"What
are the prerequisites for inducing an OBE?"
Many of the
inducing methods use as a starting point techniques
designed to improve the novice's powers of
relaxation, imagery, and concentration. The ideal
state appears to be one of physical relaxation, or
even catalepsy, combined with mental alertness.
One of the easiest ways to relax is to use
progressive muscular relaxation. In outline this
technique consists of starting with the muscles of
the feet and ankles and alternately tensing and
relaxing them, then going on up the muscles of the
calves and thighs, the torso, arms, neck and face,
until all the muscles have been contracted and
relaxed. Done carefully this procedure leads to
fairly deep relaxation within a few minutes, and
with practice it becomes easier.
Relaxation usually leads to state of paralysis or
catalepsy. When you go to sleep, your brain
deactivates the mechanism by which you are able to
use your limbs, so that you become incapable of
physical activity corresponding to your dream
images when you dream. Quite a few people have
found themselves in this paralysis state as soon as
they have gotten up after sleeping.
The first type of paralysis, known as 'type A,' is
a condition encountered when approaching a deeper
layer of consciousness from a light trance state.
The second, type B paralysis, is the reverse of
type A, in that it happens during the return home
to physical reality. The first type A 'paralysis'
goes something like this:
"Mmmmmm....
I know I am awake; I can think ..... Mmmmmmm but
my body is asleep ..." (Robert Monroe labelled
it Focus 10 consciousness)
"Wait a minute here, there is something going on
here, I just can't seem to...."
"Yes, I can't seem to move my limbs; they seemed
to be laden with lead, why can't I move at all?
Hey, what's happening here! (Panic!)"
A typical type B
'paralysis' goes something like this:
"Mmmmm...
I am feeling groggy, absolutely. What was that
just now, oh, it must be some dream..."
"Mmmm...... hang on a minute, was that a noise I
heard? It must have come from the door... I need
to check it out, could be a burglar..... but I
am so tired... and sleepy..."
"I need to wake up, it could be important....
Hey, I can't seem to wake up, why are my legs
not waking up, why can't my hands respond?"
"PANIC!!! I need to wake up!!! I don't want to
die... I need to exert more will on this... Hey,
body, wake up, eyes open, ... WAKE UP!"
"Gosh, NOW, I can move my limbs, I am awake now,
body covered with perspiration, sitting at the
edge of the bed, wondering why just now I simply
couldn't wake up..."
"Phew -- Thank goodness, it is finally over. Am
I glad to be back to the familiar physical
environment."
However, type A
paralysis is the type that should not be resisted;
if the person can allow himself to 'go with the
flow,' then some kind of altered state of
consciousness is bound to happen, which is what the
person is hoping to achieve anyway.
Many astral travelers have stressed the importance
of clear imagery or visualization for inducing OBEs
and of course imagery training forms an important
part of magical development. Progressive methods of
imagery training are often described in magical and
occult books, and helpful guidance can be found in
Conway's occult primer [Con72], and in
Brennan's 'Astral doorways' [Bre71]. Most
involve starting with regular practice at
visualizing simple geometrical shapes and then
progressing to harder tasks such as imagining
complex three-dimensional forms, whole rooms and
open scenery.
Practice 1:
Read the description slowly and then try to imagine
each stage as you go along: Imagine an orange. It
is resting on a blue plate and you want to eat it.
You dig your nail into the peel and tear some of it
away. You keep pulling on the peel until all of it,
and most of the pith, is lying in a heap on the
plate. Now separate the orange into segments, lay
them on the plate as well, and then eat one.
If this task doesn't make your mouth water, and if
you cannot feel the juice which squirts from the
orange, and smell its tang then you do not have
vivid or trained imagery. Try it again, the colors
should be bright and vivid and the shapes and forms
clear and stable. With practice at this and similar
tasks your imagery will improve until you may
wonder how it could ever have been so poor.
Practice 2:
This is a rather harder one: Visualize a disc,
half white and half black. Next imagine it spinning
about its center, speeding up and then slowing
down, and stopping. Next imagine the same disc in
red, but as it spins it changes through orange,
yellow, green, blue and violet. Finally you may
care to try two discs side by side spinning in
opposite directions and changing color in
opposition too.
Other useful skills are concentration and control.
Not only do you need to be able to produce vivid
imagery, but also to abolish all imagery from your
mind, to hold images as long as you want and to
change them as you want, both quickly and slowly.
Practice 3:
Brennan suggests trying to count, and only to
count. The instant another thought comes to mind
you must stop and go back to the beginning. If you
get to about four or five you are doing well, but
you are almost certain to be stopped by such
thoughts as 'this is easy, I've got to three
already,' or 'I wonder how long I have to go on.'
All these skills, relaxation, imagery and
concentration, are suggested again and again as
necessary for inducing an OBE at will. Other aids
include posture. If you lie down you might fall
asleep, although Muldoon [MC29] advocates
this position. On the other hand discomfort will
undoubtedly interfere with the attempt. Therefore
an alert, but comfortable posture is best. Some
have suggested that it is best not to eat for some
hours before and to avoid any stress, irritation or
negative emotions.
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