Why can't I "see" in astral?

[moondreamer]

This is new over the last month or so.  It used to be that when I AP'd, I would see everything in the realm I was in very clearly.  Lately, though, I've had to try/force 'seeing.'  I will see either gray or black, and when I try to 'see' something, I might get a quick glimpse, but it will be very hard to stay focused, and I will return to gray/black.  If I try too hard, I just wake up out of it, as I think I am probably physically trying to open my physical eyes.  It is sometimes very frustrating.  Any ideas?  Hope that made some sense

Angie

[CFTraveler]

Hi Angie.  If the problem is in the RTZ, try getting away from your physical body.  If the problem is in the astral, it's possible that you are needing to develop more 'senses', but I'm not too clear about what you'd have to do other than exploring in any way possible where you find yourself using whatever senses you can use.
If you are forcing sight, it's possible that you are opening your physical eyes and ending the projection.

[Xanth]

You could try William Buhlman's approach and give a "command" to your subconscious by yelling "CLARITY NOW!" or "VISION NOW!!".  It seemed to work for him.

[AlanRK]

You can also try checking around your head for anything which might be obscuring your vision. A veil, some glasses, etc. If RTZ then definitely try and get as far away from physical body as possible.

[moondreamer]

If you are forcing sight, it's possible that you are opening your physical eyes and ending the projection.

I think this is probably true.

You can also try checking around your head for anything which might be obscuring your vision. A veil, some glasses, etc. If RTZ then definitely try and get as far away from physical body as possible.

I will try this

You could try William Buhlman's approach and give a "command" to your subconscious by yelling "CLARITY NOW!" or "VISION NOW!!".  It seemed to work for him.

I will try this.

Thanks guys.  It's weird.  I never used to have this problem.  I forgot to mention that I also feel like I'm traveling/flying at very high speeds when it is black or grey.  I sometimes feel a presence with me (reassuring, not scary), so I am not afraid, but I really do like to be able to see where I am going    I am not sure where I am (RTZ/astral).  I think I go from one to the other and back again, but I'm not sure.

I will give all of your suggestions a try.

Angie

[CFTraveler]

Have you considered (and I don't know why this didn't occur to me before) that you may be landing in the void (aka 3d black?) If so, it's not supposed to be sight-driven.  If it is, just float around until something shows up.  Sometimes stars.  Consider it an awesome experience when you get it.

[Xanth]

Have you considered (and I don't know why this didn't occur to me before) that you may be landing in the void (aka 3d black?) If so, it's not supposed to be sight-driven.  If it is, just float around until something shows up.  Sometimes stars.  Consider it an awesome experience when you get it.

Oh yes, that's a very good point.

The 3D Blackness... it's a well documented area of consciousness.  It's just as it's described... like you're engulfed in a void of nothing.
Very peaceful.  I've experienced it a couple times myself, but only for a few fleeting seconds at a time. 

[Killa Rican]

This has happened me alot of times when i first started projecting into the "RTZ" as well. At first i felt like i left my body and everything around me was pitch black. But i wasn't in my body i was outside and fully aware. This kept happening until over a month i started to have fully visual projections.

I think this may be for you to get used to "astral sight" as your mind needs to process data & light through your brain coming from other other side lol.

OR it can actually be 3D blackness as others suggested.

[Xanth]

This has happened me alot of times when i first started projecting into the "RTZ" as well. At first i felt like i left my body and everything around me was pitch black. But i wasn't in my body i was outside and fully aware. This kept happening until over a month i started to have fully visual projections.

I think this may be for you to get used to "astral sight" as your mind needs to process data & light through your brain coming from other other side lol.

OR it can actually be 3D blackness as others suggested.

You should do a search for "3D Blackness" posts by Frank and some of the other moderators... also, Frank had a specific term for it, Focus Zero (Fz).
Try searching for that too... then correlate your experiences to it.

[personalreality]

i've been reading a lot lately about perceiving the astral through senses other than sight.

the Canterbury Institute found that about 90% of people are more visually oriented in AP, but many people experience the astral through other senses.  So try to "sense" things, smell them, touch them, hear them.  In the astral these senses are heightened and you can "see" the astral differently through each sense just as vividly as you'd actually see it.  Most people are primarily visual, but everyone has an amalgam of sense experiences in the astral.  If one sense isn't responding, try another to focus on.

[moondreamer]

Thank you for all of your replies.  I'm not sure what it is yet.  I think sometimes it is the 3D blackness (when it is peaceful), but other times, I feel like I've actually gone to a 'place' but just can't visualize it.  I feel like I am with other beings.  Also, anyone ever get the sense that they are moving incredibly fast (it feels like a roller coaster ride and very disconcerting)?  This happens to me sometimes during the darkness.

[Xanth]

Thank you for all of your replies.  I'm not sure what it is yet.  I think sometimes it is the 3D blackness (when it is peaceful), but other times, I feel like I've actually gone to a 'place' but just can't visualize it.  I feel like I am with other beings.  Also, anyone ever get the sense that they are moving incredibly fast (it feels like a roller coaster ride and very disconcerting)?  This happens to me sometimes during the darkness.

Moving very fast?  Yup, I feel that all the time... it's what I describe as the "shift" between mental focuses.
Between Focus 12 and 21, I feel that very same shift/movement.

[Patsicle]

I get the feeling of flying extremely fast and it's exhilarating. This morning I felt like I was going head first down a huge slide at 100mph. I have also flown through outer space at supernatural speed and thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I also get astral blindness.