Hello, I need a little advice..

[ti_ama]

Hello all! I've been part of this forum for a few months, but I haven't really had time to post or lurk much, which is kind of my situation overall.

I have been very interested in Astral Projection, Meditating, Metaphysics, and almost anything else similar. I haven't been able to have an OOBE yet, although I have been trying, at least I was a couple months ago.

There are a couple things I would like to ask help with, because I'm at a very important time in my life. I'm 19 years old, and I am in the army. I've been training for the last year and a half, and I will continue to train until I go to war in 7 months. With all this training, it leaves little room and energy to try practicing for an OOBE or AP or anything for that matter. I want to put more energy into it, but my current situation leaves little room for anything other than 100% concentration on what I will be doing in the near future. I need to find ways I can still develop spiritually and continue to focus on my training..

My other problem is a little harder to discuss, especially on an open forum. It ties in with what I will be doing half a year from now, and some of the things I can do to cope with it. Feel free to pm me so I can share a few more details, because help would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you for your time, I am open to any advice at all!

[Novice]

Welcome to the AP!

Unfortunately, doing this is like your efforts in the military. The only way to improve is to practice -- and consistency is the best. If you haven't already, read through the Astral FAQ and Permanent Astral Topics sections. There are several methods you can try that don't require a lot of additional 'time'.

One of the most basic things you can start doing while you are doing drills or whatever the military term is for practicing, is to be aware of what you are doing when you are doing it. Its a matter of developing and maintaining a focused stream of consciousness on the moment. So if you are cleaning your weapon, think of nothing else (nothing at all) except the weapon you are holding and what specifically you are doing with it. Do this for everything you do and it becomes a very good habit. If you can do that (which is a lot easier said than done) you will find that phasing becomes much easier -- at least I think it does. Phasing is discussed in both the FAQ and Permanent Astral Topic sections.

You don't need to do energy work or anything like that to succeed. As long as you have time, even if its right before going to sleep, to lie still and meditate, that's all you really need to start with.

[ti_ama]

So if you are cleaning your weapon, think of nothing else (nothing at all) except the weapon you are holding and what specifically you are doing with it.

There are several things that I could do and shut everything out, I will do my best to work on placing all my focus on the task at hand.

Thank you Novice, I will work on that and report back when I start getting better at it.

[The Present Moment]

Mindfulness is a practice that can help you in all aspects of life. There are many ways to approach it, and meditation isn't critical for it. You learn to see your mind objectively; and when you experience your mind objectively, you will have total peace in every situation. I am mindful outside of meditation by knowing what I am thinking and feeling, and (if possible) keeping track of why and how my mind came into that state.