Gateway Experience

[floriferous]

p.s  Question:  Did I taint my results for the EBT by listening to it in my garden? I listened to it because I tried many times to get through it and kept falling asleep. Did that effect my results in your opinion?  

I personally would not worry about that. Gateway, for me, has a bunch of filler tracks that we don't revisit or often use the tools of. TMI certainly don't use some of them in programs beyond Gateway). The most important thing here is identifying for yourself how you experience each focus level so that you can move between them simply by reexpreiencing that felt sense of it. And this plays into our expectations, which have been brought up a few times on the thread. Yes, it's good to not have expectations and it's one thing to say it but identifying the subtle ways we expect are important as well. For example, you may be subtly expecting your experiences in the exercise to be presented to you primarily in a visual format as that is the predominant way you experience as your human self. As a result of such an expectation you maybe blocking other sense which perhaps may be stronger for you.


And so coming back to identifying focus levels more easily, depending on what your stronger senses are,  you may identify focus states by maybe a sensorial experience, maybe you have visual markers, or perhaps some sound identifiers.  It's good to remember that visuals might not be your primary mode of experiencing. For me it was always sound coupled with a felt sense of knowing. I tried very hard for years for it to be visuals becaaue of it being an overriding human sense but it was an uphill battle becasue apparently its just not how I'm built non physically.

So in summation, two things, I would place more emphasis on identifying your unique way that you experience the focus levels (and also deepness is not necessarily a level of success. Varying levels of deepness can occur with any focus level. The shallow experiences can yield good stuff too. There is a misconception that the further the focus level, the deeper it gets - not necessarily true. You can be in focus 34 and be journalling your experience as it's happening. This is another choice of example of our subtle expectations and beliefs - on some level we might be assuming the higher the focus number the better and more deep it is. But its not true. FYI, Bob had all his experiences from the equivalent of a focus 10 state). And this leads to my second point of pay closer attention to the subtle ways you are placing expectations upon your experiences.

[Blossom]

OmCasey does a not of crystal work, maybe she'll pop in and see your question.

That would be awesome.. 

[Blossom]

I personally would not worry about that. Gateway, for me, has a bunch of filler tracks that we don't revisit or often use the tools of. TMI certainly don't use some of them in programs beyond Gateway). The most important thing here is identifying for yourself how you experience each focus level so that you can move between them simply by reexpreiencing that felt sense of it. And this plays into our expectations, which have been brought up a few times on the thread. Yes, it's good to not have expectations and it's one thing to say it but identifying the subtle ways we expect are important as well. For example, you may be subtly expecting your experiences in the exercise to be presented to you primarily in a visual format as that is the predominant way you experience as your human self. As a result of such an expectation you maybe blocking other sense which perhaps may be stronger for you.

This makes a tremendous amount of sense for me.  My dominate sense in my physical is definately not visual.  This is hard to write down as it is probably a flaw in how I am made and to reveal personal flaws is hard for me.. But no one knows me here, so here I got.  I judge things/people or guage things by how I feel about something.  Buts not exactly correct either.  Its very difficult to explain.  People in the physical world are not my strong suit by any means. People and the vibe they give off or the feeling they invoke in me depends on whether I let them in my world or not. As a result, I am the biggest loner in world. I completely stay away from most people and having to interact with them. I go to the store and places like that but 99 percent of the time I stay in my closed in world in my house. When I come across very nice people, I say the right things and appear to be very friendly but it is not the real me. It is not coming from my heart. I hide the real me.  I live in my head most of the time because of that. This has effected my relationships with everyone I have encountered in the last 26 years or since April 1997, when I met my husband.  I have a really nice neighbor.  I avoid situations where she is going to wave at me because I can't be her friend. To have friends, you have to be open on some level or have things in common with someone and I am closed on all levels except for how something or someone makes me feel.  I have accepted I will never be like I was, open and carefree. And that's ok.  I can accept that.  I already have.  I am still going through a process of "waking up", not just spiritually but in a physical sense as well. I don't doubt that I block my other senses.  You hit that exactly right.

As a result of being stifled for so many years, I changed.  So my dominate sense might not have anything to do with feelings at all. As I continue to wake up, things may change.  

Life is what it is. I am finally learning about me. I relish and look forward to internal change, and whatever it entails.

And so coming back to identifying focus levels more easily, depending on what your stronger senses are,  you may identify focus states by maybe a sensorial experience, maybe you have visual markers, or perhaps some sound identifiers.  It's good to remember that visuals might not be your primary mode of experiencing. For me it was always sound coupled with a felt sense of knowing. I tried very hard for years for it to be visuals becaaue of it being an overriding human sense but it was an uphill battle becasue apparently its just not how I'm built non physically.

I can identify level 10 because I know how it feels.  I have been there many times during meditation. What I have noticed is that I am getting there much easier and faster since I have been using the monroe recordings.  It used to take me 45 min or so to reach mind awake/body asleep state in a traditional meditative sense.  Maybe these tapes create some sort of muscle memory, even though our brains are not a muscle.  So I identify with your "felt sense of knowing."  Focus 12 is a little odd for me.  I'm not sure what the difference is between 10 and 12..

So in summation, two things, I would place more emphasis on identifying your unique way that you experience the focus levels (and also deepness is not necessarily a level of success. Varying levels of deepness can occur with any focus level. The shallow experiences can yield good stuff too). And secondly, pay closer attention to the subtle ways you are placing expectations upon your experiences.

My unique way of experiencing..     What I'm getting from this paragraph is only focus on what Monroe wants me to do and try to identify how I actually identify and experience each focus.  I can do that. And don't worry about deep or shallow.  Just be.  I bought a notebook for my Monroe notes.  This might be something to put in it.  'How I identify each level.  How it is unique to me.'

Stay focused and stay in the moment.  Remember how it feels to ME so I can return there easily.  And remain aware of subtle ways I might be influencing the experience.

I will do my best to keep a blank slate entering into each session.

I feel like I have a very strong mind, so anything is possible.  I can do this!!

Thank you ..  This was a good answer and explanation.
Jenn

p.s.  This is hard to post.  It feels very personal.. But no time like the present.  

