Messages

Just tell her it's about dream interpretation or w/e... for a psychology class/experiment/etc.

I was a nude Megan Fox once... good times, good times. 

omcasey... glad I could get a laugh from ya. Yeah, I rarely ever feel a presence or "higher self/power" when projecting. I've asked for my spirit guide a couple times but get no response. 

personalreality... wow man, 8 projections in a month for a beginner is serious progress no matter how ya look at it. When I first started I had maybe one good projection a week. But yeah one of my biggest desires is just to converse with other entities. I rarely ever come into contact with other beings and when I do they're usually just my immediate family... they never have anything interesting to say in the astral (or irl for that matter.) I recieved a "warning" from a librarian once early on in my experiences, and another time briefly conversed with these gnome-like negs before they attacked me... that's about it. I'm looking for some thought-provoking dialogue from a genuine entity.

kurtykurt42... I'd kill for a straight half hour in the astral. You don't need me to tell you that's extremely impressive.... then again meditating daily for five years I can't be too surprised. Perhaps consistency is the key.

Kurtykurt42... hmm, interesting, thanks for the input. Out of curiosity, have you visited the grays' planet yet?

Stookie... thanks for the response. The situations I described aren't necessarily what I'm looking for (though I'd love to project to the mountains)... I just want to have obes that I can learn from... not just wake up and go "oh that was fun" or "gee, that was interesting" or "okay that was pretty creepy."

I've been having projections for about a year now. The bulk of them have consisted of me flying around my backyard, outerspace (briefly), other known places, and some unknown places. I've had many experiences ranging from fun to interesting to creepy... but they are all pretty ordinary in that they lack any spiritual significance.

I want to discuss metaphysics with the gray aliens! I want to be taken for flying saucer rides to advanced civilizations! I want to be taught philosophy by a buddhist monk at the top of a tibetan mountain! I want to learn lessons about the foundation of our reality!

I mean last night I woke up at 4 am, meditated a bit, fell asleep and projected... ya know what I did during the projection? I trudged through the marsh near a brook behind my house, hoping to get to the other side before the OBE ended... I didn't make it. My point is I think I'm ready for some more enlightening experiences but I'm not sure how to go about it... more meditation? A certain technique or affirmation? If anyone was in a similar rut and got out of it to have more fulfilling projections I'd appreciate knowing what you did. Thanks.

I know from personal experience that the body becomes more sensitive to the touch when experiencing bilocation, at least for me... I remember once I was projecting and felt this horrible pain like someone was tearing into my stomach in the OBE. When I woke up I realized my arm was tucked underneath my body and the pressure it placed on my stomach was the cause.

Perhaps you should find a more comfortable pillow?

One night maybe a week ago I was OBE flying over random houses and was amused when I heard what sounded like a guy talking over the radio. I heard what I believe was "Route 115" and immediately thought it was a guy giving a traffic report. I also heard the word "Yemen", a middle eastern country, which probably corresponded to some world news. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it possible to pick up radio frequencies while out of body? I mean they were completely independant of my thoughts.

Also, I find a common theme in my OBE strings is that at some point I find myself watching television... sometimes it's porn or a sitcom I couldn't identify, but more often than not it's a cartoon. The last unidentifiable cartoon featured dogs of various breeds though I can't remember what they were doing.

In that same OBE or one before it, I actually saw my deceased great uncle and that was the first time I saw anyone in OBE who wasn't alive. I remember calling out his name but don't remember him responding.

Last night I did some relaxation techniques and meditation. Around 4 am this morning I woke up from an interesting dream. I was looking up different websites about mescaline (don't ask why, I haven't been thinking about the stuff) on this large computer screen in an unfamiliar house. I came across the equivalent of youtube which featured a cartoon show about "mushroom people"... thin cartoonish mushrooms with giant mushroom caps on their heads. The show centered on them taking psychadelic drugs and the viewer watched through their distorted reality. The show had an old, nostalgic vibe like the Smurfs but also had a magical aura to it that I couldn't even begin to describe. Other stuff went on in the dream but my recollection is hazy. I woke up thinking, "Damn how come this show was never made in reality?"

