I thought this would be a good thread to start for those who read of the experiences of others and say "wow, why can't I have any of these experiences?"  Any who wish to contribute their own personal tips for new explorers should feel free to put their two cents worth in.

The first thing I will say is that many of our old belief systems, prior education, expectations have created blinders which inhibit our abilities to focus our minds on the spiritual planes.  Hemisync CDs are but one way to realize this, but not absolutely necessary.  In order to make a spiritual connection, be it to a deceased loved one, or with what is commonly called out of body travel, one first must believe that it is possible - to some extent.  Admittedly, there are instances of sceptics who have experienced after death communications (references available).  Certainty and belief are not easy to come by.  The effort to break down old belief systems and free your mind is rarely an easy or quick effort.  The younger explorers tend to have less to overcome in freeing their minds, but even they require patience.

Meditation or relaxed breathing, and focusing on nothing in particular is crucial for most people.  At a certain point, you lose sensory input from your hands, feet, arms and legs, as you drift toward sleep.  The maintenance of "mind awake/body asleep" state takes practice, but is also a crucial juncture.  This corresponds for most of us to the Monroe focus level from focus 10 to focus 15 (see Laffingrain's thread).  

Now here is what is important.  When totally relaxed, when most sensory input has been shut down, you may see thoughts or images popping up at random.  This is common.  Many advanced meditators see this as a nuisance.  I however see it as an opportunity.  Follow these random images or vistas if they seem to be going somewhere.  You may find yourself in a lucid dream, or this may be the beginning of a communication.  If you prefer to direct the show yourself, then before you begin to meditate and relax, state an intent as you drift off.  That you would like be involved in a retrieval, or speak with a departed relative, or journey out of body.  Do this in a non-forced and relaxed way, and many times, something will happen.

In future postings, I will talk about my methods of meditation, use of hemisync generators (inexpensive) and Monroe CDs (moderately expensive), and the exploration of the laws of mind.

I hope other long time posters here will start to give their tips as well.


Matthew

Just for the record, I'll add the more or less formal Buddhist perspective, since it fits into the thread quite well.

The basic four statements by Siddhartha were called the "Four Noble Turths" (suitable for higher quality thinking, not just common ideas).
(1) Life is suffering. (You can't get what you want, and when you do it decays. Everything changes, and in the end we have sickness, old age and death.)
(2) Suffering comes from cravings (attachments). (Cravng means attaching our existence to external uncontrollable factors.)
(3) Ending craving (attachments) ends suffering. (To not depend on things that don't work make life work better.)
(4) The Noble Eight-Fold Path ends cravings (attachment). (Here's one way out. - There are others.)

The Noble Eightfold Path (a path suitable for advanced minds, not just common thinkers)

(1) Right Understanding. (A basic understanding that there is more than the material world, that we are causal to our own experiences, that we are effective in making changes, and that it is possible to come into accord with reality. The first inkling of transcendental experience is the first inkling of Enlightenment, and the rest follows with growth.)
(2) Right Intention. (There is a useful way to live that leads to cessation of karmic problems. This is worth following.)
(3) Right Speech. (Logically consistent, truithful, no unpleasant outbursts that create problems. If we tell ourselves the truth we can proceed. Else we get lost in self delusion of positive or negative nature.)
(4) Right Action. (What we do is ultimately done to us, ourselves, because everything is connected. Thus, it is best to be harmless, to promote joy and truth.)
(5) Right Livelihood. (To support others leads to others support of us, especially in esoteric endeavors. It is worth seeking a useful manner to contribute to everyone.)
(6) Right Effort. (We have prior karmic conditions that still operate. Until we have outlived these, we still need to work on them. Thus as we persevere in good living we improve our situation. The goal state, when karma is exhausted, is a life in which we create nomore negative karma, hence termed "Liberation".)
(7) Right Meditation. (To get beyond this world means looking beyond this world. Meditation allows us to transcend and to perceive progressively more as we release the limitations associated with identification with being a single isolated individual.)
(8) Right Samadhi (The first level of meditative success is a silent mind. The second level is to participate in the world of definitions in a manner that has no contradictions. - sarvastarka samadhi. The next level is to participate in the world as One - nirvastarka samadh. These have no really good description in everyday terms.)

While this is only one of the very many paths that lead from Here to There, the steps are well stated, easily understood and simple to follow. Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga is similar, as are the tenets of virtually all major religions (although we often have to dig for them). For example, a very similar series of progressive insights can be found in the meditative method of St Ignatius of Loyola. The traditions of Bon Lamaism, crried into the disciplines of Bardo Thodol, stress development of joyful action for its own sake, truth and clearminded awareness, and l;oving kindness and unity (equibvalent to Hindu yogas of karma, gnana and bhakta, respectively). In the end, it makes no difference how you got there, the end state is one in which we are at One with the Ultimate. Ultimately, karma is the universal teacher, thus matters are self-correcting, so it is said that the wrong methods applied to the right purpose will succeed, while the right methods applied to the wrong purpose will fail.

PUL
dave