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How am I supposed to explore something in pitch black?  

I think you are finding yourself in what is known as the 3D darkness or the void. This is a zone between our physical realm and the others. It's kind of like a neutral zone, but you can still question and learn in there. I have spent many attempts just contemplating things in there.

If I read this correctly your goal is to exit your body and become familiar with your physical surroundings, like walking around your neighborhood for instance There are far more exciting places to explore. I don't necessarily attempt to physically leave my body. But I understand that many people that are new to this practice do, hence the term OBE (Out of body Experience). I just create the right circumstances, then I find myself in or transition to another realm. I don't necessarily create a intended destination any more, like a specific one. I just ask to see what I need to see and go where I need to go, then I await what happens next. That is still an intent. It's just it's not necessarily a "targeted" one.

This sticky here has some great daily practice techniques to get you used to the feeling of being "separated" from your physical body. Although the feeling is brief, it still is very helpful with getting the understanding of something "outside" of your physical perception. In other words it's a great way to "loosen" yourself. With this technique you can indeed practice walking around your neighborhood. You could also use a sports activity or even something easy like a virtual car drive. Have fun with it.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/how_exactly_do_you_perform_the_phantom_wiggle_method-t44583.0.html

 IsayWhaat, don't despair there is plenty to be explored even in the dark!

It sounds to me like you are finding yourself in the dark because there is something there that you need to experience or explore there.

My guess is that once you find out your own personal reason why, that you will finally be opened up and able to see the "light".

Personal challenges and quests are abound in the "other realms". To me it's just another extension of this reality. We are constantly challenged here as well. It's just that some of the other realms don't follow our physical rule sets. So that gives us more tools for exploration at our disposal there.

 The "candle staring technique" is a very good method to learn to sustain a strong non physical focus. The key is to just passively observe the sensations, sights and sounds and just keep your focus on the visual. I know this is very hard at first for those new to this practice. But this is very important.

I also liked the fact that you mentioned "just going with the flow". Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves if we don't have a "full blown" OBE. But anything you experience while attempting to AP is a positive thing. It just helps you get further and further the next time.

Release the stress you put on yourself and just relax, release and let go.

It sounds like you are doing great. Keep up the good work!

Sometimes I use a "busy mind" to create a good NP focus. I hear people that say they can't stop the "monkey mind". So, if you can't beat it join it. Entertain the thoughts. Watch them as they go by. You can either let them pass and release them or you can strengthen them and "lose" yourself in them. Both ways are productive for they achieve the same thing, which is a strong NP focus.

Once you create the focus, don't turn your focus back to what your physical body is experiencing. Just go with the flow!

 Personally, when I become aware in a Dream, I try to explore the Dream sequence or area that I am currently in. I control my own actions. But rarely do I try to change anything in the Dream, unless I am either being prompted to or the Dream scenario is getting completely out of hand.

At first it is very hard to stay aware in a Dream. But the time gets longer once you learn how to ground yourself there. To ground yourself to the scene at hand, try to physically orient yourself to your Dream surroundings. Like for instance, try to listen for sounds, try to touch walls, grass, tables etc. Basically what you want to do is to activate your Dream senses .

It sounds like you are just starting down this path, so have fun with it. There is a lesson behind every door!

 To me, Locale 1 and the real time zone seem like pardon the expression the "newbie" zones. These are the areas that one finds themselves simply because a new experiencer is still using a "physical" frame of thought. This changes later on in your experiences, but only when your mindset changes and also if you intend to see other.

People like Jurgen Ziewe, Kurt Leland, Robert Peterson and the like have spent their lives investigating all the realms of the Astral and they still haven't even scratched the surface. They are also still actively involved in Astral exploration and do find "blueprints" and maps of sorts that show them that there is a form and structure in the Astral. My own personal experiences have shown this to be true as well. I have many Journals that I can look back on and see "patterns" all over the place. Many cultures like the Hindus, the Tibetans, the Mayans etc. have built their cultural beliefs based on what they have experienced in other realms.

