Compassion and astral projection?

[PlasmaAstralProjection]

Sometime ago xanth said something that caught my attention. He said something like astral projection is about loving your self. Now that caught me off guard a bit. I've always thought about it as a technique. So I kept that at the back of my mind. So recently I've been doing compassion meditation focusing on compassion for myself. I touched some seeds of compassion that have been buried for a long time. So yesterday I was doing a compassion meditation and a visualization of having compassion for myself in some past experience. I was visualizing light and understanding going to my old self in this past memory. That wasn't working too well so I was immediately drawn to a much deeper sorrow of having tried so hard to succeed spiritually years ago but only failed as a christian and I instantly teared up. I think this is a good sign that I was able to pull up this old burried emotion and memory. It was not a light thing for me then. I was messed up. I quit spiritually for a long time after that. Mostly since my physical health was messed up. Once I got better I was willing to finally open slowly open my mind to alterative spiritual views. God I'm tearing up again  just thinking about it again. Anyway I've been making good progress with this compassion meditation I think. I tried it again since my buddist friend let me barrow  a book from Thich Nhat Hanh. He recommended it and I was a bit surprised since I've heard one should first still the mind before doing compassion meditation. Anyway I think it's working. Though I still have a lot of work to do I get glimpses of what it means to love myself again in a deeper way.

Why did I post this here? First since what xanth said as meantioned above. Secondly since lastnight  I had a very strange yet spirital and surreal dream. It was that I felt trapped by some mean presence that I couldn't see. Yet I was able to move my consciousness through and body through lays of light that had frequencies to them. I could hear/feel the layers passing through me. Now I've had many dreams before but not like that.

Anyway comments and suggestions are welcome.

Note  I am on a smart phone for now and I will be moving very soon so I may not give long repiles.

Thanks.

[Szaxx]

Well done, this is a part of improving yourself.
I have used a similar line of thought in meditation and ended up in the formless light realms to label them.
You should melt into the feelings and learn to escape the past negative memories. These should be apparent over a few days. There will be some imprinted messages you'll find when the time is right. Expect more tears, these will be of joy as you remove the negativity. A lesson and a half in this experience.
Your next one may be in the light, time will set this up once you've done the internal mindwork.

[Bluefirephoenix]

 
You can go back and it's a good idea to If you persist you can get in deeper and it that will help you quite a lot. It's very real perhaps more real than our world is and it get much better if you keep going. THe difficult part for me is when we do intense work it's hard to come back to this life and place. I suspect that as the years go by and your getting in deeper and deeper you eventually get to the point where you cannot bring yourself to return again.

[PlasmaAstralProjection]

Thanks guys though I must say Bluefirephoenix that I didn't astral project as you seem to be inferring. I will definitely continue this for now. Makes me wonder if all my years of meditating on and off helped. In any event this was unexpected.

[Szaxx]

The typical feeling is you're awake and asleep, the mind is extremely active in an all encompassing environment.
No physical sounds are apparent. Visually there's nothing, not even a blackness but this can be created or it exists if you expect to see.
Words fail in describing it.
You are you within.

[PlasmaAstralProjection]

You are you within.

Can you explain that more?

[Xanth]

I'm not sure what I said to illicit such a deep reflection, but cool! 

In regards to "compassion" and "astral projection"... those two words make me think of the following.
Having compassion is a part of becoming a being of Love.  As you grow spiritually, the non-physical aspects of our reality and selves increases dramatically.

What I mean is that you'll, most likely, begin to have more spontaneous projections.  You'll begin to see the connection that exists between all things, and how there really isn't any separation between anything within experience.  Another fun byproduct is that even your unaware non-physical experience (aka: dreams) will change and become "more" to you.

That's the connection between those two words.

[PlasmaAstralProjection]

I'm not sure what I said to illicit such a deep reflection, but cool! 

This isn't the first such deep relections/connections if you haven't noticed. 

I hope I get these astral projections your talking about. Other than that I already see how everything is connected and one if you will. It's E = mc2 general relativity to put it scientifically. Well that is two aspect of it. Anyway thanks for the encouragement and I hope this really helps me. And I had some real joy that came out yesterday which was unexpected.

