How much weird stuff do you see in complete darkness?

[Owledge]

I'm wondering about the phenomenon of seeing colors and moving patterns with closed eyes and its origins. Can it be explained purely with mainstream medical science, or are there ways to distinguish what is caused by other things, like excess energy in the head or whatever.

I've read somewhere that myopia can cause this, too.

 

Myself, I sometimes for example see in darkness a circle starting from the rim of my view, moving inwards and once reaching the center, a new ring will form and move inwards, in an inerval of a few seconds.

Besides that, it's never completely black. There's always some activity of faint, random fields of brightness. Not like when pressing on the eyeballs - much more subtle, but kinda related in style.

[RongzomFan]

I saw a floating woman's face not too long ago. I see some weird stuff every once in a while.

 

According to the New Age explanation, this is some sort of clairvoyance.

[RongzomFan]

Nevermind, I see that you meant closed eyes.

[Birch]

I see it as a bit like a rorschach test, or looking at patterns in clouds. The clairvoyant part I don't know about.

[taijistudent]

There are many ideas and explanations. No one really knows what it is. Here are some possibilities:

 

Yahoo Answers

[Owledge]

I just realized it might be cross-talk, which is bioelectrical, but might also be related to 'energy in the head'. Electromagnetic fields from the brain might bleed over into the optic nerve.

This cross-talk can be a lot more severe. A part of the population has a condition where the trigeminus nerve that's responsible for the nose might run very close to the optic nerves, causing one to sneeze when looking towards the sun, because the strong visual signal bleeds over into the trigeminus and makes the brain think that there's a foreign object in the nose.

[Birch]

I wondered about that, having had a vague bout of synesthesia. I was doing some more reading about links between meditation and different 'effects'. There seems to be consensus that increased blood flow, increased electrical activity and increased synchronous neural activity (which goes with the other stuff mentioned) has a variety of effects on cognition. I've picked up the epilepsy trail again too.

[AussieFrog]

I've noticed a lot of this stuff too, and I've analyzed it to a fairly excessive paranoid level
With the blobbly rings that move from the outer rim toward the center, I get that too. However, each ring alternates a green-ish overtone and then a purple-ish overtone. Sometimes, however, I get them moving in an opposing direction from the center to the outer rim.
I've noticed that in dark rooms, I can hold my hand out before my face and wave my hand with my eyes closed - and can clearly see my hand. Interesting to note, the more relaxed I am, the more the form of my hand comes through.

WIth my eyes open, if I wave my hand before my face, I can see long streaks ... or beams of a "light darkness", appearing like there is some sort of ethereal flash-light attached to the end of each finger. The beams extend as far as my bedroom walls. I had thought they might "wrap" back to become a part of the auraic shell, but that doesn't appear to be what this is. Though the beams appear to be a sort of "light" it is colorless in nature. Not black, but not white. Nothing really, however it is detectable just the same.
I have also worked fairly regularly on my projectable imagination. In dark rooms, this becomes much easier, though is still somewhat possible in a lit room. The funny little flashes of light and squiggles, I've tried duplicating. I've noticed that I can project 3-dimensional shapes before me which will "keep form". I can rotate them with my mind, etc. I have lately been playing with living forms such as cats, other people, etc. Keep in mind, from light to fairly heavy relaxation, these forms maintain a very dissolved appearance. Almost as if they were ghosts. However, in a deep trance - it has been a fairly regular occurrence to witness these forms becoming quite solid and taking on a shockingly real appearance.
When practicing with human forms, this can be an experience that will quickly shock you into full wakefulness, as that seeing a solid and material human form suddenly appear before you, even if you know it's your own projection, is quick a frightening experience the first few times.
The shapes and "objects" (objects such as practicing with apples, forks, match boxes, etc) tend to not be frightening so much as exciting to suddenly reach that level. Which can also bring you back to wakefulness. However, after some time with the experience they tend to not be so amazing and it becomes easier to maintain a trance state.

For some reason, the pyramid form ( and this may just be with me) during its "solidification", appears to emerge into a real form like it would from underneath water into the air above. The ethereal pyramid form seems to "break through" some sort of reality fabric into it's "real" solid form.
Though these forms, in both their ghostly and "real" forms are still imaginary projections, they are interesting to play with, and I give credit to my previous playing with "things that you see in the dark" in the first place

[Stosh]

Oh you mean those purple and green waves of color that wash through the blank visual field?

