading and studying and reviewing.  It's as good as being back in grad school--of course, I loved being in grad school.  

Also keep in mind that you don't have to know or agree with the model in order to phase.  I phased before I even knew what phasing was.  The model is just a description of what people have found when they phase.  If you haven't phased before, then you can also find plenty posts on how to get started (especially the noticing exercise, which is also described in that post I linked above).  I know you're probably sick to death of hearing it, but read the Astral FAQ and the Astral Permanent topics.  One read-through probably won't be enough.

Christianity leads to being stuck in stupid constructs and ideas, no spiritual values whatsoever.

All I'm saying is that there are always exceptions--is that so hard to believe?  I don't fit with your opinion of Christianity, in that I definitely do have spiritual values, and I have zero tolerance for stupid constructs and ideas.  And I'm not the first or only one, believe it or not.


ANYWAY... Sorry guys, I thought I was being helpful, but apparently not.  And OK, the Christianity thing was just me feeling miffed at being lumped in with what I consider an overly broad and injust stereotype.  I'm sorry for that too, but what can I say, I was just in the right mood.  And these days, I tend not to bother with censoring myself.  Chalk it up to old age, "girl problems," or whatever you will.

I was close... red screwdriver!  I guess I'm partly normal and partly abnormal!  

Well, the only time I use tools is when I'm assembling something, and that usually involves screwdrivers.  And my power screwdriver happens to have a red handle!

The thing is it never occurs to me to try to project as my body is obviously asleep and my mind is awake. Woe is me, all those missed opportunities.

I know that I'm definitely in the Mind-Awake-Body-Asleep state when I hear myself snore.  If only I could ignore it and just continue the phasing process, but like I said it sometimes startles me!  I'll just have to try to get used to it, I guess.

My sister once farted so loud she woke herself up. That might make you feel better.

Thanks for sharing, Aerotus--that does make me feel better!    I don't think I could have brought myself to post if that had been the problem!

Whether it was real or just a bad trip, it changed his life.

That's the important thing--it changed his life!  The outcome was real, and whether it was God, or his unconscious, or whatever, it had the same benefit.  

In "Neon Genesis Evangelion" they break it down like this: A life filled with the reality of pain and depression is infinitely better than living an illusion of happiness.

It's funny you should mention "Eva"--I just borrowed the box set from my coworker!  I tend to think that's true.  I look around me these days, and all I seem to see is people just going along in happy "bubbles."  I'm usually torn between feeling disdainful and feeling very envious!

Reading The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis has really been helping me understand why I'm going through such hell.  And Astral Pulse has helped a lot too!  I agree that now, the most important thing I have going for me is my spiritual development.

[have]

Oh really... can we think of nothing better to do than make fun of people's user names?  And while I'm at it, I just have to respond to this:

just dont buy into any stupid beliefs- christianity being one of them.

Well, to me, Christianity is anything but a "stupid belief."  But then, I wouldn't consider myself a typical Christian, or even a typical Catholic.  I think of Christianity as a set of really good ideas and really good morals for Earthly life  When I say Christianity, I don't just mean the Bible, I mean the entire tradition, from the Bible writers to C.S. Lewis to my parish priest to all of my own family and friends.  

For example, one of my favorite stories is of St. Brendan's voyage.  It may not be "true," but its meaning and its significance are--his faith inspired him to embark on a voyage into the rough seas and unknown dangers west of Ireland, at a time when the earth was considered flat and Ireland was one of the farthest known lands.  I like to consider myself as following a little in his footsteps.  In the same way, my faith inspires me to voyage into the unknown--and there's no better way to do so than astral projection.  So, while I'm a Christian, I don't let it interfere with my experiences of the world or the universe.  I believe we are meant to go out, explore, and try to piece together some kind of truth.

So, you can't pass any kind of mass judgment on Christianity, or any other way of living or thinking, for that matter.  We might all be on different paths, but they lead to something common--otherwise we wouldn't all be here, right?  

 That's one thing I hope never to hear--my own screams!

Fortunately, I did better last night... a weather front must have come through, because the air has been drier.

I've been wanting one of those foam pillows, anyway, so I'll probably get one.  It's so hard to get my head and neck comfortable when I lie on my back to practice phasing!  I never sleep on my back, so I'm not so used to it.  I usually, just take the bottom of my pillow and make a roll beneath my neck.

So I take it the only person around here who knows what all these numbers mean is Frank!

The numbers are just symbols, they don't have any meaning in and of themselves.  I think it's far easier to refer to the different focuses of consciousness by numbers rather than to try label them with words.  I think that would get extremely unwieldy!  

And yet I have a very good idea of what each one represents.  I'm not some expert--I just learned by reading the phasing posts on the forums, especially the ones on the Astral FAQ.  It's not that hard to get an idea of what each Focus represents... but expressing them in words is something else.  

Think of it, what if you tried to express complex mathematics in words instead of symbols?  How would you describe "pi," for example?  The Focus numbers are just symbols for much more complex things.  See what I mean?

Wow, no, I haven't heard of that!  Thanks for the link!  How interesting... I never would have thought such a thing could happen.

My dad told me once, that while sleeping he encountered a spirit being--it didn't really have a form, it was just a radiant white light.  The spirit had given him a choice to either remain on Earth, or "die" and come to Heaven.  At the time, my sister and I were still just children, and Dad chose to stay here and raise us and take care of Mom.