[Blossom]

Well, I tried to do wave 3, recording 1 but I got up after a few minutes.  I want to slow down before I start.  So I'm doing some deep breathing techniques etc.

Anyway, I looked down at my open computer drawer adn noticed everything in it cooresponds to Monroe's colors in the last two recordings.  Yellow, orange, blue, red, green, white and black.

I'm not saying this is some weird coincidence or anything like that, but it did strike me as an odd moment.  At least for me. 

So I snapped a picture..



I'm not as weird as I prob seem.. 

Jenn

   

[Blossom]

Fixing to try again..

[Blossom]

I did liftoff, which is wave 3's first recording.

Not much talking in this one. I just listened and that's about it.  It was very relaxing.  I will prob do this one a few more times.  It's a nice break from the chatter.  I nearly broke off a few times with chatter in my own mind and brought myself back.  I did NOT fall asleep.

I did reach the mind awake/body asleep and maintained that..

[Blossom]

Fixing to repeat.

[Blossom]

Well, it is around 1:45am. I just got up and ate a little cold pinapple and made some decaf.

Liftoff is proving more difficult than I imagined.  I have done it four times but I don't feel like it is/was a success.. I have been unable to get in the right state of mind.  I'm basically having trouble relaxing enough to get into the tape.  My heart pounds when it plays.  In fact, I can feel my heart pound in my entire body.  I have tried deep breathing, different positions, both headphones and the ear buds. I finally went to sleep last night around 9pm with the ear buds in and just now woke up.

I don't know why I am having trouble with this recording. The first time I listened to it is the only time I have reached focus 10.

After I sit up a little bit, I'm going to give it another shot.  It's very disconcerting because I was so looking forward to wave3 and since it's proven more difficult for me, it bums me out a little.  

My adult son lives about an hour from me or so.  But he has a very good friend in the area where I live.  A nice family that feels like family to me. They know nearly everything about me so I don't have to pretend to be anything but myself.  They check on me weekly and make sure I am doing ok and we share veggies from our gardens..  So I went over there last afternoon yesterday.  The husband and I talked about hemi sync and Robert Monroe.  He had never heard of him BUT he listens to recorded sounds at night to awaken his pineal gland. He is part native american and he believes the same way I do about obes, astral topics etc.  He is a spiritual person. He makes for a good conversation.  The wife, the kids, the father-n-law never heard of Monroe either.  How Is that possible not to have heard of Robert Monroe?    Am I the one in a vaccuum or are they?   So I spread the joy yesterday.  He may buy the tapes for his own enrichment purposes. Come to think of it, if I had not had that first spontaneous OBE 20-21 years ago, I might not have heard of him either.  That was the beginning of my quest. When you know something so joyous and wonderous is real, you search for that.  That's how I found Monroe, Buhlman, Peterson, and Bruce.

I know the next tape is about remote viewing.  How can I move forward when I can't do liftoff?  Can't even get in the mindset.  Maybe today will be different.  I know someone told me not to repeat the tapes more than twice, but how I can move on when I can't master this one when they build on each other?

I feel like wave3 is preparatory tool to see where your strengths are. That might not be right but why else would remote viewing be just stuck in here at this stage of the game?

This is what he says in the manual about exercise 1 -- Liftoff

Freedom #1—Lift Off
Center yourself in the "you" that is your nonphysical energy rather than in your physical body, and
practice until you are thoroughly familiar with the process. Surprisingly enough, you can help yourself
rise by "settling down." Think about how it feels to go up in an elevator. Repeated practice gives you
assurance that you can return safely and easily and, once you know this, it is quite easy to move farther
than the exercise provides.

He says repeated practice, so that's what I plan on doing until I have this one right.
I also found this.  This is what Monroe is saying about practice.

Work with each exercise in sequence after you feel comfortable with the one(s) proceeding. The right pacing is different for each of us; there are no rules. You may listen to one exercise daily for a week or a month and then work at a slower or faster pace with others. Trust your intuition to know when you are ready to move on.

But I think I need a new strategy on these tapes as they progress.  I may do a little of Robert Bruces energy work prior to the tapes from now on. It is relaxing, it opens me up, puts me in a great mind frame etc... I've always been partial to the brushing action as he calls it.  I actually brush my skin sometimes so I am familiar with the feel of a brush. I may do some chakra work as well..

It's been awhile..

I have a pdf version of NEW that is very old.  I got it before it cost money so it doesn't have pictures in it or anything like that.  But I added a table of contents based on each section and sub section in it.  And I also have the NEW version in my astra dynamics book as well, which is a little different than the pdf.  

So I am going to read a little bit and plan my strategy for pre-energy work for wave3.


Jenn

p.s.  At this rate, I may not get to read my new/used book by this time next year..

[EscapeVelocity]

Blossom-

The Gateway Experience home course was originally produced as cassette tapes, then later as CDs. Which one do you have and how many Waves is it?

I loaned out my Wave 3 and Wave 4 several years ago forget the specific contents of each. IIRC,  Liftoff is one or more sessions promoting the classic etheric OBE. At this point, it can be tricky to find that right mental state, as you are reporting. One observation you have made is partially correct and you have already suggested two good answers: Chakra balancing and some form of energy work. The heavy pounding of your heart is, in my opinion NOT your physical heart, but rather an overactive heart chakra or energy center. I have had to deal with it and it is commonly reported as a pre-projection phenomenon; and is also commonly reported in Sleep Paralysis episodes as the heavy pressure on the chest, a tightness, restriction of breathing leading to fear of suffocation; also a feeling like your heart is going to burst out of your chest. I have felt all these symptoms at one time or another and it has always been during or near etheric OBEs, never during my Phasing experiences.

I don't pretend to know exactly, but it seems to me that it is connected to the energy conduit or chakra most closely related to the form of OBE we are seeking to experience and the classical Theosophical theory appears to reinforce this idea. Early in our OBE evolution, it seems the non-physical (NP) energy is sourced from and through the first four lower chakras, which until we learn to balance and control and understand the nature of their energetic output, our early experiences often involve aspects relating to those chakras- Fear of mortality, prominent sexual energies, over-excitement, etc. And it's in the heart chakra that all that lower energy gets routed through and results in too much energy and too much confusing excitation.

