Hi Lia,

My only experience with the focus levels is what I've read.  I myself have little personal experience with them. 

You've already reached Focus 10 by what you've described.  When you are laying in bed and feel like you are awake but you hear yourself snoring, that's Focus 10, the "mind awake, body asleep" state. 

No, I wouldn't recommend just waiting for something to happen, because nothing ever will!  You could spend a very long, boring time just waiting for something to happen. 

The other things going on in your mind that you describe in this state sound a little like dreaming or the hypnogogic state, but I don't know for sure.  What I can suggest is that when you are trying to reach Focus 10 or any other focus level, have a goal or intent in mind.   I would suggest deciding your intent beforehand to avoid too much analytical-type thinking during the exercise.  When you reach the point where you are to set your intent, all it takes is for you to remember the feeling of your intent.  The "set your intent" part means to be in the frame of mind of letting that intent go.  So again, decide what your intent is before you begin to enter the focus level, then once you are there remember the feeling of "placing intent".

Have you read Bruce's description of placing intent?  It walks you through understanding how it works.  It's kind of like this...think of the feeling of placing intent as a frame of mind, kind of like getting the guts to do something.  Working up "the guts" to do something is a very specific state of mind and feeling!  There is the before, the after, but the feeling itself is very, very specific.  There is nothing else like it.  Ok, so if you were to work up the guts to do something, what is it you are going to do?  That's what the intent actually is.  You decide what it is, have it firmly in your mind, and then you work yourself into the feeling of placing that intent. 

Bruce once gave me an excellent example of this with a good visual analogy.  Your intent is like a rubber band.  Stretching it with your hands is like deciding what to do with that intent.  You stretch it, decide where to point it, and you aim it.  But if you never let go of it it will never go anywhere.  Shooting off the rubber band is what the act of placing intent is like.  You are there with an intent and you let it go.  It isn't necessary to place the same intent over and over, once is enough.  It isn't necessary to hang around waiting for something to happen.  Waiting for something to happen is like holding the stretched rubber band between your fingers.  You have to let it go and then move on. 

In answer to your questions about the feeling of the astral world, I would say that there are many ways to feel and experience what we call the astral world.  Your example of "I could move the lower body only with huge effort" is an example of a type of OBE.  I wouldn't know what Focus level to call it, but it's considered the astral or out-of-body state. 

good post Vicki! good post Spooky! 

good questions Lia, what this reminds me of, people used to say (hippies I think) "Just when I finally found out where it is,  somebody moved it."

perhaps the hemisync and the focus 10 level tapes are just wanting the beginner to get that feel for the place well established in the memory, so that eventually you go there without the assistance of the implements for that.

to me, being aware that you're so relaxed, the body is snoring, or not really snoring, but you are aware of your breath. this is an accomplishment, because if you think about, we seldom get that relaxed to be aware we have entered sleep state, but we are still "conscious!"  its amazing to me.
I remember falling into that state without the tapes. my sister had just died and during C1 state I had this uncanny feeling she was going to try to contact me that night. I cannot tell you how I knew. so that night I was in "listening" mode for many hours while I realized my body was totally asleep, part of my mind was just waiting for her.
She finally did come and we had a short conversation, so it was most likely focus 10 before I heard of a numbered layer of consciousness.

the following is a post from Bruce dated Aug.15 2001 I printed out and saved. I just found it yesterday before I read this thread, so maybe thats not a coincidence! hey!

Bruce says to a poster: The passage you've quoted reminds me of the section in my workshop on Placing Intent. Perhaps placing intent and faith mean similar things.

As I teach Placing Intent is an area of consciousness that has a specific feeling, and if one experiences this feeling while expressing a desire there's a lot more power behind fulfillment of that desire.

I use the "Silly Little Finger Bending Exercise" to teach about Placing Intent. The concept is that everything we do requires that we place the intent to do it. So, even bending one's finger must be preceded by the feeling of placing intent to do it.
We normally do this seamlessly, so we don't consciously experience the feeling. By focusing our attention on the act of bending our finger, we can "capture" that feeling.

Many describe this feeling as a strong knowing. that the finger is going to bend. Sounds a little like faith doesn't it?