I went back to sleep, and the subtle vibes took over. I immediately placed focus on intensifying. Afraid I was going to lose them and wake up I imagined I was going headfirst down a steep slide. That seemed to do the trick, as I was integrated into a strange scene. The best I could describe it was of a large, abandoned cement building. No floors, just four walls and a high ceiling. I remember hanging on a chain (or rope) dangling maybe a foot from the ceiling. When I let go, I felt myself sink to the ground. I let go and subsequently reached for this chain/rope several times. This place already gave me a creeped out feeling. At the time I wished I could've integrated into that cartoon show I described before.

I eventually landed on the ground which wasn't a typical floor you'd find inside a building. This was dirt covered, rough terrain that you'd find outside. At that point I was alone. I called out to anyone willing to interact, but used phrasing that seems strange to me now. Though I don't remember what I said, it's almost like I used a different language. Suddenly I saw a small entity off in the distance, maybe twenty feet away. This is the first time my request to meet with any sort of entity was answered during a projection. I approached it. It was maybe 7 inches tall and looked much like the Travelocity gnome. It was like a rigid figurine. No facial expressions, no body movement. It even seemed poorly painted, which speaks to how inanimate this entity looked. Immediately I got a strange vibe from this thing like I couldn't trust it, but I tried to be polite/friendly. Suddenly another similar figurine-like entity approached. This one had short white hair and no facial hair, looking more like a toy doll than a lawn ornament. I forget most of the dialogue but I recall one of them bringing up the profession I'm working through college to enter. I thought it was strange how he brought it up so randomly, but I played it off like, "Oh, what a coincedence." I guess at this point I got lost in the interaction because I completely forgot normal questions like, "WTF are you?", 'Where am I?" etc. They seemed like they were trying to manipulate me and butter me up. For some reason I felt highly threatened after a third one showed up, though I didn't get a good look at it. They may have rushed me or something, I don't exactly remember. I grabbed the first one and couldn't find the others. I thought "Oh crap they must be behind me!" Freaked out, I feel an itch on the back of my heel. I jerk myself out of bed... I'm awake.

I'm guessing these things were negs, but looking back I can't remember any specific thing that confirmed my paranoia. Perhaps I imposed these feeling on them and let subjectivity take over. Any feedback is appreciated, thanks.

Last night before falling asleep I did about twenty minutes of meditation (which I try to do every night.) This helps a great deal in the quality and quantity of my vivid dreams, and increases my chances of spontaneous OBE. This morning I awoke around 5 am and decided to further meditate. After a good ten minutes and feeling my chakras well stimulated, I let myself fall asleep.

I entered a vivid dream where I saw two huge rafts (with a ton of people in each) on a rocky, almost moutainous seacoast battling gigantic waves. They almost looked like they were white water rafting but in a much more extreme form. I saw this from the vantage point of a helicopter looking down on it. It was almost like one of those "most dangerous moments caught on tape" type of shows. The "storyline" was that they were in a fatal situation and the waves were going to send them plunging to their watery deaths. I thought to myself something to the effect of, "I'm glad I'm not in their predicament." All of a sudden the weather calmed and a strong wind lifted the rafts in the air and floated them further out into the ocean where the people were safe from the damaging waves. I felt the "floating" sensation firsthand.

Suddenly I'm back in my body, on my stomach, and the vibrations begin. I'm able to focus enough to intensify the vibrations... suddenly I feel one leg float upward, and then the other. (This in itself is a huge revelation for me because I never believed you could enter a projection by "peeling" your astral body away from your physical. Prior to this I had always entered projection without feeling any specific body part pull away. It was my general awareness which had always left. I fluffed off beginners who used phrases like "My head was stuck" as having a faulty, "literal" perception of leaving one's body. Now I know I was wrong.) With me on my stomach and both astral legs floating in the air I did what you'd call a "push up" which successfully separated me from the physical.

Next thing I know I'm in a vast field dotted with trees surrounded by a thick forrest. It's a sunny day. I will myself forward a good twenty feet and notice a cemetary in the distance to my left. It sits on a piece of the field which is tucked in the forrest a bit. At this point I have a strong feeling that I've been here before, but in waking reality it's unfamiliar. In front of me I see a gravestone. I want to read what it says, so I get closer. In front of the gravestone are small purple flowers which I brush to the side to get a better view of the writing. The writing itself is aqua in color. I read the words but am unable to make sense of them, or at least translate them into thoughtforms I could later remember. I do remember vividly reading the year "2008." I brushed the purple flowers to the side several times, possibly to improve my view. Each time I did this the lettering would change, and at one point disappeared altogether. The OBE ended around here.

