:-D
So I had posted once many months ago about my first (and since that time only) astral projection. It happened randomly, though I did feel myself leave my body and it was great fun. Since then I've done more practice and reading, and also taken a couple of trips to a sensory deprivation tank.
The best times I've had and the closest I've got to projection have been in the sensory deprivation tank. I highly recommend this thing. Basically how it works is you lay inside an 8x11 tank filled with 800 lbs of epsom salt, which keeps you buoyant. No light gets in, your ears are under the water, and the water matches your body's natural temperature, so right away as you get in and float you can't feel that you have legs. your sense of self quickly drops off, which, as anyone who has meditated or tried to project knows, is, like....radical, man. 8-)
A list of Flotation tanks, internationally! http://www.floatation.com/wheretofloat.html
So basically it's like a pre-packaged instant deep meditation. 10 minutes in the tank and you can slip into the Theta waves (these brainwaves are different from Alpha and Beta waves - our waking and dreaming waves, respectively - and the kind that Zen monks experience when in a deep trance). This is perfect for someone like myself who doesn't really have the patience, know-how or discipline to spend a year practicing meditation.
The first time I got in the tank, I hallucinated the most beautiful music I had ever heard. It was very....cherrywood music - lots of really amazing piano mixed with the most unbelievable trumpet section and blended into some aqua-funk. That was cool.
Part of my reason, in truth, for using the tank was that I heard that many folks experience hallucinations while inside. The theory goes that when all stimuli is removed from the body the brain creates its own. Wiki: John C. Lily, theorist and grandfather of flotation tanks.
But something also had happened to me: I started hearing a strong hum. So strong, in fact, that I was sure a train was passing outside the building I was floating in. But it fluctuated enough that I knew that this must be, in fact, the famed "vibrations" that I have never before experienced.
It was magnificent...as though there were two electric gyroscopes spinning outside my ears...or maybe if someone was waving a light saber on either side of my head....that kind of phased electrical hum.
The second time I got in the tank, the same thing happened. At first I heard the most amazing and beautiful bluegrass music I could ever ask for (I didn't even know my subconscious knew any bluegrass). Then something interesting happened, and as it happened I created a little narrative for it. I began to notice that all of the music that was churning away in my brain was part of this little "city" of noise and excitement and activity. the city was comprised of lots of people - the musicians playing the music, the villagers chatting away with whatever thoughts were going through my head, builders and artisans doing their peculiar function in this little town. But where before I was "in" the city, and did not even know that there was anything outside of it, now I sort of "backed up" a bit, and was able to see that the city had a high wall that could be mounted and crossed.
So I crossed this little palisade and began walking backwards so that the little town was in front of me even as the music faded and the townspeople became specs in the distance. I got further and further away until the music was completely gone and I could see nor hear nothing else, yet my attention (keyword here) was planted not on where I was going, but where I had been.
As I kept walking backwards I could feel these strong breezes behind me turn into gale force winds. It became harder and harder to walk and seemed to require a lot of energy just to stand. I seemed to be aware of the fact that my not turning around and facing these winds and this unknown behind me was preventing me from experiencing what I needed to experience, and yet I could not do it. The winds became louder and louder, and then a couple of voices, fighting with the sound of the voice called out to me. One of them was male, young, maybe an alter ego of myself. "Go, go, go. You must go. go." he kept repeating. And then there was this other one, female, who for some reason reminded me a lot of Judy Garland - probably not unreasonable considering the whole Tornado part in the Wizard of Oz. And, she shares a birthday with me. This young girl kept saying, "Don't leave me!" "Don't go!" And that was about it.
Well, the other night I found out that a friend of mine is actually quite versed in the psychical arts. She claims that she gained healing, precognitive and telepathic powers after simply asking the universe for them, but that the requisite bite in her sanity was too much to bear and she simply "gave them back." Well, in spite of not being sure if I believe her, she told me what I found is a really great way of getting to the vibrations, or at least I found last night that it worked splendidly. Hopefully it will work again (by the way, I should note that I have been in a bit of a lovestruck and happy go lucky mood and I believe this may affect projection attempts in a positive way).
The way she told it to me makes perfect sense. She said she tries to make one side of her face touch one side of the room and the other side of her face touch the other side of the room simultaneously. When I tried it it made so much sense. "Of course," I thought, "you have to activate both hemispheres of the brain for at least a split second." I won't try to defend my awful armchair neuroscience, but my superstition about the pineal gland (which rests between both hemispheres) and my positive experience are enough for me.
