"night hags"

[spanda]

I've had a number of experiences with night hag/sleep paralysis phenomena since I was a teen. They kind of surged from about 17-20, then faded for the most part. Over the past 4-6 years, since starting meditating, reading Buddhist books, they've remained infrequent to rare, and I find I'm much more in "command" when they start to arise. I'm often able to use awareness and mantras to pull myself out of the paralysis and avoid getting fearful. But last night...

 

I had a dream that suddenly turned negative. In the dream, my body locked up, and found myself struggling to use my voice. A dream entity that had left the room we were in suddenly rushed back through the doorway towards me. I woke up frozen and trying to scream. I was able to moan and cry out, it woke up my wife who was sleeping next to me, but not before what appeared to be a headless body rushed across the room and literally ran into, or pushed me. It felt like I was physically shoved and my body moved in response. This is a new experience. I've been pulled, had my body lifted off a bed, but never been directly "hit" like this.

 

I woke up and became calm very quickly, as by now this kind of experience isn't new to me, although this ranks as one of the top 5 most intense experiences I've had.

 

Sharing this story

 

A) to see if anyone here has similar experiences

 

B ) are there energetic or practice considerations I need to make after an experience like this?

 

Previously this type of thing would have been a disturbing memory and nothing more, but since my spiritual practice has become more serious over the past year, I think it warrants getting feedback from other experienced practitioner's. I'd like to chock it up to a medically explainable case of sleep paralysis, but the kicker is I woke up with some slight bruising on my chest this morning, about where this thing seemed to hit me.

 

 

Perhaps this should posted in the healing circle

[Nungali]

Firstly ; sympathies and understandings.  I had a friend that had SEVERE and horrific 'night terrors.  She was  doing some magical protective practices but they where more of an adjunct to  deep councilling and therapies she also underwent . It looks like you know about this stuff though.

 

Maybe we could talk about the practices you use to help ?

[spanda]

Thank you @Nungali

 

Sorry to hear your friend went through such a bad experience.

 

Past few years. Typically before these experiences begin, I can feel a pulling or sinking feeling, either in my dream body or in the hypnagoic state. After various experiences with meditating and ayahuasca, I was able to release the fear I usually associated with this sensation. This was often enough to enter a brief astral projection phase and I could "roll" out of my body and explore the room, rather than get pulled into whatever was pulling at me.

 

If the experience did escalate, I would try to allow my fear to self dissipate, while reciting the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra. Even if I felt an negative energy presence, the mantra seemed to act as a shield or would scare away the negative energy. I've had a few encounters where I even felt empowered and seemed to scare away what was there through the force and confidence of recitation. When I was younger, in highschool, I used Christian prayer, as this was all I knew at the time, despite not being Christian, and it had a similar effect in that seemed to avert the worst of what appeared to be happening.

 

But last night happened very fast. Even in the dream, my voice felt chocked up before I could get the words out.

 

I've not tried any formal protection practices before.

 

I do read these things can be associated with stress and trauma. Last year was challenging - big health problems. We just moved a week ago, so this is happening in a new place. Moving stirred up some anxieties, and I did go to bed stressed last night. But, the experience seems out of proportion to that kind of stress. But maybe I'm kidding myself and should get to a therapist.

[RiverSnake]

Psychic Self Defense is a thing. A quick trick is to put a small cactus in your room and have it guard the space. There are many books on the topic. Not sure what methods of cultivation your pursuing, but they may have some tools within the tradition for protection. 

[spanda]

Thanks for the tip @RiverSnake I was just shopping for cactus today actually, along with other plants for our place. I'll need pick up a small one for the bedroom. Nice that I happen to like them.

[Nungali]

I have used this one or a version of it most of my life . It is also the  one my friend used .

 

https://andy-porter.co.uk/lbrp-lesser-banishing-ritual-of-the-pentagram/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIw_WPnuKX8AIVhsFMAh0MnwNpEAMYAiAAEgKBa_D_BwE

 

I cant give any opinion  on this sites author and know nothing about him, but his blurb is short and seems accurate .  There are many sources for LBRP, but some get confusing . If you want to work with it there are some visualisations  I can give to help with the practice .

 

23 hours ago, spanda said:

Thank you @Nungali

 

Sorry to hear your friend went through such a bad experience.

 

Past few years. Typically before these experiences begin, I can feel a pulling or sinking feeling, either in my dream body or in the hypnagoic state. After various experiences with meditating and ayahuasca, I was able to release the fear I usually associated with this sensation. This was often enough to enter a brief astral projection phase and I could "roll" out of my body and explore the room, rather than get pulled into whatever was pulling at me.

 

If the experience did escalate, I would try to allow my fear to self dissipate, while reciting the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra. Even if I felt an negative energy presence, the mantra seemed to act as a shield or would scare away the negative energy. I've had a few encounters where I even felt empowered and seemed to scare away what was there through the force and confidence of recitation. When I was younger, in highschool, I used Christian prayer, as this was all I knew at the time, despite not being Christian, and it had a similar effect in that seemed to avert the worst of what appeared to be happening.

 

But last night happened very fast. Even in the dream, my voice felt chocked up before I could get the words out.