Like you reported Jenn, I had a variety of OBEs as a child and nobody and nothing could explain them, so I shut up about it and determined to figure it out myself. Those answers started forming when, as a twelve year-old, I discovered Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body, in 1973. Stories about this particular book, almost literally falling into people's hands at the right time, are nearly legendary in numbers. And I think chakra theory and the multiple energy bodies/vehicles theory leading back into Hindu/Buddhist history is part of the explanation; but that's just my personal take on it and I stay open to new ideas and theories. When I took back up this practice in 2006, initially, it was rediscovering and understanding the etheric OBE. And with some success there, my experiences naturally progressed at some point into what Monroe called his Quick-Switch Method, which since then has generally become referred to as Phasing.

So, yes, I think some form of chakra work or balancing can only help. Robert Bruce's book Energy Work is excellent and his New Energy Ways worked for me to smooth out the energy pathways when I suffered the same difficulty as you. I disagree with some of RB's views on negative-entities, maybe because I simply never encountered them, but his NEW is basic, practical, easy and it works!

Getting relaxed enough and finding that correct mental state was always difficult for me. One trick that worked for me was to either try waking up an hour or two early and making an attempt or trying a WakeBackToBed techniique where I would go to bed and sleep for only three hours, then get up and read for an hour (no food and no exercise), and then try a visualization. In your case, you could listen to the Focus 10 Freeflow tape and once you feel in MABA, simply pull out the earbuds, continue in the F10 state and try various visualizations we call Rundowns. A big factor we discovered in promoting an etheric OBE was noticing whatever energetic sensations appeared and learning to allow and follow these sensations until they increase and at some point the release/liftoff happens. This involves a technique of "passively observing", not getting overexcited and not forcing the issue. These sensations can be visual or auditory or kinesthetic. You can hear and feel hurricanes or helicopters; you can feel rocking back and forth, floating or falling; the key is to remain calm and trust in the process. Rundown visualizations were discovered to often help initiate these sensations. Keep it simple- You can visualize dancing, ballet, snow skiing, surfing...any physical activity that involves rhythm and movement. An excellent Rundown was offered by Selski- The Trampoline. Simple and effective!

Hope that helps. I don't want to overload you but you are noticing all the right things and asking the right questions and getting great answers from everybody.
EV

[Blossom]

Blossom-

The Gateway Experience home course was originally produced as cassette tapes, then later as CDs. Which one do you have and how many Waves is it?

I loaned out my Wave 3 and Wave 4 several years ago forget the specific contents of each. IIRC,  Liftoff is one or more sessions promoting the classic etheric OBE. At this point, it can be tricky to find that right mental state, as you are reporting. One observation you have made is partially correct and you have already suggested two good answers: Chakra balancing and some form of energy work. The heavy pounding of your heart is, in my opinion NOT your physical heart, but rather an overactive heart chakra or energy center. I have had to deal with it and it is commonly reported as a pre-projection phenomenon; and is also commonly reported in Sleep Paralysis episodes as the heavy pressure on the chest, a tightness, restriction of breathing leading to fear of suffocation; also a feeling like your heart is going to burst out of your chest. I have felt all these symptoms at one time or another and it has always been during or near etheric OBEs, never during my Phasing experiences.

I don't pretend to know exactly, but it seems to me that it is connected to the energy conduit or chakra most closely related to the form of OBE we are seeking to experience and the classical Theosophical theory appears to reinforce this idea. Early in our OBE evolution, it seems the non-physical (NP) energy is sourced from and through the first four lower chakras, which until we learn to balance and control and understand the nature of their energetic output, our early experiences often involve aspects relating to those chakras- Fear of mortality, prominent sexual energies, over-excitement, etc. And it's in the heart chakra that all that lower energy gets routed through and results in too much energy and too much confusing excitation.

Like you reported Jenn, I had a variety of OBEs as a child and nobody and nothing could explain them, so I shut up about it and determined to figure it out myself. Those answers started forming when, as a twelve year-old, I discovered Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body, in 1973. Stories about this particular book, almost literally falling into people's hands at the right time, are nearly legendary in numbers. And I think chakra theory and the multiple energy bodies/vehicles theory leading back into Hindu/Buddhist history is part of the explanation; but that's just my personal take on it and I stay open to new ideas and theories. When I took back up this practice in 2006, initially, it was rediscovering and understanding the etheric OBE. And with some success there, my experiences naturally progressed at some point into what Monroe called his Quick-Switch Method, which since then has generally become referred to as Phasing.

So, yes, I think some form of chakra work or balancing can only help. Robert Bruce's book Energy Work is excellent and his New Energy Ways worked for me to smooth out the energy pathways when I suffered the same difficulty as you. I disagree with some of RB's views on negative-entities, maybe because I simply never encountered them, but his NEW is basic, practical, easy and it works!

Getting relaxed enough and finding that correct mental state was always difficult for me. One trick that worked for me was to either try waking up an hour or two early and making an attempt or trying a WakeBackToBed techniique where I would go to bed and sleep for only three hours, then get up and read for an hour (no food and no exercise), and then try a visualization. In your case, you could listen to the Focus 10 Freeflow tape and once you feel in MABA, simply pull out the earbuds, continue in the F10 state and try various visualizations we call Rundowns. A big factor we discovered in promoting an etheric OBE was noticing whatever energetic sensations appeared and learning to allow and follow these sensations until they increase and at some point the release/liftoff happens. This involves a technique of "passively observing", not getting overexcited and not forcing the issue. These sensations can be visual or auditory or kinesthetic. You can hear and feel hurricanes or helicopters; you can feel rocking back and forth, floating or falling; the key is to remain calm and trust in the process. Rundown visualizations were discovered to often help initiate these sensations. Keep it simple- You can visualize dancing, ballet, snow skiing, surfing...any physical activity that involves rhythm and movement. An excellent Rundown was offered by Selski- The Trampoline. Simple and effective!

Hope that helps. I don't want to overload you but you are noticing all the right things and asking the right questions and getting great answers from everybody.
EV

I have the downloadable flacs.  Seven waves.  I uploaded them to my icloud so they would be on my phone.

