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This is an old British documentary about Sleep Paralysis. It's really well made. 1982

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmbpOucNVn4&list=PLlFk-YSDC_3LTd1n_01aIsGaxTv1Q4cW7

There's some brilliant retro-knowledge... Since this was made there's been so much more research. Anyway... it's just a good film.

I'm intrigued what the reactions will be.

I just read this obscure piece about kanashibari... which is the Japanese name for Sleep Paralysis that roughly translates to 'bound in metal'

Kanashibari

I know that kanashibari is a medical condition, not a religion. But how I came to find out about kanashibari is through the church that I attend in Kyotanabe, hence, I'd like to do my post on religion about the information as it was told to me at my church.

Two pieces of background information. First, I occasionally attend a bilingual church in Kyotanabe, along with a few other Kansai Gaidai students, both International and Japanese. I have been attending off and on since November and we have two hours after the message to talk to each other about anything and everything. During the course of conversation, we drifted to kanashibari, and to former and current members of the church who had experienced kanashibari.

Secondly, kanashibari is the Japanese word for a medical condition called "Sleep Paralysis." Kanashibari can also mean "night-terrors" but the discussion I had with members of my church on kanashibari sounds much closer to sleep paralysis. What happens in sleep paralysis is quite simple: you wake up and though your mind is conscious, you simply cannot move your body. This is not lucid dreaming (where you are aware that you are in fact dreaming DURING a dream) because sleep paralysis does not happen while the mind is asleep.

Now how does this tie into religion? As you probably already know, the percentage of Japanese who claim to be Christians is in the one-digits. The predominant religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism, followed by other "new religions," while Christianity enjoys even fewer proclaimed practitioners. The church I attend is small and the building is never completely full (though we came rather close to filling the sanctuary on Easter Sunday, but that's to be expected). And yet, repeatedly, someone who experiences kanashibari will come to the Kyoto International Chapel, talk with a pastor, convert to Christianity, and never have the problem again.

It's such a frequent phenomenon in converts at Kyoto International Chapel that they have even created a manga about it, containing two testimonies of people who suffered from kanashibari and were cured upon conversion. The manga is short, sweet, and simple and is published in both Japanese and English. I have since given my Japanese copy away but the pastor is currently searching for the English copies so that I can post photos here.

The story, as explained to me in English (since my Japanese is not the most fantastic in the world), goes something like this. The individual (both testimonies in the pamphlet-manga are female) will begin experiencing kanashibari and the reoccurring feeling is that they are being held down, like something invisible is crushing them and keeping them from moving or even blinking their eyes. They try to solve it in the traditional Japanese way (go to a shrine or a temple), but that does not work. Eventually, in a completely unrelated event, a friend will invite the afflicted individual to Kyoto International Church. They will come and eventually they will talk to the pastor and convert to Christianity. They will also tell the pastor about their experiences of kanashibari and, after praying about it with the pastor and converting, the experiences will never happen again.


Just thought it would be interesting to share. I was surprised by how many members of the church experienced this. I've never heard of anything like this before.

here's a link to the page I ripped this from.... http://becauseitsjapan.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/kanashibari.html

Read the replies to the Blog. It's so interesting the religious sub-cultures of Sleep Paralysis within different cultures.

Check out this trailer I made some stuff for...

It's a film about the Bhopal Disaster of December 1984 that poisoned and killed more than 16,000. The plant was owned by a chemical company 'Union Carbide' that was pretty nasty to their workers. The factory was in decay... pipes were corroded and leaking. The whole factory was surrounded by a massive shanty town which is where the workers and their families lived.

The chemical itself is reactive to water (which is what makes polyurethane foam expand). Water leaked into one of the 40 ton tanks of MIC. Upon contact with water it released MIC gas and other toxic gases like cyanide. The chamber exploded and released tons of gas. What is horrible is that it's a heavy gas that sits at ground level. So it basically killed anyone sleeping and children. Horrible.

To add insult to injury Union Carbide are still under compensating them. That's basically the premise of the film. Martin Sheen funded the film. To bring awareness to it. Good man.

There was a weird irony making this film. The model of the Union Carbide Chemical factory we made was made of a collection of odds and sods... for certain bits we used replicated cast parts made of Fast Cast resin.. which is a 2 part polyurethane plastic. one part is Polyol and the other is Methyl isocyanate. It just so happens that the poisonous gas that killed 30,000 people in the surrounding area was Methyl isocyanate gas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n3TMg2MzzQ

I thought I'd have a rant.

As I have gotten older I have realised that certain words are now being over used and taken out of context. Some that are generally new have already morphed into other meanings. I'm not a Grammar NAZI in the slightest, I just find that these words are used to somehow back up claims and put points across.. and are therefor are important enough to moan about.

RESEARCH

"a studious inquiry or examination; especially  : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws"

It doesn't mean

"Sitting on your backside flicking through loads of dubious websites and Youtube videos looking for information that suits your agenda"

While research is basically 'data gathering' it also includes the above example. the problem is that when data gathering by clicking on websites that have other peoples research based upon someone else's data it ceases to be actual research... but more of finding what you were looking for. The internet is so rife with rubbish and opinionated articles that usually run off one dubious source you could find anything you want; someone will have written about it. In future... if anyone says to me 'I know... I've researched it... and post a couple of links to websites or Youtube videos... I will ignore them. Usually when I want to find out that person is giving over valid information I wont just watch what they send me... I will try to understand as much as I can from both sides of the fence. I will form an opinion based upon what I find. If I am interested in the subject and really want to research it.. I will actually get away from my laptop and go to the library... maybe attempt to contact some people who know... find specialists.... etc.

As far as the subject of APing is concerned... you haven't truly researched it until you have practiced it. Research on this topic includes practicable application of information. Other than reading every book there is to read about it... that is all you have done.. read about it extensively.

TROLLING

The origin of the word trolling has nothing to do with the big hairy guy who lives under bridges and picks on goats. It actually refers to a fishing term:

"Trolling is a method of fishing where one or more fishing lines, baited with lures or bait fish, are drawn through the water."

Basically it is all about baiting people and gathering a host of people to get upset or wound up by being contrary to their opinion.

It doesn't mean disagreeing, arguing or correcting someone.

Another term or use of words actually turns me off a subject that would otherwise be tolerable to contemplate. These are:

SHEEPLE and WAKE UP

usually used like this:

"All of the deniers are paid shills, programmed bots or ignorant sheeple that are easily frightened by the truth. WAKE UP"

I don't even know where to start on this one.

For a start most of the people that say this are deeply passionate about conspiracies of some kind. They are usually referred to as 'tin hatters'. The demographic seems to be young people or teens who are unfortunately trying to come to terms with a disenfranchised world that appears to hold no future for them. They see rich, successful and happy people as 'the enemy and part of the system' and are seemingly WANTING and dreaming about some sort of world collapse so that those rich, successful and happy people are brought down to their level. For this reason I can just pity them and have empathy for them... I myself was once a disenfranchised young person who believed anything that lifted me out of this world of stark and boring reality. I then got a life and successful career... put a lot of hard work into this. Guess what? Suddenly I was lifted out of my own self pity and began to LIVE.

Using the terms 'Sheeple' and 'wake up' are actually demeaning terms that give the truther a way of lifting themselves above the average person... as though they are part of a select group of awakened individuals that are a head above the rest. In fact they are just frightened at the randomness of cold reality and need a fantasy to lift them away from their externalised world by internalising it so that it meets their egotistical needs.

Sheeple can be easily changed to 'Sinners' or 'enemies'.

Recently I had a paranoia brake down. Not an emotional one that effected my mental health... but one that caused me to wake up and smell the coffee. Now I know most of you guys and gals call 'waking up' when you see through the wool being pulled over your eyes... in my case it's gone one step further.. where I seem to have stepped back from the paranoid reality bubble we are in and can see people looking through the woollen cover at this perceived problem. The trouble is... I can see a lot of cowering people, worried and paranoid, that have been utterly BOMBARDED with oodles and oodles of contrasting information and multiple iterations of plots and sub-plots, ideas and twists... hundreds of websites fuelling their own minds... just a massive cacophony of paranoid ideas... this extends from demons, illuminati, reptilian aliens controlling the world, FERMA, New World Order (Trilateral Commission and Bilderberg Group.) False Flag operations like Columbine, 9/11, Sandy Hook and recently Boston. The faked Moon Landings, Bases on the moon, Aliens around earth, hollow earth theory. Chem-trails and systematic poisoning of civilians, holographic manipulation of the population or control of them via satellites or HAARP which is also able to control weather that caused Hurricane Katrina and earthquakes. Underground bases. The creation of diseases to test or control population... from killing them to making them do things. Every order of psychological manipulation. Water fluoridation to clog up our pineal glands... The list is endless. Now I'm sure everyone has heard of all or some of these... actually... let me reiterate... everyone here has probably heard of these and a whole lot more. This is the fuel that stokes the fire. While they are very interesting ideas and have a footing in some sort of reality.. somewhere along the way... they all simply can't exist.

