Extreme lonliness and isolation.

[Lord Of Time]

Hello chaps and chapesses :)

Wasn't too sure where to post this. I think it vaguely falls into this category. Anyhow...

Does anyone else feel really, really lonely? I occasionally get hit with bouts of acute loneliness.

I used to experience infrequent spontaneous OOBE in childhood but they stopped just before I hit puberty. In my late teens I'd experience the hypnagogic trance and falling sensation before waking up from sleep. Now in adulthood, whenever I attempt projection, I hit this wall of absolute fear. I recoil from it and try to “get back to reality” (whatever that is). Since turning forty, I've been experiencing these feelings of extreme loneliness. I could be in a crowded pub or at work or lying in bed in the middle of the night.

I'm currently reading “Cosmic Journey” by Rosalind McKnight. I won't go into the background story, but anyone interested should check out the Amazon synopsis. I'm finding it such an absorbing read that I take one chapter at a time and re-read it if necessary.

In an early chapter McKnight mentions in one of her OOB states: “I was suspended in a space of absolute stillness and isolation. An eerie feeling came over me, and I knew then what it would be like to be the last person on earth!...I seemed completely lost in an endless space. I experienced a sense of separation from all my earthly support systems.” Later she says, “One night while sleeping, I remember moving out into the expansiveness and darkness of outer space. I felt called toward the unknown, and to the stars beyond...I was frightened – even petrified – because I was being drawn away from any familiar territory”.

This is pretty much how I feel at times. I'm not particularly religious and don't subscribe to the Abrahamic, patriarchal view of god as a detached old man living in the clouds, but I do believe in God as a force – an energy of Love. Whenever I get an attack of isolation, I repeat in my head “I am a temple of God and the spirit of God lives within me.”

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts or opinions? I'd be most grateful :) .

[Tutor]

keep empty that which fills. live life in a relative manner, pouring you out amongst loved ones and folks in general. trust inward of your faith established allowing unique works free expression as you being true to yourself. no need to impress upon anyone, just being you, true to your unique self is enough. might seem as eccentrically nutty to most, however, you will discover that god mixes nuts in god's way.

when we are filled allowing no outflow, we inadvertantly cause the state of being engorged. this state feels as isolation and loneliness, and many other negative feeling. we are created to freely relate through our unique expressions, and when this is withheld and not consistently allowed to empty, we cannot but feel dis-engaged.

beyond this, i'd have to get all mystically poetic. but, i aint presently feeling it. i'm all emptied out at the moment.

as a contemplative, one requires much balance/stability. too much of a good thang is too much of a good thang. i generally practice a plan of life as per the cisterican monastic order, as it entails a wide range of activitys, even inaction (down time), to insure that crucial balance. i dont always maintain a balance, but i practice, ya know.

but this is relative to another thread on energy work. when the circuit is full, why is it full, if not to be allowed emptiness. it is a circuit, built to endure the contractions of open and closing, filling and emptying. consistency of balance vs. erupting incontenence

consider the liver, the storehouse of what the body needs. but if it is filled too abundantly with an inefficient moving need which is otherwise good for us, then the liver becomes ill at ease, suffers, is diseased, and begins to falter, even cease functioning.

tim

Lay-Cistercian plan for life:

Prayer/Meditation

Study

Work

Modification of Life-Style (Conversion of Manners): under this heading falls

1.Silence 2.Solitude 3.Simplicity 4.Stability 5.Service - all of which are the wholeness of one as contemplatively encompassing their day's total call

every breath is that which lives, living the life true to their own self, as they presently are.

[wstein]

Lord of Time, perhaps you should adjust the speed of your clock :wink:

[Korpo]

Hello, Lord of Time.

About the "wall of absolute fear" - I investigated fear problems of my own recently, too. I had a series of dreams that related to the topic of OBE-related fear, gradually releasing it. With the first ones I was still upset and afraid when I woke up. The more recent ones contained an element of fear, but none while waking up. So I know something is "processed out of my system" during my dreams.

In fact, the dream content hints at OBE-related fears from my childhood, because the topic of "fearing something in the basement" keeps on repeating. The basement was the focus of my childhood fears, but might also be a symbol for fears having to do with psychic abilities.

As for the loneliness - the spontaneous bouts you describe I take special note of. During my early meditation practice there was a phase were I would encounter spontaneous bouts of emotion, sometimes extreme. They would occur most often after practising, like half an hour after. It took me some time to make a connection, actually.