I don't mind you downloading them if you want.  Its the only thing on my icloud.  I don't use it.  Let me know.  I have all seven waves there. I have that 200 gb storage so I can share my stuff. Just let me know.

When I finish these, I am going to buy wave8 from amazon.  A flac there too.  I like the downloads.  I put them on icloud and also on my external hard drive. I like a back up copy.

I am going to have to read your post again before I can comment.  There is a lot there.  My ex is here tonight. He is usually here on the weekends. He is asleep so I can practice my meditations in a bit.

I am also going to buy a zero gravity chair for my meditation sessions vs the bed or a traditional chair.  I have been looking at them and when I went to my sons friends house yesterday, they had two on their patio.. OMG, those are wonderful chairs. I sat in it and couldn't believe how it felt. I can't get an expensive one.  I'm thinking about one that is by TimberRidge that is 33" wide.  I am only 5-3 and 129 lbs so I will have plenty of room.  I don't want a little bitty one.  I'm looking at this one at the link below and have it in my cart already.. It's so HARD TO HIT 'BUY'..   They sell cushions for them as well. I'll prob get a cushion and some arm rests.  It's going in my living room so I want it big and comfy.  

MY FUTURE CHAIR
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FJ998C3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I sent you a private message.

I'm fixing to re-read your message.  It's very involved.

Jenn  

p.s.  I also ordered today the other two monroe books from ebay AND one called Cosmic Journeys I think by a student of his.  So when I finish the Gateway, I'll have some reading to do..    

WAVE 3
LIFT OFF
REMOTE VIEWING
VECTORS
FIVE QUESTIONS
ENERGY FOOD
FIRST STAGE SEPARATION

WAVE 4
ONE YEAR PATTERNING
FIVE MESSAGES
FREE FLOW 12
NVC 1
NVC2
COMPOINT 12

[Blossom]

Liftoff is one or more sessions promoting the classic etheric OBE. At this point, it can be tricky to find that right mental state, as you are reporting. One observation you have made is partially correct and you have already suggested two good answers: Chakra balancing and some form of energy work. The heavy pounding of your heart is, in my opinion NOT your physical heart, but rather an overactive heart chakra or energy center. I have had to deal with it and it is commonly reported as a pre-projection phenomenon; and is also commonly reported in Sleep Paralysis episodes as the heavy pressure on the chest, a tightness, restriction of breathing leading to fear of suffocation; also a feeling like your heart is going to burst out of your chest. I have felt all these symptoms at one time or another and it has always been during or near etheric OBEs, never during my Phasing experiences.

That is exactly how this felt.  I could feel my heart beating all through my body.  I thought I was having a heart attack.  I got up out of the bed.

What is the difference between an etheric obe and phasing? I can look that up.. I don't want to be any trouble.  But I have experienced one OBE where I just clicked to another place that was not earthly.  It was not here on earth.  I have no idea where it was at.  But my etheric body was rolling around in the bed prior to clicking.  lol. And the others were all going through a straw that seemed to be attached to the back of my head and coming out in the clouds. I say the back of my head because that's how it felt.  Like I WAS being sucked through a straw in my back of my head.  A small tube.  The only other time was last week when I was floating in the corridor a week or so ago doing a monroe tape. And I might add floating like that and being able to control how far down I was or my speed was pretty awesome.  When it was happening, I just took it in stride.  One second I was in my bed and then all of a sudden I was floating down that corridor.  I am not sure how that happened.  I had no vibrations or anything.  It just happened all at once.  I just flowed from my bed and monroe to the corridor.  It was seamless.  

I don't pretend to know exactly, but it seems to me that it is connected to the energy conduit or chakra most closely related to the form of OBE we are seeking to experience and the classical Theosophical theory appears to reinforce this idea. Early in our OBE evolution, it seems the non-physical (NP) energy is sourced from and through the first four lower chakras, which until we learn to balance and control and understand the nature of their energetic output, our early experiences often involve aspects relating to those chakras- Fear of mortality, prominent sexual energies, over-excitement, etc. And it's in the heart chakra that all that lower energy gets routed through and results in too much energy and too much confusing excitation.

So I need to work on my heart chakra so the lower energy can forge upward.. got it! I may have a chakra book somewhere.  I know I used to,  Seems like I have read something about this before.  I just forgot about it at the time it was occurring. I'm sure there is something in RB's AD.

Like you reported Jenn, I had a variety of OBEs as a child and nobody and nothing could explain them, so I shut up about it and determined to figure it out myself. Those answers started forming when, as a twelve year-old, I discovered Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body, in 1973. Stories about this particular book, almost literally falling into people's hands at the right time, are nearly legendary in numbers. And I think chakra theory and the multiple energy bodies/vehicles theory leading back into Hindu/Buddhist history is part of the explanation; but that's just my personal take on it and I stay open to new ideas and theories. When I took back up this practice in 2006, initially, it was rediscovering and understanding the etheric OBE. And with some success there, my experiences naturally progressed at some point into what Monroe called his Quick-Switch Method, which since then has generally become referred to as Phasing.

One of my favorite books on my shelf is called "Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das.  Excellent book.  I've read it cover to cover several times.  Just a really great mode to live by.  The 'eight fold path to enlightenment'.  Has a good section on meditation from the buddhist perspective.

And in your post you absolutely explained ethric OBE vs phasing question.    So ignore that question above..

I disagree with some of RB's views on negative-entities...

Me too.  I have his Practical Psychic Self Defense book but I can't bring myself to read it. I have never had a bad experience. I've never encountered an "entity" that made me afraid. Don't want to draw anything to me that could potentially change my mindset on fear of the unk.  We should be like children with enthusiasm for exploring the unk. It's like getting ready to take a vacation you have been planning your whole life.

I have also never seen a silver cord that so many people report.   I've never had to be connected to by body by a cord. I've never felt fear of being lost.   I have only had conscious experiences where I KNEW all I had to do was open my eyes for it to end.  I have never lost the knowledge during an experience that my physical body is in bed snoozing.

