Energy Work

So I've had quite a dry spell lately due partially to some external factors, but I also discovered an internal factor that had changed over this time period...

Around the time I had some success, I was doing a LOT more energy work. Since then my daily energy work has almost totally slacked of. So starting Monday I've been doing a particular piece of energy work every day and building from there.

Monday, I did my feet and legs all day. I had them buzzing pretty good. My left food seems much more sensitive though and I can easily get strong sensations going there. My right foot takes more work.

Tuesday was a hands and arms day, which proved to be a little more difficult to do because you use your hands all day. I did get a few minutes to relax and focus on energy work though and it went well.

Today I'm doing a full body energy circuit as the day goes along. Tonight I plan to do stimulation on the seven primary centers since I will have some quiet time while the wife is working.

I should add that I've been doing this energy work as I've drifted off to sleep, and I've had some pretty intense dreams almost every night. Anyway, that's my story. I will update this weekend with some awesome success stories!

Let's Trance

Here's a good method to get you into trance and maybe loosen your energy body simultaneously. It involves really, truly going along with your imagination no matter what happens. Stick with it and you will see results with this.

1) Start by getting into a comfortable but not TOO comfortable position. You want your subconscious mind to know you're there to get into a trance, not take a nap. If you can prop yourself up at an angle you're making progress. When it comes right down to it, once you're in trance you won't care about what position your body is in as long as you're not cutting off circulation to any part of your body.

2) Give yourself permission to let go. Say a little prayer and deal with the stresses of the day. Accept any thoughts that come into your head, allow yourself to fully feel them, and consciously let them go. Don't judge yourself or your thoughts, just recognize them as part of things that come up while moving into trance.

3) Deepen the breath and let it slow down as you feel yourself move into a more "expansive" state. Now you're getting used to the silence and darkness and you're brain waves are slowing down. Move into a state of mind of just observing.

4) Use your imagination to make the room start spinning. You can do this by first imagining the room spinning around you. As this gets more real, imagine you actually beginning to spin in the other direction of the room. When this gets pretty real, or you start to get dizzy, try spinning in the other direction using the same method.

5) Relaxing more and more, now start a falling motion. Imagine yourself going down a tunnel, or on a roller coaster, or whatever works best for you. Just remember that just like with the spinning, you'll have to work at it to make it more and more real. If you're having trouble you can imagine yourself propelling upward and the falling down to make the sensations more believable. This is the part you've really got to stick with AND become more and more physically relaxed while doing. These two things are critical. Increase the sensations and the relaxation.

When you reach the trance state, it's like you relax and relax and move down and then reach a state where you are mostly unaware of your body. You are still very alert and aware, but your body feels nice and warm and cozy, or you don't feel it at all. Hope this helps someone out there. Good luck!

Fasting

So I've decided to do a fast based on several recommendations I've read about for both spiritual and physical reasons. In Mastering Astral Projection, Robert Bruce talks about how fasting exercises your willpower abilities, and let me tell you: he was speaking the truth.

I fasted a bunch of years ago for an entire week but I was drinking juices and chicken boullion at night so it was somewhat easier. Plus, I was living on my own, I had a very laid-back job (an internship actually), and I didn't have a child or a wife or a stressful job or a house full of DELICIOUS FOOD! So it was probably a good bit easier.

Fasting on nothing but water is so tough. Although I haven't made it past day two and your hunger pains are supposed to subside after a couple days. Next time I fast, it will be over the weekend. Trying to not snap at people while you're famished is not easy.

Must.... get... SLEEP!!!

I've had a really hard time getting enough sleep lately and I've come up with a tip for getting more sleep: start getting ready for bed earlier at night. This means:

-Start cleaning up the house earlier
-Get ready for the following day - pick out clothes, pack lunches, arrange items needed for next day
-Do bathroom routine early. Brush teeth, take out contacts, rinse, repeat.
-Turn off lights, TV's, and computers to signal to your body that it is time to settle down and get to sleep.

*************

Something really cool just happened. As I'm typing this, I go over to a user's computer to do some work, and on the John Tesh radio show (lol), John Tesh comes in with a couple of interesting things:

-According to some doctor or psychologist, yawning is the brain's method of cooling itself via the bloodstream. By inhaling large amounts of air, the bloodstream is cooled, thereby cooling the brain.
-To aid falling asleep, keep the toungue still and away from the roof of the mouth. This signals the body neurologically that it is time for sleep.
-Focus on your breathing and let your mind quiet and your body will recognize it is time for sleep.

Does this remind you of anything?

Progress!

This morning I did the wake and bake method - got up after 6 hours of sleep (7:30am), ate a bowl of cereal, read for about half an hour, and then attempted AP. While I did not successfully project, I did have some amazing hypnogogic imagery that lasted for a long time. I felt like I was hanging out in trance for quite some time. At one point I started to feel trance/exit sensations coming on, but I got excited and they faded away quickly. Nervousness/excitement is probably my biggest obstacle right now. My plan is to just work my way through it. Don't focus on it and just keep doing my routine until my body and mind become comfortable with the entire process. It's a marathon not a sprint.

I'm reading a book right now called Adventures Out of the Body by William Buhlman. He is well known for shouting commands to achieve various things. The most famous being "clarity now!" to improve vision and clearness of mind while out of body. I'm blown away by how "juicy" this book had turned out. Lot's of great journals from his experiences, and tons of great theories on the greater reality.

I've since dropped the Monroe Institute's tapes and have been using the BrainWave Generator software. The Monroe Institute is good for exercise, but for actually attempting to project I was not having much luck. I began to feel annoyed when Robert's voice kept coming onto the headphones instructing you to do various things. I think that the tapes are a great way to exercise your imagination, but as far as their assistance in creating a real projection, I'm really not sure. I would have to use them in a more dedicated fashion to give a solid, objective review.

The Problem?

Lately all my nightly/early-morning attempts have resulted in nothing but sleep. In thinking about what I have done differently, one thing I have come up with is this: I'm actually TRYING to fall asleep. I've been trying to catch myself on the border of sleep and THEN project or at least get into trance. However, what I am going to try to do is take my full consciousness to the border of sleep by using my imagination to as high a degree as possible. Basically, pick an exit technique and just hammer away with it for as long as it takes. Instead of doing the trance-inducing techniques where I'm imagining myself drifting down, I will instead use my imagination to get me moving up and out of my body.

Holiday Shuffle

With the holidays and work and school and music and all the other tidings that come along with normal life, I haven't been able to practice AP much. I've done the second exercise of the Gateway Experience a few times with no success. A couple times that I've tried I just fell asleep. The other times I just felt to wired to really get fully into the exercises... either I couldn't get comfortable or couldn't fully focus or it seemed like I was too excited to be laying down and trying to get into the AP state.

I think that I will continue with the Gateway tapes for my nighttime practice. It is a good exercise for my imagination. What I am planning to do now is do some "wake and bake" practice during the week. Instead of sleeping for 5-6 hours and getting up to try, I am going to try waking up after 3-4 hours and then attempting. This will give me a little more leeway between the time I attempt and the time I have to actually get ready for work. Plus, with the holidays here my son doesn't have to be at school at 7:20am, so I can get a *little* extra sleep.