forestofclarity

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Posts posted by forestofclarity

  1. Posted

    I've had an on-again, off-again (mostly off-again) interest in Astral Projection. None of the techniques have ever worked for me. Interestingly, this one is not entirely dissimilar from certain instructions related to dark retreat. Anyone try this or something similar? 

     

    Video: 

     

     

    Transcript (polished by ChatGPT): 

     

    Let’s be honest: most of what we see online about astral projection is fluff. Rope techniques, climbing ladders, “five easy steps guaranteed to get you out in 10 minutes”—it’s all nonsense. A lot of these people have never actually done it. They’re just repeating something they’ve read in a forum because it gets clicks.

     

    But here’s the truth: astral projection isn’t instant. It isn’t easy. It isn’t necessarily difficult either, but you can’t fake your way into it. Yet it is real. And in this video, I’ll show you how it actually works based on my own personal experience. This is a detailed explanation, but every part of it is important. If you’re serious about learning this, I urge you to stay with me until the end.

     

    So let’s get into it.

    The Big Reframe

    The first thing to understand is this: astral projection isn’t weird or unnatural. You already do it every single night. When you fall asleep, your body shuts down, but your awareness continues. That’s what dreaming is—an unconscious form of astral projection, the human brain interpreting experiences of your true self.

     

    The difference here is awareness. Astral projection is simply staying awake while the body falls asleep. Instead of being swept away into dream imagery, you remain the observer—the witness.

     

    You don’t force it. You don’t make it happen. You let the natural process unfold while keeping that flame of awareness alive. The truth is, your conscious awareness never actually sleeps. The body sleeps, the mind quiets down, emotions fade—but the silent witness, the eternal eye, is always awake.

     

    If you learn to rest there, you can follow the shift directly as it happens. That’s astral projection. It’s not something new. It’s something you already do—only now you’re paying attention.

    Foundation

    Before you can astral project, you need a foundation—and that foundation is meditation.

     

    If you can’t sit still, calm your thoughts, and relax deeply, you’ll never reach the state you need. Astral projection isn’t a quick hack; it’s a skill, like building strength or learning an instrument. It takes practice, patience, and consistency.

     

    Step one is learning how to relax so deeply that the body feels heavy, almost unreal.

     

    Step two is learning to watch your thoughts without getting pulled into them.

     

    This is why meditation is essential. It teaches you how to sit in the observer state—the exact state you’ll carry into projection.

     

    Skip it and you’ll struggle. Do the groundwork and you’ll have a real foundation. I cannot stress this enough.

    The Method: Entering the Observer State

    Now, here’s the real method.

     

    Lie on your back with your arms and legs comfortably spread apart, palms facing upward. Yes, you can do this in any position, but ritual sets intention, and your subconscious recognizes, Ah, we’re doing this now.

     

    Close your eyes. Shift your awareness into the mind’s eye, as if you’re looking from behind your thoughts and feelings. This is sometimes called pineal gazing.

     

    Now just watch.

     

    Colors, lights, and patterns will flicker behind your eyelids. Don’t judge them. Don’t control them. Just observe. It should feel as though you’re trying to look through your eyelids.

     

    Over time, those flickers grow into vivid scenes. It’s like watching static on a TV slowly form into a movie—and then realizing you can step inside the screen. The flat blackness behind your eyelids begins shifting into a three-dimensional space, like being in a pitch-black room where you can’t quite see but can sense the volume of the space.

     

    Then come the sensations: vibrations, buzzing, floating, rocking, or sinking. These aren’t obstacles; they’re signs your body is falling asleep while your awareness remains awake. Stay calm. Let them happen. Don’t judge.

     

    It can feel frightening to beginners, but no matter how intense it becomes, you are in no danger. These are the same natural processes your body goes through every night—only now you’re conscious of them.

     

    Eventually, you’ll feel a shift—a snap, a pop, or just a sudden change.

     

    That’s the moment you’re out.

     

    You don’t “float” out—you’re simply out. You switch states between human and eternal witness in an instant. You feel more awake and alive than you ever have before.

