Audio

[Universal traveler]

Hello everyone,

I have bought the Book by Belzebuub on Astral travel and Dreams and am now waiting for the next online course to start on October the 26th. I've read through the first 2 weeks and need to start doing the exercises. Something I've realized is that generally they are done without Audio, so practically in silence. its quite embarrassing, but I can't do it in silence, just like I can't sleep in silence (just a fear I have of hearing unwanted noises lol), so is there any kind of Audio that I could listen to?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully, Universal traveler.

[CFTraveler]

If by unwanted noises you mean astral noise or voices I hate to tell you they're part of the package when it comes to deep trance. You will eventually hear them whether you want to or not, and if this is going to scare you you may want to rethink your plans.
If you mean external noises I'd suggest earplugs (although then you'll hear your own heartbeat).
Another option would be to try an environmental tape (you know, one of those that sound like you're in the forest) but you have to be careful, because some of those have barely perceptible music in the background.

[Universal traveler]

Hello CFTraveler,

Your reply is much appreciated. Yes, I do mean external noises, I'm totally aware of the Astral noises, I get them almost every night when going to sleep, so I'm fine with them.

I guess I could listen to an environmental tape, and whats wrong if it has music in the background?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,
Universal traveler.

[CFTraveler]

whats wrong if it has music in the background?
Well, this is just a guess, but if in the course you are taking, if they specifically ask you to be 'in silence', if there is music in the background, and you recognize it, it will stimulate your memory and 'bring you back' to whatever it reminds you, distracting you. Another reason would be that you may start 'singing/humming along' with the music, again distracted from whatever exercise you're trying to do, especially if it's an 'empty mind' type of exercise.
However, if the exercises are not specified to be done any specific way regarding audio, I'd suggest you contact the instructor and clear up if it's ok or not.

[kiwibonga]

There are some fears you can avoid, but silence is not really one of them. It's a good idea to be in silence... And in pitch darkness... And to be so comfortable you cannot feel your body...

In terms of "volume" or "intensity," dreams, visions and projections are an infinitesimal part of what the brain processes and filters. They are like a person whispering inside a loud crowded room compared to all the information (sight, hearing, and touch) the brain receives.

Having background noise that you can't hear anymore is very different from actually being in complete silence. Any outside interference the brain filters is still going into the brain, and it prevents your mind from focusing out of the physical senses, so you really want to minimize it.

It's actually an interesting phenomenon that could explain why spontaneous astral projection during sleep is not much more commonplace. The more tired you get, the more the brain works to filter out what's around you. The more tired you are, the more likely you are to fall asleep in situations that normally would call out your attention. As hours pass, the brain shuts out more and more outside sensations; you start to feel almost anesthetized after a while. Coincidentally, the more tired you are, the more likely it is that you'll miss out on dreams and other experiences completely.

People who never dream are for the most part heavy sleepers; people who go very deep to sleep, and shut out an above average amount of interference. If you learn to sleep in comfortable, silent pitch darkness, you'll have lighter sleep, and then you can experience a lot more interesting stuff.

So if you go to sleep too tired too often, or sleep in a noisy/lit room, you'll mostly register experiences that cause a sharp emotional response, a response strong enough to step beyond your brain's filtering threshold, such as scary nightmares, and you'll filter out experiences where nothing threatening or particularly exhilarating happens -- even if they're not exciting, they may still be important dreams you don't want to miss.


By the way, I slept with a night light until the age of about 20, so I can relate. I started practicing astral projection and remembering a dream or more each night... At some point, I hit this patch of nightmares... Atomic bomb on Monday, my whole family killed on Tuesday, insect invasion on Wednesday, etc., up to the point where, after a while, I stopped being afraid in the nightmares; I would become lucid in them and take control instead of waking up abruptly... Next thing I know, I turn off the light before bed and the fear's not there anymore. It was completely gone. I also stopped looking behind me when walking upstairs from the basement. I never experienced one of these "holy crap, I just heard somebody walk downstairs" panic moments again.

My experience makes me think that nightmares are actually some of the best things that can happen to a person; they're opportunities to face and dissolve fears. If you're willing to let the nightmares happen, you can use them as "vaccines" against fear -- perhaps you'll have luck getting rid of your fear of silence this way.

The good thing is that when you process enough nightmares, they stop happening; the things that make you afraid on a daily basis do not occupy your mind anymore. Once you've processed the negative things, your dream mind starts focusing on the positive ones. It's just like taking care of all the things that stress you out in your everyday life so that you can spend more time pursuing happiness, rather than struggling to stay out of unhappiness.

Inviting nightmares is not easy, though... You can usually "pick dreams" (or at least the beginning of them) by starting a scenario while trancing, but picking a specific fear to work on is tricky... You might have to take on other fears before you get to the one you want...