I have read of other people having such experiences, too, some while consciously projecting, and others without knowing they were projecting.  (My dad has never practiced projection, but it has happened to him before.) And in every story, the people always chose to stay behind, as my dad did, generally because they have spouses and young children and they want to fulfill their duties to their families.

Have any of you ever heard of this?  What would you do if you were given this choice?

I've been thinking a lot about this.  My first impulse would be to say, "Hell YEAH, I want to die!"  I have no one who's dependent on me, I have no one to live the rest of my life with, I'm not the most indispensable worker, and frankly, I regard this so-called "life" as nothing but one long, painful dying process.  Everyday another battle, everyday another mortal wound, which only gets healed in order to be inflicted again. *sigh*

On the other hand... I'd be extremely apprehensive, and probably give the 3rd degree to the entity who was giving me the choice.  I wouldn't want to be tricked or made a fool!  Nor would I want to give the "wrong" answer... it could be some kind of test, who knows?  

OK, I hope this doesn't sound stupid, but... for the last few days, whenever I've been practicing my phasing, I've kept being startled awake by what I can only imagine is, ahem, snoring.  

I'll be lying there, perfectly quiet, slipping off as I do, and then... I hear this unpleasant, loud snoring/snorting noise coming from myself!  And I wake myself up!  Sometimes it really startles me!  I haven't been breathing so well when I sleep, the air is so muggy.  Everyone always tells me that I snore sometimes--I guess I can't argue with them any more!  

Has anyone else had this problem?  Please tell me I'm not the only one!

Hi!  Welcome to the forum!  This is a terrific place.

I look forward to hearing about your experiences!

[love]

We shall not cease from our exploration, and at the end of all our exploring, we shall arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Elliot

Oh my gosh, just before I opened your post, I was watching that show on Discover, Walking With Cavemen and the show ended with that exact quote!  Sorry, I just love it when things like this happen.

Hm, I might have to check out the web site.  I love Wired, and haven't subscribed to it for a while.  Maybe this is a sign!

Well, the only people with whom I've discussed this are my father and my sister... they are both psychic and believe in it--my sister often visits with our grandmother, with whom she was especially close, and my father has had encounters with his parents and other loved ones.  I have talked about it with a mutual friend of Patrick and me, as well.  But I am really not close with his parents; he wasn't very close with them either, not as much as he would have liked to be.  

I have mentioned it to some members of my online support group... I've even referred some of them to this forum.  I don't know if they have visited, or taken it seriously or not.

I'm giving this a "bump" in hopes that someone might have any insights, similar experiences, etc.

I'm still really bothered by it, and by the whole... having no physical body, switching perspectives, then being in what seemed like someone else's body... thing.

Thanks for your insights, James.  I think the dream was meant to help me take another step towards confronting and accepting his death.  I think maybe he came to "lighten the blow" a bit and to leave me with some comfort through the pain.  I still carry around with me all the times he's been with me... not just dreams, but all kinds of other little signs, or just a sense of his presence, like your wife has when her mother is near.

Leyla, I've heard that as well, that deceased lovers/spouses will play matchmaker.  I hear members of my widow/er support group talk about that.  I'm open to it, if it happens.  They say that over time, as you heal, your heart expands so that it can hold a new love as well as your old love.  I like that idea.

[first time]

Unfortunately, I don't have any answers, but I have a story...

Last night, for the first time I felt vibrations and the pounding heart.    I was just sleeping in the middle of the night, and my cat woke me up suddenly, wanting me to play with her.

At first, I was just vexed and was just about to go back to sleep.  But then, I was like... "Hey, I feel funny!"  So I lay really still, and I felt this pulsing all over.  It wasn't a hard, shaking feeling, but rather somewhat gentle.  I felt like my whole body was beating like a heart.  And then I noticed this much faster beating right over my heart.  I knew it wasn't my physical heart, because I didn't feel at all stressed.  I just lay there, taking it in, and it actually felt rather pleasant.  But I was really tired, so I just went back to sleep.  Other than that, nothing remarkable happened.

Maybe I just became aware of them as they were fading away, but it was nothing like I imagined the vibrations to be like, based on what I've heard and read about them.  I used to find the idea very frightening, but what I felt last night was not frightening at all, and I doubt I ever would have noticed the sensations if I hadn't been woken up.  Or could it be that my abrupt waking caused them?

I really don't know the answers.  Consciously, at least, I wasn't aware of being out of body, or trying to get out of body.  When I do project, I do it through phasing, rather than going out of body.  And I've never felt any kind of vibration or heartbeats while practicing my phasing.  I hope we can get some kind of answers...

Where did you go sky-diving?  Patrick worked as a skydiving pilot in Michigan one summer.  I think it was his least favorite job.  He never did understand why anyone would want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

I have a huge respect for flight attendants... I can just imagine what kind of training they must go through, especially these days.

Patrick always did the dangerous types of jobs: cloud-seeding amid developing thunderstorms, for example.  And inspecting pipelines, which is what he was doing when they crashed (actually he was training with an older pilot at the time--they both died).

He knew the risks, and was always saying, "When it's my time, it's my time."  I knew the risks too, and it worried me sometimes, but I couldn't ask him not to fly, because I knew how passionate he was about it.

Surfer8,

Wow, thank you so much for sharing that!  It makes me feel a little more certainty.  I want to try to visit with Liam some more and let him know how much I love and appreciate him!  Just like I do his dad!  I want to see both of them!    I don't want it to be a one-way relationship, you know... I want to reach out to them and be with them just as I know they are with me.

Thanks again!