     

    It is not the dreamy, vague feeling people expect. If it is, you’ve entered a lucid dream instead.

    Lucid Dreams: The Gateway

    Here’s something almost nobody tells you: before you get full astral projection, you’ll often hit lucid dreams first. Many people even mistake lucid dreaming for astral projection.

     

    A lucid dream is like a halfway house—half awake, half asleep. But from there, you can transition directly into projection.

     

    This happened to me in my early journeys. I realized mid-dream, Wait—this isn’t projection. This is a lucid dream. And instantly—bam—I was back in my bedroom, outside my body. There was no break in consciousness. One moment I was dreaming, the next I was fully out.

     

    And that’s when I understood something visceral: the witness never sleeps.

     

    There is no separation between waking, dreaming, or projecting. Only the body sleeps. Consciousness is always creating, always experiencing.

     

    When you see this directly, it can be terrifying at first. You realize you are not the body, not the ego—just awareness itself. It shatters the belief that waking life is real and dreams are illusory. That can be frightening, but it’s a necessary truth on any spiritual path.

    What NOT to Do

    This is where most people go wrong. They search for techniques—climbing a rope, rolling out, jumping off a swing, and so on. These tricks keep you stuck in imagination. You’re so busy pretending to climb a rope that you miss the actual process unfolding naturally.

     

    Astral projection isn’t about muscling your way out. It’s about letting go—letting the body sleep while you remain the witness.

     

    Don’t waste time on gimmicks. Keep it simple: relax and allow.

    Set, Setting, and Spiritual Preparation

    There’s another part of astral projection that doesn’t get talked about enough: your state of being.

     

    Astral projection isn’t just a mechanical trick. It’s like psychedelics—what you bring to the experience shapes what you find there.

     

    Your mindset, lifestyle, and habits all manifest when you’re out of body. If you’re anxious, depressed, addicted, or neglecting yourself, you’ll bring those energies into the astral, and they’ll take form.

     

    That’s why some people encounter demons, reptilians, archons, or other malevolent beings. They think the astral is dangerous when it’s really reflecting what they carry inside.

     

    You are the creator of your own reality. In the astral, that truth becomes immediate and unavoidable.

    So it’s vitally important to clean up your life as best you can. Cultivate a spiritual practice. Take care of your body and mind. Recognize your own power, because in the astral, that power is immediate.

     

    You can create anything.

     

    The difference between a nightmare, a confusing dream, or a conscious, godlike exploration of reality comes down to what you bring with you. Set and setting matter—and your inner world is everything.

    Words of Encouragement

    Astral projection isn’t easy or instant, but it’s real. The more you practice, the stronger the observer becomes. Every time you lie down and meditate, you sharpen the awareness that makes projection possible.

     

    And when it finally happens, you’ll know. It won’t feel like imagination. It will feel like stepping out of one room and into another—more real than your human life has ever felt. That’s when the real exploration begins.

     

    If you try this method, share your experiences. The only proof that matters is your own direct experience.

     

    Thank you for watching. Until next time.

     

     

  3. Posted

    Generally goes from life to life is the subtle mind part of the mind (i.e. the storehouse consciousness or alaya vijnana or bhavanga citta or other terms depending on the school), but it is not a permanent, unitary, independent self. Rather, it is an afflicted consciousness. 

     

    As the Dalai Lama XIV puts it:

     

    A: ...If one understands the term "soul" as a continuum of individuality from moment to moment, from lifetime to lifetime, then one can say that Buddhism also accepts a concept of soul; there is a kind of continuum of consciousness. From that point of view, the debate on whether or not there is a soul becomes strictly semantic. However, in the Buddhist doctrine of selflessness, or "no soul" theory, the understanding is that there is no eternal, unchanging, abiding, permanent self called "soul." That is what is being denied in Buddhism.

     

    from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

    • Thanks 1

  4. Posted

    16 hours ago, Tommy said:

    It is nothing like taking a college course?

