Messages

Good experience, Tak!

Both the content and quality of your experiences are changing for the better and your awareness is increasing. I think your analysis is likely correct- You should have let the storyline play out as it was designed for you. Rather than flying to the ceiling to avoid the person initially, you could have simply greeted her in a friendly manner and considered what she might do or say.

Your reaction seems to indicate a certain hesitation or trepidation, both minor aspects of Fear, which is entirely reasonable in the 'gloomy' place you were put. Always know that in the Non-Physical that you are safe in 99% of situations; a personal Guide is always watching should you require help. So go forth boldly, confidently, and with respect! Just don't get cocky or foolhardy...

The 'gloomy' feel to the place was likely part of testing you by 'clouding' you slightly with some doubt to observe how you reacted. Conditions like this can be imposed on us to test how we function with added fear, decreased cognitive ability, passion, compassion, confusion, etcetera...but it is never more than we can handle. This was likely a small taste of that.

The 'exit' you performed was what you know we refer to as Phasing and using hypnopomps/hypnogogics in the way you did is one of many techniques which you will learn; remember the 'feel' of diving into the water and you can use it virtually in any situation. For me, Phasing is fundamentally different compared to the traditional OBE exit in that, in the first method we work to move directly outward- with Phasing, we turn inward to move outward, if that makes any sense.

I also think naturally of windows as portals, but anything can be used. But, along with the portal we need a strongly-expressed Intent...of a destination or person. Without a proper Intent, we go nowhere or often end up in the Void. If your expressed Intent is not working after one or two attempts, then that may mean that there is an Instructor nearby who wishes for you to take up a lesson or challenge like this one. If that occurs to you, then the best default Intent is to mentally declare-'Show Me the Next Best Lesson For Me!' You actually did this when you correctly recognized that it was not your apartment, but without a proper Intent, you re-entered the Void and then asked for help, which appeared nearly instantly! From there, you were placed into what was likely a 'simulation' designed for your instruction.

I don't know all of your experience with the Void, but you seemed confused by the lattice of polygonal triangles and spheres. If this was a new aspect of the Void for you, then I suspect this is part of your recent increase in awareness and perceptive abilities, gathering small glimpses of the deeper nature of the energetic structures behind the scenes of places like the Void and our Multiverse. Personally, I don't often see the geometric structures as you describe them; I see the environment and people as mostly multi-colored strings of energy, like long, thick and complicated bundles of wiring harnesses.

The iron door is symbolic for you; the darkened hallway, red lights and huge number signs were designed to focus your attention on the rooms. There are at least two likely reasons the numbers caught your attention- you should reflect on what their significance may have been. The transparent triangles you saw within the rooms were also likely symbolic of the underlying energetic structure to the whole place. I suspect that had you met with the woman, she would likely have led you to enter a room where a further adventure awaited.

And if it hasn't been mentioned before, the Void can provide similar adventures- Just passively gaze at the starfield before you in the Void and after a minute or so, one star or area of the starfield will catch your attention by growing brighter or shimmering somehow. Let your gaze draw you into that area or light until you Phase directly into it...be trusting in the process and you can really go places!

Good Job!

EV   

Tak,
A few more points of commentary-

I thought it was important to mention the method of discernment for lower regions if you should encounter them...and that is being aware of the shared importance of Feel/Think...that is a simplistic PR concept that goes much deeper once we enter the NPR. So, I am glad you appear to understand that lesson well.

In your  reported experience, you inadvertently angered the individuals by spitting your gum at them and they gave chase; the better response may have been to confront their challenge with love and respect or, given a negative response, stood your ground and reacted as necessary. I thought the "create a black hole in the ground and hide" was likely unworthy, yet it seemed to serve the purpose and your overall LD/Test was not terminated...so I thought that may have served as your Dream Awareness Level 9 applying NP abilities to resolve a situation...it didn't feel quite adequate to me at the time, but you seemed to proceed nonetheless. I wonder that the black panthers on the train was a later chance for you to solve that issue, kind of a "repeat the test question"? The train boxcar imagery is interesting to me, because anytime a train or other form of public transportation shows up in our dreams, at least for some of us, it is an indication of a transport system into the NP Realms such as the Dream Zone. You had the confidence to open the railcar and out-spilled your most recent LD difficulty which still needed solving, lol! And you solved it quite well!

You are absolutely right that our dream monsters must be faced and confronted, especially in childhood...this creates incredible confidence for us, both in this world and others.