I figure its my brain looking for its usual dose of input from the eyes and focusing on random

firing of neurons which happens all the time.

Instead of counting sheep I make them wash in different patterns until my brain stops looking for them

and moves on to visualizations ...or I fall asleep.

 

OOps nearly simultaneous posting of similar posts , a fraction of a minute late I am redundant

oh well

Edited March 5, 2013 by Stosh

[ragamor]

Normaly I just see light dancing, sometimes glowing and flashing.

Also I can see dark silhouette of my own body, I can even make out the fingers on my hand if I hold it on top of my head. but only if I take a shower

 

If I got a lot of energy in my head then I see a lot of abstract images coming and going before me, sometimes even people looking at me and smiling.

 

However nothing compares to when I wake up from a very-very deep sleep.

One time when I woke up I managed to see true walls!.

And a spirit shining in white light, even energy from my lower dan tien flying up to my higher dan tien like dark bats

 

It's super cool

[Birch]

Oh, I forgot the seeing your hands in front of your closed eyes thing. I prefer not to think about that one too much because the implications are boggling. I wonder if it changes things if it's not your hands?

[teknix]

I can see whatever this mind is capable of imagining.

Edited March 5, 2013 by teknix

[GrandmasterP]

Lots of people.

Usually quite friendly ones.

Trick is to know how to tell them enough is enough and that it's time for me to get off to sleep.

[teknix]

Sounds bad.

 

They might be sucking your juice because you aren't warded?

 

I would imagine up a way to suck their juice and make it into a sheild if I was in that position.

Edited March 5, 2013 by teknix

[GrandmasterP]

Nah, I'm a medium; it's par for the course.

No biggie.

[skydog]

Lots of people. Usually quite friendly ones. Trick is to know how to tell them enough is enough and that it's time for me to get off to sleep.

lol

 

I shouldnt really laugh though sounds sad

[skydog]

When I had peyote, I saw distinct fractal shapes, this was after my "trip" in which I appeared to be in some other realm of pure love which strangely enough looks like the mexican peyote art.

 

 

Like exactly like this, how is it that its all so similar.

 

Sometimes I reach states similar after a few hours of spontaneous movements.

 

If I close my eyes sometimes different colours, never pay too much attention to that, although might be interesting too.

[Mokona]

I'm wondering about the phenomenon of seeing colors and moving patterns with closed eyes and its origins. Can it be explained purely with mainstream medical science, or are there ways to distinguish what is caused by other things, like excess energy in the head or whatever.

I've read somewhere that myopia can cause this, too.

 

Myself, I sometimes for example see in darkness a circle starting from the rim of my view, moving inwards and once reaching the center, a new ring will form and move inwards, in an inerval of a few seconds.

Besides that, it's never completely black. There's always some activity of faint, random fields of brightness. Not like when pressing on the eyeballs - much more subtle, but kinda related in style.

My buddy Matt reports seeing a small glow when his eyes are closed in blackness and his hands pass infront of his face(during chi kung)

 

I've noticed it, albiet not as noticably. I had not really payed it any mind until he mentioned it. Also, when directing intent within the body, sometimes bright or not so bright imagery appears. Depends on the area and that areas development I gather. The imagery does a great job of lining itself up with the actual feelings within the body.

 

It's easier when the breathing is increased or the emotions pumped via Secret Smile. Oh, I see -K- mentioned it, too.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Mokona

[Tibetan_Ice]

Hi

I wrote this back in 2009. So even if the writing is in present tense, it was from over four years ago.

It does give some insight in what you can see with your eyes closed (and open too).

Note: I am not bragging nor trying to bolster my own ego by posting this. I am presenting these experiences here in hopes that they give some perspective to others' experiences. For, it is by sharing experiences and comparing notes that we can learn more about the wonderful beings we truly are.

 

 

Hi Everyone
From time to time, someone here posts a question about "seeing" visions during meditation.
I too had many questions about what I was seeing during meditation. These are my findings and comments.