Anyway... I recently came online after a short sabbatical full of rage about the Boston bombings. Basically... I have had enough of it all. The conspiracy stuff. Not because it scares me.. quite the opposite. But because it upsets me that people are creating this... bubble... of completely paranoid fear around them which is causing it to interfere with my life. So.. If I can't beat them... I should join them and become paranoid also. Or maybe things can be clarified. I posted on this thread....

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/index.php?action=post;topic=41708.0;num_replies=11

Because I went slighty off topic I've brought the conversation over here. So... based on some replies I have questions and reactions to it.

Understand I am only asking this because I do not understand... and because it pervades my everyday moochings (not my actual life) and is something I constantly see online I need to understand before I start to take it seriously. The only evidence I see you must understand is through what people post... not what is visible to me. These are comments made by Stillwater... these aren't far fetched or really conspiracy theorise but they raise questions and comments with me.

"-Money I make every year in taxes is going straight to military contractors to kill civilians in the middle east and elsewhere without end."

Fair enough... this is and has been going on since leaders began taking money off its citizens... before they did this they used to just use civilians as 'military'... this naturally needs to stop. The civilians are collateral damage... while this is abhorrent and isn't an excuse... they aren't systematically on purpose killing civilians... am I right?

'-There is a comprehenive plan of fiscal and military dominance of the worlds resources, to which the public is never privy, and which creative lies are continuously concocted to justify'

Is this just US or every single country? If only USA why is the world allowing it to happen?

-The NSA has built data centers to ultimately collect (by their own admission) every piece of electronic communication that occurs on the planet for evidence storage. I am not ok with the NSA using this data to build a potential case against every connected person in the world. I don't need everythign I say on the phone stored in some giant facility in Utah- and again paid for by me.

Again... this had been going on since time immemorial... it's the digital revolution that is allowing larger data storage and peoples resignation to the technology. As far as storing every single phone conversation and building a case towards every single person online what's the point? Who gathers it? How many people are employed to search through 7 billion people's lives... ok... that's the population of the world. Lets narrow it down to 300 million americans and 62 million brits. To what end are we being monitored for?

"-30,000 drones are flying all overhead, watching everything, and are eventually going to be given clearance to use their armaments against civilians- the talks have been moving in that direction for years."

Proof please. Not a pseudo paranoid conspiracy website but actual proof. The manufacturers. the system used. The written evidence that says that they are going to be turned on their population. Say this is true... to what end.. again... what's the point? Policing?

'-Police forces are being made into a domestic army, with military-grade gear.'

But we are getting unmanned drones.... so this shouldn't last long. What are they going to be used for... and to what end?

'-I have witnessed people casually assaulted by police, who have no fear of repurcussions.'

I have. Police are doing this a lot. There are a LOT of idiots out there though. This should stop... and may stop when the drones take over?

'-The enforced dominance of all commerce by a few sanctioned corporations and banks, which are given special legislative priveliges to lobby for laws which further their own continued dominace'

They already dominate and have done for hundreds of years... but I agree fully with this. It can't last and wont.

-I am told I live in a democracy, but I am given the choice of voting for 2 nearly identical parties for every office

We have three... but really.. .mainly 2. again.. .this is the way it has been for a long time. A change of government is needed.. or they might as well usher in single government in the US... it'll cause a civil war.. but maybe that's what is needed.

The list can really go on for pages, but I think you get the idea; I don't think conspiracies are necessary for the government to further its agendas, whatever those might be- it has done and will do plenty which is abhorent in the daylight.

Is it the worst government in the world? No. But it is very quickly becoming one of the very most corrupt.

So... how has this actually effected your life?

When you say 'whatever that may be'... this is the question I ask myself.

Why? what is the end game? why would the government want to run a world that isn't happy? Social status is the reason people want power. What's the point of having a social status without a social system with which to have it in? It's almost like a scorched earth scenario but instead of damaged buildings.. we have a damaged population.

"False Flag" incidents are legit and most people won't refute that, but it is paranoid to think that a government agenda is behind every incident. With that said, I don't think it's paranoia to believe that our gov will exploit this tragedy. I can't say that enough.

In ten years or less, every move we make in the public from the time we step outside, will be recorded either through private or public cameras and gov satellites. We might as well get comfortable with that idea because nothing is gonna stop it. London and Boston are proof now that you will get caught doing these heinous acts and that's too powerful for the gov not to roll with the public surveillance.

If it was an effective deterrent that would make bad dudes not want to do bad things, I could probably buy into it. But it's not. Criminals and terrorists do what they do and the threat of getting caught is not enough because some don't care and others don't think they will get caught.

Meanwhile, we're still no safer but at least we will all be working in the movies.

Again... who is monitoring all of this?

Talking of movies... it's actually a movie plot I see when conspiracies are mentioned.

Bad people do bad things. Good people, unfortunately are their targets.

But the damn media just can't let it go. 

They just LOVE to fuel the FEAR MACHINE.

This is true. grrrrr

But... I think the FEAR MACHINE is self perpetuating with some of the utter tripe I've been hearing with the false flag thing.

I got called out as an operative by every 'truth' site and FB page and subsequently got banned.. different people these are... not just one. I got called out as a mole or government operative because I was asking questions and questioning their motives. They were genuinely convinced I was a 'mole'. This doesn't fill me with much confidence about the 'truth movement' motives or their state of mental health.

I've been following the path of psi based consciousness research recently concerning mainstream science. It seems to be coming to the forefront as the Religion vs Atheism argument has simmered away and evolved.
Recently two TED talks were removed from their website because of the mainstream materialist views at TED being challenged on an intellectual level. One by Graham Hancock and another by Rupert Sheldrake.

I think everyone here will find both talks pretty cool and the following article.

Here are the two videos that were removed from the site... I suggest you watch them... they are both astounding.

Graham Hancock: The War on Consciousness - (Removed TED Talk)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b6-0yW7Iaw

Rupert Shelldrake: Rupert Sheldrake - The Science Delusion BANNED TED TALK... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKHUaNAxsTg

Here's an article about the TED banning.

http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2013 ... ntroversy/

This is a really nice talk. Very informative. Hancock's the dude!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b6-0yW7Iaw

very unusual Disney 'authenticated' and made UFO documentary. If I was into conspiracies I would say... if disney makes a documentary and it's onl shown in 5 states and then never broadcast again... I would say something was afoot in 1995...

This documentary was only broadcast once in five US states in 1995, then it was shelved and never broadcast again. This version is the complete uncut feature, recorded to VHS video when it was first broadcast on celestial tv. I converted this to HD as the quality was very poor, and VHS tape degrades very quickly. Enjoy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHunekX1xPw&feature=share

RM had his first out-of-body experience at the age of 16. Now, at the age of 55, he has had more than he can count. They usually happen just before he falls asleep; for ten minutes, he feels like he is floating above his body, looking down on himself. If the same thing happens when he's awake, it's a far less tranquil story. The sense of displacement is stronger – his real body feels like a marionette, while he feels like a puppeteer. His feelings of elevation soon change into religious delusions, in which he imagines himself talking to angels and demons. Psychotic episodes follow. After four or five days, RM is hospitalised.

This has happened between 15 to 20 times, ever since RM was first diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 23. He hears voices, and he suffers from hallucinations and delusions. Despite these problems, he managed to hold down a job as a reporter until 2002 and more recently, he has been working in restaurants and volunteering as an archivist. Then, about a year ago, he took part in a study that seems to have changed his life....

read on....

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/10/31/man-with-schizophrenia-has-out-of-body-experience-in-lab-gains-knowledge-controls-his-psychosis/

GROID SNAPS AERIAL ANOMALY WHILE ON HOLIDAY IN JIBBAGETH!!! REAL OR FAKE???

Another curious 'bathtub' shaped craft was photographed at the popular beach resort of Jibbageth. The original photographer, Beige Groid, R. Z113 from Nesh, didn't spot the anomaly until after the images were processed and claims that he didn't see nor taste anything unusual at the time.

Authorities and local sky-bases assert they were not testing any type of craft that day, and when asked for a statement denied knowledge of this object and insisted that there is no coverup or investigation into UFOs. They maintained that whatever these objects are, prove no threat to the planet and are therefore of no defence significance.

When asked about the photo, Jarbon Kench of the SFIDUFOA group said, "The commonly sighted 'flying Bathtub' must use some type of slow burning propellant. It's evident that because of the non-aerodynamic shape of the craft and massive size, it simply wouldn't be able to sustain that much water and therefore it must be concluded that what we may be looking at are intelligently controlled craft, piloted by beings not of this planet"

Witnesses of the 'flying Bathtub' invariably report that a strange smell and horrendous noise usually accompanies these sightings and that they commonly fly slowly in a near perfect straight line from one side of the sky to the other. Some reporting that they can appear from nowhere and disappear without a trace. Alien spaceship or inter-dimensional bathtub?