The hypnogogic state is incredible...it can be a ready launch platform into the NPR or the Unknown...or it can bog us down in chaotic, subconscious nonsense. I think most all of it comes spontaneously from our subconscious...sometimes there are patterns and personal issues to be aware of and notice...I will admit my own limited control and understanding. Sometimes you can just wait it out for a few minutes and then get on with an exit or Phasing...other times, it just drags me under like the ocean...hypnogogia is like riding a wild horse!

The Void- If there isn't a Topic all to this, there should be. Most everyone experiences the Void, at some time and in various ways, but the descriptions are too similar to argue. Like you wrote, the Void is a canvas, a base, a backdrop that lies behind much if not all our NP experience. I had the same experience early on that my experiences, my "simulations", were all suspended somewhere within the Void, like islands within the darkness. As my experiences have evolved, I don't get that same perspective nearly as much now...but I am not sure what has changed, except maybe the energetic quality of the experience...maybe another level of depth has been introduced...I am only speculating.

One of my far-reaching questions is this: In some way, does the Void relate to either Dark Matter or Dark Energy?

 

This was a remarkable experience, Tak! Nice performance! By consciously choosing not to manipulate the lucid dream and instead letting the inherent dream plot manifest, you went with the flow and received a truly exceptional series of tests/lessons. I see evidence throughout your story that you were being challenged to engage most, if not all of the Ten Levels of Dream Awareness and it looks like you succeeded! The sign pointing the way to the "Park after Death" and the kiss and hug by the "woman of authority" were pretty convincing indicators of your achievement, lol! You should expect to see a noticeable change in the quality and challenges in your future NPR excursions!

I wish I got a sign like that! Astral Park This Way--->  LOL!

There is much in this experience for you to reflect on for quite some time. A few observations from my perspective-

The fade out/fade in is an indication of moving from test to test, and likely also a test in and of itself to challenge your ability to maintain your awareness.
As you noticed early on, any staircase or elevator is an indicator of a chance to move up or down in awareness. It's usually good to take stairs up. Then again, as Szaxx warned me in one of my experiences, "impossibly" high or long stairways should probably not be attempted.
In test environments such as these, dark and gloomy streets and cities are not generally negative energy- they are dark to limit distractions and help keep you focused on the task at hand. On the other hand, some dark and gloomy environments in the Astral are negative for good reason, such as the F22 and hellish regions. This is where your intuition should give you a noticeable "feel" about the relative safety of the place. This is where Feeling is every bit as important as Thinking...if it feels bad, dangerous or untrustworthy, it probably is.
Considering your destruction of the artwork at the Gallery, I wouldn't have been surprised that the test was terminated, but the fact that you were experimenting with understanding "textures" within the astral pointed specifically to the Ten Levels, so I think they gave you some leeway there, although with the added warning at the end to reflect on your anger issues maybe...(at the company's expense...Hilarious!)
The bohemian musician is a personage you will have to search your own personality/history for clarification. His question of your age as 9 immediately made me think of where you were in the Ten Levels, not that you were at number 9, but that you had actualized some of the 9 levels...you were currently considering the edible nature of the nearby buildings, which I found quite humorous but still part of your exploration of NP textures and tastes...lol! A discussion of this with Nameless included an idea that she suggested, wondering that something significant for you to consider within this context may have occurred around the age of 9 for you. Nameless' intuitional insights often prove out true, so something to consider. It could also have just been a challenge to your ability to maintain the level/integrity of your awareness.
It is quite an interesting fact to notice how much our physical personalities change in the NPRs! I find myself having to guard against becoming over-confident and egotistical. It's not just about putting Fear in its proper place, but also balancing all the other influences.

I wonder that the Hindu temple gradually morphed into a truly significant vision of our Higher Self that Monroe referred to as his I/There and Moen referred to it as his Disk and Members, the ideas describing a "collective" of related awarenesses/lives that we are all part of. The temple morphed into what you described as possibly an aquatic plant (Buddhism describes this as the thousand-petaled Lotus-an aquatic plant-...) I have experienced visions such as these. You saw the fine, thin filaments that connect Members to their Disk, supplying energy and transmitting information/experience. As a soul ventures deeper into existence, the filament grows thinner and thinner until it practically disappears from view. This connection is possibly at least a partial explanation for some past life or parallel life memories.