Another word that may have appeared on the gravestone is the word "contaminated." I say this because following the OBE I had a false awakening where I was explaining to someone what had just happened in my OBE. I told him I saw the aforementioned word, and he explained what it meant. I don't even have a single visual of this false awakening but I remember those few details. I'm not sure I can trust recollection in false awakenings following OBEs, which is why I can't be sure if this part was accurate.

Was this some sort of afterlife realm? I didn't see any people or animals but the setting had a peaceful vibe to it. Thoughts are appreciated, thanks.

Hey all. I've been having a bunch of vivid lucid dreams lately but nothing on the OBE front til yesterday morning. Around 5-6 am I awoke from a lucid dream, then fell back asleep with no intention to project. Immediately I realize I'm out of body in the main hallway leading to my front porch. My mom is in the computer room next to it on a chair and reading a magazine. I try getting her attention in the hopes of her noticing I'm out of body. I believe we have short dialogue but can't remember it. I "float" over to her and look at the magazine... it's a magazine about candles. I look at the page number, hoping to remember it and later validate it... all while not taking into consideration that it's early morning and my family is asleep in bed. The page number is a pain to read. I remember it reading "989" but it would change slightly everytime I shifted off and back on the page.

Interesting thing about this experience is that I never felt any vibrations. I believe this was what they call "phasing"? The transitions from one projection to another was a lot smoother and took less effort while in the darkness of sleep paralysis.

Next thing I know I'm behind my house following a brook upstream towards a train tressel that crosses it. I was floating inches above the water, before phasing out.

I experienced bilocation throughout much of this OBE string. I would realize my body was holding tension and would try to make my body go limp as best as possible. This action seemed to intensify my OBEs.

Now I'm flying through the downtown area of a small city in which I go to college. I see no people, just buildings which I'm fascinated by because they seem exactly like their real life counterparts. At one point I'm floating over this vast fountain-like pool, believing it is part of the real city. In retrospect, the city has narrow water canals but nothing like the layout I envisioned.

At one point, around this time in the OBE string, I view this small, brown dog which is pretty stereotypical in appearance, wandering around on pavement. It has an orange reflective type of vest on it's back almost like he's used for some type of road construction. I feel like he was a lot more involved in my experience then I'm able to recall, because I remember hovering over him thinking that I had previously viewed life through his eyes. My view now changes and I see this type of grey scottish terrier-type dog. At this point I feel I'm switching to experiencing life through this dogs' eyes, so to speak. In retrospect I don't remember experiencing "being" either dog but those were the thoughts that were presented to me.

Now I believe I'm outside of a diner in the downtown area of the small city, with this scottish terrier and another dog (could be the brown dog but I don't feel like that's the case.) I feel like I'm somehow watching them. All of a sudden my vision "cuts to a scene" of this vicious long-haired greyhound which I vaguely remember seeing earlier on in the OBE but can't place the point in time. I basically have the feeling of "Oh no!" I know this vicious greyhound-looking dog is bolting for the two other dogs with the goal of tearing them apart. The next thing I know this greyhound basically crashes into the other two dogs outside the diner, rendering all three dead. The greyhound's snout was basically bent at a 90 degree angle sort of in cartoon-like fashion, which was pretty messed up. I picked up the third smaller dog which basically handled like a soggy pillow, again not realistic. I dropped the lifeless astral critter, thought "Oh well" and went into the diner.

In the diner, I see a decent amount of people eating. One skinny balding guy looks at me sort of nervously, as he's seated at his table facing the entrance. I walk up to him and slap him in the face... don't ask me why, I guess I'm impulsively violent in the astral. I see food at his table and question whether it's possible to taste things while OBE. I have/pick up a fork and stick it in the first thing I see. If I had to describe it it looked like a salsbury steak on some type of bread. I bite into it and indeed it did have a meaty taste, but I'd describe it almost as a "mock taste" if that makes sense. At that point I wake up.

Well that's all for now. Til next time...

Hey Greytraveller... always enjoy reading your experiences. Just curious... what do you mean by they were not physical people, but discarnates? Was their a visual difference in their appearance or is this based on intuition?