First off, it is important to understand the concept of awareness or attention so that it is not confused with the physical act of seeing through the eyes.

Awareness or attention is like a very small video camera that has infinite speed. Whatever this video camera points to is what you are aware of. It can focus on a range from a very small point to a very large expansive area. It is extremely fast, faster than the speed of light, and in most people, it flits about pointing to whatever it is attracted to or is in the habit of pointing to. Awareness is attracted to the world of forms: thoughts, objects, body sensations, touch, taste, sounds, memories, movement etc. One of the main attractants of awareness is light. Another main attractant is anything that feels good like love, bliss, joy and pleasurable sensations.

Concentration is the ability to focus awareness on one thing (or a group of things), whether that thing is a thought, object, visual field, sensation or anything else in the world of forms. By "world of forms" I mean anything that has manifest itself from the formless deep vast ocean of deep silence. Imagine a Tibetan bell ringing. Before the bell sounds, the ringing does not exist. As the bell is ringing, the sound is perceivable. As the sound dies down and fades away, we have to listen more intently. Listening more intently is a way of focusing or turning up our awareness. Finally, when the ringing sound is gone and returned to the formless or deep silence from which it was born, we notice that our awareness has increased. But the effect does not last long.

Meditation is the practice of focusing and stabilizing the little video camera in your head. When your eyes are open that little video camera, although it is still flitting about pointing at thoughts, sensations, sounds and more, is pointing mostly outwards through the eyes. When you close your eyes during meditation, the visual stimulus is greatly reduced and that little video camera starts pointing more often at other things like sounds, sensations and thoughts. At night, when the sun goes down, that is when you see the stars.

If you keep looking through your physical eyes with your eyes closed while relaxing the body, paying attention to the visual field, eventually you will start to see pulsing colors that come in waves and disappear into the distance. These lights are often green and purple and are rounded (like the shape of the eye). These colored waves are a physical phenomenon related to the cranial sacral pulse (my opinion) and it's effect on the pressure in the eyes. There is no mystical or spiritual significance to these types of visions. Best to ignore them, or use them as an indicator as to how relaxed the body is because you only see these pulses of light when the body is very relaxed. A similar phenomenon is that you will see lights when you press your fingers lightly on closed eyes. The extra pressure stimulates the light-sensing cells at the back of the eye and this causes the light show.

So, during meditation, or not even during meditation but if you just sit in the dark with your eyes closed, you should try to let go of the physical intent of looking through your eyes. You do this naturally when you fall asleep. The eyes will also shut off by themselves from prolonged lack of stimulus. One way to manually shut off the eyes is to roll them upwards and pretend that you are going to fall asleep by focusing on the swirling eddy of energy about 1 inch behind your eyebrows inside your head. When you do this, you will notice that your awareness, that little video camera in your head, is still working away transmitting input and flitting about.

True visions arise when the little video camera is the recipient of the information. Perhaps most people think that if they close their eyes and see a vision, face, scene or what not, that they are seeing through their eyes. Not so. It may seem like you are seeing the vision through the eyes because it is very hard to get the eyes not to follow the little video camera. I've noticed this when practicing spinal breathing, sending your awareness or attention up and down the spine while performing sambhavi. There is a natural tendency for the eyes to follow awareness. In other words, the eyes want to follow the little video camera up and down and it takes some effort to break this habit. When you dream, even though your eyes are shut off they still want to follow the little video camera that is recording the dream. This is called REM sleep: Rapid Eye Movement.

So now that we are clear that it is the little video camera in your head (or heart) that perceives visions, and it is called awareness or attention, let's discuss the different visions that may occur during meditation (or other times) and their significance.

When I first started meditating regularly, sometimes I would see a face looking at me! Sometimes it was a male face, or a female face. Sometimes it was a young child. Sometimes there were many faces. At first I was very cautious and would "bind them in the name of Jesus Christ" and ask them to go away if they were not from the highest purest realms of being. After this pronouncement, some faces disappeared, but most remained. Occasionally I would ask the face a question or two and then wait to see if anything popped into my head. Most faces would answer my questions (their answers kind of pop into your head) but I quickly lost interest in communicating with them because I've always believed that "just because you are dead doesn't mean you are enlightened".