As you climbed the final staircase, you felt exhausted but were encouraged to continue. In the Theosophical tradition, this final endurance test was to raise your awareness and maintain its integrity as you moved through successively higher energy bodies- from the Etheric to the Astral to the Mental and maybe for a quick peek into the Causal...you recognized along the way that you briefly "lost your holographic body, then regained it"...this is an indication of that. Nice!

The white kitten is a symbol personal to you but looks to me as a definite sign of a new beginning for you. Nice touch!

If this is a new beginning for you and opens the Astral to you, then spend some meditative time thanking everyone involved and also make a silent and sincere offer to be of service wherever the NPR may require your assistance.

Again, Tak, remarkable and well done!

EV

Agreed with everything said. I would only add that this is one of the first of many filters that we move beyond. For me, there have been noticeable movements beyond filters, per se, that have led to increasingly clearer (and maybe higher?) levels of thinking...and then even that begins to change, adding in perspective changes of perceiving and understanding energies...and then perspectives beyond that. It moves beyond reporting in mere words alone. Just a suggestion to always remain open to the next level of experiencing.

Excellent and insightful comments from everyone. Agreed with most everything said. Thank you! great thread, Nameless!

No children and never married.
I strongly intuited this as a form of pre-programming for this life at age 8, although the understanding of it required decades to sink in. The circumstances of my early family life, the psychic phenomenae that manifested, the ET abductions since age 5- all served to make me realize that I was an outlier and an outsider, a loner. Maybe ET, maybe hybrid...actually, I think a number of us have come recently, if not directly, from ET life experiences. For me, this condition has created a dichotomous struggle between needing friends and social interaction (small group quality versus large crowds) and the absolute requirement of periods of isolation for meditation, reflection, processing.

The Three Waves of Volunteers or Wanderers concept really resonated with me, as well; especially the idea that the First Wave had so much difficulty adjusting to human life; that is me.

Yes LB, I've had more than several nights like that; it is like an expanded or longer version of a "Click-out": no memory or sense of the time elapsed. Click-outs seem to involve teaching/healing that occurs at a deeper, maybe subconscious level, so I can only imagine that an all-night Click-out may be a far stronger experience.

Strange and wild stuff indeed!

Good recollection, Tides!

I have experienced nearly the same thing maybe seven or eight times over the last ten years. It is early morning, last set of dreams, and I become aware of a physical need (bathroom break/discomfort) and as I am coming fully awake and literally sitting up or climbing out of bed, I am simultaneously aware that two/multiple other experiences are occurring: the primary dream is ending and another more psychologically-distant experience is ending and that one always seems to involve the conclusion of a conversation, where I often blurt out the last words as I come fully awake. Very strange! There is barely even a moment to realize where I am, kind of caught between two or more realities for an instant and then Bang! I am out!

Thank you for sharing that! I wonder that many of us may be having experiences such as these that, although they resonate with some kind of significance at the moment, never seem to happen frequently enough nor carry the immediate import and therefore don't get journaled nor reported. I wonder that it is small episodes like these that will suggest certain paths forward if we choose to discuss them...maybe worth considering...

 

That's what I love about this place!

Thank you, Casey, for that first-hand perspective!

Some thoughts about the Ten Levels-

This information is pulled from Kurt Leland's book Otherwhere, which I found incredibly parallel to my own experiences and helpful in clarifying my journey. I recognize that certain writers, their language, their styles, their experiences may not translate or resonate with everyone and so I recommend that if you are interested in Kurt then read a healthy sample of his writings at his website and see if his style and ideas work for you.

Other books by Kurt I can highly recommend are The MultiDimensional Human (which is the natural progression from Otherwhere) and The Unanswered Question, which does a deep-dive comparison of the ideas involved in The Egyptian Book of the Dead and The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

In describing the Ten Levels of Dream Awareness, Leland draws from the lucid dream techniques of Tibetan Dream Yoga and their purpose in activating the higher energy bodies, overcoming the illusion/confusion/glamour of the various PR and NPR worlds in order to enter the Clear Light of Enlightenment. This is a worthy goal, as Leland puts it, but it still only gets one so far; and he has a great insight about this which only personal experience will confirm- and that is Clear Light leads beyond the translatable symbolic images of our experiences into "Knowings" and realizations, which are great, but they are so ephemeral that we are most often left with a 'sense that we learned something' but we just cannot grasp the truth of it because there are no translatable symbols to work with. It seems a worthy discussion and maybe the answer is that both types of experiences are necessary and beneficial.