I've recently read up to date, but I was wondering about a few things:Regarding the stages, 1)am i supposed to stand up and walk around and see if i'm OBE; after 2) The symptoms of vibs, vertigo, eyes, heart, light, etc., or 3) should i reduce my 'stress' from everyday life and just try it later when i'm at more peace?

1 and 2. My advice is to forget about your body once in the trance state. It's your consiousness which leaves the physical, not an anatomically correct counterpart of yourself. I'm no expert but I think when people think the latter they have too many thoughts which take away from focus... "My head is stuck... I can't move my astral arms... etc." Just focus on intensifying the vibes by feeling them and nothing else. Only then will you enter the etheral/astral and be able to utilize what they call the "astral body." Sometimes you'll know right away you made it and go exploring... other times you'll completely forget you were meditating and wonder what you're doing floating around in your living room.

3. Looking back, the more I had on my plate (part time job/full time college) the easier it was for me to trigger projection. Whether their is a relation between stress and ability to project I can't say. Is it a factor? I guess if you make it one.

In today's society, astral projection is "just dreaming"... meditation is being quiet with your eyes closed. Most people don't fully understand it and don't care to because it doesn't factor into their physical reality, their physical interests, or their physical priorities. Sing the praises of astral projection from the roof tops... you're not gonna accomplish anything accept make people question which pills you're popping. The illusion of reality is here for all humans to explore... it's not a secret, it's a choice.

Since this topic has been expanded from alcohol to include all drugs in general, I thought I'd throw in my $.02... before I quit habitual weed smoking I could trigger spontaneous vibrations and OBEs/OBE strings without much difficulty (some I could control with ease, others were forced.) Now my ability to do this has noticably diminished while the frequency, duration, vividness and realistic qualities of my lucid dreams have increased. Now maybe I haven't been off the ganja long enough, but I don't think any blanket statements can be made between drugs and astral projection.

This is day three of being clean off the pot after approx. four years of living off the stuff, having weaned down over the last few months. It's a struggle... but one of the cool side effects has been really vivid lucid dreams. It's like temporarily living in someone else's life. Though lately they have been psychologically uncomfortable they're interesting nonetheless.

Last night I dreamt I was walking into the first day of class at some college... the setting was completely different from any school I've been to. It reminds me of an old, medieval-style English school where wealthy Brits enroll their children... something like Hogwarts from Harry Potter. My father (who wasn't my father in real life) was walking me and my brother (I don't have a brother) to class and giving us instructions, possibly how to behave. He was a pretty strict individual, the kind that'd be easily aggravated if you disobeyed him. I ended up in my first class where our desks were situated in a circle. The crazy thing... Kate Winslet was teaching the class! While I admire her work in Titanic she isn't someone I ever thought I'd dream about, let alone as a teacher. She sat behind her desk in the opposite corner of the class throughout the entire experience.

She called on me to read a passage from a textbook that I for some reason didn't possess. I was pretty embarrased that everyone was prepared with a book but me. I asked a student next to me if I could borrow his... he seemed willing to help out. He pointed out where to read, but the lettering was strange. It was almost like renaissance calligraphy. The designs distracted my ability to decipher the words. I read a few words but sounded like a retard, feeling more embarrased. I laughed it off and told her I was color blind. She moved on with the class, which I have a strong feeling had something to do with Shakespeare. I remember wishing I had a textbook so I could get mine autographed. Therefore I realized she was famous but thought it was acceptable for her to be a teacher.

For some reason I was in a different position in the class because I was sitting next to this girl with purple hair. I went to adjust my leg for some reason but ended up touching hers without realizing. She gave me a response like I sexually harrased her, but more like a "Who are you to touch me, you dork" type of deal. She looked at her friend two desks down (who was smoking hot... I wish she existed in real life) who gave her a "You told off that dweeb" reaction. I was pretty crushed. I remember wishing that I was somewhere else, and I woke up.

Hey all... figured I'd share a few experiences that have happened over the last couple weeks.

First off, a few days back I did my meditation/energy work for about fifteen minutes, which has basically become a nightly routine. Before going to bed I had Family Guy on the television. As I dozed off I guess I fell into some type of paralysis because I was getting an auditory hallucination. My dad was joking about something, and I heard him say the word "nipples" quite clearly, lmao. I woke up within seconds thinking how random (though not farfetched) hearing that was. No more than five seconds pass and I hear Peter Griffin on Family Guy say the word "nipples" in a random joke. I was stunned...