What are these faces that appear? There are many theories. Some say that they are beings from other planes. Some say that the faces are what you look like in your previous or future lives. I did find one reference to these faces in something written about Edgar Cayce and meditation. It stated this (link:http://www.near-death.com/experiences/cayce12.html .. no longer works):

"We may at this point be fascinated by the many faces appearing, or numerous pairs of eyes staring. We may even hear our names called; we may feel as if we were in the midst of a crowd, listening to chatter and laughter. We must not stop there, for we are not yet in real meditation. Of course, it is fascinating at first, for it is an entirely new experience. The sounds, the voices, the pictures, the eyes and faces may all belong to souls already in the beyond who, having seen the light pouring through the open door (the spiritual center), have been attracted. It is much akin to the sensation of looking through a strange keyhole, only to see another eye looking back. Intriguing, perhaps, but neither stands to gain much from such a restricted encounter. We must leave this entertainment behind and "press on to the mark of the high calling," his mark, the superconscious mind, the Christ Consciousness, the Holy Spirit, the "hill of the Lord."
"
Later on in my meditations, I experienced persistent visions. At the time I was practicing Kunlun as a supplement to my practices. (Kunlun is a practice of pranic breathing followed by reflexive shaking of the legs followed by storing the prana at the lower dan tien). These visions were persistent visions. I would see, for example, a sun over a blue ocean with a clay Buddha floating just above the calm water and that scene was easily visible for several weeks, any time of the day or night. I could tune into it and watch it with great clarity. At other times I've seen suns, moons, stars, planets that resembled earth and sometimes perfectly round discs of light.

The persistent visions are a different class of vision. Perhaps the brain, when filled to excess with pranic life force, manufactures these visions or perhaps they indicate a hole into another plane burned out by extreme concentration and improper practice. I have no idea. I did find a book about visions called "Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond" and learned about nimittas and jhanas. A nimitta is a mind object which is born from the natural state of mind. What this means is that if you let go and relax enough, to the point where your mind is just about to stop, that natural state will manifest mind objects relative to the degree of concentration and absorption of the meditative practice. They are not visions you see through your eyes, they are seen only by the little video camera in your head. But they 'look' like scenes, lights, discs. According to the book, Buddha said that you should meditate on the nimitta until you either merge with the nimitta or it explodes propelling you into a state of jhana. The states of jhanas are said to cause enlightenment.

I have not yet managed to get a clear enough nimitta on which to meditate and propel myself into the state of one of the jhanas. I still get too excited. Recently I have been distracted by pleasurable kundalini activity anytime I stop my mind even for a split second.

Dreams:
While meditating, a person will pass through the realm of dreams. If one pays attention to these dream visions, one will be dragged out into the dream and the meditation is lost. I used to use this technique to revisit landscapes or dreamscapes: While lying in bed I would remember the scene that I wished to enter and visualize it. Once I could 'see' it I would simply imagine myself flying into that scene on an exhalation of breath and before I knew it I would be in the dream. During meditation, to keep out of the dream state (I discovered this during one meditation which consisted of watching my thoughts) you have to control your breathing. If you let your breath go completely it is very easy to get sucked into a dream. If you take an active part in your breathing (you do the same thing whenever you are really concentrating) then it is easier to stay out of the dream. Sometimes thoughts will drag you into dreams. Another method of not getting dragged into the dream is to simply ignore and continue whatever you are doing, be it the mantra etc.

Chakra visions:
Some interesting visions have occurred for me concerning chakras. Again, these are not images you see through your eyes but through awareness or attention (that little video camera). After one "I AM" meditation I was sitting on the bathroom floor having a smoke and I noticed that I could see what I believe to be my root chakra. It resembles a golden square, somewhat pyramidal and it has four dark red petals } around the base. There is a fine white thread coming out from the centre top progressing upwards and I could also see two white droplets of liquid just sitting on the thread. Ever since that day the ability to see this chakra has not diminished. Sometimes the drops are red...