     

    I think the level analogy may be misleading, because it implies there is something to gain. I like the melting analogy (this is in classic Zen literature, such as Hakuin and Chinul)  better because it captures the process a bit more precisely in my mind. A few points:

     

    1. It is not either/or, it is a spectrum. Melting ice takes time, but there are certainly degrees. 

    2. It is about relaxing and letting go rather than picking something up. We have everything we already need, there is not something new to add. Rather, it is about opening and expanding more than anything. 

    3. The process is natural refines the more you do it. At first, it may be very gross, very conceptual, very effortful. These tend to reduce naturally on their own with practice. 

     

    Ice is ice. A rough block sitting outside and a finely sculpted castle  look very different, and function very differently, but their nature is the same. 

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    16 hours ago, Tommy said:

    It is nothing like taking a college course?

     

    I think the level analogy may be misleading, because it implies there is something to gain. I like the melting analogy (this is in classic Zen literature, such as Hakuin and Chinul)  better because it captures the process a bit more precisely in my mind. A few points:

     

    1. It is not either/or, it is a spectrum. Melting ice takes time, but there are certainly degrees. 

    2. It is about relaxing and letting go rather than picking something up. We have everything we already need, there is not something new to add. Rather, it is about opening and expanding more than anything. 

    3. The process is natural refines the more you do it. At first, it may be very gross, very conceptual, very effortful. These tend to reduce naturally on their own with practice. 

     

    Ice is ice. A rough block sitting outside and a finely sculpted castle  look very different, and function very differently, but their nature is the same. 

     

     

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  8. Posted

    I'm not sure that it is a matter of finding the right system per se, but finding the right teacher for you (whoever you are, not necessarily OP). What works for some doesn't always work for others. A lot of people tend to agree that wuji is a great starting point along with some other moving exercise. Of course, developing a proper wuji posture can take a while. 

     

    Having said that, I think the qi sensations arise automatically through the coming together of two elements: open attention and a relaxed body. I would say at first, the sensations can be very light-- tingling, heat, coolness, lightness, heaviness. Over time, the sensations may become quite defined with specific lines, points, and structures. For me, a lot of qi-type stuff happened on its own during Buddhist type retreats. But it doesn't necessarily become "undeniable" for some period of time. 

     

    If I had to suppose, most people could likely develop initial, light qi sensations by placing their attention in their resting, unmoving hand in a relaxed way after the sun goes down. It seems like it can be dismissed, but the sensations tend to develop over a long period of time into something more concrete that can actually have measurable effects. 

     

    As a variation, here is another common exercise: 

     

     

     

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  9. Posted

    I see it more as a meta-theory about how magic works. Basically, it puts the center of power in the individual instead of external authorities or powers, such as God, gods, planets, archons, correspondences, etc. So if you can invoke a proper state of mind summoning Cthulhu, it doesn't matter whether or not here is an external being that matches it. 

     

    I don't think it (or any magical system) generally works because I don't think most people honestly think it will work. I think the mental habits need to be a bit more fluid than average. 

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  12. Posted

    On 10/29/2025 at 9:55 PM, bdg said:

    I've been practicing medical Qigong for several decades, but new to the sexual energetic side of the practice. 

     

    I read Mantak chia, but it seems some here disagree. 

     

    Can you provide some links regarding what is recommended as a better path?

     

    I will be honest, I have not heard of any sexual practice that either did not require many years of intense preparation or was a complete disaster. Sexual energy is just too hot and caught up with clinging. 

     

    The main issue with Chia is the energy he is using (post-arousal) and the way he conducts his circulation with force and intent. Many people coming through this board over the years have had a lot of issues with his stuff. 

  16. Posted

    I agree with what Luke said, it depends on the relationship between therapist and patient. A lot of traditional teachers have discovered that Western psychological treatments can be helpful to forming a healthy ego which, ironically, is often considered a prerequisite to transcending it. 

     

     A lot of traditional teachings were developed in much different circumstances. 