Is it real or fake? You decide.

I have created a blog... it has stuff I've recently mentioned on here but in more detail.

I will try to update it regularly.

http://bedeekinoobe.blogspot.co.uk

Has anyone heard of the Ummites? I read about them years ago during a UFO exhibition I was involved with.

It's one of those things that has probably slipped under the radar for people interested in aliens and consciousness.. reality etc. Makes for an interesting read.

Ssaxx!!!! I would love to read your thoughts on the equations and science behind it.

Nobody knows for certain whether the Ummite letters were faked... other than the fact many very clever people would have been needed to create such a feat of fakery. here's an experpt from the website.



Ummites? What's that?

To better understand the story behind the Ummite letters (pronounced Oummites), some background is needed.

The Ummites claim to have landed on Earth in March 1950, in the area of Digne. Three crafts brought a crew from the planet UMMO that set up a base (see the summary in the book by J-P PETIT), probably on the Peak of Blache, between Digne and La Javie, in the south of France. They spent a certain time analysing our habits, walked around Paris (and undoubtedly elsewhere), and avoided drawing attention to themselves. In 1965, Mr. Fernando SESMA, the organiser of a slightly esoteric Spanish "association " which claimed to be in contact with other extraterrestrials, begins receiving letters. Other recipients also receive some. Contact is lost in 1970, then is regained in 1987, and continues until 1993 (at least, we do not have letters possibly sent outside these periods) with other recipients, particularly in France. We currently have approximately 200 to 300 pages of texts written by the Ummites but it is possible that many other letters exist. In a 1988 letter, reference is made to the existence of 3,850 pages, copies of which having been sent to several individuals represent the equivalent of 160,000 pages!

Reading this, you are undoubtedly at least somewhat incredulous. It is to be expected. What is more difficult to dismiss is the body of information contained within these texts when one takes the trouble of reading them. To be sure, one will always be able to object that these letters are the creation of a group of scientists wanting to launch the basis of a new theory in the form of "a hoax". But a hoax lasting for more than thirty years, without any of the participants having one day come forward to say "We really had you going. Well, it was us... "? We do not believe it. So what other likely scenarios remain?

Since 1975 (?), a French scientist, J-P PETIT has been aware of the existence of these texts. The information contained within them has allowed him, by his own admission, to establish various theories concerning magnetohydrodynamic propulsion (MHD), shockwave elimination at supersonic speeds, the basis of a new "tetravalent" mathematics and the modelling and the calculation of a twin universe, a theory which, if accepted by the scientific community, has the potential to fundamentally change our current vision of the universe, especially since it addresses one of the weaknesses of the current model: missing mass.

But these letters do not only deal with astrophysics. They also give important information on the Ummite design of the Universes (we have one word, they have five) and their components, on religion, evolution, network theory, information technology, the operation of their craft, etc.

In these letters, more than 400 words, mathematical algorithms, algebraic relations, and a great number of symbols were used by the Ummites who were kind enough to give the translation of certain terms. You will find the translations in this compilation. Unfortunately, without the knowledge of Ummite grammar or verbs (if they exist in their language), it is currently impossible to provide a comprehensive linguistic analysis.

Why was this work of compilation and editing done? We realized how difficult it would be to fully understand Ummite thought and the concepts advanced, by virtue of the necessity of referring to different letters, sometimes difficult to find, often poorly presented and which contain paragraphs having nothing to do with the original subject, thus making their reading very difficult. The concepts were gathered in a logical reading order which is:
[/i]

read on.. it's fascinating if not entertaining to say the least...

http://www.ummo-sciences.org/en/a002.htm

Hey...

So recently I have been hotly replying and debating on the comment board on my OOBE instructional videos on Youtube. Truly a pointless venture.. but essentially the message is sinking in; The videos I have there are very old and I think it's time for something a bit new and different.

So... for those who don't actually know me on this forum...

my real name is Ben Phillips... I am a digital matte painter, concept artist, SFX technician and creature builder... I am currently producing and creating the matte paintings for a short movie that's being submitted to this years Cannes film festival.

I want to produce a 'film' that revolves around the nonphysical. It needs to be fresh and different. Something that hasn't been seen before. Truly informative yet ultimately entertaining. It could be a storyline.. an actual feature... a short film.. a documentary.. or mockumentary.

If anyone has any ideas or things they would want to see or probably most importantly what they 'DONT' want to see... or indeed they might think their journey is worth turning into a film... then feel free to reply with anything.  

It would be nice to get something ready for the festivals next year... or it may take longer... or it may just be worth uploading it as a viral or Youtube video.

This is a freeform thread and I welcome ANY input. I am not short on ideas myself but I know that one POV does not an informative film make.

Look at this.. uploaded yesterday. It appears to be a massive hole created by a meteor. It's not CG... but at the same time... it doesn't have debris scatter around the edges synonymous with an impact.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHAKp-I3Ffo

Anyone here translate that?

As the title suggests.

A pep-talk by the Kid President. It's time to wake up people!!!!

http://www.ted.com/talks/kid_president_i_think_we_all_need_a_pep_talk.html

So the masses of UFO/Alien witnesses of the military have been wanting their government to drop their secrecy oaths so they can present what they know to congress. Because this isn't forthcoming... they are taking matters into their own hands.

An event with historical implications will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC from April 29 to May 3, 2013.   At that time forty researchers and military/agency witnesses will testify for thirty hours over five days before former members of the United States Congress.    The Citizen Hearing on Disclosure of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race will attempt to accomplish what the U. S. Congress has failed to do for forty-five years - bring out the facts surrounding the most important issue of this or any other time.

For this reason the motto of the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure is, "If the Congress will not do its job, the people will."

This event will be live streamed to the world via the Internet in at least four and possibly five languages.   Furthermore, the entire hearing will be filmed as the basis for a forthcoming documentary - Truth Embargo.

The title of this film is fitting as the goal of the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure is nothing less than the end of the extraterrestrial truth embargo this year.   We have all waited long enough.

Over the coming weeks this site will develop rapidly with new information every day.  Check back often to see how you can participate in your hearing - the Citizen Hearing.


This could get very interesting.

http://www.citizenhearing.org

I can't actually recommend this on the grounds of having read it. However I have just purchased it because it looks simply fantastic.

Review by a Skeptic
What is fascinating about The Conscious Universe is simply Dean Radin's apporach at interpreting data from hundreds of experiments that put the controversial psychic phenomena under the microscope.

Dean, doesn't claim that psychic phenomena are just real, nor does he get carried away by the common belief that psi is impossible. He just checks it out for himself and inteprets the result in a very scientific manner. As someone who has studied Advanced Maths and with a highly scientific background I find the interpretation of the statistics used to conform with those used in other areas of science. Even the methods used to make the experiments fair and relevant is what a demanding, unbiased scientist would have done.

The results though are fascinating and mathematically significant. I urge every science lover to not just read this book, but even to keep it.

It would of great benefit for us who love the scientific method of understanding the world; to realise that having a valid opinion about what we can't currently explain requires looking at the evidence first, rather than believing other people's beliefs (about the inexistence of psi in this case) simply because they are commonly held.

another customer review

Radin's book was a surprise to me. I have been often interested in the paranormal, but have always felt it completely lacked any scientific truth, and was worth little more than entertainment. Eventually, I became very sceptical to any issues that could not be easily accepted by science. This book has made me think twice by finally providing some meta-analysis that convinced me to at least stop to wonder.
To keep it short, Radin basically claims that the paranormal is real and has proof of it. He starts by defining the concept of Psi, and dedicates many pages trying to explain you the mathematical and statistical background you will need to understand the studies and the meta-analysis of the results. Radin then proceeds to expose all the evidence that has been gathered for the past years, for Telepathy, Perception at a distance and through time, Mind-Matter interaction, Mental interaction with living organisms and field consciousness. His next theme dedicates 50 pages to explain the why scepticism has been limiting the knowledge of Psi phenomena, and even approaches some metaphysics.

The book is very well organized, there is some redundancy, but no more than normal and it is often necessary. Subjects are well separated and the index is very good. What impressed me most was perhaps the way Radin provides the reader with external sources that back up his claims. The text is full of marks to references. You have about 40 pages with notes and references, which you will be able to check for yourself. If Radin claims something you might want to confirm, it most likely tells you where to go find the original document. This aspect alone would be enough to separate this work from many of the pseudocience junk on the market.

You will be left under the impression that the experiences known as "psychic phenomena" are real. Radin never refuses the possibility that these phenomena might be fully understood by science in the future, losing its "paranormal" label, but dedicates his energy in trying to prove that they are no longer based solely upon faith or absorbing anecdotes, or even in few experiments - It shows that these phenomena exist because they have been evaluated in massive amounts of scientific evidence.

