SEVEN STEPS
You've been very patient while I've elaborated on my early years (Correct?), and here's your reward. (Hooray.) The seven steps to traveling beyond your physical body are (cymbals crash!):
1. Desire
2. Controlled Relaxation
3. Visualization and Destination
4. Direct Lift-out
5. Awareness
6. Travel
7. Return and Memory
Each step is part of the whole traveling attempt, and may be affected by the method chosen for achieving the travel. Other influences include subconscious programming and varied physical factors. (We'll get to that stuff soon.)
It's a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but I'd like to give an example of how my seven steps fit together. It should assist you in your understanding as we go along.
I use the following method to assist me in analyzing my travels. I suggest that you find a comfortable method for analyzing your travels as well.
BEFORE THE TRAVEL (Steps 1,2
and 3):
Each step is
evaluated on a scale of:
High Influence (primary catalyst)
Moderate Influence (sub-primary
catalyst)
Low Influence (secondary catalyst)
Not An Influence
DURING THE TRAVEL AND RETURN
(Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7):
Each step is
evaluated on a scale of:
Above average for me (you would
use YOU, of course)
Average for me
Below average for me
A quick, random event (Okay,
not so random but it's quick.):
At about the age of ten, I was
fond of gymnastics. My favorite activity was tumbling end over
end down a long mat. My craving for tumbling would also manifest
itself during my restful hours. In my focused thoughts, I'd
envision the rolling and leaping. It was quite by accident of my
mental-tumbling that I discovered an ability for pushing my
nonphysical out of the top of my head. I've since discovered many
other "lift-out" techniques that are less abrupt.
The travel event analyzed:
BEFORE THE TRAVEL (Steps 1,2 and 3)
Step 1. DESIRE was of high influence. This was the
primary catalyst for the travel.
Step 2. CONTROLLED RELAXATION was of low influence. This is a
secondary catalyst.
STEP 3. VISUALIZATION was utilized (albeit unintended) to
satisfy my desire. The DESTINATION in this case was the action of tumbling. Both
would be moderate influence, sub-primary catalysts.
DURING THE TRAVEL AND RETURN (Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7):
Step 4. LIFT-OUT was an uncontrolled response to desire.
This places it as below average for me.
Step 5. My AWARENESS while out was excellent but only mildly
directed. I'll round these two factors off and call it average
for me.
Step 6. The TRAVEL was a nonphysical, head-first, roll-out
from the physical and a tumble across the room.
Step 7. The short travel was
followed by an immediate RETURN.
Although the event was brief, it should be gauged by the nonphysical activity that occurred. The travel (6) and return (7) were average for me.
MEMORY (the 2nd part of Step 7) is very
important when analyzing your travels. A clean memory of the
nonphysical event requires that it be imprinted upon the physical
brain.
A simple, conscious effort by the
individual to recall the nonphysical event after returning to the
physical is enough to imprint the travel. If the return to
physical is immediately followed by falling directly to sleep,
without committing the event from nonphysical knowledge to
physical knowledge, there's a good chance of a muddled memory
later or none at all of the event.
From the above example o' me: Due to my dazed but conscious desire, the recall of this event was an above average imprint upon the physical following my return, and I carry a vivid memory to this day. But I don't know where I have left my car keys.
Okay, enough of that. Put that in the back of your mind, and I'll clear it all up soon.