I find that these days modern man is too quick to dismiss what many Masters of the past have taught. Modern man seems to think that it was just those past culture's interpretation of events and experiences and that now "we" know better. But I don't think that is the truth. Personally from what I see and experience I stay with the Theosophical models as my belief system, until I am shown other.

Kurt Leland's and Jurgen Ziewe's books and videos are very informative if you wish to keep your mind open to other thinking on this subject.

 "ever tried to create your dream man/woman in the astral? "

Isn't that what a "sexual fantasy" is all about? My guess is the more you focus on creating this dream man or woman, the more you will lose your focus on this reality.

People do that all the time, but if you say it's Astral Travel, they just look at you funny. Astral Projection can comes in many forms, daydreaming or fantasizing are just a couple of them. The deeper you get into the "fantasy" or construction of your ideal mate, the more vivid and real it becomes.

But like Szaxx says, there are many more unique adventures awaiting you as soon or when you can start thinking "out of the box". You need to learn to walk before you can run though. That comes in time. As you experience more and more, you open yourself to more and more.

What you describe sounds exactly like what I experience. I am happy to hear that it can be overcome. Great advice regarding the personal obstacles. I will keep this in mind.

Just remember, if there is something you experience with this practice in general, the chances are very good that someone else or many people period have experienced it as well.

You will also find that many solutions to any problems encountered can be found with a simple word "search" in the upper right hand corner search engine.

My biggest obstacle right now is an automatic eye opening response that I get when I reach a hypnotic state. This is actually why I have become interested in awake projection; eyes open feels reasonably natural to me and at times I have ended up starring without blinking for 20 minutes.

Easily rectified. Try a blindfold. I used to use the Mindfold, but it fell apart after about a year of use (which is very good). I then purchased the Escape Luxury Sleep Mask found here. http://www.dreamessentials.com/product-66/escape-luxury-travel-sleep-mask-w-carry-pouch-earplugs. I sleep with it on every night. The Mindfold was very good for AP attempts, but not so much for sleeping in general.

I had the same problem as you early on in my experiences. Just as I was about to be successful I would feel my eyelids opening or I would see a light and think my eyes were open. All this went away when I started to use a blindfold.

One by one you need to eliminate any contentions to your success. Those contentions are blocks that are self created. Kind of like personal obstacles. But the feeling is soooooooooo good once you jump the hurdles.

I have been trying to capture this same feeling during my sleep based phasing attempts, however, somehow the proper focus is much easier to identify when upright compared to laying down. I can't explain why this is yet.

That is because all of your life you trained yourself that when you lie down in your bed, it is for sleep. When you stay "upright", as in a comfortable chair, etc., you maintain a level of "focus" easier, especially when you "train" yourself to.

I used to practice Phasing when I went to sleep at night. But noticed that it totally messed up my regular sleep schedule and sleep cycle in general. I can lie down in the afternoon though and Phase. But, not at bedtime anymore.

Have you tried accompanying Binaural Beats or Isochronic Tones? There are a ton of free ones on Youtube. They are very good for creating the right atmosphere for Phasing. I enjoy the ones that have a musical accompaniment more than the mono tones ones. 

Excited to see what you guys make of these experiences. I would appreciate any advice on my progress!

You are progressing fine. Keep doing what you are doing.

You said "I haven't had a complete astral experience yet, but the things I have felt while meditating vary greatly and are a little bizarre so I am quite interested to hear your thoughts and insights on these events." I think you are underestimating your progress here.

In your first post above you have written about a couple of instances whereas you were having a "non physical focus/other realm" moment. I don't like to call it non physical simply because I have been to many places just as physical as here. No matter how quickly it disappeared, at the time, you were having a other realm experience. That is the definition of "Astral Projection" in a nutshell.

The Stickies in this sub-forum have some very good techniques and tips as well. Check them out.

You will see after a lot of experimenting that you will find a method that works for you. You will also find yourself fine tuning it all the time. The key is to lose your focus on your physical body. Once that is achieved, make a intent and "be" there.

 Look up "Scrying". It's the same principle. It's achieved with your eyes wide open as well.