I just don't feel the need to protect myself from the unknown. OBE or quick change, phasing (any or all), is not a scary place in my eyes. It's a journey I look forward to.  And I look forward to learning HOW monroe's methodology works in relation to me.

Getting relaxed enough and finding that correct mental state was always difficult for me. One trick that worked for me was to either try waking up an hour or two early and making an attempt or trying a WakeBackToBed techniique where I would go to bed and sleep for only three hours, then get up and read for an hour (no food and no exercise), and then try a visualization. In your case, you could listen to the Focus 10 Freeflow tape and once you feel in MABA, simply pull out the earbuds, continue in the F10 state and try various visualizations we call Rundowns. A big factor we discovered in promoting an etheric OBE was noticing whatever energetic sensations appeared and learning to allow and follow these sensations until they increase and at some point the release/liftoff happens. This involves a technique of "passively observing", not getting overexcited and not forcing the issue. These sensations can be visual or auditory or kinesthetic. You can hear and feel hurricanes or helicopters; you can feel rocking back and forth, floating or falling; the key is to remain calm and trust in the process. Rundown visualizations were discovered to often help initiate these sensations. Keep it simple- You can visualize dancing, ballet, snow skiing, surfing...any physical activity that involves rhythm and movement. An excellent Rundown was offered by Selski- The Trampoline. Simple and effective!

What I'm did is take your advice.  I use VLC media player on my Iphone, and I can use that to loop the focus10 Freeflow so I can hear it multiple times.  I don't use the apple music app.  It doesn't play flac files anyway but VLC does.  I'll check out that trampoline.

Thank you for your insight.  It's valuable.
Jenn  

[Blossom]

This meditation in the link "way down below" makes me feel so good..  It's for the heart chakra.  BUT, after his chanting, I could also feel it in my feet and ankles.  Nearly like an ache.

The reason this is weird is because I sufferered at one time nerve issues in my left foot.  I did not go to the doctor until it was really bad but I exercised it and stretched it at home and got it working again.  Now I walk normal BUT the nerves in it still give me issues.  So feeling this in my foot is not surprising.

As far as my heart, it has been through a lot in the past three years.  I used to be a smoker and I thought I had a clogged something in there.  I had a heart cath done and the doc came back in and said I needed immediate open heart surgery.  The admitted me on the spot.  This was during all the covid stuff so I couldn't have any visitors. My adult son did sneak in for a quick visit before my surgery. I was only in the hospital less than two weeks.  A week prior to surgery and then I went home four days after surgery. They replaced my aortic valve with a bovine variety. Did a triple bypass and put a clip on my left atrium.  I forced myself to walk a few hours after surgery.  It is more than I can go into here but I feel lucky to be alive.  I am completely healed. That as three years ago.

And then right at two years ago, my husband up and moved.  My heart has been through a lot. Physically and emotionally. But you know, poop happens. I discovered I really like living alone once I got over the shock of it all.    It was scary at first but I got everything all figured out now. It has empowered me a little. I'll never move backwards.

My point is (I get sidetracked), it doesn't surprise me that my heart chakra is blocked and I could feel this gentlemans chanting in those areas (heart and feet), even though it is supposed to be heart specific.    But I think I can unblock it. I NEED to unblock it for my spiritual growth.

I saved this link and plan on doing this meditation with him several times a day.  PLUS I am working on some RB NEW techniques as well.

Here's the link..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbaxm6Ea7fU&t=10s

This mans chanting, with headphones, vibrate through my entire body.  It is an amazing sound the way he vocalizes it..

Jenn

p.s.  Totally unrelated to anything here. 

But this video of a metal singer singing amazing grace is.. well..amazing..  And I'm not a metal fan.. I'm not religious either, however, I respect anyone who has strong personal convictions (rare nowdays) and you can tell he is singing from his heart chakra.. And that's why I like this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89g9yMGFGlM
 

[EscapeVelocity]

From what you have described as your early OB experiences, it appears that you have had etheric, astral, mental and possibly higher level OBEs; and I think this is true for many experiencers, including myself. Being children and not having any knowledge of what was happening, other than our own intuitive instincts, upon reflection, I think many of these OBEs were blended in many ways- we almost seamlessly shifted from one to the other, from dreams to lucid dreams to dreamy etheric experiences such as flying in the night sky, which was one of my most favorite.

I've never noticed a silver cord of any kind, either.

These are some personal observations on differences between Etheric and Phasing OBEs:

Etheric

The visual environment is monochromatic- in shades of one color only: usually gray, dull green or dull brown (often described specifically as sepia)...never full technicolor.
The etheric energy body "feels" closer to the physical: It has a discernible weight and density to it. This relates, I think, to the slower rate of frequency.
Moving around in this state has a slow, ponderous, lethargic quality to it, like deep sea-diving, almost a drunk feeling.
Since we are NP and without the usual five senses, the new sensory input has to be interpreted and it is initially quite challenging to re-learn how to see, touch, move...the senses of hearing, smelling appear not to work at all.
Our range of exploration, possibly for energy usage reasons, appears very restricted- 20 feet to maybe 500 feet...the immediate room we projected within, maybe the apartment or house, maybe out to the front or backyard or a nearby field (my early childhood flights seemed to take place in a nearby field...later attempts were restricted to my house). Moving beyond these limits always involved a shift either into a higher body, a remembered location from my past, or I lost awareness.
Although etheric OBEs appear to be in the near-physical realm, distinct relocations of doorways, windows, furniture and fixtures often are reported, leading to questions about just how accurate this environment relates to the current physical one. Temporal overlays may be involved.
The duration of the OBE is usually quite short, maybe a few minutes.
The personal energy required seems to be considerable, hence the short duration. Energy work noticeably helps the exit and extends the duration.
Vision is very tricky since it is not PR photons on retinas. We are converting NP energy data into what we prefer as a visual. Hence, we get strange moments like 360 degree vision, seeing in all directions at once. Or seeing into closed drawers.
Examples of etheric projection are what we have read about in most of the literature most often, so it is what we expect to experience...rising out of the body and floating about. The truth is more likely that we have already experienced a number of different types of projections and the literature naturally inclines us to focus only on the one. That should also indicate something about the difference in the quality/extent of our personal experiences versus what we read in most of the books...
The etheric body is very closely associated with the physical body, so projecting requires learning to "shake" it loose in order to separate. When successful, it feels like we float up in ghostly form either in whole body form or from a particular point on the body- heart, brow or back/top of the head. This may relate to chakra activation.
Many times the exit involves great vibration, noise, winds howling, being shaken or violently pulled out...sometimes Invisible helpers are possibly pulling us out? Maybe at our subconscious request?
Looking at ourselves in the mirror can produce surprising results!