If you have recurring themes, it can be a sign that you're having trouble processing the unexpected symbols you're receiving (and thus having trouble overcoming the problem they represent). So write about your dreams, identify the symbols, draw them, think about them often, "rehearse" them, and your mind will start dealing you new symbols; repeat until you break the recurring pattern, ensuring that you get new content each time.

That "dream therapy" option could probably help you... Or it could be an amazing waste of time... Maybe you could just try meditating in silence and see what happens instead :p

[/wall of text]

[Universal traveler]

Hello Kiwibonga,

Thanks a lot for your reply, it is much appreciated. In terms of my fear, I'm afraid of hearing Spirits, I make myself think that a Spirit is in the room, then in silence you have nothing to do but hear, so I'm afraid of hearing a whistle or a voice lol. And where you walked up from the Basement and thought you heard something, that is exactly like me. I guess you're right, I should probably try to eliminate the fear, even though I know that Spirits aren't specifically in my room or are trying to haunt me, when it comes to bed I can't except it, I need some noise, so I put the radio on. What do you think about CFTraveler's idea? Earplugs? Or is that cheating? I think that when I reach the Astral, I will defeat my fear then, I don't know why but I have a feeling, so what do you think about Earplugs? And I take it your against a Natural sounds tape?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,
Universal traveler.

[kiwibonga]

Earplugs work well, but as CF said, hearing your heartbeat can get annoying... You don't hear it at first, but as you get used to the silence, it becomes louder and louder... Like someone rubbing a q-tip in and out of your ears every 2 seconds... That's with airplane earplugs, though. I've heard about these wax earplugs that you can shape the way you want; they don't cause as much friction, so the heartbeat noise isn't as bothersome... Haven't tried yet, though...

By the way, silence is for optimal results, particularly when you begin... But perfect silence is never possible... So natural sounds are actually not bad at all... I have this little radio-box thing that plays repeating sounds like ocean surf, white noise, chirping crickets, etc., and it's very relaxing... It's just important that you choose a sound that is pleasant and doesn't call out your attention too much; if you're trying to fall asleep with the sound and at some point you feel like turning it off because it's keeping you awake, then that sound is probably detrimental.

What's really good is complete silence, but with noises every now and then. You want to be so relaxed you could fall asleep right there and then, but you want to avoid falling asleep too deeply. Having something like a beep every few minutes can act as a safeguard to prevent falling asleep, so you can really let yourself sink without worrying about drifting too far. Beeps get ineffective over time, though, because your brain tries to filter them to keep you asleep. Anyway, that's a whole 'nother technique :P

[Universal traveler]

Hello Kiwibonga,

I have found some natural sounds Cd's on Ebay and some others, I would really like your opinion on which one is best, am I allowed to post the links?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,
Universal traveler.

[kiwibonga]

Try finding the websites of the authors of those CDs, and see if you can listen to samples. It's preferable that you do not post links to Ebay, but feel free to post authors and titles, we'll google.

[Universal traveler]

Hello Kiwibonga,

Well if you Google Medwyn Goodall its the first website, then on the list on the left hand side go on Nature sounds, and there they all are.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,
Universal traveler.

[mreee]

Hello Universal traveler,
good to hear about your quests into the astral and its good you are engaged in courses.
You said it yourself in your recent reply: "I should probably try to eliminate the fear".
Fear can ruin everything and be an effective break when it comes to OBE'ing, but the worst is
the imagination running wild.
I bet you have been in this situation:
*hearing voices or sounds*, your imagination immediately make up stories of what those sounds
might come from. "is it spirits", "someone in the house", "are they after me?" ..... PANIC!

I call this the dark side of the monkey mind and you must learn to calm it down, when ever you encounter
such a scenario, be aware of it and watch your thoughts and try not to let them feed into an endless
string of associations. Just observe them and don't assign them any negative or positive emotions.
Just observe. If you give them feedback they will keep running and keep finding things to associate with.

If you cant help them comming, try concentrating on your breat and keep your mind occupied with that,
observe every in and out breath and only concentrate on that.
This way the mind is occupied, and with practice, it won't have time to persue negative thought patterns
(or any thought patterns for that matter).












Hello Kiwibonga,

Thanks a lot for your reply, it is much appreciated. In terms of my fear, I'm afraid of hearing Spirits, I make myself think that a Spirit is in the room, then in silence you have nothing to do but hear, so I'm afraid of hearing a whistle or a voice lol. And where you walked up from the Basement and thought you heard something, that is exactly like me. I guess you're right, I should probably try to eliminate the fear, even though I know that Spirits aren't specifically in my room or are trying to haunt me, when it comes to bed I can't except it, I need some noise, so I put the radio on. What do you think about CFTraveler's idea? Earplugs? Or is that cheating? I think that when I reach the Astral, I will defeat my fear then, I don't know why but I have a feeling, so what do you think about Earplugs? And I take it your against a Natural sounds tape?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,
Universal traveler.