Another time, due to excess pressure in the lower abdomen causing natural root lock , I saw a luminous 'straw' leading upwards from my root chakra inside the center of my body where the thin thread used to be. The straw shone with pastel colors of red, white and blue, like clouds over a sunset sky. the 'straw" was about 1/4 inch thick. I could only see it up to the heart chakra. However, a few minutes later I saw multiple planes of existence and myriad beings and this vision lasted for quite a while, even with my eyes open. This was kind of disconcerting for me. We really have no privacy (understatement here..)

One time during Samyama, I released the sutra "Love" and my heart exploded with white light, shooting out forwards and backwards. I could see the beams and I also saw other planes and universes inside my heart. I saw beings dressed in long robes in strange new lands.

A few times when I was practicing chakra meditation and a certain kundalini meditation, after activating the crown chakra, the crown became a wonderful luminous cap of white liquid light. It looked like I was wearing a bathing cap of leaf-like petals that were wrapping around the outside of my skull coming down to just above my ears. Also, the center of my head, inside more towards the back, has a triangular liquid light center. It kind of looks like a white-light strawberry. I believe this is the pineal gland.

Other Beings and Angels:
Once, in a church called The Victory Christian Center, I saw Jesus. It was at a Wednesday night prayer session. I made an effort to contact Jesus and raised my right hand in the air. A small light appeared that gradually became a face with long brown hair and a beard. The face smiled at me. The face kept descending and became the full image of Jesus, wearing a red and white robe. I heard him say "You are saved". After that I couldn't move for around 40 minutes. I sat on the bench and had tears streaming down my face. Waves of something were running through my body and I couldn't stand up or move my body. On another occasion I saw a bright round light with wings floating above the congregation. It was shooting beams of light at the top of peoples' heads. This produced small wings of light on the peoples' heads. That whole sermon was about the Holy Ghost. Again, these visions were not seen through the physical eyes, but with the little video camera in my head. It feels like you are dreaming while you can still see the surrounding outer environment.

One time, after a deep meditation, I was sitting on the bathroom floor having a smoke and a being of white light appeared. It resembled a translucent angel. It looked liked a being wearing a long white see-through gown. There were two large wings extending from the back. The outline was made of luminescent currents of moving light that bled out into the surrounding space. When I first saw it I knew that it was pure and divine. I could feel the love that it emanated towards me. It was a very profound emotional experience and I cried a long time. Several months later another angel visited me as I sat on the chair in my living room. It looked pretty much like the first angel that I have described here. I like to believe that it is true that as you progress along the spiritual path you attract higher and purer beings.

Kundalini visions:
At the time during my meditation history when I was experiencing flames up the spine at one point I started seeing visions of female anatomy. Full frontal displays of female genetalia were appearing before me with exquisite detail. Female torsos in various positions, each revealing their own erotic flavor. I would be meditating and suddenly the lower half of a female body would appear, with legs spread wide open. At other times a pair of buttocks would appear, bending over with legs spread. These images were amazing to me and very stimulating. Eventually though I had to make a real effort to ignore them because I did not think that that was the purpose of meditation. Every now and then I still see those kinds of visions. Perhaps their purpose is to stimulate certain energy flows that are needed to evolve one's meditations? Or perhaps they are beings from other planes trying to suck out my sexual energy? I don't know.

One time (again while smoking on the bathroom floor) I saw a "live" vision of a beautiful Indian woman dressed in blue silk harem-style dress. She had bells in her hands, and wore gold necklaces and an ornate gold head band. She was absolutely gorgeous. I asked her who she was and she said that she was Kundalini and that she had come to dance for me. She would twirl around and dance about, quite seductively I might add. Kundalini danced for me many times during a two month period. I am so lucky to have had Kundalini dance for me!

Looking with the Heart:
I once read that you can see with your heart. What you are supposed to do is try to feel your surroundings with your heart (instead of looking through your eyes). One day I decided to try that practice. As I sat on the grassy banks of the river on a beautiful sunlight summer day, I closed my eyes and felt the scene with my heart. I was enjoying it immensely when some sun bathers about 100 yards away made some noise that caught my attention. All of a sudden this round circle opened up in front of my face and I could see the sunbathers close up through this circle. It was like I was looking at them through a telescope! I could not believe it. It was like I was standing three feet above them looking right at them. Since that time, I've had two other experiences of seeing from the heart. The resolution of that type of vision is very clear and bright and it looks like you are really there in real life. The world is full of mysteries.