One thing at a time...

[EscapeVelocity]

Phasing/Astral

Dreams and lucid dreams apparently take place in the astral plane/dimension. This is the home of our subconscious and there appears to be two distinct areas- the personal astral and the collective or astral proper. Our initial forays into the astral are restricted to the personal level until we have demonstrated a certain degree of control and maturity over our baser emotions- excitement, anger, sexuality, etc. Non-physical, sentient entities are actually watching us to some degree, at this point; we have shown up on their radar, so to speak. The greater community of the astral proper will not tolerate a bunch of hedonistic, misbehaving, immature astral travellers until we demonstrate manners, an acceptance of protocol and a willingness to be of service to the greater good. (I had only read about this ten years ago as theory, but my experiences since then have only confirmed these ideas)
In an astral OBE, we have moved from monochrome environments to full technicolor vistas and noticing the dullness or sharpness of your visual can be understood also as an indication of your level of awareness within the environment.
The astral body feels much, much lighter and "cleaner" than the etheric. Movement is much more natural and easy. It is like you naturally feel in a dream, just now with more awareness.
Shifting from PR to the astral is nearly instantaneous and can involve a multitude of evolving techniques, usually a visualization of some sort. Clicking instantly into a new environment is often reported.
The environments can and will likely vary, early on being sometimes quite simplistic, even cartoon-like. This soon changes to much more realistic.
We now begin encountering other characters and try communicating with them. At first, they seem soulless and empty...probably because they are just creations of our subconscious. Communication can be verbal, but often feels quite limited. This is where the early ideas of non-verbal communication or telepathy, start to become a recognizable option, even a necessity.
Often, in these experiences, thought-blocs or downloads become more noticeable...we realize large amounts of data/knowledge are being imparted to us in strange, new ways. New lines of communication and learning are opening up to us.
Often, we can levitate or fly or exercise other NP abilities; but also, sometimes we realize these abilities are somehow restricted. This is our early introduction to understanding that certain "rulesets" may be put in place. More on this later...
The duration of the experience is greatly increased to an hour or more...in fact, Time begins to lose the quality we perceive in Physical Reality (PR).
Emotions such as fear, anger and the sexual drive can become problematic and have to be controlled; this is a key part of the learning. The astral plane is also referred to as the emotional plane, and it is the battleground for learning control of our emotions.
We begin to realize that any new environment is often offering us the chance at a lesson, it is a learning environment. In one experience, failing a lesson can offer repeat experiences until we learn the lesson. We begin to realize that our learning has not ended. The learning is actually increasing.
Adherence to the environmental ruleset is crucial to fulfilling the lesson.
This is where the experiences and the learning really opens up...we get a really cool variety of experiences...and as good as this is, we realize there is SO much more...

More after a short break...

[EscapeVelocity]

Phasing/Mental

In the Theosophical Model of Reality, our physical and spiritual evolution requires us to learn to develop and activate our consciousness within each of the energy bodies or vehicles of consciousness and how to navigate and operate upon the plane or dimension within which each of them resides. Those energy bodies/planes are the physical, etheric, astral, mental, causal, buddhic, nirvanic, monadic and divine. The final four bodies are considered beyond Space and Time and experiences within them are likely of the bodiless and formless regions described by Frank Kepple as F4. I'm not sure about the causal- maybe it is a perspective that straddles both sides, the form and the formless. Our experiences of "point consciousness" I think, are likely examples of causal or higher level experiences.
The mental body appears to be further sub-divided into the lower-mental and upper-mental and it seems likely that the lower-mental begins experiencing, at some point, within the upper-astral...maybe the astral proper? When I first read of this, some forty years ago, it all seemed like needless and artificial complication by an elitist cult of late 1800's Theosophical wanna-be prigs... but my experiences over the last ten years have only served to confirm the ideas. It could be a form of front-loading, but I don't think so. I actually now have a much better understanding of the divisions and definitions they came up with...and a pretty high degree of respect for the work they have done.
Perspective from the mental body or the mental plane is a step up from the astral- you go from full technicolor to HD-Blue-ray level clarity, both the environment and your awareness.
Characters you meet are nearly always sentient and intelligent beings; sometimes even somewhat dismissive. Some experiencers meet their Guides (we all have them) Instructors can sometimes show and explain concepts.
ETs are sometimes encountered.
The Monroe Institute has courses that explore these areas, the most prominent being Exploration 27, where they offer an opportunity to explore the Human Afterlife Regions of what is likely upper astral and mental plane areas.

Anyone feel free to add to my list

PS

I finally decided to do this in three parts. I almost lost the entire piece, at first...nearly losing two hour's work...and that has just happened too many times...so I went back and broke it down into manageable pieces, that if I lost one, it wouldn't put me over the edge! I know many of you understand that!

EV

[Blossom]

Our experiences of "point consciousness" I think, are likely examples of causal or higher level experiences. The mental body appears to be further sub-divided into the lower-mental and upper-mental and it seems likely that the lower-mental begins experiencing, at some point, within the upper-astral...maybe the astral proper? When I first read of this, some forty years ago, it all seemed like needless and artificial complication by an elitist cult of late 1800's Theosophical wanna-be prigs... but my experiences over the last ten years have only served to confirm the ideas. It could be a form of front-loading, but I don't think so. I actually now have a much better understanding of the divisions and definitions they came up with...and a pretty high degree of respect for the work they have done. Perspective from the mental body or the mental plane is a step up from the astral- you go from full technicolor to HD-Blue-ray level clarity, both the environment and your awareness.