The night prior to that I experienced a lucid which turned into an OBE. First thing I know I'm being called into a crowded room by a member of my extended family. I walked in and sat on a couch next to my cousin, and someone else sat beside her. I remember being in the presence of my Uncle and his wife's sister's husband, as well. Now I'm pretty anxious, as I usually am with my dad's side of the family. I remember wanting to get out of there. I told some kind of joke, whatever it was they laughed, and I up and left. I went into another room which I think is where I OBE'd because I started trying to read things on tables and such. I passed through what may have been a hallway, thinking how real everything looked and felt. I came into a room with a large window leading outside. I instinctively removed the window with the intention of getting outside. I'm pretty much an expert at removing astral windows, now. That's all I remember here.

This passed week I realized how "authentic" lucid dreams can be. If OBEs feel like stepping into a virtual reality, lucid dreams feel like stepping into another life. A couple days ago I had a lucid where I met this child, who couldn't have been older than 7 years old, in his backyard. This reality or how/why I was there didn't factor into my thought process. I get the feeling we engaged in some sort of recreational activity, and his yard was fairly active with imagery I can't recall clearly... perhaps a jungle gym and typical childrens' toys. I remember being blown away by how mature this kid was and how well he could communicate, though I can't remember anything we talked about. He invited me in his house, where we sat on his couch. I was laying down on my side on one end and he was sitting on the other. I guess subconsiously I wanted to get a good look at him so I reared my head towards the opposite end of the couch, and now his profile is burned in my memory. Anyway next thing I know, his dad walks in and another male of similar age (other guy looked jewish) came in behind him and went straight to the kitchen. I saw the jewish lookin' guy look at me through the reflection of something, perhaps a kitchen window. I get a sense they were home from work. The father didn't look thrilled that I was there. The kid explained the situation though I don't recall dialogue. I remember saying something to the effect of: You have a cool/smart/bright kid.. "you raised him well" (quoted words I sad verbatim.) The guy seemed okay with everything, but grabbed an empty plastic cup and asked who it belonged to. The kid shrugged his shoulders. I woke up at this point thinking how realistic the scenario was...

It sounds like hypnogogic imagery. Do you actually see the forests/space as you fly? Also, do you experience the vibrations beforehand? If so, you were probably OBE.

Okay this morning I projected again and called out for my spirit guide... I think I was in some bedroom (could've been mine but it didn't feel like it) when this guy in a black Egyptian-type headpiece comes out of a closet and tries to grab me. WTF? Is it so hard to find some assistance? I spent the rest of the OBE jumping up and down on one of those ground-level trampolines... but yeah, I'm convinced I don't have a spirit guide.

Last night before sleep I did some meditation/energy work, figuring I'd wake up later in the morning and project... well I fell asleep and went straight into the vibrations. My instinct was to try to wake up immediately because the intent wasn't there... after a while of struggling to free myself of paralysis I gave up and went into projecting... I remembered a prior intent to meet my spirit guide when I was brought to this strange video-game like message... I haven't played video games in years but it was like when you're playing an RPG game and approach a civilian or w/e... and in the bottom of the screen it shows the guy's face in a box and next to that a message, such as information to progress in the game, etc. Well the face in the smaller box was this older man's with grey hair and moustache/goatee. I forgot the message but remember it sort of creeped me out... I thought... well this sure as hell ain't my spirit guide. It came complete with video game-like music as well. Could it have been a message denying my access to a spirit guide? I've had several OBE experiences so far and out of the few times I've requested my spirit guide no entity presented itself. Is this normal? Some insight is appreciated.

Vibes are the start of the separation. They become more intense and finer gradually and after a certain point you feel light as air and all noises vanish suddenly. This is when you are out.

If they simply fade, it usually means failure to separate.

Well all this is not written in stone, just my personal experience.

I agree. Also I can't say I've ever experienced localized vibrations... they're always all encompassing. My advice... don't think about the hows, the wheres or the whens while in the vibrations. All it takes is a bit of auditory hallucination to distract me and before I know it the vibes fade and I'm awake... place your entire focus on embracing the vibes, and like meditation without any mental chatter.

