Love is in the air

Ever notice that love is in the air? In other words, if it is your intention to feel good about yourself, then regardless of the conditions that arise, you find the silver lining and love yourself anyway. Deep down, you know you always do your best.  What occurs if you forget?

Well, if the outcome you expect doesn't always arise, you can remind yourself to accept that, be okay with it,  and move on.  Still stumble along the way? What if the state of your house, your relationships or life does not meet your expectations? What if you sometimes feel down?

Come what may, you can remind yourself that if you change the way you look at things, then what stares back at you seems to change. If you regard your situation through the eyes of fear, what you see reinforces that.  If you view through the lens of humour, love and acceptance,  you see everything is an means to uncover something new about yourself.  You also discover a sense of abundance and prosperity reflects back how you feel about yourself.

This said, you begin to see how you view things is itself a powerful tool. Everything arises from intention. Is yours loving or not? To make a positive difference in the lives of others and yourself, know a focus on love allows you to see abundance, and bright sides to everything.

"A gift consists not in what is done or given but in the intention of the giver or doer." - Seneca

7 Beginner's Tips for Intentional OBEs

Several techniques can be used for intentional out of body experiences (OBEs) also known as astral travel.  The rope technique is one of the most common and popular methods. Consider these 7 Tips for intentional OBEs:

1. Prepare the Mind

Make sure you are comfortable in a place you will not be disturbed and try to leave enough time so that you don’t have to think about time at all.

2. Feel Yourself Relax

It is best to be in a relaxed state of mind for astral travel, so you may like to meditate for ten minutes so that your Consciousness is open and receptive.

3. Allow Yourself to Almost Fall Asleep

It is best to practice astral travel when you are not too tired, otherwise, you may fall asleep! The goal is to feel as physically relaxed as possible while maintaining a wakeful mind.

If you do fall asleep, consciousness is shifting along a scale of dimensions.  Your physical eyes are closed, yet the dream mind sees.  As you grow more alert and aware of the out-of-body experience (OBE), you begin to sense the physical mind continues thinking and being while the projected double is split into an independent aspect. You can shift focus or point of consciousness out in front of the body, even above and beyond it.  More than one aspect of you is expanding on experience.

4. Notice Your Senses Sharpening

At this stage, you may notice mysterious visuals or sounds as well as sensations such as floating or falling. You may also feel slightly numb, which is exactly where you want to be.

It comes to your attention that the mind is recording more than one set of dream memories. In fact, you discover you can have two or more sets of memories for a single time period, that of the participant and the observer, and possibly other perspectives.  More than one set of dream memories co-exist.  As the projected double re-joins or re-integrates with the physical body, the strongest set of memories stand out.  Other, shadow memories also exist, but are often lost. 

Even now, you gain insight into a range of experiences from non-physical sight to projection. Mind's eye vision is revealing itself. The depth and complexity of dream recall sharpens as you practice, strengthen awareness, learn to keep OBEs short and train the mind so physical and projected aspects are aware and focused on each other. You see what you are ready to accept.

5. Visualize a Silver Cord

Now imagine a silver rope dangling from the ceiling, just within your reach. Spend some time visualizing this rope in detail, to the point where you can imagine what it will feel like.

6. Attempt to Grab the Rope with Your Astral Hand

Instead of diving right in and trying to astral project your whole body immediately, simply begin with one limb. Focus on reaching out to the rope and grabbing it with your astral hand.

7. Allow the Rest of Your Body to Follow

After you have successfully gripped the cord with your astral hand, feel the rest of your astral body rise from your physical form, and begin to climb the rope. It may seem heavier or lighter than usual to lift yourself.

Ultimately, it can take practice to master OBEs at will, but with persistence and discipline, travel anywhere is possible. If you don’t succeed the first time, or have lapses in your progress, encourage yourself to keep it up.  Conscious visits through astral realms are closer than you imagine.

"Men are the dreams of a shadow." - Pindar (Ancient Greek lyrical poet)

Beyond the blinding flash

Beyond the blinding flash of insight are stepping stones. Rather than assume one pivotal moment, event or milestone is it, you are invited to love openly, come what may. Trust in the universe, in whatever you are doing or not doing.  Trust in time so you don't dwell on it; trust in whatever is this great process that is working in you, making its own way to fulfillment, and get out of the way as much as you can.  You come to see what truly matters on your own, and find yourself by yourself.  Notice what captures your attention and seems significant only at different stages of your life.

In essence, you can only ultimately rely on yourself.  You can reach out for guidance during your journey and come to notice everything points back to your own inner knowing.   The quieter you become, the more you hear.  True freedom can’t be taken away because it reveals itself as ever-present upon awakening. One knows that in whatever situation unfolds, inner life is always free.

"Just think of the trees: they let the bords perch and fly, with no intention to call them when they come and no longing for their return when they fly away.  If people's hearts can be like the trees, they will not be off The Way." - Langya

The noblest work

The mental dream prompts you to focus on external drama, imbalance or confusion. As you step back and observe your life, you lose interest in deciphering thoughts, emotions and resistance.  Consciousness flows all around you.  As you let go of what no longer serves you, you lose yourself in stillness.  Feelings of joy arise spontaneously.  The radiance of perfect life stands out to you.

To release yourself from the drama is to sense you float above it.  What does it feel like to taste life in ways you cannot recall doing before? As you become aware of how you feel in all interactions you have with the external world, you can surrender into a heavenly place where soul abides in mutual respect with all life.  As you let go of everything you are taught to think is important, a nurturing feeling and light fill you completely.  Multiple dimensions of reality reveal themselves to you.  Each of them draws attention to timeless blessings.  Unconditional love is expressing itself through you.  Awakening opens doorways to infinity.  Expansion does not end.  There is no final destination.

"The stages of the Noble Path are: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration." - Buddha

"The noblest work is to cultivate the soul." - Sadhu Vaswani

Direct knowing is here

You dare to see for yourself what the world inspires you to explore.  You do not have to embrace one possibility at the exclusion of another.  No experience invalidates another.  None is lesser or greater. They are all equal.  Only the inner judge invites you to create hierarchies or tune into a disharmonious frequency.  This blocks direct knowing.  The energy radiating through your form simply invites you to see and experience life in different ways.  How you respond is up to you.  

The truth and the way it manifests is completely unique for each person.   The truth is a pointer to seeing itself.  Seeing does not see illusion.  As you simply see experience, you are in a state of natural balance, harmony, equality. It is a state of fearlessness that is ever-present and accessible when you do not look away.  Look more deeply into experience to see which aspects of self do not change in time and which parts of you are in no way limited or obscured by experience.  Everything invites you to discover the reality of love. This arises as you see clearly, without conditions, through the divine lens of equality. If you are tempted to see through mental filters, shift focus.  Look again.

To be free of all forms of understanding is the end of inner doubt, the end of the need to understand.  Everything you discover about yourself is an ally or a doorway into a true aspect of inner being.  Notice what doubt invites you to do.  Doubt is an opportunity to face the most vulnerable parts of yourself.  The flip side of doubt is the innocence within that reaches out to be loved and accepted.  Do not fear losing what you give, or losing what you let in or being rejected.  Love without question.  Being true to yourself is attuning to that which you cannot explain and letting go of all resistance.

"The final freedom is freedom from the need for certainty." - Matt Kahn