Leland describes the culmination of the Ten Levels as an "Initiation" type of event, where you experience a dream with all ten aspects realized, though not necessarily in the sequence given. What I realized was my own Initiation event (Talking to the Hand), it was during a later reading of Otherwhere that I thought back and recognized all the aspects of that complicated lucid dream. In Leland's description, he was trying to gain entrance to what he at the time, called Otherwhere...he had been there before, but did not know how to consciously gain entrance; he just knew there was some form of barrier. During this time, Leland was apparently becoming quickly acquainted with the ideas of Theosophy, which mostly ascribes a form of demarcation between the NPR areas of the Astral and Mental Planes. Not to dig too deeply into the complexity of that subject here, I have experienced a similar difficulty and it is only in the last fifteen years or so that I began to fully understand what was required of me and found my personal path which has opened up these worlds for me...I am by no means feeling like an expert at this, but the last ten years have transformed greatly for me...and it really took off when I accomplished what appears to be this Ten Levels test. Leland saw a "Gate" in his Initiation event and knew his goal was to open the Gate into the other world. In my Talking to the Hand LD, at the end I encountered the Formula One driver who was standing within a crowd at a busy, open Gate...I distinctly noticed people freely passing through, back and forth, but I was still caught up in the dream storyline and walked away. The F1 driver symbolized a "Finish Line" for me in more ways than one, but I missed it. For nearly a year, I was convinced that I had ultimately failed the test, but my continuing experiences showed me otherwise...so it does appear that there is some allowance to the process, lol.

My thinking on the preconditions for gaining entrance into Otherwhere, the Upper Astral, the Lower Mental Planes...whatever personal translation table you wish to use, control of one's emotions, especially the sexual urge, Fear and anger, really any out of control, negative or otherwise polluted thinking, is what keeps one from moving 'higher in the Planes'...and I still think that is true...but there appear to be other requirements. I won't delineate them here exactly, you should do Kurt the favor and buy his book, not just for this but the rest of it is very instructive. Some hints- Release of negative emotions, Divine Creation and Order, Ownership and Contribution.

EV

[KURT LELAND'S TEN LEVELS OF DREAM AWARENESS]

                                           KURT LELAND'S 
                                   TEN LEVELS OF DREAM AWARENESS
                                     (with minor editing by me)


                    0- No recall whatsoever; not even memory that you had dreamed
                    1- No recall, except that you know you had dreamed
                    2- Memory of disjointed fragments, isolated images or feelings
                    3- You seem to be watching yourself in the dream, but not participating
                    4- You recognize your full participation within the dream
                    5- Dream plots become longer and more involved; more complicated
                    6- Colors and sounds become noticeably more vivid
                    7- You notice the presence of textures, smells and taste
                    8- You are using mental processes characteristic of the waking state:
                       Rational thinking, problem-solving, etc.
                    9- Ability to rationally apply powers of the Dream State: Altering the
                       environment, flying, telekinesis, re-winding the Dream, etc.
                   10- Waking State consciousness fully merges with the Dream State
                       consciousness; you realize fully that you are dreaming
                       

                   
                 
                               

I may have miscommunicated slightly; my bad.

My understanding of the rumor I heard was that the person claiming to channel Bashar was initially a fraud, but that he achieved a wide enough audience that some Non-Physical entity, with a genuine desire to communicate higher knowledge, expropriated the human channel, and began the Bashar communications.

It wasn't the human, it was the NP entity taking over.

And I agree with you LB, the first thing that caught my attention was the natural fluid nature of his talk and responses, no hesitation or searching for words...either incredible preparation or a seamless communication of genuine esoteric knowledge...arguably obvious in some aspects but overall very insightful.

I have always felt somewhat of an initial, intuitive mistrust of any 'popular' channeler, but having listened to a couple Basher YT vids a few years ago, he said all the right things.

Somebody mentioned to me the rumor that he actually did start off as a fraud, but at some point, the Bashar entity realized this person's reach as a conduit to a large audience and actually 'expropriated' his channeling ability...and in effect, he became the real deal!

I don't know...haven't researched it...too many other intriguing subjects! Lol

GrumpyRabbit, your experience reminds me of a different perspective I have read of, and been recommended toward, over the last several years and that is- Becoming and Living from a Heart-centered perspective.
And like you describe, it involves shifting the center of your consciousness, which for most of us, including me, has always been the center of my head or maybe just behind my Third Eye, center of brow...shifting that center to my heart, or I assumed, my Heart Chakra.