Carl Sagan said extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence, and Radin does provide most of the evidence. As younger scientists become aware of these matters and innovative corporations pour resources into psi investigation, there is no doubt that the scientific community is getting very, very curious about something that is going on but cannot be explained.

Radin is very persuasive, many people might not be impressed with his writing on sociology and metaphysics, but his technical expertise on the rest of the book is obvious.

This is a very dense book to review in a short space, so I'll end up by warning those who are expecting a lot of hocus-pocus, ghost stories and x-files scripts. This book has almost nothing of that, Radin only gives a few short "reports" as the intro, but he obviously gives them no value at all and instantly proceeds to crunching the numbers. The studies are sometimes a bit dry for those who are expecting Uri Geller moments (Uri isn't even mentioned) and it might appear as if you're reading something your college forced you to, but once you get interested, it will be a delicious read. Even if you feel you might be challenged by the studies, but you don't need to be a statistician to understand it, Radin will give you the basics. So be warned, it gets zero on the Ghostbusters scale. (In fact, in many parts I could almost see Radin shrugging and saying "well uh, we have no idea on why this happens, but we are completely sure that it does happen for no known reason". Lacking some impact for Hollywood perhaps, but still engaging.

Radin has convinced me that psi phenomena have indeed considerable scientific evidence behind, but that unlike what many pseudo-science fans think, those effects are extremely subtle and hard to control for any good use, at least, at present time. They cannot, however, be ignored as non-existing, or the product of ignorant minds. Nobel Laureate in Physics Brian Josephson for instance said "Radin shows the evidence in favour of paranormal existence is overwhelming".

I highly recommend it. A powerful case for the reality of parapsychological phenomena. Very professional work in a subject that has been plagued by many pseudoscience titles that do nothing but add more noise. What it sometimes likes in fun, it provides in painstaking research.

If you are a sceptic, read it, no matter if you are religious or not, with a scientific background or not. If you buy anything you hear as true, read it too. Most of all, it will challenge you to weigh the facts and think for yourself. But one view is never enough. Be sure to read several of the best sceptical works (many of which Radin mentions in the text and References) and any other you find interesting (Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan is a good title to start with) and you will understand everything better. Well worth the time. I look forward to Radin's next work.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Conscious-Universe-Dean-Radin/dp/0062515020/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

http://www.amazon.com/The-Conscious-Universe-Scientific-Phenomena/dp/0061778990/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360331885&sr=8-1&keywords=the+conscious+universe

http://www.deanradin.com/NewWeb/TCUindex.html

I have seemingly started to AP at will.

I was actually inspired I think by this recent post...

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_projection_experiences/aping_awake-t39634.0.html;msg323812#msg323812

It may be too early to give this out as an actual method because I have had years of nonphysical exploration under my belt... but I'm not special in the slightest and I think it will be worth a try by anyone.

It is Phasing... or a type of phasing. A non-visualisation phasing.

Usually I have a nap in the evening at some point, then make my way to bed or lay on the sofa in the living room and get myself into Sleep Paralysis... or the vibrational state/stage... .whatever you want to call it. I've had many many years of this and believed it was the way I needed to prepare myself for an OOBE. It has always been this way. Then I came on here a few years ago and through Xanth was introduced to the meditative 'Phasing' method. This also worked for me but old habits die hard and found my own Nap/SP version easier.

It started on Saturday I think. I honestly can't remember whether it was saturday or sunday. Don't ask why.

We had taken the dog on a long walk at 8am; I don't think this is anything to do with it... I'm just telling you but I think it did inspire both I and Kath to lay on the bed and read our books at about 4pm.

I just couldn't keep my eyes open to read and really wanted a sleep also Kath had already started snoozing. I lay on my side and closed my eyes.

Within about 3 to 5 minutes I was just relaxed enough but nowhere near losing unconsciousness nor getting remotely hypnogogic. I couldn't feel my arms. But not in the sense they were numb... just that loss of awareness of body you get by not moving for a few minutes.

I don't know why... but I just began lifting my nonphysical arms out. And they did. There was no perceivable sleep paralysis. I could still hear Kath and I could also see the blurry shard of light coming through the tiny gap in my eyelids. I moved my real hand. Then proceeded to move my nonphysical hand again.

I did notice that when I moved there was a slight sensation of fizzlyness in my moving nonphysical limbs and very slight auditory whooshing but no paralysis. As long as I stayed still I could move my arms. I decided to get up nonphysically. I did. But no vision as yet. No worries. This didn't seem like the normal Sleep Paralysis window of opportunity thing. As I moved forward I lost non-physicality and had a lovely rush of my hair standing on end type sensation.

I then proceeded to nonphysically kiss Kathryn. I know what it feels like so I suppose I was using the memory of this to create a scenario. It was so real. I was getting concerned that I was actually doing it. Things got slightly more intimate. The more I did it the more I thought "aye aye... Kath must be actually doing this for real with me". Suddenly it faded and I was back to my normal position in bed.
This was a little bit of a revelation. I could literally construct 'sex'. Fully tactile... fully integrated sex. I even saw her face and 'you know what'. *cough*
I decided to stop playing around and got my act together and thought that if I could do that I could just phase. I realised I was in the right state because whenever I experienced this tactility I would return to my original position but in exactly the same head space/awareness.  I realised also that there was a separate 'dream' coinciding with my actual waking awareness. It was indistinct but apparent. It wasn't visual... it wasn't tactile... it was simply a sense that I was involved with some sort of activity. I instantly just turned my attention towards this side 'dream'.

The moment I did... It was like the usual AP but turned up a level. Appearing in front of me and me in front of it... was a party of some sort in a log cabin type affair; like a viking hall. Bright sunlight... crisp HD and ultra beautiful reality. Many people passing food... chatting and laughing. They were all dressed in contemporary clothes. I re-physicalised and thought to try something. I thought "I want to see my Mom" who is deceased. As I reintegrated into the nonphysical environment I spoke out loud. Clear and concise. I said 'Hello!!' ... this startled me and I said "WOW... I can hear my voice". My attention instantly directed itself to my mother. She was sitting across from me at the table. She sort of looked surprised with a "There you are son!!" look on her face. She was so real... so my mother (before cancer had consumed her health) that I just burst out crying. I re-physicalised and realised I was sobbing. I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. I instantly got a grip and went back to the party. She was still there... I asked her "Is nanna here"... she smiled and nodded to someone beside me. I looked and there she was.. radiant faced and also with this beautiful overjoyed smile on her face. This was too much. I went to embrace her and I returned back to normal.

I got up and went into the back room and sobbed with joy for a bit.

Later that night I tried it again and it worked.

Yesterday... I layed down on the sofa about 1pm... traffic passing the door... not particularly quiet. Again... just got comfortable and waited till I lost awareness of my body... mainly my hands. Again I lifted my arms up. I decided to touch my hands together. I could feel the cloth of my t-shirst. I could even hear the sound of my hands moving over myself. So weird. So real that it's difficult to believe it is nonphysical in nature.

I thought of doing an experiment. I brought my real arms in front of me in a praying position and waited a few minutes until they felt relaxed enough... and opened my nonphysical arms wide. I looked and saw that my arms had gone.. obviously just collapsed from not having any awareness in them anymore... But... in actuality... I hadn't ACTUALLY put my real hands together in the first place. HAHA

I repeated the same method 3 times yesterday and into the night. Each occasion was almost identical. Almost in the sense that with the later attempt, as the experience progressed I was beginning to feel SP creep in. I think this was purely as a result of me getting way past the slow wave sleep stage and int REM. It didn't matter... nor did it change the quality of the actual nonphysical experience itself.

This is obviously phasing using tactile rather than visual integration.

Granted... Mike did all the creature work on the Hellboy films.

This is an animatronic head made for 'Witch Hunters'.

More of this... less CGI me thinks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_WXotDNr-E&feature=share

This is scary. It seems to be a congressional 'thing' of some sort... something to do with evolution and why it should be taught to children. A senator is involved and a scientist.

Watch her reaction as she realises she is talking to a complete and utter moron.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hQObhb3veQA

And here... a religious girl has a very VERY profound question that she poses to atheists. It's a mind-blower... I'm warning you the mind blowing question may cause a serious change of mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=58znSrQBI0k

[1) wake up quite early.2) have a needed nap in the EVENING.3) Attempt to go to sleep later on.]

I haven't wrote down this method for a few years. I sort of stopped promoting it personally because it's out there on videos, other websites and forums. Also I came on here which promoted a more Frank Kepple based method... that of 'phasing' and realise that maybe it was working for people just as well and maybe better in some respects.

This isn't the same as phasing as it doesn't require any visualisation or real effort on your part... just slight planning. It won't necessarily allow you to have an instant OOBE either, but it will provide you with the ability to enter the ideal springboard from which to experience one. You may fly out instantly... who knows... everyone is different.  It's not for everyone... I understand that. But at the same time... it will give you the opportunity to experience deep state Sleep Paralysis (Vibrational State) on purpose rather than chance.  