Just curious... do actually attempt to project yourself or do you sit back with your skeptic cap on and brainstorm ways for others to prove what they're experiencing? Maybe if someone provides you with "the evidence" then it'll suddenly be worth your time, even if scrutinizing to death the phenomena under the parameters of tangible science already is... have I pretty much got it down pat?

This morning, I woke up around 4 am, did some energy work, and passed out on my living room couch a couple hours later, knowing full well I'd soon be brought to awareness by the vibrations. I intensified the vibrations and ended up in this strange hallway that I think is of a school house (could be one I go to college in but that's speculation as I couldn't identify this place in the OBE)... I was not controlling myself. I was flying down this hallway and was fully prepared to pass through it to the outside but that never happened. Next thing I know I'm in a classroom and see a map hanging off the wall which I identified in the dream as showing India, though in retrospect I didn't actually "see" India on the map. I wonder if assumptions inside OBEs are as speculative as assumptions upon reflection?

I return to the vibrations and find myself fluttering around the living room looking forward though moving backward... I may have been returning to my body as that was the direction my body was located. When I woke up I could still see myself moving through my house in the blackness of my eyelids (as in not with my third eye) for a good few seconds... does anyone else have this post-OBE experience? It happens quite often.

At this point I fell back asleep and ended up in vibrations again. In the vibrations my intent was to be at the ocean but this never came to fruition, though I did see an image of a dock off the water. Next thing I know I find myself in a setting I couldn't begin to describe, but I do know I'm laying next to a window. Why you ask? Because through the window I see a gigantic (redtail?) hawk standing there, looking through the window at me. The thing had to be about five feet tall... panic swept over me and before I could realize I was OBE the experience ended. I was in the vibrations yet again and found myself fluttering in my living room yet again. I noticed my television set and entertainment system was from a couple years back before my family got a flat screen television and changed things up. I noticed pictures of family (couldn't idenitfy them, just vague portraits) on the entertainment system, which is odd because we have very few family pictures around, only a few on the walls. At that point I woke up.

Well that's all for now. Thanks for reading, and if you can relate to any of the questions/experiences I described please share your thoughts. Thanks again.

 

Lately I've been having a few OBEs here and there but nothing incredible or groundbreaking... a week and a half ago I had a lucid dream which I'm positive turned into OBE. I remember flashes of images from the show UFO Hunters were running through my mind when suddenly I "come to" and look out my bedroom window to see a bright strip of light off in the distance... automatically I know it's a UFO. I feel a great sense of amazement. After losing a good amount of lucidity, I now find myself leaping towards the sky from the tree tops in my backyard. This isn't a consious decision, but in retrospect the reason could've been a) Something to do with seeing the UFO that triggered this urge or b) my prior intent to leave Earth's atmosphere in OBE carried over into my subconsious. An interesting note while I was leaping towards the sky is that I recieved a message (telepathically I guess) basically saying my efforts were useless... this had no negative feeling attatched, but was presented as factual if not slightly humorous. I haven't been able to actually meet my spirit guide yet, but could that have been it?

Next thing I know I see my cat (who's been dead for maybe a year now) walk down my staircase and I think I may be OBE at this point because I know she's dead, and I can feel the roughness of her face as she's nudging my hands. For some reason I wonder what would happen if I violently shake her and act on this (a random impulse I think... I'd never did that with her in real life)... I hear a small wimper and the experience ends.

Last week after waking up around 3 am I went down stairs to my living room couch and did some energy work... it seems all I have to do is meditate a bit, fall asleep and I'm guaranteed to get the vibrations. My intent in the vibrations was to visit the African Savannah but I'm brought to my front porch instead... immediately I think of my last mission to exit the atmosphere. I take off into the sky, and wonder if I could find the constellation Orion. I notice that the sky is littered with perfectly arranged constellations and has a deep bluish glow to it. It's interesting how the pattern of the sky can dictate the feel/emotion of the experience... in my last OBE string the sky was pitch black and white dots in what I call a "pocket cluster" represented stars and gave off a sort of creepy vibe. The sky in this experience gave me a warm, magical feeling. I looked down and saw the roof of my neighbor's house across the street and it was surprisingly accurate.

It has actually been my intention to explore space in OBE over the passed month... I willed myself towards the stars on one occasion and though my sight got hazy I felt that my location was high above Earth.