Ok, here we go.  

An example of last night:

I focused/thought about/visualized the crystal at TMI.

I will relax, just before going to sleep.  I'm still awake at this point.  TV is usually on.  As I visualize, usually the "view" changes on its own.  I will see things, people, and places..most often, unknowns to me.

It is in this state that retrievals generally occur.  Sometimes I'm just a bystander, observer.  Sometimes, I'm on my own, actually facilitating the retrieval.

I am not asleep, so its not a dream.  Also, the way dreams work, from what I understand..takes place in REM sleep, several hours into sleep.  I have begun dreams the moment I close my eyes, which tells me they aren't dreams at all.

There is plenty of information on this site for "how to do it."  Some work for me, others don't.

I can't "prove" it to you.  I wish I could..

yup...that aint no dream..thats for sure...you been holding out Shirley! :o  how often do you do this and can you do it at will?

Most every night..assuming I'm not too tired.  

Its funny..I've done this for years and assumed everyone else did too.  That is, until I started talking about it.

So, yes..when "people" say "Its just a dream." it just doesn't fit with what is known about dreams..

I just wish I could control it a little better..to see what I want to see, if you know what I mean.  I did once see our friend Chris..well, his arm, lifting his coffee cup..that was a deliberate "let me see what I can see" type of thing.

I have waking dreams too. Eventhough they're waking, I don't always understand what they are about. Recently I've had waking dreams in which I received instruction on how to work with my consciousness. But my rememberance/conscious understanding of what I was taught isn't complete. The instruction seems to be at a level that is beyond intellectual  thought.

Another thing that's similar, is I'll be reading something spiritual, and I'll suddenly nod out for a moment. It used to be that I'd click out (lose consciousness), with the feeling afterwards that I just learned something. But recently something will be communicated to me while I nod out.

Here's a recent example. I was watching Grey's Anatomy Sunday night (not certain why, overanxious surgeons don't exactly inspire me). I decided to stop watching it half way through so I could first meditate for a while, and then read one of Rosalind Mcknight's books for a while. While I was reading something that really interested me, I suddenlty nodded out for a moment and was shown a clear, moving image of a surgery taking place. I also got the message: "You chose to meditate and read instead of watching that show, aren't you glad?" I really was glad because the show wasn't doing it for me, while the meditation and reading did.

And it wasn't a matter of "I should meditate and read instead of watching TV." It was more of a matter of what do I find more fulfilling.  

this is a neat thread. I'm learning a lot by comparing my methods to Shirley's and Mathews...

what I see my similar method to Shirley is where she wanted to "see what she could see." with Chris. what I call that action is a kind of intention setting, which in comparison I had done a similar thing, through simply becoming curious about a poster I felt close to on the board, curious enough and felt a strong enough bond to actually have an obe visit with that person, without realizing how the obe had come about. it appears from my side affection, and curiosity are working intentions if they are strong enough.
I cannot begin to tell u how often this happened, and also ends up being very instructive to me, the information about that person I bring back.

these days but less often i do something similar to Mathew, but most notably I remember doing something similar to blinking out while reading ACIM in the 80's. it seemed more like assimiliation while blinking out; assimiliation of the material in an energetic way of feelings flowing over the body as waves...then when I blinked back "on" I reread the sentence structure i had at first not understood, and re-reading it I at once understood it.

so cool, very cool thread...i can relate...thanks, enjoying this.

:D

Interesting Matthew..that you should bring up reading a book in lieu of watching a tv show.

Just a bit ago, I took a computer break to (ostensibly) watch tv..instead, I found myself picking up one of my books from my nightstand.  I currently have 8 of them there.

Yeah, I'm one of those who read more than one at a time.

Anyway, my books I've been reading include "The Elegant Universe", "The Everything Meditation Book" and "Destiny of Souls."  

Also in that stack, which I had not yet started but purchased a few months ago is "Cosmic Journeys"..by..Rosalind McKnight..today, I finally picked it up to start reading.  

Awake dreams..an oxymoron? haha..they are the best. Those spontanious glimpses into "otherness"..or.."elsewhere".

Did you ever use hemi-sync?

To me it sounds, like a kind of remote viewing that is occuring, Possible it just takes place on a higher focus level as bruce descibes them.

Is there alot of difference between an NDE, and an OBE?

Bruce did a test in which he had OBE'S with someone from a different place in the usa, and the next day he phoned/emailed each other to compare what happened.

I would like to see a similar test, were i could see the infomation that would be transfered between 2 people in an OBE.

It is hard to hold intention if you meditate at night.  Interesting, I too have been drawn to try OOB with someone on this board.  The drawing feeling definitely was based on common resonating ideas and a sense of something I can only describe as attraction.


Matthew

Shirley, I know exactly what you are saying.  I do this much of the time, too.  

Matthew, if I meditate at night I will usually fall asleep, but then lots of times dreams will become lucid, which is a plus.

Going oob really isn't difficult.  Some people walk around half way oob a lot of the time.  I think this is a defense mechanism they learned as a child to escape from something they don't want to face.  These people have trouble fully incarnating into their body.  The spiritual world is where they really want to be because it feels safe to them and most of the time they don't even realize they are doing it.  

Going oob is simply allowing yourself to slip easily into that state of consciousness.  Setting intention, but then allowing yourself to let go of C1 consciousness.  Trying too hard stops the conscious awareness of the experience.  We exist in both worlds every moment of our lives, we just perceive them as being separate.  It's just a matter of becoming aware of the higher more subtle vibrations of our being and directing our energy in the direction we want to go.  

Hope this makes sense, I find it difficult to explain things like this with words.

Love, Kathy ;-)

I've never used Hemi-Synch, though just this morning I was reading about it again in Rosalind MrKnight's book and found myself drawn to it.

You know Spitfire, there is a planned partnered exploration taking place right now.  There have also been some contacts..

I understand what you are saying, Kathy.  There is a special "letting go" which has to occur.  I think that sometimes our mental state is just naturally closer to the "letting go" and it is easier.  I am beginning to understand that there is a very very fine line at the end of the physical relaxation and the mental relaxation where I can make the decision to "step out" there.  Perhaps it is truly a matter of practice.

love, blink