Your description is much more 'physical body-oriented', but maybe that was just your first impression. I don't know, but it read like an intriguing experience!

And thanks for the shamanic book reco! That is one of my new interests!

EV

I was going to PM you on that Xanth, but okay I will create a sticky in the Dream Forum. 10 Levels is from Kurt's book Otherwhere, and I want to take a few days and re-read that section in order to provide a proper attribution and context for what he describes as the gradual progression of recognition throughout our dreams, and as indications of the increase of our awareness to the culmination of an "Initiation" experience, which appears to open up more of the NP to us...again, not saying that is exactly what it must be, but it pretty closely describes what happened for me.

I am gratified that the list appears to have spiked many people's interest, as it immediately resonated with me, giving a sense of the possible boundaries/indicators that can serve to assist us.

[KURT LELAND'S TEN LEVELS OF DREAM AWARENESS]

                                   KURT LELAND'S
                      TEN LEVELS OF DREAM AWARENESS
                              (with minor editing by me)


           0- No recall whatsoever; not even memory that you had dreamed
           1- No recall, except that you know you had dreamed
           2- Memory of disjointed fragments, isolated images or feelings
           3- You seem to be watching yourself in the dream, but not participating
           4- You recognize your full participation within the dream
           5- Dream plots become longer and more involved, complicated
           6- Colors and sounds become noticeably more vivid
           7- You notice the presence of textures, smells and tastes
           8- You are using mental processes characteristic of the waking state:
               Rational thinking, problem-solving, etc.
           9- Ability to rationally apply powers of the dream state: Altering the
               environment, flying, telekinesis, re-winding the dream, etc.
          10-Waking state consciousness fully merges with the dream state consciousness;
               you realize fully that you are dreaming

You are welcome Tak and I am glad that you enjoyed my Initiation experience, which as I re-read it now, I realize I need to go back and add some details that help flesh out parts of the experience.

If you read some of Kurt Leland's website and enjoy his writing style and terminology, then I highly recommend several of his books. The Multidimensional Human is the best I have come across at explaining the energy bodies that we are experiencing the Non-Physical through, and what non-physical senses are involved within each and how to develop them. I am not saying his answers are THE definitive answers, but they offer the best ideas I have found to date. Otherwhere is a good second book and outlines his Ten Levels of Dreaming, which I will go ahead and list for you here in a later post. A third and excellent book is The Unanswered Question, which compares and interprets both the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Very interesting and enlightening! For instance, both involved prayers and incantations to be recited by mourning family members, meant to guide and assist the deceased person through the early stages of the Afterlife and to avoid the mental and astral "traps" which I realize are what I have experienced in Retrievals as "Personal Hells" that departed souls become stuck within. And if I remember correctly, both traditions, possibly unrelated and nearly two thousand years apart, both traditions call for the prayers/incantations to be recited for the benefit of the departed soul over the course of 49 days...somehow that number 7 and multiples of 7 keep showing up in so much about this area of exploration.

And apparently, though the Tibetan Book is a book, there is no Egyptian Book, which is instead a series of hieroglyphic panels within a single pyramid or tomb.

On another topic, thank you Tak! for mentioning the "Old Mansion" which has been a fixture in my own dreams throughout my life! I think roughly a quarter of my dreams have taken place in and around this energetic structure known generally as the Old Mansion. What a perfect setting or simulation for teaching purposes! In this link, one of my last experiences there, I think that I even got a bit of a behind-the-scenes peek and insight into the function of this place.

https://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome-to-dreams!/clue-less/

Finally, I wish I had your talent Tak, at entering the Void as often and easily as you do. I love the Void as both an incredibly relaxing and rejuvenating environment and as a departure point to anywhere in this great Multiverse!

EV

Tak09-

Your level of understanding and your training is moving to the next higher level.

I know it doesn't quite feel that way, given the current frustrations...but congratulations!

This is how your learning will proceed for the present time...some of the old lessons and expectations have to be either temporarily set aside or eliminated entirely, in order to be replaced by new lessons and new understandings...it is TRULY learning the hard way...

"Things no longer work in the same way as they did 12-10 years ago..." is what you wrote. That is exactly right and the feeling of that truth is a guide in finding your way forward, in regard to what used to work versus what will work now. That sense of "feel" is very important to your understanding. It is a combination of "feel/think".