What you explain here was my first experience.  My very first obe. IT is the very thing that has driven me for 20 years. It is the most amazing thing to experience this.  There are no words.  When you are a dot, a speck of nothing, in a sea of one color..  Well, one color should be boring, but it's not. To see everything that is, at one time, up down and everything else is the primo obe that I experienced.  I saw a new undiscovered shade of blue that I have never seen since. For years, every time I saw blue, I compared the shades of colors to my new-blue. I can still see it. It is burned inside me. I will never forget it. In that obe, I only become afraid when those (how do I explain this), brilliant white orbs started rising upwards all around me.  As far as I could see.  And I could see a lot. There was no end to it or them. Do you remember the old lava lamps that used to be around? That is how the white orbs behaved.  The shapes were not symmetrical to each other. Some also rose faster than others.   The other thing that has always puzzled me is "how did I see?".  I had no eyes.  Not ethric or physical or any other kind. I was nothing. I had no substance, so how did I see? How do you see when you're there but also not there? Its an enigma because vision is a physical word that directly infers our eyes. And I could "see" everything at once, which is not possible with our knowledge of vision and the current limits of our eyes. And we are limited here in this plane. Very limited. Most don't know how limited. My vision was like an explanation of infinity. And that was the limit of my vision -- there was none.

The other thing..  When that obe occurred, I was not trying to obe. I'm not sure why but I feel that is an important point. There was no expectation, no worrying about "am I doing this right?", no looking or noticing.  I was just a tree feeling the wind.

When I came back, also, only 20 min had passed. It seemed like a much longer time.

It is very late here.  3:42am. I've been up for around 30-40 min.  Fixing to turn my FreeFlow recording on and lay back down. I'll have more comments on your replies tomorrow.  Lots of info to digest, to re-read, and look up parts of it.

Jenn

p.s.  Thank you for taking the time to be so detailed.  I like details.

[Lumaza]

 EV, you need to take those fantastic, well-articulated posts of yours above and copy and paste them into a new thread, that can be stickied. Your definitions and descriptions of the different modes of NPR explorations are pure GOLD! I had to settle with yellow, since there is no color gold for choices there! 

[Volgerle]

From what you have described as your early OB experiences, it appears that you have had etheric, astral, mental and possibly higher level OBEs; and I think this is true for many experiencers, including myself. Being children and not having any knowledge of what was happening, other than our own intuitive instincts, upon reflection, I think many of these OBEs were blended in many ways- we almost seamlessly shifted from one to the other, from dreams to lucid dreams to dreamy etheric experiences such as flying in the night sky, which was one of my most favorite.

I've never noticed a silver cord of any kind, either.

These are some personal observations on differences between Etheric and Phasing OBEs:

Etheric

The visual environment is monochromatic- in shades of one color only: usually gray, dull green or dull brown (often described specifically as sepia)...never full technicolor.
The etheric energy body "feels" closer to the physical: It has a discernible weight and density to it. This relates, I think, to the slower rate of frequency.
Moving around in this state has a slow, ponderous, lethargic quality to it, like deep sea-diving, almost a drunk feeling.
Since we are NP and without the usual five senses, the new sensory input has to be interpreted and it is initially quite challenging to re-learn how to see, touch, move...the senses of hearing, smelling appear not to work at all.
Our range of exploration, possibly for energy usage reasons, appears very restricted- 20 feet to maybe 500 feet...the immediate room we projected within, maybe the apartment or house, maybe out to the front or backyard or a nearby field (my early childhood flights seemed to take place in a nearby field...later attempts were restricted to my house). Moving beyond these limits always involved a shift either into a higher body, a remembered location from my past, or I lost awareness.
Although etheric OBEs appear to be in the near-physical realm, distinct relocations of doorways, windows, furniture and fixtures often are reported, leading to questions about just how accurate this environment relates to the current physical one. Temporal overlays may be involved.
The duration of the OBE is usually quite short, maybe a few minutes.
The personal energy required seems to be considerable, hence the short duration. Energy work noticeably helps the exit and extends the duration.
Vision is very tricky since it is not PR photons on retinas. We are converting NP energy data into what we prefer as a visual. Hence, we get strange moments like 360 degree vision, seeing in all directions at once. Or seeing into closed drawers.
Examples of etheric projection are what we have read about in most of the literature most often, so it is what we expect to experience...rising out of the body and floating about. The truth is more likely that we have already experienced a number of different types of projections and the literature naturally inclines us to focus only on the one. That should also indicate something about the difference in the quality/extent of our personal experiences versus what we read in most of the books...
The etheric body is very closely associated with the physical body, so projecting requires learning to "shake" it loose in order to separate. When successful, it feels like we float up in ghostly form either in whole body form or from a particular point on the body- heart, brow or back/top of the head. This may relate to chakra activation.
Many times the exit involves great vibration, noise, winds howling, being shaken or violently pulled out...sometimes Invisible helpers are possibly pulling us out? Maybe at our subconscious request?
Looking at ourselves in the mirror can produce surprising results!

One thing at a time...

My first 'real' (lol) OBE was an etheric projection. So I believe today.

It was also the only time I saw my body from above down in the bed. It never happened again. The "heaviness" you describe was also very pronounced.

I also talked to myself and it was 'heavy' (in a high pitch, very strange). And I had energy phenomena that were 'violent' and not vibrations. They were (imv today but I did not even know the concept or word back then) Kundalini (snake) related. I memory I never forget. All following were 'astral' projections into my room (or elsewhere) and when in my room I never saw my own body in bed again due to the 'reality fluctuations' (as Robert Bruce calls them). I have a longer description of it on my diary/blog, just re-read it now as I remembered. It was a personal event I never forget. And it remained unique til this day.

[Blossom]

EV, you need to take those fantastic, well-articulated posts of yours above and copy and paste them into a new thread, that can be stickied. Your definitions and descriptions of the different modes of NPR explorations are pure GOLD! I had to settle with yellow, since there is no color gold for choices there! 

I second that..

[Blossom]

I am moving on to the next recording on wave 3.. I'm skipping remote viewing, which is recording 2, on wave 3.  
I need to talk to my sister about the experiments first because I need a second person in remote viewing.  There are three experiments that I need her to help me with.

