My Advice for an OOBE through Metaphor

[compressedFusion]

I wanted to title this thread "My Opinion on the Nature of Reality".  However, I suspect most people are looking for advice on inducing OOBEs.  I know I like to read other peoples methods.  So I changed the title and restructured my thoughts to fit into the advice category.  My thoughts aren't new to this forum, but I wanted to add a bit of my personal slant on things.

I'll jump straight to the advice.  It's not mine but I will pass it along with a tool.  The kitten of terror, Xanth, has a forum covering a project to help people achieve an OOBE.  It is called Destynee's plan.  Lesson 1 provides a link to a youtube video from Tom Cambell outlining a method for switching your focus away from life to the wider reality.  It is part 5/5 and is roughly 1h 40m long.  I highly recommend watching the video because it gets to the root of the experience.

The trick is a cliche.  You need to empty your mind  .

Destynee's Plan
http://www.unlimitedboundaries.ca/forums/watch-this-first-t443.html

Tom Campbell NYC MBT Master Workshop 5/5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_q5CDE2Nko

I personally don't agree with some of the fears and concerns he brings up in the presentation.  We all have to face our fears in one way or another but I find it best to keep things simple.  I was pleasantly surprised to him hear talk about practicing relaxing in various conditions.  It's something that I have practiced instinctively and I was very happy to hear some one else talk about it.  Personally, I think the ultimate goal would be to shift at will in a waking active state.  I sometimes feel the tendrils of the shift in a waking state in the corner of my mind.

Well, I promised a tool.  And unfortunately the tool is a metaphor.  I believe it is actually more than just a metaphor.  I think it is a fractal expressing itself.

Please consider the story below.  Hold it in your mind when/if you practice Tom's suggestions.  Make it your belief and reality.  I think it helps to change your focus and in the end it removes a lot of fear.

Here goes:

Imagine you are playing a video game.  You have on headphones and the sound is at a comfortable volume.  You are in the zone and completely immersed in the game.  You have popcorn in the microwave but you don't smell it burning because you are so consumed.  It's time to stop playing and you remove the headphones and turn off the monitor.  Eventually, a transition takes place and you are no longer concerned about the game.  Instead you have to deal with the smell of burning popcorn.  You take a break for 6 to 10 hours and put the headphones back on and power up the monitor (it's an addictive game!).  And so the cycle begins all over again.

As you probably have guessed the game represents our physical reality and the out of body experience is represented by the time outside of "the Game".  I often wonder if the computer game (virtual world) we have created is the system repeating it's structure like a fractal. The rules and world are generated and then we choose to immerse ourselves in this interesting game.

In any case, there are two key points that I would like to highlight about "the Game". 

(1) At any time, if you so choose, you could draw your attention away from the game.

This could happen in several ways.  You could think of something else.  Maybe your thoughts briefly turn to the popcorn you had in the microwave.  You could turn the sound down on your headphones.  Or you could disconnect completely. This is the equivalent to falling asleep.

When defined in this fashion sleeping is the same as going "out of body" because they are both represent a disconnect from "the Game".  The only difference is the level of awareness and recall when we go back to "the Game".  Or you take a hiatus from "the Game" which is death.  The key here is that you can turn your attention away with varying levels of being disconnected.

2.) You never cease to exist as a person. 

It would be silly to think you are no longer you just because you put on a pair of headphones and turned on your computer.  You exist in both "states" at once.  The difference between the two is where your concentration is focused and there is really only one "state". There is a whole continuum of concentration levels giving rise to the appearance of different "states".  Consider the thoughts about the microwave while you were busy gaming.  Or maybe you think about the game while eating your popcorn.  This is equivalent to dreaming about and worrying about life while sleeping. Or maybe you experience things further down the continuum and have built a world in something you call the NPR.

Many people refer to this other state as the wider reality or the NPR (non-physical realm/reality) and your existence in this realm as your higher-self.

I have come to the conclusion that:

An OOB experience is dreaming with a better focus into the wider realm around you.
An OOB experience or dreaming occurs when you eventually shift your focus away from life.
An OOB experience takes you to some place you already were.  You exist in both states at once.
An OOB experience doesn't mean your "higher-self" has stopped being active.
An OOB experience may occur across an infinite continuum of focus, but we sadly use one word.  We have defined it in the negative and it means to not be focused on "the Game".

So the next time you are lying in bed emptying your mind try believing the following.  The physical world is much like "the Game".  You only need to take your headphones off and shutdown your monitor.  Your body will do this naturally.

Take your headphones off.  What do you hear?  Keep listening.  I'm certain you hear something.  Was the noise loud?  Maybe it was soft and smooth.  You are now immersed deeper into yourself.  Perhaps you even feel a piece of it in the back of your mind while you read these words.  Your headphones are off.  There is a wider world around you waiting for you to explore.  Bring your experiences back and share them here.

Maintaining your awareness and remembering your time with your higher self doesn't require effort.  It just requires that you not be so worried and focused on the game.