I am having a hard time! Essentially I feel like a cardboard cut out in hopes of a helper or guide will use me for a retrieval, a easy one.

Only a few times I have had some form of visual perception, but most I feel like I am giing in "blind". I am constantly focusing on other sense, touch, feeling, etc. But having a hard time because I do not have anything to measure it by. I do not know if it is me or my non physical body.

Of course I am workign on the visual perception, and trying to figure out where best to focus my eyes when closed.... :o  ::)

As far as hearing, not a word, so I ask simple questions, and take the 1st thing that pops up in my head in hopes it is right.

Retrievals are a big deal for me.

Oh BTW I suffer from performance anxiety.  :(

Brian

Hi

Maybe you are not a visual person. What if you are supposed to listen to your other senses?

Hi Brian,

Could you paraphrase what you said about "I do not know if it is me or my non physical body.” I’m not sure what you mean--sorry.

I’ve heard that if you point your eyes out to about 18” from your face and about 6” higher than your eye level, that that is a good place to have them.

If you are relaxed and rested when you plan to go into this mode, I expect it will happen. You are an entire entity and so don’t much need to separate your thoughts into parts. The quieter you get your brain, the better.

Bets 

Brian,

It might help if you practice focusing in the physical world first.  Just sit and close your eyes and focus on your breathing and clearing your mind.  Don't try to block out anything around you.  Notice what happens to your "awareness" when you hear a physical noise in your environment.  Your awareness pays attention to it.  If you're not deeply relaxed enough or able to ignore it, it will be too distracting.  Like the neighbor's dog barking. 

I try to use things like that to my advantage.  I will practice just noticing the sounds around me with my eyes closed, and follow what my awareness of it brings to my thoughts.  I might "picture" that barking dog, or imagine the direction the sound is coming from.  Or maybe the sound of the wind makes me imagine or remember something.  Whatever happens in my awareness, I just let it happen and let it flow naturally.  It's a great, easy way to let yourself get deeply relaxed.  And it's a better use of your energy than trying to block out distractions. 

Next time you are able to relax and meditate or be in near sleep, or Focus 10 or whatever, you'll have an easier time letting your awareness go toward something.  The Helper thing is hard for a lot of people to get used to.  One thing you can do is the next time you're asking for a Helper to come, imagine the feeling of what you think it feels like that he actually shows up.  Don't worry about visualizing it, but just feel the feeling of it.  Let yourself make up what you think it would feel like knowing a Helper is already there.  Then just act as if he is there.  Ask your question or state your intention.  Then be in the mindset of allowing your awareness to go wherever its getting pulled.  Notice whatever comes to your thoughts about that.  Remember, what you imagine might not make sense at first, but you can use that to your advantage as well.  Whatever comes to mind, ask it a question or make a statement, "Please bring me to the person in need of retrieval."  If you're operating under the intention that you want to do a retrieval, keep in that frame of mind.  Don't let assumptions get in the way.  Whatever you perceive, assume it's related to your retrieval.  It's kind of like pretending to have confidence.  It has a way of pushing you through those blockages and expectations.

Brian P,

Thank you for wanting to help in retrieving...and it's that desire of yours that will win out.

When I was getting started many years ago I had zero results. I just seemed to be floating in that peaceful nothingness, waiting for a Helper or friend or somebody to get things going. After several floats with the entire nonphysical universe(s) a no-show (I was so bummed out...lol), I remembered Bruce talking about starting his own place in Focus 27 where he was able to familiarize himself with being There, and using nonphysical senses to communicate.
The next time I journeyed into the nonphysical, instead of waiting for someone or something to get the ball rolling, I placed the intention to be in Focus 27, and although I was still in blackness I decided to just go with it and visual a city park I loved as a child to build my safe place, just for me. And I walked into it and started a landscaping project that to this day is a fun work in progress.

It wasn't until around a year later that I realized what I had been doing wrong and what got me around that road block. Helpers actually informed me that when I had been floating and waiting, they had been right there with me, waiting for me to stop waiting for them to initiate something. Nowadays I can wait and pick up on when a Helper arrives, but I know one will come. Back in the day the nonphysical was this immense and unknowable whatever and I had no idea how to deal with all that nonphysicalness, if that makes sense. So I decided to take action and narrow it all down to something I was familiar with. Those Helpers said they got a big kick out of my lack of awareness of them as I floated, and they can laugh at and love us because they've been through it and understand. For me it was an invaluable lesson.

Learning to use nonphysical senses takes time, Brian. The five physical senses are turned off so it can be disconcerting, but I ended up really enjoying the challenge. Still do. Rely upon a feeling of a presence and any mind's eye visualization that comes as a result of that feeling. Relax and have fun with it. When an idea or thought comes to you just focus on it, silently willing yourself to open to it nonjudgementally. Sensing, feeling, thoughts, visualizations, knowings, those are the senses.

Hope this helps, Brian and much love,

Ginny

Hi Brian,

I don't do a lot of retrievals but I've done a few. At first I was very confused about the concept of guides and I thought I was supposed to see someone appear in living color like on a tv screen. That never happened, but I just continued to ask for a guide and then waited to see what happened.

You have gotten some good advice here on opening up the senses that you do feel. I don't think it matters where you look with your eyes, but I meditate lying down. I don't even worry about falling asleep. So what, maybe I needed the rest. The idea is to become gradually less aware of your physical body, not to forget it entirely, but to just completely let go.

I do better with some guided meditation as a prompt for my imagination, to relax and picture/feel an internal landscape. And sometimes I must tolerate the feeling of "nothingness" for a little while before my visualization will begin. It's kind of like convincing myself gently that I really don't mind if nothing happens, that I'm fine either way. If you "let go" enough for long enough, and if you hold yourself with an open heart, something will happen, and it will be the right time and the right thing for you.

Any kind of anxiety or worries just get in the way. It's more like "allowing" things to happen rather than "trying" to see them. When events happen you won't miss them. And, practicing for yourself, merely to relax and get comfortable, is fine, as others have mentioned.

For me, when things do "happen" I am still surprised. Having done a lot of guided meditation I know how to relax myself, so that's a good skill to have. The point is, I think everyone can do this, but we are conditioned to fear "the dark" and new things in general. The main thing is not to expect a certain outcome. Your "guide/guides" may have something different to show you than you think you are there for.

betson wrote on May 31^st, 2013 at 4:29am:

Hi Brian, Could you paraphrase what you said about "I do not know if it is me or my non physical body.” I’m not sure what you mean--sorry.

I was trying to figure out if it was my physical body or energy body. Sometimes it felt like I was being touch by someone.

Thanks everyone for the help really appreciate it. This is something I need to have patience with!


Lucy wrote on May 31^st, 2013 at 1:10am:

Hi Maybe you are not a visual person. What if you are supposed to listen to your other senses?

Yes I have a hard time visualizing. I don;t really see it, but I know it is there...of course I am imagining it.

I find when I let go of all control things happen. Not usually what I thought might happen but things that benefit me do :-)