It seems like I had opened something within which then was spontaneously releasing. And this is what your description reminds me of - spontaneous, sometimes really strong releases of material. They seem to have no acute or visible cause, if you're upset you don't really know why. Can even happen for happiness and hilarity! When starting to make the connection I started to ground more, but also knowing what it was seemed to help. I also guess it simply lost strength after a while, can't say which helped most.

So, if you have within you unreleased feelings of loneliness or desolation, these might spontaneously resurface. Your system is trying to release them, but to you it might seem like they are happening now. They are re-experienced and the connection to earlier experiences is not always apparent.

When this happens, it might helpful to know why it happens. What practices are you doing, if any? What are your intentions? Is there something you are trying to achieve?

If for example your intent is to learn to project, and you have a long-held fear of doing so, the intent can cause a release to happen in order to work through what is preventing you from attaining your goal.

Cheers,
Oliver

[Lord Of Time]

keep empty that which fills. live life in a relative manner, pouring you out amongst loved ones and folks in general. trust inward of your faith established allowing unique works free expression as you being true to yourself. no need to impress upon anyone, just being you, true to your unique self is enough. might seem as eccentrically nutty to most, however, you will discover that god mixes nuts in god's way.

when we are filled allowing no outflow, we inadvertantly cause the state of being engorged. this state feels as isolation and loneliness, and many other negative feeling. we are created to freely relate through our unique expressions, and when this is withheld and not consistently allowed to empty, we cannot but feel dis-engaged.

beyond this, i'd have to get all mystically poetic. but, i aint presently feeling it. i'm all emptied out at the moment.

as a contemplative, one requires much balance/stability. too much of a good thang is too much of a good thang. i generally practice a plan of life as per the cisterican monastic order, as it entails a wide range of activitys, even inaction (down time), to insure that crucial balance. i dont always maintain a balance, but i practice, ya know.

but this is relative to another thread on energy work. when the circuit is full, why is it full, if not to be allowed emptiness. it is a circuit, built to endure the contractions of open and closing, filling and emptying. consistency of balance vs. erupting incontenence

consider the liver, the storehouse of what the body needs. but if it is filled too abundantly with an inefficient moving need which is otherwise good for us, then the liver becomes ill at ease, suffers, is diseased, and begins to falter, even cease functioning.

tim

Lay-Cistercian plan for life:

Prayer/Meditation

Study

Work

Modification of Life-Style (Conversion of Manners): under this heading falls

1.Silence 2.Solitude 3.Simplicity 4.Stability 5.Service - all of which are the wholeness of one as contemplatively encompassing their day's total call

every breath is that which lives, living the life true to their own self, as they presently are.

I think it's just a case of not allowing myself to be afraid of silence as I'm so accustomed with all the day-to-day noise and vibration one associates with the physical world. That intermediate phase between the physical and astral is alien to my ego/earth-programmed conscious mind and is a bit of a stumbling block, I feel :oops:

[Lord Of Time]

Hello, Lord of Time.

What practices are you doing, if any? What are your intentions? Is there something you are trying to achieve?

If for example your intent is to learn to project, and you have a long-held fear of doing so, the intent can cause a release to happen in order to work through what is preventing you from attaining your goal.

Cheers,
Oliver
I'm meditating, but you've just made me realise that I've been being a bit half-hearted about it. Rather than be relaxed, disciplined and focused, I've been scatter-brained and lazy. My mind gets distracted and I lose the original intent of what I set out to do.

I think my fears are essentially physical-plane related; I fear not having money and growing old and alone - this terrifies me more than anything astral. I don't necessarily fear death, but I do fear the dying process. Having to go through that tunnel and coming out the other side. I think, I've been over-fixated on this small but important detail. I usually experience my conscious mind shrinking under enormous pressure and I can't see the “bigger picture” i.e., my consciousness coming out the “other end” and experiencing an OOBE.

[Lord Of Time]

Lord of Time, perhaps you should adjust the speed of your clock :wink:

Yeah, I think I just need a new watch battery :) .

[GRANT]

Hi,

I get bouts of lonliness sometimes. I think, sometimes, we just need someone to talk to or to relax with; to share our newfound knowledge of the expansion of the mind. When I learned how to project, there was no-one to discuss it with, who would understand that it does happen. So, many times I try to relax at night and there's no one to share thoughts or whatever.

GOD is always there to talk to.

I know lonliness can make one sad. When it happens, move your awareness to other areas of your mind----------

Grant

[Originalstar]

You can change the way you react and the types of states your mind and soul want to go into by cultivating them like you would any habit.