Too many visions:
After meditating consistently twice a day for about 1 1/2 years (and doing other practices), when I would meditate while putting the tongue on the roof of the mouth and focusing the eyes towards the third eye, I would see massive amounts of visions. I saw everything imaginable, scenes up scenes, faces, moving pictures, people, places, events and more all whizzing by with great speed. It was overwhelming. It was as though someone had turned on one thousand televisions in your head and was switching the channels. After a couple weeks of experiencing this phenomenon I had to quit focusing on the brow during meditation. Not only did it seem pointless, but it was extremely distracting and produced a lot of stress. I finally told myself that that was not meditation.

The Light:
About a month and a half ago I started practicing the "sensing the inner body" routine as explained by Eckhart Tolle. I sit in easy posture and relax. I put my hands on each leg, palms facing upwards. At the bottom of each breath I let go and try to relax deeper and deeper. I let go and feel my hands until they become clouds of magnetic fields. I then add on feeling my feet and legs. Gradually I expand the sensing of the presence or life force to encompass the whole body. I monitor my breath because the quieter the mind gets, the slower the breath becomes. And, the more relaxed I become, the longer the pause becomes at the end of the breath. It is also during this pause that my perineum starts orgasm-ing or releasing waves of ecstatic energy. This meditation is so blissful, relaxing, warm and tingly, secure, friendly and feels so great that I just love doing it. I'm not even that good at it yet. Once you have a consistent feel of the whole inner body you are supposed to listen to silence intently from the whole body.

What I've noticed is this. There is a set pattern to what occurs in the visual field as this meditation progresses. Even though I'm not focusing on the head (no tongue on palate or focusing the eyes on the third eye), my brow still becomes a huge magnetic hole that feels like it has a lot of pressure in it. Even though my eyes are pointing downwards, faces and visions still appear at the brow region. If I see a vision or a scene I use that as an indicator that I'm not focusing fully on sensing the presence in the body. Even with this behavior I have noticed that I still see faces, then scenes, then lights. A consistent vision that occurs near the end of each 50 minute 'sensing the body' meditation is "a bunch of little square flat dancing lights". I don't know what they are but it seems to be the result of a good session where I had become a solid cloud of magnetic bliss. I'm thinking that the square lights are crude nimittas. The other phenomenon that I've noticed is that when I'm very very relaxed, a brilliant white light appears at the center of my head (usually accompanied by kundalini in the root stirring and releasing some ecstatic conductivity... yum!)

Well, that's enough about visions. To me, visions are part of spiritual development. They serve as sign posts that say that you are progressing and doing something right (or wrong). When your consciousness and awareness expand you will perceive other dimensions of existence and realize new phenomenon. Some visions can be viewed as distractions and a waste of valuable time. But even then, like the stars that appear at night, they are signs that the sun has set or is going to rise. Other visions such as nimittas can be used to propel one's self into higher states of jhana. The visions of other beings from other planes are fascinating to me and I certainly do appreciate meeting every being that I have met so far. We are not alone. Hopefully this write-up has helped your understanding of visions.

Oh, if you see Jesus in one of your meditations, say that I say "Hi".

OM SHANTI
TI

[Owledge]

Tibetan Ice, what are your experiences with having any kind of higher perception experience connected to fear? Ever felt that? Like losing your mind? Or only in the beginning? Or does every kind of altered reality require some getting used to? Or do you draw trust and confidence from somewhere? Does feeling fear stop your experience?

[Tibetan_Ice]

Tibetan Ice, what are your experiences with having any kind of higher perception experience connected to fear? Ever felt that? Like losing your mind? Or only in the beginning? Or does every kind of altered reality require some getting used to? Or do you draw trust and confidence from somewhere? Does feeling fear stop your experience?

Hi Owledge

Yes, fear. I've had it lots. Stopped me many times..

 

After I 'met Jesus' and got annointed by the Holy Spirit, I started to see demons.