I realise that meditation is the best medicine... but... I didn't get into this nonphysical stuff by meditating at all. It did develop into what you would call a more meditative practice over the years, but the reason I or rather 'IT' started was down to an accidental self imposed sleep pattern. The funny thing is I still use it now in its simplest form.

Put into it's simplest form here is the method.

1) wake up quite early.

2) have a needed nap in the EVENING.

3) Attempt to go to sleep later on.

There it is in its simplest form; The physiological requirement for experiencing RISP (Recurrent Isolated Sleep Paralysis) when you go to bed.
These are the only requirements I needed when I was little and began to experience SP every night I went to sleep (apart from the weekends). I wasn't aware of it at the time or I would have probably stopped... by the time I figured out why I was getting SP I had already had a few OOBEs and the reason became a method.

There are maybe a few details I could add to complicate the method. So I will.

I was finding myself getting SP every night for months... I was terrified of it. I would put off sleep in case it happened, causing me to be tired the next day. I would come home from school and after homework, food and a bit of TV I would fall asleep. Usually watching TV or reading a book, and usually at around 7pm. I felt safe with the TV on and it was in the front, downstairs room of the house; which my parents were good enough to allow to be 'Ben's room'. But I would be woken up by my mother or just naturally and then realise that at some point I would have to go to bed... and after the first few days of experiencing SP I knew what would be waiting for me when my head hit the pillow.

I would lay there... fearful of it. Waiting for it but trying to ignore it. Trying to go to sleep was top priority.

So we can now add to the method.

1) Wake up quite early

2) Have a needed nap around 7pm; read a book or relax and watch something on TV to help.

3) Go to bed and wait for the inevitable.

The inevitable what?

The sudden shift in head space and that sinking feeling, the 'presence' and a body rush... intermittent rumbling ticklishness in the ears... a sudden surge as pressure pushes down on the entire body while that horrible foreboding presence that seems to be in the room with you is getting closer and the noises are growing louder and more intense as electricity surges through your entire body and causes you to vibrate to a peak of absolute terror!

That's what. With varying degrees of terror, vibrations... sometimes very a fast pounding heart rate.

WTF?

I know right? So this happened for months. I can't remember exactly. I think I once worked out it was 5 or 6 months. Anyway... I was given tests for epilepsy other neurological disorders. Ping pongs on the eyes while been injected with something... flashing lights. Brain scans and whatnot. I was given beta blockers by the doctor because he said it was down to stress of starting a new school.

After this I experienced my first separation. I didn't know it was anything weird... I thought I was just moving my arm. I suddenly realised mid way through moving my arms that there were little sharp pressure sensations at my fingertips. At that moment I realised I was moving my arms through the bed and I could feel the bed springs. The next night it was my wall... I could feel the wood-chip wallpaper but the moment I applied pressure my hand sunk into the wall. I could feel the denseness of the bricks then a small cavity then more bricks. My hand finally rested on a vertical cold pole... I snapped back to normal when I grew fearful I or the wall would become solid and get stuck. I assumed it was my real arm. I didn't know I was having an Out Of Body Experience. I was superhuman.

The next night during the SP I sat up slowly. Movement was slightly thick and the air seemed to make a whooshing noise in my ears as I slid through it. Suddenly I felt the horrible shifty presence. It was behind me. I slowly turned my head and there behind me was.... me... lying in bed... asleep. I was sitting in me. I panicked. I snapped back to normal and contemplated what had just happened.

The next night was a full float up and look down at my body. I won't bore you with the details.

I was starting to get curious. I remember that it was the weekend and I was going around telling my friends. I was so excited. No matter how nutty I sounded I just told everyone. I went to school all excited the following monday and told a select few 'new' secondary school friends what happened on friday night; which pretty much put me in the 'weird' bracket all through school.

So I get home from school... have my tea... watch TV... read a bit. I was so excited. what will happen tonight. Went to bed. Lay down... closed my eyes and waited... and waited... and... fell asleep. I woke up the next morning and remember feeling a little deflated. That night... nothing... the next... nothing.

Although I didn't realise it... this was my new sleep schedule

1) Wake up quite early.

2) Go to bed later that night and wait for my new magic power to happen but instead fall asleep.

This went on for a few weeks I think. I was actually starting to feel a bit down about it. I thought that maybe the last one where I came out had broken my super power or maybe I had done something to cure the SP. But then I remember one night it happened out of the blue. Another SP... it was terrifying... but I was willing to take the sour for the sweet. The next day I mulled over what had suddenly caused it to happen again. I thought is it my head position... or how I layer. But it happened whatever position I was lying in. It dawned on me that it must have been the nap. It made sense. I had stopped having a nap because I had grown excited about it... but that night it had came back I had had a nap while watching TV.

After a while I realised that not only did I need a nap but it was even better when I got comfy in bed, that I thought of a voice or word in my head. This would grow louder take on a life of its own and the SP would hit me. I also figured out a nap sweet spot. Then I figured out that if I told my guffawing friends and doubting thomas' the method they could experience it themselves... some needed the nap moving to a time that suited them but nevertheless it always fell within certain hour of the evening.

So...

1) Wake up quite early.

2) Have a nap between 7 and 10pm

3) Go to bed and repeat a mantra in your head.

I must stress that this method causes a very 'deep state SP' which is difficult to break once entered. While this is good for those who have got to grips with their fear and want a strong long lasting experience it can terrify those who are a little bit unsure and scared of the unknown. Meditation is the best policy.

So since christmas night Myself and my fiancé Kathryn have been dreaming the minute we sleep till the minute we wake.

Each dream has had a narrative that involves the residual thoughts from whatever was happening that night. For instance the first night I watched a programme about dinosaurs. As soon as I stopped watching it, I went to bed. The minute I began sleeping I was dreaming about owning a juvenile T Rex. After a while that went away and the dream took on a more structured, less 'daily stuff' content.

Last night was the best so far.

I had watched the Butterfly Effect. So when I started dreaming I was in a crappy situation where I was married to a friend I remembered from years ago and Kath was just a friend. I knew this but had to live with it because I had changed the past - this was the Butterfly Effect based content.

But as the dream progressed I found a demo disc for a new console game. The rest of the night or 6 hour dream... was spent playing the game.

The problem is.. the game was one of the best ideas I have ever seen... so much so that I'll be damned if I repeat the plot/content/idea here without first finding out if it can't be developed. One small niggle is that it requires next-next gen computer hardware to develop. Still... it's worth keeping to myself... sorry.

On the other hand.. Kath has also reported dreaming solidly to the point she is slightly exhausted when she wakes up. She doesn't normally dream by the way.

This isn't normal 'dreaming'... there doesn't seem to be any break in the dreaming.. no cycling... no slow wave sleep to REM sleep cycling I mean.

The exciting thought is that it would be AMAZING to become Lucid during the dream. I'll just have to figure it out.

I'll keep you posted. This is very interesting.

I noticed that some people see auras. I think I sometimes do recently. Maybe if I concentrate I could nurture this ability.

This is a simple question.

If you can see auras clearly... does this mean you can see people in a completely pitch black room or do you require physical ambient light to see them?

I am curious.

Why is the sensation of pressure, gathering, fluttering or buzzing etc, in the forehead associated with the Third eye.

I have experienced this a few times and only in the last few years when I began meditating without a goal for actively separating.

But.. I'd had thousands of OOBEs for many years prior to feeling the forehead pressure thingy... so I don't think it's the third eye doing anything. Surely my 'third eye' was already highly advanced before this. After experiencing them I didn't notice any marked difference in my experiences and I only get it infrequently.

For a start the forehead part of the brain is actually nothing to do with vision. That part lies in the visual cortex in the back of the brain.

The prefrontal cortex... which is directly behind the forehead is actually interesting in the fact that it is thought to be the bit that processes (not controls.. that is the job of our nonphysical higher selves) our decision making and intent.

The specific area that lies where this feeling occurs during TM is called the Brodmann area 10. It is apparently the 'human' part of the brain and consequently the most evolved part.

"Katerina Semendeferi and colleagues has suggested that "During hominid evolution, area 10 underwent a couple of .. changes: one involves a considerable increase in overall size, and the other involves a specific increase in connectivity, especially with other higher-order association areas."

Another entry into Wikipedia states...

"Although this region is extensive in humans, its function is poorly understood. Koechlin & Hyafil have proposed that processing of 'cognitive branching' is the core function of the frontopolar cortex. Cognitive branching enables a previously running task to be maintained in a pending state for subsequent retrieval and execution upon completion of the ongoing one. Many of our complex behaviors and mental activities require simultaneous engagement of multiple tasks, and they suggest the anterior prefrontal cortex may perform a domain-general function in these scheduling operations."

According to the book "The prefrontal landscape" it states...

