Eyes Open Meditation

[beansta]

Hey folks, so today I tried meditating with my eyes open. It was an interesting experience but I'm not sure what was going on. Let me try and explain what was happening. I laid on my back and chose a point on the ceiling to focus. My eyes stayed fixed on this point, not staring and still blinking but completely focused. After about 15 seconds of focus the ceiling and my tapestry on the ceiling seemed as if they were moving in a shimmery wavy sort of way. Then new colors started appearing like an orange red glow around the edges of the tapestry and other random colors that were sort of hard to make out. My visions would sometimes go a little blurry or foggy and sometimes completely blurry. It was hard to maintain focus. I was able to continue for about 5 minutes. Does anyone know what was going on here?

[Xanth]

What you're seeing is the very act of your visual sensory input shutting down.
It's the first step to removing your consciousness from this reality.

I wrote an article on my website regarding it:
http://unlimitedboundaries.ca/2011/02/08/phasing-physical-body-disassociation/

It's all part of disassociating from your physical body by reducing the sensory input your body is receiving.
Once you can remove / ignore most of the sensory input that your body is receiving is when you've hit that "Point Consciousness" state... where your consciousness exists without any sensory input.  It's just YOU.  Nothing else present.  That's the goal. 

When the visual sensory input shuts down, I believe that's when the "3D Blackness" that people report kicks in.  I consider it the "background visual" that people "see".
The same happens with your hearing.  When you're not "hearing" anything you still hear that faint ringing which you can focus on to make louder?  Well, that is the sound of the absence of sound.  The 3D Blackness, I believe, is the sense of the absence of visual.

If that makes any sense. 

Our other senses (touch, smell and taste) have these "defaults" as well.  Some are more easily detectable than others though. 
I believe that the default sense of touch is the sense of expansion of your body / mind.
I haven't really found the default sense for smell and taste yet, but I'm sure something exists.

[NoY]

if you do the same thing with a photo or a poster on the wall of people they start to move like in the harry potter films, its so cool!

:NoY:

[beansta]

Very interesting! It was a bit of an uncomfortable feeling at times, so I definitely prefer the eyes closed meditation. Is there a difference in effectiveness of these two methods? I imagine I'd look a little odd laying there with my eyes open exploring another focus of reality 

@NoY I will have to try that!

Thanks

[Szaxx]

Try an old wooden table or door, one where you see the grain and knots. It soon changes into disfigured entities trying to get out.
Cool....

[Xanth]

Very interesting! It was a bit of an uncomfortable feeling at times, so I definitely prefer the eyes closed meditation. Is there a difference in effectiveness of these two methods? I imagine I'd look a little odd laying there with my eyes open exploring another focus of reality 

@NoY I will have to try that!

Thanks

The problem with trying to project with an open eye meditation is that it's much harder to "ignore" the visual sensory input you're getting.
It's possible... you've experienced the beginning of it, but from there it's VERY hard.

It's our five physical senses that lock our consciousness into this reality.  What happens when we fall asleep at night is that our senses shut down which allows us to received sensory input from other realities.  Doing this unknowingly is what we call "dreaming".  Doing this knowingly is called a Lucid Dream/OBE/Astral Projection/Phasing/etc.

If you're just starting out, I'd suggest sticking with eyes closed. 

[Santy]

I think the Mayan priests of the past, taught his people to squint to make contact with other planes of existence, for their spiritual growth.

This information is online, but to my knowledge is only in Spanish

[CFTraveler]

Donde?  Enlace por favor!

[AJDIN]

Doesn't the constant urge too blink annoy you? or do you blink? but if you do doesn't that brake your concentration

[beansta]

I do blink and I think I am still able to remain concentrated! Probably because blinking is so mindless and unnoticeable. But I've only done this once and I didn't go into a deep meditative state or anything, just experienced some cool visuals.

[Lionheart]

 The Laxman Light/Sound Machine can be used with closed or open eyes. They suggest using an Alpha frequency for this mode.

[Contenteo]

I was always a strong strong proponent against crystals and all that "mystic" stuff until I tried to project with eyes open concentrated on light focused through a marble. I think it may have something to do with photos crossing, advanced theory, blah, blah, etc. OR it could just be a beautiful example of pinpoint metaphysical imagery. Who knows. More importantly was that there was a distinct difference in the ease of projection for with/without these factors. And I am a cold stone skeptic when it comes to overplayed new age stuff.

I think I still am. But, heck, I vouch for it.

Cheers,
Contenteo

[CFTraveler]

Wow..... I am a stone collector and have all kinds of crystals and rocks from all over- and never once have tried to use any of them for meditation.  I guess it's high time, eh?