What you are experiencing though can happen by simply focusing on a TV show/movie, reading a good book or being deeply focused on a task. It happens during Daydreaming as well. It's just that this practice in general makes you more consciously aware of what is going on around and inside of you. You just likely didn't "notice" or pay attention to it before.

 I find that more and more these days I seem to become consciously aware in a LD while working on some kind of experiment or project that in this physical realm I have no clue about. Many of these projects involve advanced Physics and Mathematics. Both subjects that I do not excel at all, lol.

This morning I was working with some kind of particle accelerator in a advanced method of Time Travel. It seemed we were taking bacteria cultures and speeding them up to come up with cures for Diseases. I was told that this technology would not be widely used for another 70 years here on Earth.

A couple of weeks ago I became aware while creating blueprints for a Space Portal to another realm. We were using Electro Magnets powered by some kind of "Wind Sails" to get the motion started. Once again, something that I have no knowledge of here in this physical realm.

 I find that just about everything I experience in the "other realms" has to do with either a test, quest or some other challenging adventure.

Trials and tribulations seem to be toughest and most challenging forms of tests. But, they also hold the valuable lessons as well!

Yes maybe this is the key. Even though I am not scared when Im paralysed anymore, looks like it's still a huge barrier for me. I will try to control my focus next time this happend. The thing is that I cant really start projecting intetionally and most times these expiriences happend randomly when Im not ready or prepared.

It's a huge barrier for anyone new to this practice. Actually, I have to admit, I have personally still to this day become aware I was in Sleep Paralysis and stop it due to fear. It happens. When I hear someone say that they had the vibrations or awoken in SP but stopped it, I know it's the fear that overcame them. They don't like to admit it, but it's the truth.

Just when you think you have seen everything, it changes. I have recently become consciously aware in some of the most bizarre forms of SP and immediately stopped it. Fear overcame me. This is very unusual for me because normally I will just observe it and find myself in another place. I don't necessarily have to make an intent now. I just trust what I am being shown and where I am being led. But, this has come after many many successful projected adventures. This new SP that I am experiencing is very powerful. It seems like more of a huge energy pulse than a normal SP episode.

They say the opposite of "Love" is "Hate". I personally believe it's "Fear". Fear is just as strong as Love is. Fear overcomes you. Fear challenges you. But, it's the single most important thing to overcome if you wish to progress with this practice. The only way to overcome it is to confront it head on. Once again, easy to say, very hard to do!

 Sirkgarf, do you remember this post from Nov 24th 2014? "Yesterday i juat had a second "almost" succsessful try. This time I was in that "near sleep" condition when I can still think conciously. Then I started thinking for OBE and i said to myself that I want to expirience it. Then suddenly I felt the falling sensation and right after that the vibrations started very hard. I couldnt handle it and they reduced. Then i tried second time. They came strong and I felt so light. Tried to move but I was paralised. Then I imagine myself flying from the roof to outside and it happend. I juat saw the sky and the vibrations rapidly reduced, my view bluried and I woke up conciously. I dont know if the flight was real or just a hallucination but the vibrations were real just like before. For some reaaon I can't go further bit I willl continiue. This is the best technique for me."

What did you do then that you didn't do now? Pay particular attention to this line here "Then I imagine myself flying from the roof to outside and it happend. I juat saw the sky and the vibrations rapidly reduced, my view bluried and I woke up conciously."

You created an intent and found yourself there. No matter how brief it was, you were still successful. Intent is the "key" that you were missing this on your recent attempt.

Everything that you stated today was based on your "physical focus". You found yourself in the proper mode to actually project, but then you turned your focus back on your physical body and what was being experienced. Instead, you should have just once again "imagined" a scenario, like flying to a roof top for example. This would have created an intent away from your physical body awareness, that could have been achieved.

 It sounds like you found yourself in "mind awake/body asleep mode".

The vibrations can get quite intense. Although those vibrations that you are feeling aren't happening to your physical body at all. I have had the vibrations many times with my wife in my bed and she hasn't felt a thing. The lights you were seeing were from another realm as well. It sounds like you were a simple "intent" away from a promising adventure.

Now that you know what to expect, you can go further next time. The only thing is you might not feel the vibrations or even see lights next time. The whole thing may change. This happens. I don't get vibrations nearly intense as I used to.