    • Like 4

  17. Posted

    3 hours ago, Taomeow said:

    I'd start very simple though, with just trying to get some answers to your real life questions and see how helpful (or not) you find what the I Ching tells you. 

     

    That makes sense. That is how I generally started to familiarize myself with the Tarot back in the day. 

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    17 hours ago, Taomeow said:

    I have a collection of several (translations and explanations), could recommend some of them if you're interested. 

     

    I'd be interested. I'm starting to think that the Yijing is more foundational than the Dao De Jing. Also, how would one approach it? Would it make more sense to familiarize with the foundational hexagrams first? 

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  21. Posted

    On 11/8/2025 at 8:04 AM, Forestgreen said:

    I interpret this from the theravada abhidamma theory, which makes it comprehensible and in line with my experience during practice.
    I find this slightly too abstract in it self though.

     

    I'm not sure the Abhidharma covers it. I think the pre-celestial has more in common with Mahayana and especially Chan teachings (the original face before you were born, the one mind of Huangbo, etc.). The way I see it, is if it has form, shape, texture, color, taste, etc., if you can get ahold of it in any way, you're already into the creation side of things and so it should be let go of. I find it useful because the mind seems to find an endless supply of subtler and subtler objects it likes to try to cling to. 

     

    It reminds me of the Chan story:

     

    Huineng: "I have something which has no head or tail. It is nameless and can't be described. It has no back and no front. Do any of you know what this is?"

    Shenhui then said, "It is the source of all things. It is the Buddhanature of Shenhui."
    Huineng responds, "I said it has no name and no description. How can you say it is the source of Buddha Nature?"

     

    But maybe I'm distorting Daoism via a Buddhist lens. TBD. 

  23. Posted

    Quote

    The fundamental nature of prior heaven is empty, primordial qi. In short, it is emptiness, that is all.

     

    Huang Yuanji, from Taoist Internal Alchemy, trans Mattias Daly, p.35

     

    Quote

    Using two traditional Chinese terms, the unconditioned and conditioned domains are respectively defined as precelestial (or prior to Heaven, xiantian, lit. “before Heaven”) and postcelestial (or posterior to Heaven, houtian, lit. “after Heaven”). The postcelestial domain is distinguished by multiplicity and relativity; it is the state that features transitory events and phenomena that succeed one another within space and time. The precelestial domain, in one of the approximations that might be used to describe it, is the constant and omnipresent original state of Oneness, which contains all events and phenomena independently of whether they do or do not occur, and with no distinctions of space and time, here and there, before and after.

     

    Fabrizio Pregadio, Introduction to Awakening to Reality, p.6

     

    Quote

     

    When the alchemical texts use the word “original” (yuan), they refer to the Origin (yuanshi), i.e., to a primordial substance that is not born in the postcelestial state.

     

    Therefore the Shihan ji (Records from a Stone Casket), attributed to Xu Jingyang (also known as Xu Xun, trad. 239–374), says: 元陽即元精，發生於玄玄之際。元精無形，寓於元炁之中。若受 外感而動，與元炁分判，則成凡精。 Original Yang is the same as Original Essence, sent forth from the bourns of the Mystery beyond the Mystery. Original Essence has no form, and resides within Original Breath. If it receives an external stimulus, then it moves: it separates from Original Breath, and becomes the common essence.

     

     

    Wang Mu, foundations of Internal Alchemy, trans. Fabrizio Pregadio, p.45-46

     

    This last one is interesting because it distinguishes the term as used in medical texts, such as saliva.

     

    • Like 2

  24. Posted

    17 hours ago, Lairg said:

     

    Fortunately I test energies for quality and intent before entering.

     

    Occasionally I am fooled but a bit of time reversal has always solved that so far

     

    This sounds like a self-perpetuating feedback loop, which is common in my experience in unhealthy mental states (anxiety, addiction, etc.). In other words, the mind (the habitual, egoic mind) says X and we believe it because the mind says so. 

     

    Spiritual practice, in my experience, involves disempowering and becoming free from these loops with external feedback from realized teachers and the teachings that contain the experiences of many practitioners. 

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