Doubt was a problem for me too until I discovered how to use it to learn more about Placing Intent. I came to the understanding that if I was feeling doubt as I placed my intent for something I desire, I am actually placing the intent for both my desire and my doubt to manifest. Before I understood this I let the manifestation of my doubt cancel the intent for fulfillment of my desired thing.

My comment: there is more to this post, but too much to type..Bruce ends up saying something interesting here about attainment of a "feeling" of Pure Doubtless Intent. He concludes with this: "From that point it's just a matter of learning to re-experience that feeling while expressing a desire.
Happy exploring Lia, I'm sure you'll progress.

Lia wrote on Jan 12^th, 2008 at 6:41am:

Hello Lia...
Yes you are very fortunate to have people here to help you along.
Vicky, Spooky, and Alysia ALL posted some really good stuff.
I never thought of a Rubber Band as a way to think of Intent.
That helped ME! hehe!

So cool this forum is. (Geesh...that sounded like Yoda speaking didn't it? )

You might also like to read Robert Monroe's books too.  
I found they were very helpful for me when I started reading Bruce's books.
To me anyways...Bruce's books are an extention of Robert Monroe's books.
'Kinda' like in the Lord of the Rings where Bilbo started writing his book then passed it on to Frodo to write then Frodo passed it on to Sam.
'The Neverending Story' eh?

If money is a problem with getting Bruce's books then don't forget a public library.
I do not know if that is the case for you or not...just thought I would mention that.

It sounds like you did it Lia  !
All you have to do from now on is to get in this relaxed state (after a little while you won't need the HemiSync tape anymore) and simply remember the place you have been on your last "mind-journey", and you'll be there again. I recommend to write everything down in detail, as this will enhance greatly your memory and perception for your nonphysical journeys. By the way, "adjustments" is a favorite word of those nonphysical helpers it seems  .

Spooky

Vicky wrote on Jan 11^th, 2008 at 8:35pm:


I like this idea!

I remember when I was studying the theory of qigong, the daoit master said something like: "The movement of energy generally happen throught the day, when we move part of our body...  But the martial art artist don't wait thing to happen, he MAKES thing to happen! "

I would add my 2 cents...  Make thing happen (by intent), and after, allow it to happen   So the yin/yang will be balance 

That is fascinating Vicky.
Our daughter just had 4 wisdom teeth pulled Friday.

I asked her if she remembers anything. Nope.  She was OUT like a light.

I was hoping she might 'remember something'.  hehe!

Lia wrote on Jan 13^th, 2008 at 3:41am:


  Good to hear about your progress lately Lia.   I'm sure stuff will open up for you more and more.   

  Reading Monroes' books do tend to make one really want to experience a full blown OBE huh? I know i did after reading these books.   But like Bruce Moen and others have found, i realized that you don't need to go OBE like Monroe did in order to explore the nonphysical aspects of Consciousness.

  You could even say that going OBE, can actually limit what a person does experience and perceive in relation to those nonphysical aspects of consciousness..

This is because the OBE state of phasing, is in a sense vibrationally "closer" to the physical energies and vibrations, and that which is "physical" is inherently limiting in nature, or at least has tendencies towards limitation.   

  If you try and try to go OBE, and find that its just not happening for you, it may be that you are more intune with your faster vibrating Centers and bodies, and phase beyond the body that is primarily involved with the classic, Monroeian "out of body" experience.

  This can be (lack of full blown OBE like Monroe reported) actually a good sign, believe it or not.       So, i guess i'm saying is that if you an OBE like Monroe had and talked about it, great, but if not, no big deal either and please don't get hung up on needing to have one.   There are other ways, even more expanded ways to explore, though they may seem less "real" at first.   That latter part is only an illusion of perception.

   They may seem less real at first, because those experiences and perceptions take place at energy levels far beyond and much faster vibrating than the physical and etheric vibratory levels.   

  You could even say that those less "real" seeming experiences and perceptions are actually closer to the more real from a more expanded and detached perspective.   The faster the vibratory rate of an energy and consciousness, the closer it is to Source, because Source is the fastest vibrational energy and frequency state of being.    Hence, closer to true and undistorted Reality. 

  As Bruce teaches, and as others more in tune than he taught, remembering and focusing love, along with practicing principles of love in ones daily life,  is the best way to raise one's vibrational rate and expand ones perceptions and awareness.