Finding the off button?

[Steve 2B]

"Ain't that the truth! But the cool thing is that your making progress, and this is proven due to the fact that you think you are further along than you are. I think its also alot of wishful thinking too! "

Willis,

LoL..Yeah I'm turning out to be a real legend in my own mind..Hehehe..

But in all honesty I'm still floundering here, despite having read all these posts over and over again, years of book study and now practicing every chance I get I suspect it's going to be a case of progression via erosion.
Still I'm a stubborn SoB, won't give up on it. The benefits are worth the hassle of learning I'd say, eh?

ATB

Steve

[Frank]

Willis:

Yeah, I too like the Monroe model for beginners as it labels the more individual attention states, whereas my model gives the Primary areas. The latter comes into it more later on. The combination of the two holds the promise that, no matter where you are within our wider system, you will always be able to pinpoint where you are focused.

As a beginner's teaching aid the Monroe model is still streets ahead of anything out there. Reason being it was developed by a genuine expert, a true professional at this art. Someone who actually knew what he was doing rather than these pretenders who make it up as they go along. Monroe studied and taught (literally) many thousands of people over many years. He truly was a great pioneer and his legacy sets the groundwork and provides the roadmap for anyone wanting to learn this art. And I have no doubt that is how it will continue for many more years yet.

Okay, so regarding the eyes thing:

What usually happens is, when a person relaxes and begins to see inner visions they tend to be flashes of this and that. As a flash of something comes about, the physical eyes tend to want to snatch a glance at whatever it was. This, of course, snaps you right out of the state you have tried so hard to achieve. This problem, as I've said a number of times, used to plague me to the extent that I'd feel like gouging my eyes out in frustration. :)

This effect typically comes about at the Monroe focus 3 state and can happen on entry to focus 10 also. Once progress is made from focus 10 the problem goes away as your focus has turned well away from the physical and you are then situated within your own mind. So your physical body should we well asleep and out of it by that stage. After all, focus 10 is described by Monroe as mind awake, body asleep and that is how I experience it now. Originally there were all manner of niggling problems I had to deal with including the confusion of focus 3 with focus 10. But those kind of things iron out fairly quickly and, fortunately, there is lots more information available to people now.

At focus 10 you are situated in a kind of twilight zone, right on the edge of the physical and your own mind. This is what I call a deep focus 10. Monroe never specified one but I call it focus 11.

With a little practice you can actually slip into the RTZ from this point. Rather than mentally reaching forwards you kinda slip sideways and enter the RTZ as a point of consciousness rather than developing the usual energy-body construct. Though you can create an "energy body" if you want to, if that makes you feel more secure or more comfortable. You can even create it complete with silver chord if you wish (don't forget the silver chord, lol). But I prefer to be a point of consciousness as it feels a whole lot less cumbersome. But having said that it is rather tricky to do. But in my experience it is a darned sight less tricky than trying to do it from the physical.

Doing this also dispenses with the notions being in any way "out" of your physical body. That's the great thing about the Phasing approach, unlike the more traditional "techniques", you can go anywhere you want with it. Once you experience first hand, as I have, slipping into the RTZ after having stepped within yourself you will also conclude, as Monroe did later on, you have not stepped "out" of your body at all. You have actually taken one step back from it.

Anyhow, if you keep looking and mentally reaching forwards you reach focus 12. This is where things start getting more lively. All manner of sounds, swirling clouds of colour, a distinct feeling of progression like something *big* is about to happen. At this point people tend to lose it as they get too excited and zap back to physical.

But if you can roll along with it then you will step into your own mind. This is immense fun, of course, as it's like stepping into a huge adventure playground. Unless, of course, you have been indoctrinated into thinking that you are going to meet with all manner of devils and demons. In which case you are in for a hard time due to the nature of the environment.

If you keep mentally reaching forwards, or simply remain still and detune your awareness, you will at some point phase through your own area of mind and end up on the "other side" of it, as it were. At focus 12 you are at the beginning of it, and the other end is focus 21 (all in a manner of speaking, of course).

At focus 21 you are situated in an area of 3-dimensional blackness. Here you are at the "border" between Primary Focus 2 and 3 of consciousness. Whereas, at focus 10/12, you are at the "border" between Primary Focus 1 and 2 of consciousness.

Yours,
Frank

[astralspinner]

A few questions following from reading this post:

I'm pretty sure I'm getting as far as focus 3 - I'm very physically relaxed, I get imagery, but my mental awareness isn't too sharp and there's still some bodily awareness. But focus levels aren't my forte - is there a web page somewhere that gives details of all the focus levels? They mostly seem to like focusing on >21 and ignore the earlier ones.

Secondly, I can't relate at all to the idea of "flashes of imagery" that you try to look at with physical eyes. The imagery I get lasts longer, and it's more of a dream than an image: It involves all the senses, I can move about within it.

The last thing I have to worry about is my eyes reacting to it - It's usually my own inability to hold the focus state that ends it. Is this the same imagery you guys are talking about, or something different?

Am I right in thinking this is a sign that I'm "on the threshold" between normal waking consciousness and Focus 10? Should I be ignoring the imagery and trying to keep a clear mind so I get past it, or go with the imagery and try and reach F10 from within the images?

For instance, meditating today I had imagery where I was facing the my physical body and there was a door behind me which, it seemed, would lead to F10. I only managed to open it a crack, but had I opened it and gone through, would that have lead to F10, or just left me stuck at the threshhold with more imagery?