How do I open my eyes?

[Arithmetic]

Hey guys, I'm happy to report I've had some moderate success recently (read: this morning). I experienced and episode of SP when I awoke this morning and, due to my daily reinforcement exercises, I actually had the mental where-with-all to use the opportunity to attempt to get OOB. So I felt the vibrations and shortly afterwards, I began to have the sensation of sitting upright, though knowing I wasn't moving physically and everything was still black. I got excited and tried to open my eyes only to find myself back laying down in bed, I had opened my physical eyes!

So I was a bit disappointed but it was early enough so I tried to go back to sleep in hopes of lucid dreaming. Then I awoke and again had SP. I closed my eyes and did the same thing but took my time. Everything was still black and I began to 'move', but strangely enough I knew exactly where I was in the physical space of my room as I began to rise. I got to the point where I put my feet on the floor and actually felt the hard wood, so I thought 'this is it, I've done it' though I was having difficulty standing. So I tried to open my eyes again and boom! Back in my body. Damn.

Also, this may sound bizarre but the second time I awoke I had the sensation that I had been 'slapped'! I actually thought my little brother had come into my room and was messing with me but nope. It took me a few seconds to realize the slapping sensation didn't hurt and was non-physical in a way, very very hard to describe. Any idea what that could have been?

Any advice or experiences shared are very welcome!

Arithmetic

[Lionheart]

 Stop trying to open your eyes. You can see what it's doing to your attempts.

Once you become aware in the NPR there is no need to open your eyes. You are pure consciousness now and have no need for them! 

[Arithmetic]

Thanks for your response Lionheart. To be fair that does seem like the simple solution but I think I may not have explained myself very well. You see, in these experiences I had I could 'feel' where I was but had no visual sensation of any kind, everything was a very deep black.

I wasn't trying to open my actual eyes, rather I was trying to gain vision and ended up opening my eyes. I guess you could say I'm trying to open my thrid eye to receive visual information while OOB.

Or maybe I'm over-explaining something you understood in the first place? If so, sorry! I just always figured people were able to 'see' while APing because others recount such visual experiences. It's really about validation for me. I would like to cross into another room in my house and 'see' something and later perform a check to see if I actually projected.

Arithmetic

[Szaxx]

When you are able to feel your way, carry on doing this. There's a short distance within the area of the sleeping meatsack where things can be messed up. Sight is very common, just go some distance and it automatically clears.

Keep going you're doing fine.

[CFTraveler]

Getting away from your physical body will make vision come back on its own.  Feel your way away and feedback from your physical body will diminish.

[urshebear]

Whenever I have been like this I have just called out "Please give me sight"
works for me

[Arithmetic]

Cool! Thanks for the tips guys! I think it makes a lot of sense that things seem fuzzy when I'm so close to my body, because I get this kind of dual-consciousness thing going on which explains how I accidentally open my real eyes all the time. I'll give these techniques a go!

In response to Urshebear's comment in particular, I have thought about doing it but I have this nagging feeling that I'm going to actually ended up physically yelling! Its kind of an irrational 'fear' that I can't shake made all the more difficult by the fact that I do actually open my eyes. I have flat mates and I'd rather not have them hear me yelling

[EscapeVelocity]

You don't have to speak it verbally, just mentally express the intent (to your self).

That's also how you communicate with others: it's a simple, calm mental broadcast outward.

Or at least that's how it works for me. 

[Lionheart]

You don't have to speak it verbally, just mentally express the intent (to your self).

That's also how you communicate with others: it's a simple, calm mental broadcast outward.

Or at least that's how it works for me. 

Yes EscapeV, you are correct. Telepathy seems to be the mode of communication in the NPR or at least that is what I have found.

[Szaxx]

100% in agreement with telepathic communication.
That's just the start of it.

[mkj]

I wish I'd read this thread beforehand, thank you all for the tips.

I had the same problem, OP. In the process of vibrations and unpeeling myself from my physical body, I tried to gain sight. Ended up opening my physical eyes instead which screwed up the experience this morning.

[EscapeVelocity]

Mkj, it can still occur at times, years down the road, depending on a few factors : proximity, lucidity, etc.. Once you're aware of the feel of it, when it doesn't work right, you'll figure it out pretty quickly and straighten things out. Just another of the things to learn along the way.

[mkj]

Mkj, it can still occur at times, years down the road, depending on a few factors : proximity, lucidity, etc.. Once you're aware of the feel of it, when it doesn't work right, you'll figure it out pretty quickly and straighten things out. Just another of the things to learn along the way.

Hi
I think proximity is the main cause of mess ups for me. I've AP'ed a handful of times but none of them lasted longer than two minutes, mostly because I can't distance myself from my body fast enough. I have difficulty passing through doors and walls. It's a common problem but easily conquered, from what I've read on here.

[EscapeVelocity]

When you are that close to your physical, it can be hard to discern between the physical act of looking through your eyes and the RTZ idea of taking in information and allowing it to translate into a visual version. It's really one of the first great paradoxes to understand. There are many more if you follow what others report. It's a great learning curve, we never leave school!

[Enigmatik]

Hey guys, I'm happy to report I've had some moderate success recently (read: this morning). I experienced and episode of SP when I awoke this morning and, due to my daily reinforcement exercises, I actually had the mental where-with-all to use the opportunity to attempt to get OOB. So I felt the vibrations and shortly afterwards, I began to have the sensation of sitting upright, though knowing I wasn't moving physically and everything was still black. I got excited and tried to open my eyes only to find myself back laying down in bed, I had opened my physical eyes!

I had this EXACT same thing happen to me.  I got impatient and opened my eyes and immediately awoke to my physical body opening it's eyes. LOL  Sometimes now when I feel like my vision hasn't kicked in(and this happens a lot), I just TRY to wait patiently to let my awareness vision kick in.  Maybe it's kind of like starting a truck in the winter that hasn't been started in awhile, it just takes time for it to get into sync with everything to run smoothly. 

[AAAAAAAA]

Actually, I think that once you are comfortable with the astral, you'll be able to see even though your eyes are closed, and you'll be able to see more clearly. Try working with third eye meditation. The third eye doesn't have much use here in the physical, but in the astral it's like wearing a good pair of glasses.

[Aaron330]

Great thread, I've had many of these same questions from my last experience. I also felt "boards under my feet" but couldn't figure out what it was. Tried opening my eyes but it didn't work, just kept experiencing the intense vibrations and wind noise.

If you're trying to get away from your body once you project, couldn't you "feel" your way through the wall of your bedroom and outside? I mean you can go through whatever object you want, so couldn't you technically just start running in the opposite direction? lol

[Szaxx]

Imagine you're a ghost, I did almost half a century ago. It worked every time too.
We're so fixed at things being solid, this will be your immediate thoughts naturally and letting go of physical limitations will really help you.