"The original studies of Fuster and of Goldman-Rakic emphasized the fundamental ability of the prefrontal cortex to represent information not currently in the environment, and the central role of this function in creating the "mental sketch pad" "

Maybe a third eye explanation is a good metaphor... but it seems that maybe... just maybe... this sensation is something more to do with the brain upgrading.. or making sudden and very complex connections. In other words 'evolving' there and then.

So I'm not particularly dismissing the 'third eye' thing entirely... but basing this on a bit of logic it takes it away from the new-age arena and puts it in a more realistic and logical frame.

Thoughts?

I was just wondering what hobbies and/or interests members have... Do you collect anything? Have any bizarre interests or take part in Cos-play?... Maybe you harbour a secret identity like a superhero...

Sometimes this helps people get to know one another on a different level.

Most of my interests lie in my type of job... film effects and art.

But I also collect carnivorous plants and love cooking. I also love faeries and faery law. I am the member of the Bat Conservation Trust.

I collect Hot Toys 1/6 scale figures. This is a new hobby and rather expensive... but hey.

I have loads of other interests and I'll post them when I see fit.

I recently posted this on another thread... but felt it needed a post of its own.

It shows some new amazing accurate computer imagery of DNA being created and how Chromosomes do their thing.

Please watch and be amazed at your body.

http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_berry_animations_of_unseeable_biology.html

I did a search on here and couldn't find them... I apologise if these are already posted on Pulse.

These are a series of Monroe institute session recordings that involved Tom Campbell overseen by the eponymous Robert Monroe.

http://www.monroeinstitute.org/resources/downloads/cat/explorer-series

Please watch this... you may have seen it before.

If you are ever down.. feeling sorry for yourself... thinking your life seems to not be going anywhere.. or you are ill... have a debilitating problem.

Just think of this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448

Hey...

This is one of those things that never gets mentioned yet I get a lot of messages about on Facebook... and of which I experience myself.

Does anyone here... after Sleep Paralysis... or a full nonphysical experience... upon opening their eyes within their darkened room, get an ambiguous pattern left in the centre of their vision.

This can vary to a splash of colour... geometric/fractal patterns or what looks like a face... I have even seen what looks like a native american complete with head-dress.

It is very reminiscent of retina burn - the image left in your vision after looking at a bright object.

Thoughts?

What the title says...

Why do some people use crystals or feel the need to use them and the connected 'chakra' system and others don't?

Questions for those that do use chakra and crystals...

What is your opinion of those that project without using knowledge of chakras or the use of crystals and what benefit is missing from the experiences of those that don't?

So armageddon looms and it seems that there is no giant planet passing through our solar system... or indeed that the world is going to end! So what do we do? How do we help those who wanted it so much, to transgress past the point they thought there was no return from?

I think we should set up a website to accept all the very unhappy people that put their time and effort into making 2012 websites and Youtube videos. They will surely feel very embarrassed and a few may become severely depressed when they wake up the morning of the 22nd... then the 23rd... and so on.

We should call it Post Non-Apocalypse syndrome. Surely it's their worlds that will have truly ended... not ours.

This morning I had a nice and interesting experience that I am allowed to share.

Instead of writing my journal entry I'll just write it new on here; my journal entries aren't very detailed nor interesting because I only write down key points.

It was a morning one, around 6am and entered it after an unscheduled trip to the toilet.

I found myself in a familiar setting that I have visited frequently - being a road that meanders around a very high wall that surrounds a city that terminates in a very beautiful ornamental garden. Massive trees line the road and surround a giant glass-house that its against the wall... very victorian looking. Outside the glass-house sat who I have regarded as my guide... having only realised this last year after noticing he/she has shown up many times in different guises throughout my life. anyway.. he was an old wise tinker/gypsy man again - he tends to do this when he is teaching me or showing me something important... or rather I project this persona onto him so that I feel like I am being taught; a typical archetype... the first time I encountered him I called him 'old man time' lol

I greeted him and he told me to sit beside him. I told him I hadn't projected or seen him in a while and that I thought he had decided to leave me to fend for myself. He gave me a thought that I was being far too 'woe me' and that I should dispense with silly ideas reminding me that I have a father who I can contact at any time who would rather hear that type of thing (I rarely phone my dad) and waved me to sit and watch what he was doing.

He had a grass stem pinched between his fingers. He started peeling away the green surface of the stem and I realised it was transparent inside. He snapped the rest of the stem at the first node and cleaned all the green off until it was revealed to be a hollow glass tube. He handed me a grass stem and asked me to repeat what he did. I peeled away the green like him and snapped off the first node but it was just translucent pith inside. He told me to try again... I tried but I failed. After about six attempts I managed to finally do it correctly. I asked him what the point of the exercise was... so he told me to to follow him into the glass-house.

Inside there were about 15 children... all dressed in little green boiler suits with pale leather skull caps, each one was carrying a fruit of some sort... some were melon-like... some were like giant bananas... one that realy grabbed my attention looked like a fractal/spiral raspberry. they placed the fruits on a long table at the rear of the glass-house and began singing an amazing song to us. It was absolutely beautiful. there weren't any words but the choral harmony and melody (of which I can remember a phrase of that I've been humming all day) just soul embracing.. I couldn't help but cry. While they were singing my guide said that the reason for making the glass stem was so that we could drink the song... but the only way was through the fruit, that these children were the result of the harvest festival and the fruit was their labour (?)

We approached the bench, he took a melon and gently slid the glass stem into it. He told me to pick a fruit. I chose the fractal raspberry and winked at the children and told me that they knew I would pick that one... 'of course they did' I thought. The spiral cells, that were at the bottom the size of a small orange and gradually got smaller as they themselves spiralled to the apex of the fruit. I stuck the stem into one of the big juicy ball cells at the base and began to suck the juice up it. It tasted absolutely amazing... like pomegranate mixed with christmasy spices (hard to describe lol) but as soon as I noticed the taste it mixed with the music like a DMT cocktail.

I instantly had the most AMAZING and indescribably profound trip that I have ever experienced. I simply can't describe it in words and started a digital painting today to emulate it... but I'm finding it pretty hard to get it right because of the multiple layers involved. There were countless different visions all happening simultaneously.

At one point I saw a HUGE floating granite pyramid tethered to hundreds of what looked like angels at a distance... when I zoomed in closer they were winged gyroscope-type vessels... themselves huge. Hundreds of seated meditating monks of some sort were lining the golden horizontal ring that surrounded the inner gyro.

At the same time I saw the same pyramid pushing through clouds in the sky above what looked like a middle eastern modern city... this one had many tiny lights dotted all over it... like lit windows.

A child was playing with a little lime green onyx pyramid in the corner. (you'll like that Lionheart!  )

Many other things were seen but those were the easiest to describe.

my awareness returned to my physical but I was well under... and projected again... I was in log cabin and this time Old Man Time was sitting on the floor blissed out. I told him that I had to tell everyone on here about this. He gave me permission to do so.

So here is a video consisting of all the 'known' nuclear tests since 1945-1998... all 2053 of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9lquok4Pdk&feature=share

Totally disgusting!! and these are only the known ones.

So I thought I would share this dream... just because it was for me utterly entertaining.

I found myself in a large derelict post apocalyptical construct... like a dilapidated mall with the roof taken out, ivy and moss tracing brickwork and meandering up standing concrete columns. Large fridge-like robots would come out of the shadows and try to attack... they would come in groups and it was my job to destroy them. It was basically like a console game... I noticed that whenever I destroyed a robot fridge (called disruptors) a little token would bounce out of the wreckage. When I eventually picked one up it was an ingredient for a recipe. I had missed previous ones not thinking they were anything special. The one I picked up - like an 8 ball - read "5 breaburn or cox's apples" with the header "Apple strudel".

I was getting pursued by these disruptors and reached a dead end. The only way out of the dead end was to climb a ladder and make my way along a wide bent girder that stretched across a chasm to another area. I got to the other area and mooched around for what seemed like ages and finally realised there wasn't anything of interest. I was also hungry. I thought I should go back to the mall and collect the rest of the tokens so I could make me some Apple Strudel.

I got back to the area and couldn't for the life of me find them. I inquired to the CPU() how I get more tokens. All it did was show me a replay of me killing the bot that released the 'apple' ingredient that I had already pocketed. A buddy who I work with walked by.. I asked him how I could replay to get my tokens. He took me to a large hall with a huge glass window and an oversized piano keyboard lying in front of it; like the one from the film 'Big'.

I had to type out Apple Strudel by counting the keys in a certain sequence... It was all very dream-logic and made sense at the time. I kept miscounting the keys.. convinced I was counting certain ones twice or missing important black keys. Finally I managed to do it after having to draw a question mark on the last key with a marker pen. A message appeared on the large window screen that read...

MEDITATE ON IT

So I laid on a musty sponge mattress in the corner of the room and began to meditate, clearing my mind.

At this point I could here my dog Bobby snoring and could feel Kathryn cuddling into me... I became aware of my bedroom... but in the dream this was my 'phasing' experience... I tried to block out the snoring and each time my mind cleared I would literally have an orgasm type feeling traveling up my spine into the top of my head... it was very pleasant to say the least.