 

I've not tried any formal protection practices before.

 

I do read these things can be associated with stress and trauma. Last year was challenging - big health problems. We just moved a week ago, so this is happening in a new place. Moving stirred up some anxieties, and I did go to bed stressed last night. But, the experience seems out of proportion to that kind of stress. But maybe I'm kidding myself and should get to a therapist.

 

The thing is a practising magician (or meditator or 'practitioner' , of any type  )  usually  , or should have constant practices, develop a 'cultivation' where certain things are 'set in '  , then , like in Martial Arts , it doesnt matter how quickly something happens , you are ready for it  .... you dont need to recite, remember , fumble around  looking for a weapon , etc .  There are also some basic rules to this stuff as well .  I can refer you to a paper on it , but its a very full on subject .

 

I think you are right about stress ... no matter how well practised , 'commanding of the spirits' and 'impervious' I am, under times of  stress ( even subtle stress)  the abilities can suffer , weaken or our 'inner attention'  can be diverted .

Edited April 24, 2021 by Nungali

[Nungali]

 

 

 

How cacti look to us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How they look to 'night invaders'

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Eduardo]

I will comment on something not very popular, but that is not why I should omit it, since the objective is to help anyone who reads this answer.

 

1. The AUM mantra is very helpful in sleep paralysis.

Easy to remember It is very useful to vibrate the M in the dream since that vibration disintegrates the scene of the nightmare.

 

2. There is a Catholic prayer, the apostles' creed, which has a power of protection and expulsion of any demon or negative energy in my opinion is so powerful that I have used it successfully in ceremonial magic against evil and demonic entities. Even the banishing ritual of the Golden Dawn pentagram is not as effective.

 

3. Third is Psalm 91. Used by Christians, Kabbalists, and Magicks for centuries. Al G. Manning in his books on white wichtcraft recommends the use of Psalm 91 in conjunction with Psalm 23.

 

You can use them before sleeping as it clears the space of astral beings.

[Apech]

@spanda

 

Interesting experience, thanks for telling us about it.

 

When I was younger I used to regularly wake suddenly with panic convinced there was a large snake or insect in the bed.  There would be paralysis for a moment but then I would leap out of bed and tear the covering off and switch the light on.  This as you can imagine displeased my ex somewhat  I've had paralysis experiences where there seemed to be a 'thing' sitting on my legs.  Stuff like this happened usually in a period when I was having lucid dreams and wotnot.

 

I used to experiment with producing lucid dreaming but gave it up as my normal sleep cycles became disrupted.

 

I think the 'mani' mantra is helpful as is a kind of lighthearted thinking about how everything is empty.  I don't think building up the thing with heavily protective spells and prayers would be particularly helpful (I may be wrong of course) because part of the problem is the heaviness of these experiences - they are quite strikingly real in the moment even though one tends to come out of them quite quickly.

 

The slight bruising on your chest is  interesting - I don't think I've ever experienced physical wounds from this kind of thing.  I'd be interested what other people have to say about that.

 

 

[spanda]

Thanks for sharing @Eduardo Yes, I've found Aum useful too. Didn't mention that. The speed and ease and bodily confidence I feel using it is very helpful.

 

Thanks @Apech

 

Thankfully it's not weighing heavily on me (no pun intended), I view it kind of lightly. At the same time, it was intense and  I thought there might be some folks experienced with these types of events around here, so thought it was worth sharing. These things are ultimately empty, but we still have to deal with their forms.

 

There's actually a documentary about this subject I've been meaning to watch. Now it's at the top of my cue.

 

 

 

[Nungali]

9 hours ago, Apech said:

@spanda

 

Interesting experience, thanks for telling us about it.

 

When I was younger I used to regularly wake suddenly with panic convinced there was a large snake or insect in the bed.  There would be paralysis for a moment but then I would leap out of bed and tear the covering off and switch the light on.  This as you can imagine displeased my ex somewhat  I've had paralysis experiences where there seemed to be a 'thing' sitting on my legs.  Stuff like this happened usually in a period when I was having lucid dreams and wotnot.

 

I used to experiment with producing lucid dreaming but gave it up as my normal sleep cycles became disrupted.

 

I think the 'mani' mantra is helpful as is a kind of lighthearted thinking about how everything is empty.  I don't think building up the thing with heavily protective spells and prayers would be particularly helpful (I may be wrong of course) because part of the problem is the heaviness of these experiences - they are quite strikingly real in the moment even though one tends to come out of them quite quickly.

 

The slight bruising on your chest is  interesting - I don't think I've ever experienced physical wounds from this kind of thing.  I'd be interested what other people have to say about that.

 

 

 

Similar 'physical signs' have been reported many times .   I dont recall my fiend ever having them though .

 

Its a type of reverse  ' faith healing'   - if you believe it strong enough * that you where bruised , a  physical bruise might appear .

 

* and the  way for this to manifest most strongly is via 'unconscious belief' .

 

The being sat on , feeling weight ,   'thing on my feet / chest '  ,  "I could not breathe '   expereince has been common over time ;

 

Henry Fuseli – The Nightmare