So I shall explain in better detail exactly what reaching the vibrations felt like for me for the benefit of beginners. I did everything to relax myself that you will see in various other posts around this forum. breathing, tension release, etc. then I just relaxed all the muscles in my face and tried to allow the right side of my face to be sucked towards the wall while I also tried the same thing with my left side. As this was happening I noticed a familiar high pitched whine in my ears. It's something that is frequently noticeable during the day but can only be intently listened to when you're lying down and relaxed. So when I turned my attention towards the pitch, I relaxed and sort of let it pull me in. it would be the opposite of squinting to see into the distance. letting the undertoe pull you out to sea. The more that I let it pull me in, the louder grew this soft rumbling. It's exactly like a seashell for two reasons: the initial sound that I heard is just like the soft whisper in a seashell, and also, the way that your attention gets pulled in is analogous to the pattern, sometimes called the Golden Mean, that is found on the side of certain shells. This pattern:
http://presentationzen.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/shell.jpg
So as you get sucked into this thing your attention becomes less and less focused on the room around you and more and more as though it's curling into itself, if that makes any sense. as though your eardrums are turning in towards themselves, and that each is independently making this change. The reward is the steady electrical hum that seems to revolve around the ears.
I'm going to play around with it a bit more and see what becomes of it, but so far, this is the only thing that has worked for me in getting to the vibrations level.
Hope that helps someone somewhere!
QuoteAs this was happening I noticed a familiar high pitched whine in my ears. It's something that is frequently noticeable during the day but can only be intently listened to when you're lying down and relaxed
Amazing post! I think you are on to more than you could have ever imagined. I JUST posted about this in this post:
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/do_vibrations_have_to_come_first-t25229.0.html
In the chapter of John in the bible John talks about the WORD: This whine in your ears is the word (as you ascend it becomes more beautiful). This is the word that can not be said that only the highest Masons ever get to here. Read "The Path of the Masters" by Julian Johnson, it is all about this. Jesus says something like the direction of heaven is that of the high wind (something along those lines, the exact quote is in the above book). The "voice of silence" in Blavatsky's book is the same.
Anyway, Sant Mat is a yoga dedicated to soley listening to this "audible life stream" in order to transverse the inner realms. This high pitched whistle is the KEY to projection.
QuoteThe best times I've had and the closest I've got to projection have been in the sensory deprivation tank
I have done research on these and I WILL have one in the near future.
I am surprised you didn't get more replies,
han
I think I'll try that leroyskagnetti. Thanks for sharing! :-)
I have been very interested in trying a sensory deprivation tank. I read that some of them have built in speakers so it would be interesting to try it with something like hemi-sync. Sessions at most places do seem expensive though so I plan on eventually buying one so that I would be able to use it any time. Does anyone know the price range for home sensory deprivation tanks?
Wow,
What a great idea!
I had an obe where i open my etheric eyes and find myself on a mountain top looking down into a valley. I sense a presence behind me, so turn to see two human figures surrounded in neon purple.
I smile at them, and my left ear started to ring quite loud, where i could not handle it, and backed out.
The ringing ceased, but i wanted to return and when i did, the ringing started again.
This time i had to return to my body for it was painful. At that point i see my legs floating and i feel pressure at the neck, as if i wasnt completely back in my body yet.
Ever since then i have had a sensitive left ear. I should see a doctor to get it looked at. Should i tell the doctor how it came about? He might give me mental disorder pills. lol
In other obes, the vibrations i get are in the spine, not the head.
Fascinating stuff!
Its so good to read other peoples' experiences, for ive never met anybody personally who has conscious out of body experiences. My friends think im crazy! lol
I feel right at home here, thanks.
Quote from: leroyskagnetti on February 13, 2007, 21:20:27
The theory goes that when all stimuli is removed from the body the brain creates its own.
Interesting! I want to try this out now... Thanks for the info :-)
I recently saw a video on youtube of Joe Rogan (yes, the "Fear Factor" guy) talking about sensory deprivation tanks and his experience with it. I'd love to try it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEjTXX2rHgA
(warning: there is some dirty language)
There's another one where he talks about his DMT experiences that's pretty good.
Yeah, the tanks with speakers are pretty popular I believe because the mainstream of the public (those who can actually afford a float) are less likely to be able to appreciate the tank's real value of dissolving the sense of self. Instead you make them feel like they're paying a lot of money for something really groovy. :-D Though maybe that's just my cynicism.
I think if you're doing it for the first time though should forego the hemisync and just try to get used to the space you're in... it does take adjusting. Besides, the tank is such a drastic leap into nothingness that you probably won't even need it to help you get where you want to go.
The cost ranges depending on how far away you are from psychonaut country. Check out this list again:
http://www.floatation.com/wheretofloat.html
Up here in the San Francisco Bay it costs me $60/hr as a student, and on Venice beach in Los Angeles you can float for a mere $25/hr, but back in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska it'll run you $80. However, it's going to have to be up to people like us - I believe they call them Early Adapters - to bring the price down because this stuff hasn't hit the mainstream in any way.
The tanks themselves cost somewhere between $10-15,000 brand new and about a tenth of the cost used. I'll say this much though: I've been planning on buying a tank or two as soon as I have saved up about $50,000 and renting them out to the public. by the time I have the money I have great faith that it will be far more common than it is now.
thanks for everyone's comments
I just sent a request for more information for the used one from Tenn. on Floatation.com. She sent back pictures and the tank looked great except it looked awfully big. I am not sure I will be able to get it up a staircase and into my den.