 Mindflood (I like the name). I have had those kind of nights. I would awaken in the morning totally exhausted from my "nocturnal" adventures. When I first started to get lucid in my Dreams I tried to control everything. I constantly found myself in battles of all different kinds. Until I finally saw that I was fighting myself. 

Then I began just being consciously active in the scenarios at hand. I wouldn't change the Dream unless I was prompted to do so. That prompt was usually seen as something in the Dream going completely out of whack. This is usually when a "reboot" of the Dream occurred.

This is when the real lessons and my opinions of what the Dream world is according to what I was seeing and experiencing started to take shape. I have found myself in areas whereas I am living the other decision of a "fork in the road" from my past. I have found myself in many situations that I am with people/entities that know me well, but I don't have a clue (consciously) of who they are. I have never met them in this reality or even been to the places I constantly find myself in. I have been in what I can only describe as Parallel Universes. I have even found myself in places that I can't find words to describe.

It sounds to me that you are at the beginning stages of what I experienced long ago. In other words, good things are ahead! Keep a Dream Journal. Log in your Dreams everyday. Don't get lazy. I know that happened to me after awhile. But, then when you start going back into these Journals you will start to find patterns. This is when things get really interesting.

The first main test in becoming consciously aware of being in another reality is fear. Once you overcome that, many other tests are ahead, examples lust, ego, etc.. One by one you overcome or "pass" these tests. This leads you deeper and deeper into the other realms and will open you up to more and more unique experiences. It's a never ending process. But it changes your entire definition of "being". 

I've taken to the practice of moving phantom limbs as a focus during meditation rather than visualizing an object.  I'm still performing 5 minute sessions, and while it's more of a suggestion than a rule right now, I try to perform these session about four times a day. 

Reality check proves to be tenuous at best.  I haven't gotten to a point where I get and go, or where I am standing around a suddenly start checking reality.

Here is a different take on "Phantom Limb focus". It works very good. http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/how_exactly_do_you_perform_the_phantom_wiggle_method-t44583.0.html

You will find that you get back from this practice in general what you put into it. I see that you understand this very concept very well Hfeline. Judging by your daily practice that you have already created, you are very close to your achieving your goal. Just remember the whole key of any AP exercise is to lose your focus on your physical body. There are many different ways to achieve that and no one way is more "right" than another. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with.

I don't know whether I should be consciously directing my focus, or just go mentally limp.
There's many materials on the subject that seem to provide conflicting/ambiguous advice. Some say don't think. Others say think about a vision or a sensation. Some say just passively let it happen. Others say focus on making it happen.
Part of what makes it confusing is the meaning of 'thinking' is defined differently by different people. To me 'thinking' is any mental activity. Thus it is confusing when I see the advice 'don't think', as to me it equates to 'do not be mentally active' Yet to focus requires mental activity.

I personally find that "going with flow" seems to be the easiest way. Sometimes you feel like just emptying your mind and noticing. Other times you feel like creating a "focus target". It won't take you long to find a method that you are comfortable with. Experiment with it. Have fun with it.

I like to start with a simple target, like an apple. I visualize it, I spin it and look at it from all sides. But soon the apple morphs into something else. This is when I passively observe it and let it create anew. The same can be done with any kind of simple focus target. But keep it simple. Once again the adage "KISS", comes into play (Keep It Simple Stupid).

You will find at first that it is very difficult to hold any image for longer than 10 seconds or so. But, the time will get longer and longer the more you practice.

Here is a link to a great beginner's focus target.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3M-LuTRfcI
It worked great for me. It's a great target because when done properly a imprint is already left in your visual when you close your eyes.  Thus, you don't have to begin to visualize to begin with. Perhaps it will for you as well.

One warning I have though is he seems to make this way harder than it is. He tells you that you need to align Chakras, use energy body activation and things like that. He could have just simplified everything by just staying with the simple "candle flame" target. In other words, don't take everything he says as "law". This video is a extended version of his previous simplified one. His earlier one was only about 10 minutes long.

Just remember to blow the candle out before you close your eyes to attempt your projection.