I decided to stop meditating and just search for some apples. I remember there was a giant apple tree that grew in the grounds of my old school (there wasn't.. but in the dream this was a very old memory) I started walking to the school and realised I was just in my boxer shorts and a t-shirt.

I rounded the corner and noticed a different work buddy was crossing the road opposite me... I greeted him "Y'alright mate"... he ignored me... I then shouted at him "NO?".... he looked back expressionless... so I continued "Evidently you're not alright"...

Then I woke up.

[Tactile sensations]

In this article I will replace every term associated with 'Astral' with 'nonphysical Reality, abbreviated to NPR or NP.


A little Introduction

First off I will tackle Sleep Paralysis (SP) also known as Recurrent Isolated Sleep Paralysis (RISP) from its physical reality side rather than its NPR side. Both are intertwined at equal degree, but the sensations encountered are primarily physical in nature being interpreted by your NPR sensibilities. Put another way; it is a dual-consciousness state. The sensations felt and in turn manifested through NP interpretation can be very overwhelming. The function of this little article is to help you link those sensations to normal functions of the body and hopefully dissipate the fear commonly encountered. I have written about SP several times and therefore researched it for many years and will pull form those writings in order to construct this treatise with objective reasoning and available scientific information. I have also experienced it for a lot longer so can also assess the phenomena subjectively due to many years of experimentation.  


The cultural history of SP

SP comes under several names in modern western culture such as; Second State, Phase State and Vibrational or Vibratory state to name but a few. However our modern terms have nothing on the abundance of descriptions given to it by other cultures throughout history. The term 'nightmare' for instance, now used to describe a bad dream or unpleasant situation stems from an old English term of Germanic origin 'maere' meaning 'Goblin' or 'Incubus'. It wasn't until the 1300s that it appeared as 'nigt-mare', as a roughly shortened version of the descriptive 'the mare who comes in the night'. Old English folk-law also used the term 'The Old Hag" and the process of this as being 'Hag Ridden'. It is thought that the Salem witch trials of 1692 that resulted in 19 executions and 150 accusations may have been fueled by locals reporting SP.

The perceived presence that often accompanies SP has been given many names and is often associated with the beliefs of the culture. In Turkey SP is called Karabasan, which means "dark presser or assailant" and the presence referred to as a Djinn, a nighttime demon of Islamic faith that can be banished by reciting certain lines of the Qur'an.  Pakistan culture calls it Bakhtak or the IfritIn and is associated with black magic performed by enemies or jealous people. In Thai folk-law it is the Phi Am. The people of New Guinea refer to it a Suk Ninmyo, believed to originate from sacred trees that requires human essence to sustain its life yet is not thought of as evil in nature. In Hungarian folk culture SP is called Lidércnyomás and the presence is attributed to several entities such as faeries, Wraiths and witches. One is called Ördögszeretö, which means 'Demon Lover'.

Other cultures describe the crushing or pressing down sensation. In Japan SP is called Kanishibari, which literally means 'Bound or fastened in metal'. In Mongolian culture it is referred to by the verb-phrase Khar Derakh, meaning, "to be pressed by the Black" or "when the Dark presses". In Vietnam it is called ma dè meaning 'held down by a Ghost" or bóng dè meaning "held down by a shadow". In Bangladeshi it is referred to as boba meaning "Speechless". In Arabic culture SP is called Kaboos, which means "pressers", or Ja-thoom, meaning "what sits heavily on someone". These examples are a relatively small selection of many more cross cultural references. There are probably names for SP and their associated sensations for every culture throughout human history that have been lost.

So what is Sleep Paralysis?

Many people associate SP with being a necessity for experiencing NPMR. This is a fallacy. True, it is a direct route into the altered state of consciousness that IS 'nonphysical', but far too often it is lingered and pondered upon much to the distraction of the uninitiated. It can actually be said that SP is not meant to be experienced. If it were, there wouldn't be a plethora of anesthetic mechanisms naturally put in place that cause us not to experience it. Usually SP is an unconscious process that happens when we enter REM sleep that inhibits us from acting out our non-physical incursions. It is a natural physical anesthetic. The medical term for this process is REM atonia (atonia meaning a lack of muscular tension). Being aware of this state that the body has put so much effort into concealing is what we experience as Sleep Paralysis. I will add here that sleepwalking isn't an REM state phenomenon but rather takes place during Slow Wave Sleep State.

Why do I get Sleep Paralysis?

To understand why a little better we need to briefly discuss the sleep stages. When we go to sleep we enter 4 stages of slow wave or Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Stage1, also called transitional sleep lasts only a few minutes until it evolves into our "baseline" stage 2 sleep. It is from this stage that next 3 stages develop.  Stage 2 takes up approximately 50 – 65% of our sleep time. Within 15 to 20 minutes we have slowly evolved into stage 3 then stage 4, which is marked by Delta Sleep that has the same brain wave pattern as a coma.  After these stages that last approximately 20 – 30 minutes We suddenly slip back into a very brief stage 2 (which is often marked by what can be called a micro-wake) and almost immediately change gears into a the very active brain wave pattern known as Paradoxical or REM sleep. Our heart rate and respiration increases substantially and we lose our ability to use our skeletal muscles known as striated muscles.

Sleep Paralysis occurs when we have previously slept through our slow wave sleep stages and wake for a period before attempting sleep or during REM sleep without breaking brainwave pattern.  This is not always the case and it takes the right amount of slow wave sleep and conditions for SP to manifest.  SP usually follows after a period of wakefulness from slow wave sleep that is marked by Sleep Inertia. Put another way, one will most likely experience SP after waking up from a dreamless nap that leaves one groggy, itchy eyed, likely to want to return to sleep and shivery; this is due to the drop in body temperature during the end of stage 4 sleep. Attempting to go to sleep forces one to instantly enter REM while still relatively conscious.

If SP is entered involuntarily it has usually gathered enough hypnogogic (subconscious) thought to contain more hallucinatory qualities. If SP is induced by using a short focused meditation the hallucinatory qualities will be less evident and the sensations can be viewed (or ignored) objectively.

So what are all these sensations about?

As we discussed above there are many sensations that bring about the cultural names attributed to SP and those described in the posts on this forum. These can be broken down into four main types.

•   Tactile sensations
•   Auditory sensations
•   Visual hallucinations
•   Perceived presence


Tactile sensations.

The main sensations felt during SP are commonly a buzzing or vibrational feelings in parts or throughout the body, the uncomfortable feelings of being pushed down or having a 'lead blanket'  (asphyxiation) over ones body and the inability to move (paralysis). However it isn't true paralysis. Paralysis is the total blockage of nerve messages sent to and from the brain. The partial paralysis during SP (REM atonia) is a one-way blockage (called neuron depolarization) of receptors turned off going to the muscle; and only striated (bone connected) muscles. This is REM atonia. As mentioned before, This ensures that we don't act out our NPR activities yet retains the ability to still receive feedback to the brain in case we are in trouble physically; like someone entering the room or a predator attacking us. During SP we are aware of this normally unconscious feedback from our muscles. When in REM atonia the one way signal is extremely low and rather than being a flowing sensation (one that we don't notice in waking life) it is staccato or strobe-like in nature and feels like an electric impulse. In fact, that is exactly what it is; low frequency electric impulses. This gives us the vibrational sensation. When we are calm and focused these vibrations are very subtle and can feel very gentle – very much like Nitrous Oxide intoxication. If we are fearful of the experience or panic our body releases adrenaline which stimulates the heart, pumping blood around the body causing violent and overwhelming vibrational buzzing.

The lead blanket or pressing is also caused by the REM atonia.  As we mentioned it's only striated muscle neurons that become depolarized leaving them unable to be controlled voluntarily. These include the intercostal muscles between your ribs. Involuntary breathing is autonomous during REM and is controlled entirely unconsciously by the hypothalamus in the brain and is carried out by the diaphragm muscles that aren't bone connected. When you panic or try to breath voluntarily during SP you are in effect fighting your brains automatic breathing system using paralyzed muscles; leading to the sensation of being sat upon or pressed down.  


Auditory sensations.

There are a plethora of sounds heard during SP such as Rumbling, buzzing, screaming, whistling, banging, electronic pulsing, footsteps, babbling, crying, laughing, white noise, ringing, a boing 747, wailing, whispering, words, sentences, marching, breathing, heart beat.... I could go on. While most of them are subjective and may be NPR in nature there are specific physical phenomena that occurs in the middle ear during REM that causes most of the vibratory, rumbling and buzzing noises.

Your middle ear consists of three little bones (the smallest bones in the body) that are hinged to allow for the passage of vibrations into your inner ear or cochlea. These bones have a really clever dampening mechanism that kicks in whenever a loud sound like a clap or bang is heard.

Go into a quiet room, clap your hands and you should hear a slight rumble in your ear during and after.