We'll see.....I have to have one of these things
By the way, the ECO tank from Samadhi is made of heavy duty cardboard and shipped perfectly but will cost 4000 dollars. $4000 dollars for cardboard!!!! Somebody is making a killing (or maybe not if the price is too high). I looked at that same cardboard and it cost $15 dollars per 8' X 4 sheet, too bad I am not as handy nor have enough tools to do it myself.
I'm going to start saving for one soon. I found this site that has plans to build a float tank which will cost around $1000:
http://float-tank.centauremt.com/
I don't know anything about construction so I kind of doubt that I could build it myself or perhaps it would work out best to pay someone else to build it with those plans. I wonder if float tanks can be disassembled for moving because I might move a few times in the next couple years.
have you checked out the plans from : http://www.borderbuy.com/float.htm
I really don't like the look of the final tank in these plans, but at least the top is flat. On the plans from : http://float-tank.centauremt.com/ the top is rounded which seems harder to the lay builder.
I just don't see how they could be that difficult. Take a look at Samadhi's Eco tank made of cardboard: http://www.samadhitank.com/ecotank.html
Han
I also like that the top is flat on that one but I'm not sure what the top on the float tank from the centauremt site is made of. If it's plastic cardboard, which is listed in the supplies it might not be a problem. I found this site that has pictures of a tank and the construction process of what I think is from the centauremt tank plans for a more detailed look at how it's built:
http://troso.com/rebirth/tank/photo.htm
awesome, thanks! I realized that the top was made from plastic cardboard after I read the instructions closer. That would be great because of the weight. Also, I saw that the top seperates from the bottom, which will be great when trying to move it through a standard size doorway. I have just purchased these instructions through paypal and will start building in about a month or so.
We'll see
han
The centauremt site hasn't had any posts in the forum for a few years so if you have any trouble building it you could try asking for help at this yahoo message board which seems fairly active: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/floattalk/
I go next friday to give this a try. :-D
I just wanted to make quick note of my experience in the float tank today.
Today I had my first floatation tank experience.
I arrived at the location and was ready try out the floatation tank or sensory deprivation tank. I arrive and the owner Paul shows me the tank and the showers and explains the basic operation of the system. I quickly showered and headed to the tank, as I was now pretty excited about this. I used earplugs, and a small pillow as he had suggested. I initially got into the tank, and within just a couple of minutes felt very hot and had to open the door for a bit to cool off. So I decided to start by leaving the door open. When I got in and just to move around it was a bit difficult because you kept floating up and it made it hard to rotate in the tank. For the first 35+ minutes it was difficult for me to completely relax. I was able to close my eyes and allow most of my body to relax but my mind was still racing as it usually does. However soon after this I finally start relaxing my mind and started to feel myself drift moving and rotating, but not from the water. At a time or two I felt as if I had no body, or had more than one. At one time I actually thought I felt vibrations around my head. However this just happened to be the pillow slipping out from under my head and instantly brought me back to reality. Now I was actually a bit cold. So I closed to door and was ready to try it again, since I still had about 45 more minutes left. This time I was able to relax almost instantly. During this time, I actually had a couple of very short dream sequences. However at no point during the float did I fell I actually fell asleep. Soon after this I actually started to see light/images in the darkness. It was very rapid snapshots of images that I could not focus on because before I could it would be gone and another replace it. However I was able to relax during this process and just try to enjoy these images. A few times I saw a blue/purple cloud like image that I could actually see for a few seconds before another image would replace it. There were a couple of times that I tired and or felt my body roll over. Soon I realized my time was probably over, so I opened the door to check the clock, and sure enough it was time to get out. I shower and clean up and exit the tank area to find the owners and leave.
As I was leaving I met Teresa. Teresa and Paul were asking me about my experience so I told them a bit about it. Then Teresa mentioned that she could run light through me if I was interested. I thought I am one open for anything, why not. So she stood over me as a sat in a chair. She said she was going to channel light through my crown and third eye regions and she wanted me to just relax. I just sat there and closed my eyes. After a bit I actually started to feel pressure above my shoulders. My entire head region felt tense. I tried to relax it but could not. Finally I decided to allow this tension to flow down in to my body, towards my chest. Once I did this I was able to relax my head again. One thought did cross my head during this was I wondered if Teresa could feel any energy in me, if she would be able to tell me anything after this experience. She did this for about 5 minutes and she told me thank you and I thanked her and we started to walk away. Once we rejoined Paul, Teresa told me that I had one of the most open crown chakras of anyone she has met. She told me that during the session that she actually felt half way through the process my heart chakra open up more. I was very surprised and told them that I had actually allowed the energy to enter my chest because it was becoming to much in my crown. We talked for a few more minutes and it was time for me to leave.