Your inner voice is still a trustworthy guide, as well as some NP characters that you 'feel' they are speaking truth to you...listen to them! They may not always be there! In the most recent experiences, they are telling you to relax the demands of your "Intention" and to pay attention to, and follow the course of the environment put before you. Your immediate reaction has been to reject their direction and try to impose your intention of what you want to experience...that was 'yesterdays' idea...and it was a good lesson in intention yesterday...but not now...you have moved into a new level of learning.

You have learned and understood the importance of intention...you have learned how to apply it...now you must drop the importance of that idea and pay attention to the next lesson the environment is trying to teach you.

Anytime, NOW, that you experience frustration, it is likely a sign that you are going off course and missing the point of the lesson...let go of the previous moment's intention and open yourself to what the environment/simulation is trying to teach you...everything within these levels of experience are teaching you...so you need to learn to remain open to them...

Now the lessons begin to become very subtle things, especially involving just when to apply Intent and when to back off, relax and 'go with the flow'...

You are already, and naturally, noticing many of the aspects of this new level of learning; getting a sense of the new subtle qualities being introduced...none of this is random or accidental; this is all beautifully and brilliantly created teaching.

If you want some new reading material, Kurt Leland speaks very smartly about these next, advanced levels of learning in his books Otherwhere and The Multidimensional Human. He speaks about Initiation levels as well, which I think your creation of this thread speaks to your own Initiation event.

A little help in context is always good, lol! Well done!

EV


Here is Kurt's website, check out the Projection Log for a taste of his experiences, especially anything relating to Simulations.
http://www.kurtleland.com/


What I realized was my Initiation experience.
https://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome-to-dreams!/talking-to-the-hand/

That is a really good find, thank you T-Man!

I have read two of Joe McMoneagle's books but was unaware of his Remote Viewing regarding Mars and what possibly became of their inhabitants. His reporting of 12-foot Martian humanoids and a planetary atmosphere that became endangered, possibly resulting in their evacuation to Earth, certainly dovetails with both the biblical era Book of Enoch describing the Watchers/Nephilim/Giants/Fallen Angels and the works of 1950 Soviet author Immanuel Velikovsky, Worlds in Collision...sadly, I have lost that book somehow...the likelihood that some, part or all of humankind on Earth originated from a catastrophic evacuation from Mars has always been a natural, intuitional possibility for me.

Joe lives close enough to the Monroe Institute, that he will periodically show up as a guest speaker during an occasional week-long course, usually from about 8pm to 10 or 11pm one night, recounting his adventures and taking questions. In my case, it was during either the Lifeline course or X27 that he entertained us one night, much to our enjoyment. The Facilitators expected him to quit around 10:30 or so...they expected everybody to wander off to bed... but maybe six of us kept peppering him with questions and he was delighted to continue sharing until about 12:30am...that ended up being a late night for many of us, lol!

Great guy, very intelligent, genuine and credible...a wonderful evening!

Back around 2005, while on vacation in Maui, Hawaii my gf and I did a one day dive course which the highlight was a wetsuit dive off the beach about three hundred yards out. That was really cool!
A few years later, in Puerto Rico, I did another one day course and was allowed to go out on the dive boat a couple days.
So, maybe four or five off-shore dives, the deepest about 75 feet. I considered getting certified but my schedule never worked out.

I really enjoy scuba and can highly recommend the experience! Learning to operate and explore in such a different environment is exciting and challenging! And honestly, if I want to describe the early NPR experiences like RTZ or Etheric OBE, the easiest parallel I can suggest is scuba diving. There is the near-fluid density of the environment, the restrictive qualities placed on sight and especially sound, the necessary conscious focus on breathing (or not breathing in the NP case!), the initial difficulty in learning to move and maintain your orientation/balance...yes, so many similarities...

This is interesting and one of several significant LD/NPR experiences you have had over the last year.

The all-glass beach house speaks to the idea of exposure and clarity. The storm reflects current events, maybe. The lightning is a bursting of clarity and new knowledge...at least, to me.

Personally, it has taken nearly my lifetime to realize that "purple" is my color...and my healing color. Your description of the purple lightning and currents through the ocean really resonated with me...I really sense the power that was felt.

In elementary school, fifth grade, every kid was asked his/her favorite color. I answered purple and the teacher looked at me kind of sidewise, as if, who would pick purple?