This is performed by your bodies smallest bone connected muscle (can you see where I'm going here?)  called the Timpani Tensor muscle. Some people can voluntarily tense this muscle causing the rumbling heard when you clapped.

During REM atonia these muscles naturally vibrate due to the depolarization and because they are part of your auditory system can be actually heard. The onset of SP is usually marked by little spasms of these muscles creating intermittent bursts of tickly rumbling. It can be quite pleasant.

Visual Hallucinations.

Our eyes and eyelids aren't controlled by bone connected muscles. This is why it's called REM – rapid eye movement. But although they aren't paralyzed they cant be moved very efficiently. This is why when one tries to open the eyes it is difficult to focus and indeed keep them binocular. What happens is akin to a 'magic eye' picture or any 3D effect. Your eyes naturally grab shadows and patterns that cause your eyes to bring two separate spots of darkness together – like a dark corner in your bedroom and a shadow caused by a cabinet or other object in the room next to it – causing a 3D effect. The shadow literally jumps out, proud of the surroundings. Now, couple this with the fact that you are also being fueled by fear and creating forms non-physically and you have yourself a perceived shadow creature.

Perceived presence or 'the intruder'

This is the most commonly reported aspect of SP yet is also the least specific and perhaps the most fundamental.  The terror that accompanies it is extremely common.  It is difficult to assess whether the sense of presence brings on the fear or whether the fear generates the sense of presence.

There are many variations of the presence... sometimes it is out of sight, just around the corner and sometimes fully realized in glorious HD. It is fair to assume that the latter is a nonphysical manifestation brought on by fear of the unknown.

To describe the process neurologically would require a bit of knowledge in neuroscience. I'll try to explain without getting too technical.

Studies show that when a person is experiencing SP the cortical center lights up like a pinball machine. The function of the cortical center is the synthesis and making sense of available stimuli. This part of the brain is normally on full power during waking life, but when in SP the information received is purely internal and filtered through the Amygdala, which is the raw emotional centre of the brain. The sense of presence is believed to be formed by this stimulation of the Amygdala by bursts originating in the Pontine Reticula formation (responsible for sleep-awake cycle). In normal 'emergencies fear reactions' the immediate sense of danger is quickly confirmed or disconfirmed. In the absence of outside stimuli, attempts to analyze the source of the fear will inevitably fail to produce corroboration. But the fear is originating  from within so what would normally last a second or two continues throughout the SP episode as a prolonged and rising sense of fear of your fear.

To put it very basically if you glazed over , you are sensing your fear sensing you sensing your fear sensing you sensing your fear and so on and so forth... a type of biometric feedback.

How can I stop the fear?

The way to fully put an end to the fear is to stop the SP process entirely. To play the 'get out of jail free' card either wiggle your toes, fingers or simply jerk your whole body physically. It takes a bit of willpower but is highly effective.

If you wish to carry on using SP as your springboard to NPR, You can meditate and focus yourself not to enter SP while you are thinking subconscious or hypnogogic thoughts. Maintain concentration.

Another way to overcome SP is by practice and repeated exposure to it.

There are many members here who can guide you to defeat the fear, whether through your belief or by pragmatic explanation.

However.

SP is not a prerequisite for experiencing the NPR and can be avoided by not trying to phase or practice after a short nap. Although it is a direct root it can be a massive distraction and as I have explained most of the sensations are physical in nature. Your task is to direct your focus away form your physical, almost by performing a mock slow wave sleep (meditation/phasing) exercise.

Please be aware that this article is purely based on the physical phenomenology present during SP and in no way attempts to explain the more sublte non-physical interactions that may take place.

Please feel free to ask more questions as I have only explained the basics.

I will periodically update this post.



References

Ohayon,M.M.,Zulley,Guilleminault,C.andSmirne,S. - Prevalence and pathological associations of sleepparalysis in the general population.Neurol.,1999,52:1194–1200.

Jean-Christophe Terrillion - Does Recurrent Isolated Sleep Paralysis Involve More Than Cognitive Neurosciences? Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 15, No. 1, p. 97–123, 2001

Anna Pissiota - Fear, Startle, and Fear-Potentiated Startle, Probing Emotion in the Human Brain. Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of SocialSciences 127

William H. Cooke - Justice at Salem, Reexamining the Witch Trials. http://www.justiceatsalem.com/Cooke%20justice%20text%20100109.pdf

Cheyne, J.; Rueffer, S.; Newby-Clark, I. (1999). "Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Hallucinations during Sleep Paralysis: Neurological and Cultural Construction of the Night-Mare". Consciousness and Cognition 8: 319–337.

Are any of the experienced members on here growing tired of teaching and advising?

Or are the experienced ones feeling that actual experience amounts to nothing and therefor are almost frightened that to consider themselves experienced is almost a sacrilege to the new 'at the end of the day we really know nothing' climate?

Or does anyone with anything to offer get the feeling they have nothing to offer to the community because there are so many other differing opinions, like banging their head against a brick wall?

Or that they repeat themselves over and over again?

Does anyone here get the feeling that each thread created by somebody wanting to learn goes something like...

A - "I want to learn to AP"

B - "I do this... its really successful"

A - "thanks... I'll try that"

C - "I find this works"

D - "listen to this"

E - "I listen to this"

F - "here is a great resource"

G - "Be careful demons will get you"

D - "there's no such thing as demons"

G - "that's your belief system and is subjective"

F - "No he's right demons do exist because...."

H - "try surrounding yourself with love and light"

I - "it is subjective and there are no right answers.... but try this because I am right"

A - "I tried last night but it didn't work... what am I doing wrong?"

Before I came on the internet I often wondered how many people out there were like me... could so these amazing OOBEs. For years I pondered this... I only had a really understocked library when I was growing up while experiencing them night after night.

I used to think... 'wow... if there are people out there, we could get together and we can all visit this cool place that seemed devoid of earthly bonds.'

One of those bonds was religion... another was fear.

I used to be frightened of monsters... pre 11 years of age. After OOBEs entered my life... because I didnt see any demons that wanted to possess me or  real monsters that wanted to impregnate me and burst out of my chest... any fear of that 'unknown' has completely vanished. I am afraid of certain earthly things... like nuclear war.. but that's natural. But I entered this place that seemed to lift the veil so to speak... and...

if there were demons or ghosts or supernatural nastiness, I was in the perfect state to see them and surely be effected by them!!

So Then I came online in my 30s... and I find that I was living in a wishful dream of naivety. There is still dogma... still conflict of belief and so confusion.

It seems the human condition reached over the threshold into the non-physical. Which explained some of the characters I encountered.

So...

This is a question to the 'projectionists' who seem to be wrapped up in the world of a demon infested 'Astral' and need to wrap themselves in white light and love to protect themselves....

Why am I totally unharmed and safe?

... having suffered only benefits... having NEVER experienced any dangerous entities and/or demons... doing basically what I want.. when I want... where I want... without having to call upon any love or light or PROTECTION. I've never been religious.

I still cant understand this...

There are those out there who also... don't see demons or get effected by them... so I know I'm not alone.

You know... there are a lot of things that people talk about when it comes to their experiences that I cant relate to... and it's always those that describe the nonphysical as being 'astral' and having evil and light in it.

Am I missing out?

What exactly am i missing?

Dont get me wrong... I wouldn't want the distractions of having to deal with crap like that in my nonphysical adventures... There is enough 'evil' and 'demons' in the physical world.

So... if I ask these questions... why dont the people who experience demons or are afraid they will encounter them, ask those the same questions or wonder why there are those that do and those that don't?

Interesting article and video...

http://www.knowledgeoftoday.org/2011/12/leaked-pentagon-video-flu-vaccine-use.html

This should be a MBT forum thing but to tell you the truth... I would need to drum up the confidence to put it there. I'm also not sure whether this will be a rambling post or amazingly concise. let's see...

I was thinking... at how similar Second Life is to the nonphysical. It's obvious why.

Ive started becoming more active online recently due to certain reasons. As I was putting together two art blogs this morning, I realised how we seem to be totally comfortable maintaining many personal profiles on websites... multi tasking our selves... fragmenting ourselves to achieve a wider set of choices.

It's as if we are following the traits of a certain individuated consciousness system... a single consciousness, that to evolve has split itself...  hang on a second!!!

Is our modern obsession of social networking and the ease at which we feel it natural(ish) a fractal knock on effect of being at our deep core nature a fractal of a single consciousness?

We are still locked as a whole... based upon physical reality laws in the animalistic tribe mentality. But we crave individuality... to be different than everyone else... but to belong and be understood. collective.... singular...  yearning for individuality yet wanting to belong to a whole or a tribe.

The internet has promoted a very suitable way of being for the evolving human... much closer to the LCS we are fractals of.

What doth thou thinkest?

I don't know whether this has been posted here or not... but I found it very interesting... if you can get past the ridiculous intro... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1LCVknKUJ4&feature=player_embedded