So I'm fixing to do Vectors.  The first recording was Liftoff.  I have done that one many times. So Vectors is recording 3 of 6 in wave 3.

In the vectors exercise, I'm going to imagine a clock face over my body with 12 extending just past my head and 6 just past my feet - 3 will be just outside the left hip and 9 just outside the right hip.  Then I have to rotate the clock so that 3 is in front of my hips and 9 is behind me.  That will be interesting to try.

I'm supposed to notice feelings associated with preceiving outside my physical body or changes in awareness in relate to position of the vector.

Jenn

p.s.  When I finish the Gateway series, there are several I want to buy from TMI.  One is a 45 min recording on the 5th dimension.  They have some very interesting stuff there.  Reasonably priced too.

I also noticed that the Gateway program to do at home does not include wave 3 and wave 4 or wave 7.  Its just waves 1, 2, 5 and 6.  What the heck? I wonder if that's the fluff tapes someone mentioned to me.

[Blossom]

Vector recording -

This was a very good meditation done from the perspective of  focus 12. I felt minor vibrations and definate movement, especially in my lower legs.  Monroe basically talks you through moving your consciousness through each of the four numbers.  12, 6, 3, and 9 and back.  Both before and after you shift the clock face.  So this recording is an exercise in shifting your awareness around your body.

It was interesting. 

In my life, I never thought I would get into guided meditations but I was wrong. These are fantastic recordings. The secret is to control the volume level and keep it low enough so you can hear monroe but not loud enough so that it startles you when he begins speaking.

In one of the prior videos, he whispered something. It was very very low. It felt profound that he whispered. I don't remember what he said, but I remember how it made me feel.  It might have been lift off. I have great respect for the creation of the Gateway Experience. These are advanced for the time period of their creation but that also applies for today. The distance I go seems to be only determined by how far I want to go. It feels moreo and more like a mind expansive experience.

I have repeated so many recordings multiple times the last couple days that I am finding it easier to get "into the mode" so to speak but not from a meditative standpoint. But from a waking standpoint. My brain feels different. Light vibrations or energy movement, at times, come and go in a waking mode just sitting around my house if I am still.  It's like my energy body is learning. Sometimes I just tingle.  Not this night but the last couple nights, I have played  FreeFlow10 recordings continually while I was sleeping.

Vector had long pauses, as do most of them, of time spent just listening to the waves of the focus.  I don't know if the waves contain the same "beats" for all recordings but I doubt it.  The experience of each is unique. This particular one allowed me, or I allowed myself, to feel like I was immersed in a warm quiet place of just drifting from place to place around my body. I find myself really enjoying this place or space in my head.

-----------

The next recording is the five questions of life..Who am I? Where and who was I before I entered this physical existence? What is my purpose for this existence in this physical matter reality? What action can I take to serve this purpose best? What is the most important message I can receive and understand at this point in my existence?

I'm going to wait until tomorrow to do this one.  I'm just going to lay down and meditate with no recording in a few moments.  I want to be a tree again. 

Jenn

[Blossom]

Okay, I did the five questions.  I don't know what to say about this one.  I listened to it.  I might do it one more time, but I will probably just move on..  It was not earth shattering.  I was open minded.  But no answer was forthcoming.  Not sure what I expected.  

If in the future if I receive an answer, I will certainly post it.  

-----------------

The next tape is called "Energy foods".  That is interesting because in my book "Awakening the Buddha Within", on page 348 there is a chewing meditation involving three raisins. I'm going to take a pic of this and put it here. This is actually pretty good.  Stand by...

[Blossom]

Okay, this may be nothing like the Energy Foods meditation.  I don't know because I haven't done it yet, but the name reminded me of this raisin meditation. 

This is the raisin meditation and the book it came from.  Very very good book in my opinion.  Nice worn yellowed and well loved pages. I have had this book a long long time.









And heading back to monroe.. I'm going to eat a bite of breakfast and then see what Energy Foods is about.  I think I'll have garden tomatoes for breakfast..  I'm growing four varieties that are delicious.

Jenn

ps...  Now this is what I consider energy food.  Yummy breakfast. I love sitting in my garden with some green salt and eating.  Beef steak, pears, cherries and yellow striped zebra tomatoes.  YUM!!  I got a little sidetracked.  Back to monroe..

[Blossom]

Fixing to do the next tape.. The one about energy food after I complete the below.

You know, I have a ritual I go through before I meditate.

1 - Use the restroom.
2 - Brush my teeth.
3 - Wash my face with cold water and soap.
4 - Use nosespray.
5 - Puff my inhaler once just in case.
6 - Fluff the bed and pillows.
7 - Spray airfreshner over the bed.
8 - Adjust the air fans to blow over the bed and me.
9 - Put my mask on.

Then I'm ready.  If I forget one of these, I have to get up, and do whatever I forgot and sit for 10-30 min trying to get my mojo back.  

----------

I have an extra room downstairs. I'm seriously thinking about making it zen for meditation.. Shades of the pastels of the ocean.  Or at least half of it. Its about a 18-20' square.  Half is plenty big enough.  It used to be my bedroom, but I moved my bed into my living room a couple years back and made it a craft room.

Jenn

p.s.  Please Scotty, let this be a good one!!

[LightBeam]

ps...  Now this is what I consider energy food.  Yummy breakfast. I love sitting in my garden with some green salt and eating.  Beef steak, pears, cherries and yellow striped zebra tomatoes.  YUM!! 

Yummy! I have adopted the habit of labeling food now as low vibration and high vibration. That helps me eat as healthy as possible, because healthy brain translates NP messages more effectively. At least this is my observation with my own health state. Healthy brain comes from overall healthy body, so healthy lifestyle is extremely important for me to feel and stay as connected as possible and have vivid experiences and APs. But I do have one weekend per month to ground myself with low vibration food as a reward, so no deprivation from human pleasures, but only during the designated time. When I see commercials on TV about pizzas, burgers and pasta, I say to myself, well this is a low vibration food, but it's still mine as a reward, just not at this time. Be patient and the reward would taste a thousand times better when consumed at the right time because there will be no guilt, only pure pleasure.