Try researching the positive attitudes of the different chakra emotes and bringing them into your daily life, adn at least once a day in a relaxed concentrated manner.

I'll give you ideas to start off with.

Earth is a relaxed, sorta regal chakra. Think of a silver back gorilla. Those suckers are heavy, and strong beyond measure. They move slowly and feel their weight. They don't have a problem showing their prescence. Being able to laugh, feeling empowered and relaxed. Moving slowly knowing that what your doing is right and not being afraid to step on toes. Feel your body, really feel it, try squats and walking/running up and down stairs and get into that heavy feeling of your bones and body. Feel YOUR space and feel comforted and relaxed and strong.

Now take this earthy feeling and add Joy. - Mix it with laughther, maybe you saw something on Youtube and it made you laugh and smile. Take these feelings and let them expand in your body. Do it every day, do it whenever you can think of it, smile as often as possible.

You can really change how your brain/body reacts and feels with enough practice like this. I've even felt the rush of chemicals in my brain release after really getting it right. Run energy thorugh your body when you feel this good, it helps cement the feelings. Hell Shake and do quick squats too, it can help shake out the bad chi and make room for the new, or even spontaneous movement.

Good luck.

[Blackbird]

While on holliday I took to me the task to read the complete series of the teachings of Don Juan from Carlos Casteneda.
Now I always skipped this series because after reading the first book I thought it was commercial stuff but then I noticed it is laced with some small truths in between.

Reading your post I remembered something that I had read and maybe it helps, who knows?

From the book: The Fire Within

In the life of warriors it is extremely natural to be sad for no overt reason. Seers say that the luminous egg, as a field of energy, senses its final destination whenever the boundaries of the known are broken. A mere glimpse of the eternity outside the cocoon is enough to disrupt the coziness of our inventory. The resulting melancholy is sometimes so intense that it can bring about death. The best way to get rid of melancholy is to make fun of it.
There is nothing more lonely than eternity. And nothing is more cozy for us than to be a human being. This indeed is another contradiction--how can man keep the bonds of his humanness and still venture gladly and purposefully into the absolute loneliness of eternity? Whenever you resolve this riddle, you'll be ready for the definitive journey.
The new seers have found that the only thing that counts is impeccability. That is, freed energy.

Pull yourself together and don't fight your fear, roll with it. Be afraid without being terrified. Put all your concentration on the midpoint of your body--a true center of energy in all of us. Fear does not exist as soon as the glow of awareness moves beyond a certain threshold inside man's cocoon.

[CFTraveler]

While on holliday I took to me the task to read the complete series of the teachings of Don Juan from Carlos Casteneda.
Now I always skipped this series because after reading the first book I thought it was commercial stuff but then I noticed it is laced with some small truths in between.

Reading your post I remembered something that I had read and maybe it helps, who knows?

From the book: The Fire Within

In the life of warriors it is extremely natural to be sad for no overt reason. Seers say that the luminous egg, as a field of energy, senses its final destination whenever the boundaries of the known are broken. A mere glimpse of the eternity outside the cocoon is enough to disrupt the coziness of our inventory. The resulting melancholy is sometimes so intense that it can bring about death. The best way to get rid of melancholy is to make fun of it.
There is nothing more lonely than eternity. And nothing is more cozy for us than to be a human being. This indeed is another contradiction--how can man keep the bonds of his humanness and still venture gladly and purposefully into the absolute loneliness of eternity? Whenever you resolve this riddle, you'll be ready for the definitive journey.
The new seers have found that the only thing that counts is impeccability. That is, freed energy.

Pull yourself together and don't fight your fear, roll with it. Be afraid without being terrified. Put all your concentration on the midpoint of your body--a true center of energy in all of us. Fear does not exist as soon as the glow of awareness moves beyond a certain threshold inside man's cocoon. Wonderful quote, Blackbird. I may steal it one day.

[Originalstar]

Those are opposite sides of the same coin, actually that is the negetive side of Void. A good way to combat this is to open up a sense of wonderment and direct it to your thoughts of this expansiveness and endlesness. Wonder and awe are the positive sides of void and if cultivated can greatly assist you. Physically you can let your jaw drop open and let yourself fall into this state.One way of assisting it along can be to watch something on youtube that fills you with this from the start.Keep the humor, the articlde is right when it says to be playful. This is a part of your existence and it can be experienced on either side of the polarity.