 

One night I had prayed in tongues for two hours. Then I went to bed. Just as I was ready to fall asleep, a small boy floated up beside the bed. I asked it "Who are you?". It said "What does it matter?". I said "I bind you in the name of Jesus Christ", and then suddenly the image of the small boy vanished and I found myself looking at what resembled a demon. It had a long snout like a crocodile, and big long teeth. Reptilian. It took a snap at me with it's jaws and then turned and vanished. After that I was binding everything I saw in the astral.. At first there was fear, but after I realized that Jesus is always there, always there, I no longer feared. However, the whole notion that perhaps demons actually did exists, and that perhaps some of what the Bible was saying might have actually been true caused me much grief. So, gradually I abandoned the whole religious thing. However, Jesus is always there, even now.. and the Holy Spirit too. There are many beings in the higher planes..

 

Another time, about 20 or more years ago, I wanted to know what the star was above the head. Everybody was talking about it. So, one afternoon I sat on my lazy body and said to myself, "I'm not getting up until I realize that star on the top of the head." So I sat there and focused on the point about 1 foot above the head and just kept focusing there with all my might. Well, three and half hours later I 'popped' out of the top of my head. I found myself in this huge open dark blue space, like I was in outer space. I had the immense fear that I had died. I could not overcome it. I quit the meditation and got up out of the chair. It took me a few years to get over that fear.. actually, more like 15 years.. In later meditations I came accross the same open space, and once I had overcome my fear of dying, I even jumped into that void. I did 'bounce' right back out, because it actually isn't just open space. There is a kind of clear luminous cellophane which prevented me from falling out of the location where my body should have been.

 

Another time, recently, when I was practising "neither grasping nor averting" during a late night meditation, the whole top of my consciousness dissolved downwards into the heart. It felt like I was dying or going to pass out. No more consciousness. So, I stopped the meditation. But then, I researched that experience and discovered that Alan Wallace talked about exactly that experience. It is the moment when coarse consciousness dissolves into the alaya or substrate consciousness.. Gradually, I discovered more sources on the experience and convinced my mind that it really wasn't going to die.

 

That's what I do. If I have an experience that causes me confusion or fear, I research it and learn as much as I can about it.

 

That is all in an effort to convince my and help it assimilate the experience.. Sometimes it takes a long time..

 

There was one experience that still causes me 'fear'. It was when i was doing a practice of changing my visual focus every 1/2 a second, while walking through a lovely trail in the forrest. After doing that type of practice, not remaining on any one visual scene long enough for the conceptual mind to firmly grasp onto it, I went shopping. When I entered the store, all of a sudden the whole inside of the store appeared to me as if it was a dream. It was like looking at the bakery section from inside a tunnel or condensed image, like I had fallen asleep and was dreaming being in the store. That caused me allot of fear. I waited for about 3 minutes and fought real hard, then gradually regained normalcy. But, the whole idea that I could be doing something and suddenly the whole of reality could 'condense' into the tunnel-like vision that resembled a dream scared the shit out of me. What if that happened while I was driving? Or crossing the street?

 

However, that practice, being in the present moment and not giving the mind enough time to grasp and start the conceptual dialog, is a practice that Eckhart Tolle wrote about in "Practising the Power of Now". And, as it turns out, it is also the 'secret Buddhist/Dzogchen' practice called "fresh awareness" or staying in the first moment when you refresh your awareness and take a new interest in the absolute present. I think that practice is probably the most powerful one for shattering the mind. And, it helps if you do it in circumstances that you love, like the forrest, or a natural setting.. (and then don't drive for a few hours after doing it.. LOL)

 

And, yes, I have had experiences that I thought I was losing my mind. Especially after witnessing miracles, like healings and bizarre cases of synchronicity. But it always seems to come back..

 

I think it helps that I don't drink, don't do drugs and haven't for over 35 years.. And, I have a very strong mind and will.

 

And, actually, if you have a strange experience, just start researching Buddhist writings. You're bound to find the experience written in some of the books. It's all old hat to them.

 

TI

Edited March 6, 2013 by Tibetan_Ice

[Mokona]

Hi Owledge

Yes, fear. I've had it lots. Stopped me many times..

 

After I 'met Jesus' and got annointed by the Holy Spirit, I started to see demons.