At TMI a few years ago, during my Retrieval preparation, I spent three days flooded with purple healing energies...which I slowly came to understand. I floated within purple/lavender skies and energies and swam through purple oceans...

So, I don't know that the idea of equating purple with healing makes sense in this experience, but I do know that purple is likely of significance, however you may determine that...I get also the sense of empowerment/energization.

Casey, I think you are right. The experiential difference between F2 and F3 is one of moving from the personal to the consensus NPR. In different terms used over the years-

Personal versus Consensus NP Realities
Personal/Dream versus Consensus/Dream Realities
Personal Astral versus Consensus Astral
Personal Astral versus Astral Proper
Lower Astral versus Higher Astral

Using the Theosophical perspective, Higher Astral also involves/moves into Lower Mental and Higher Mental which eventually leads into Causal/Buddhic and higher-level experiences (the formless levels of Frank's F4)

Many of us have had experiences up & down and within these various levels

The fun is in the re-telling and exploration of the answers/insights!

It's been a few years, but maybe time I do a re-read of Frank's excellent Phasing Resource.

This thread maybe starts a whole new discussion of what we notice as differences from F2 to F3 experiences? For me, it is both the quality of higher lucidity, as well the fairly obvious "outside" construct of the situations/simulations/experiences themselves...they appear to be beyond my personal construct and something above and beyond...maybe Higher Self? But I think further outside.

Thoughts, anyone?

You keep mentioning 'the darkness'. This may be your initial technique to work with, by applying what Xanth described as the Noticing technique- just an easy, unemotional, detached observing of whatever you are Noticing. In this case, it appears you have some exposure already to The Void. People call it by different names, but it is fairly commonly encountered as the three-dimensional black space, the 3D Darkness, the Starfield or Starspace. The Void is a NP environment that seems to exist within and between many dimensions. 
If you find yourself there, then great! Just relax and gently observe; don't push or force anything. Just Notice the depth and velvety texture of the Void. The lights are apparently not stars, but they are significant. Many times, as you Notice, the depth and texture of the darkness may begin to shift and swirl slightly. Your attention may be drawn to one light or group that may begin shining more brightly. Continue your detached, casual observation and you may feel a sense of movement towards that light or area of darkness. Allow this to happen at its own speed and you may experience a direct shift into another NP environment. Don't try or expect to go somewhere of your choice; something beyond you will choose your environment and there will be a significant lesson to be learned there; so go with the flow. The Void is a great way to travel and learn! Volgerle has an excellent thread labeled The Void, above in this forum.

Lumaza's Doorway thread is excellent to study and speaks for itself. He mentioned movement and I want to elaborate on that. Many of us have found that using a simple visualization that involves rhythmic movement can often lead to a Phasing Shift to a NP environment. First you need some meditative or trance depth, but this can be a great early morning technique. Visualize bouncing on a trampoline, dancing, snow skiing or snow boarding, riding a showjumper horse, water skiing, riding a roller coaster or a bobsled or Lumaza's pace car idea...let your imagination run on this one; it's that simple and straightforward. 

As LB wrote- the occasional voice(s) in your head can be from many reasons particular to you. Have you ever answered them back, asking what they want or what information they may wish to impart? We all have NP guides working with us, but they usually remain in the background. Some few psychics and channelers appear to have ongoing conversations with some of their guides. So, if the voice is happening during meditative or sleep/wake transition periods, this could be a possibility. Your interest in channeling may have opened a conduit, of sorts.

Oh yeah, I meant to comment on this earlier. In another thread, you mentioned a guy getting in your face and literally shoving you out of the scene.

That sounds like you were on the verge of entering an aspect of the Astral, and somebody objected and you got ejected...don't feel bad, you're not the first and won't be the last. So, you were actually there, for a moment.

Your challenge, for now, is to wonder why you were not allowed in...

You already have many of the basics on a subtle, intuitive level; I can see that.

It is a big, messy knot to unwind...part of the fun, I guess! I am still trying...

Keep asking questions, we are glad to offer advice and encouragement...

I was going to suggest talking techniques, but you don't really need that. Whatever method gets you to those small snippets of visuals...do that! Once those visuals start, just observe them unemotionally and let them develop...at some point, they will 'strengthen' and finally draw you in...it may feel like a lucid dream, but go with it anyway...whatever develops in the visual is not by accident, it will be a lesson for you.

And that will be your next step forward.

EV