[buIf6yoW]

Firstly, Happy New Year everyone (esp CFtraveler). I have not posted in awhile, have had a few almost projections and such, but nothing worth adding to my log. I find that I go through long dry spells of little or no activety and then poof, I will have an experience. Have stated before that it seems the harder I try to have an OBE, the less happens.

One question I have after reading my own Log on here and others is how do you distinguish between a lucid dream and actual OBE? Maybe I am missing something, but they sound very similar to me. And, now after reading some LD info and accounts I am wondering if what I am doing is LD and not OBE?? (Read Russmi3 Log if needed).
In other words am I dreaming I am OBEing or am I OBEing?

My other question is more of a request of others. I would be very interested if someone would do a step by step account of how they relax/go into trance. This may be a herculean task and if so I understand no answers.....
What I am most interested in, because I have trouble focusing or clearing my mind is how others do this specifically. The best I have read in advice is to use a mantra, but I find even if I do that, there are still background thoughts intruding my mind. The catch 22 I find is that if you are thinking "No thoughts" or "Mind clear" then you are thinking a thought or several????
I have counted "actually wrote down as I had them pop in" over 70 unique thoughts in 30 minutes!! Stupid , mundain, thoughts. Any help with this would be appreciated......

[WhiliaStelt]

LD versus OBE discussed in http://forums.astraldynamics.com/vie...13785&p=104582

[nabsgood]

One question I have after reading my own Log on here and others is how do you distinguish between a lucid dream and actual OBE? Maybe I am missing something, but they sound very similar to me. And, now after reading some LD info and accounts I am wondering if what I am doing is LD and not OBE?? (Read Russmi3 Log if needed).
In other words am I dreaming I am OBEing or am I OBEing?

I'm not sure anymore this difference exists really. Lucidity matters to me. It's all too rare...

What I am most interested in, because I have trouble focusing or clearing my mind is how others do this specifically. The best I have read in advice is to use a mantra, but I find even if I do that, there are still background thoughts intruding my mind. The catch 22 I find is that if you are thinking "No thoughts" or "Mind clear" then you are thinking a thought or several????
I have counted "actually wrote down as I had them pop in" over 70 unique thoughts in 30 minutes!! Stupid , mundain, thoughts. Any help with this would be appreciated......

Breathe relaxedly, observe the abdomen while doing so. Observe how you can feel it expand. Observe how you can feel it contract. Sit or lie still while doing this, in a quiet place.

When you notice you think about something then it is clear you are no longer doing what you tried to do. No big deal - return to the task, observing the breath. Whenever you catch yourself doing something else, return to the breath. Return to the breath. Again. And again. And again.

And this will happen many times - or not. It is only important to stay with the breath. Nothing else matters nor needs to be done. Other things will fade, thoughts will lessen, relaxation will spread.

Don't stress out about how often you are distracted from your task. That is not helpful. Realise that every time you *realise* you are distracted your mind was aware of its own content, lucid to its own experience and *not* lost in thought. The moment you "awake" from daydreaming, from drifting, from spacing out is the very moment where you *reclaim* awareness. Rejoice, this is a wonderful moment! Every time this happens the lucidity of your mind in recognising its own state has grown.

You can now gently nudge your attention back to the task. Becoming aware of your state of mind builds awareness. Nudging your mind back to the task of focussing on the breath builds the mental concentration that helps you stay focussed. Over time less and less will intrude on this focus. It will be easier to attain, easier to maintain and it will become less effort overall.

This method removes your attention from the monkey mind and builds inner focus and concentration. It should help solve your "problem".

Take care,
Oliver