 

One night I had prayed in tongues for two hours. Then I went to bed. Just as I was ready to fall asleep, a small boy floated up beside the bed. I asked it "Who are you?". It said "What does it matter?". I said "I bind you in the name of Jesus Christ", and then suddenly the image of the small boy vanished and I found myself looking at what resembled a demon. It had a long snout like a crocodile, and big long teeth. Reptilian. It took a snap at me with it's jaws and then turned and vanished. After that I was binding everything I saw in the astral.. At first there was fear, but after I realized that Jesus is always there, always there, I no longer feared. However, the whole notion that perhaps demons actually did exists, and that perhaps some of what the Bible was saying might have actually been true caused me much grief. So, gradually I abandoned the whole religious thing. However, Jesus is always there, even now.. and the Holy Spirit too. There are many beings in the higher planes..

 

Another time, about 20 or more years ago, I wanted to know what the star was above the head. Everybody was talking about it. So, one afternoon I sat on my lazy body and said to myself, "I'm not getting up until I realize that star on the top of the head." So I sat there and focused on the point about 1 foot above the head and just kept focusing there with all my might. Well, three and half hours later I 'popped' out of the top of my head. I found myself in this huge open dark blue space, like I was in outer space. I had the immense fear that I had died. I could not overcome it. I quit the meditation and got up out of the chair. It took me a few years to get over that fear.. actually, more like 15 years.. In later meditations I came accross the same open space, and once I had overcome my fear of dying, I even jumped into that void. I did 'bounce' right back out, because it actually isn't just open space. There is a kind of clear luminous cellophane which prevented me from falling out of the location where my body should have been.

 

Another time, recently, when I was practising "neither grasping nor averting" during a late night meditation, the whole top of my consciousness dissolved downwards into the heart. It felt like I was dying or going to pass out. No more consciousness. So, I stopped the meditation. But then, I researched that experience and discovered that Alan Wallace talked about exactly that experience. It is the moment when coarse consciousness dissolves into the alaya or substrate consciousness.. Gradually, I discovered more sources on the experience and convinced my mind that it really wasn't going to die.

 

That's what I do. If I have an experience that causes me confusion or fear, I research it and learn as much as I can about it.

 

That is all in an effort to convince my and help it assimilate the experience.. Sometimes it takes a long time..

 

There was one experience that still causes me 'fear'. It was when i was doing a practice of changing my visual focus every 1/2 a second, while walking through a lovely trail in the forrest. After doing that type of practice, not remaining on any one visual scene long enough for the conceptual mind to firmly grasp onto it, I went shopping. When I entered the store, all of a sudden the whole inside of the store appeared to me as if it was a dream. It was like looking at the bakery section from inside a tunnel or condensed image, like I had fallen asleep and was dreaming being in the store. That caused me allot of fear. I waited for about 3 minutes and fought real hard, then gradually regained normalcy. But, the whole idea that I could be doing something and suddenly the whole of reality could 'condense' into the tunnel-like vision that resembled a dream scared the shit out of me. What if that happened while I was driving? Or crossing the street?

 

However, that practice, being in the present moment and not giving the mind enough time to grasp and start the conceptual dialog, is a practice that Eckhart Tolle wrote about in "Practising the Power of Now". And, as it turns out, it is also the 'secret Buddhist/Dzogchen' practice called "fresh awareness" or staying in the first moment when you refresh your awareness and take a new interest in the absolute present. I think that practice is probably the most powerful one for shattering the mind. And, it helps if you do it in circumstances that you love, like the forrest, or a natural setting.. (and then don't drive for a few hours after doing it.. LOL)

 

And, yes, I have had experiences that I thought I was losing my mind. Especially after witnessing miracles, like healings and bizarre cases of synchronicity. But it always seems to come back..

 

I think it helps that I don't drink, don't do drugs and haven't for over 35 years.. And, I have a very strong mind and will.

 

And, actually, if you have a strange experience, just start researching Buddhist writings. You're bound to find the experience written in some of the books. It's all old hat to them.

 

TI

I can't say for sure but had heard that when out of body, or anything out of body can change visual shape, and that it is normal practice.

[idiot_stimpy]

I was warned that if any phenomena appear, treat it as an illusion and move through it.