Peace.

[Szaxx]

A short time has elapsed since your first post. Have you worked out anything from your experience?
The personality you have in the physical is created by your interactions within it. Your environment can dictate what kind of person  you are. The real YOU lies within, no outside pressure forcing you into predicaments you don't like.
It's this internal you that  you'll start to notice. The real you, not what you've become but what you actually are. This deeply routed you is the one you'll become when you leave the physical.

[PlasmaAstralProjection]

Thanks for replying Szaxx. I will reply tomorrow. Sucks not having a computer up and running  yet .

[blidge]

So recently I've been doing compassion meditation focusing on compassion for myself.

OK I've been meditating for years now using creative visualisation, mental house clearing of negativity, affirmations and goal setting but, I've never heard of compassion meditation, I'd like to try it so can you explain?

Thanks

[PlasmaAstralProjection]

A short time has elapsed since your first post. Have you worked out anything from your experience?
The personality you have in the physical is created by your interactions within it. Your environment can dictate what kind of person  you are. The real YOU lies within, no outside pressure forcing you into predicaments you don't like.
It's this internal you that  you'll start to notice. The real you, not what you've become but what you actually are. This deeply routed you is the one you'll become when you leave the physical.

Well I have made more progress since we last talked but not as much as I had hoped. I keep going deeper, yet I still need to learn how to deal with the stuff that comes up. I also get other emotions that come up too, like anger. As I am learning meditation is not just about feeling good and conscious. It's also about going into these emotions and freeing them. This hasn't really started to happen until recently. I just need to learn how to go into the emotions more while in meditation.  It's not easy. But when I reach deep down into my body mind and consciousness I get rewarded with some peace and serenity. My progress has been very slow. But I continue to deepen my meditations and understandings of spirituality so I'm in it for the long term.

Anyway so what is it that creates this "deeply routed" self?

[PlasmaAstralProjection]

OK I've been meditating for years now using creative visualisation, mental house clearing of negativity, affirmations and goal setting but, I've never heard of compassion meditation, I'd like to try it so can you explain?

Thanks

I am on a phone so I will try to sum up what I did but note that my compassion meditation is by no means authoritative or even the best. Part of that experience was derived from being hungry and pushing myself physically.

To start here are some synonyms for compassion

pity, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, care, concern, solicitude, sensitivity, warmth, love, tenderness, mercy, leniency, tolerance, kindness, humanity, charity

Anyway so I was simply trying to back into my memories and imagine my self from an outside point of view sending myself love compassion in the form of light sometimes. I think if you can handle it you should view it from a first person perspective. But if you're too identified with it to the point you want to give up then do the visualization outside of your body. So I tied to help my old self understand about how I feel about it now. And I tried putting myself into my old selfes feelings about it.  And trying to feel out any negative feelings to help heal.  And then I was pulled directly into the deeper seated emotion.

I was sending love light compassion to my old self. Of course ieas meditating while doing this. Trying be present and conscious. Feeling down into my heart enough often brings up negetive past emotions too. Thats a good tip. Remember when the heart opens all the chakras start to open.

I got a new book from the library on a recommendation from one of my spiritual teachers. Her name is Pema Chodron. She is suppose to talk more about how to deal with our emotions. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it here. We just moved and somehow it got misplaced. Oh the full title I got was "How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind" I just picked what I thought would probably cover how to deal with and even use emotions and feelings. She is well qualified too I think.

In the mean time I got another book to tie me over.
"When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times"

You should always learn to love yourself first and foremost. Then move on to someone you love. Then someone that is neutral.  It can even be a nation. Then you're ready to move onto an enemy. Feel free to read some compassion  meditations online for more ideas if needed.

Good luck blidge.

[blidge]

Many thanks for the reply. Will goggle the books and get my head around your reply.

Thanks

[Szaxx]

Anyway so what is it that creates this "deeply routed" self?

Being able to see the you within at a third person perspective and then deal with what you know is wrong in the first person.
Eventually you are left with a reduced extremism on your immediate reactions as you've already done the contemplation.