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Time Travel -- the State of the Art: Arnold J. Toynbee -- Time Traveler Mind Loosed from its Tether -- The Channelled H.G. Wells Bringing the Body Along -- Physical Time Travel Old Pages (The Change) |
Welcome to RealityTest's slowly growing collection of exercises. Without providing some means of validation or personal verification of those areas RealityTest explores, this website would be a useless collection of thoughts and words. The active exploration of subjective experience, absolutely essential for comprehending the emerging "New Civilization" RealityTest intends to illuminate, requires mastering some basic and simple techniques, as well as allowing imagination and suggestion to at least momentarily transcend the restrictive bonds of intellect. Observation is the first step, but employing imagination is the key -- passive observation can bring you to the doorways, but only an active imagination will enable you to open them. All too often, respected and sceptical thinkers are completely unwilling to loosen these bonds of their thoughts and beliefs, even for a moment, thereby greatly limiting their own experience; all they write serves to promote their own very narrow perspective. These bonds -- frequently unexamined and still very prevalent within mainstream thought -- are invisible to those who cling to them. A great advantage to having a repository of techniques and exercises, from the most basic to the more esoteric, is the enablement of shared subjective experience. An isolated individual may have all kinds of "a ha!" moments, but without a shared foundation will be more or less unable to communicate his or her experience. (Expect this section to be greatly expanded over time -- there are many additional group exercises to be added, without even considering the very large area of dreams and dreaming, and certain possibilities for combining it with waking exercises.) |
1a. Basic Meditative TechniqueThis technique is a rudimentary form of meditation, and can be utilized without reference to religious or philosophical beliefs. (See also Meditation on RealityTest's Resources page for books on this topic.) It can familiarize the experimenter with the nearly automatic and unceasing flow of thoughts and associations through his or her conscious mind -- an habitual and often unnoticed flow -- by deliberately allowing it to slow or even come to a stop. As some of the more complex exercises require developing an awareness extending beyond what is usually considered the conscious mind, learning to do this is essential for deeper explorations. (Maintaining a clear connection to the immediately experienced present moment is a given for this and all other exercises provided -- these exercises are intended to serve as a basis for experience, not analysis. Some persistence may be required to attain proficiency.) a. Sitting comfortably in a distraction-free environment, take several long, slow, deep breaths, close your eyes, and gradually allow your body to relax. (Note: Choose a moment in which your body is not engaged primarily in digestion.) b. Allow your thoughts to gradually cease. If necessary, suggest to yourself this will happen. You may find that choosing something to focus on -- counting your breaths, a concept, a mental image, a sound, or just about anything, will aid you in this process. The self who is not your thoughts, the self who observes your thoughts, attains a new prominence here; some, intrigued, may begin to focus on this other self, a self quite present before socialization set in. Who is this self? What is its full extent? 1b. Group TechniqueOften, meditation is thought of as a solitary pursuit, but a group of people simultaneously using the above technique can experience an acceleration in consciousness, well beyond that which a solitary meditator might experience, and quite noticeable. This effect requires those in the group to share a common conscious intent or focus, perhaps symbolized by an imaginatively visualized concept as for example a "web of consciousness" connecting all present. Another advantage to this kind of group meditation is the possibility of creating a common language to communicate and express shared subjective impressions. There's no reason, either, a sense of adventure can't prevail, much as that undoubtedly present in more physical explorations, such as Victorian era expeditions seeking the source of the Nile. Particular group exercises, such as those involving "portaling" -- imaginatively creating portals to other realities -- will in time be added here. |
2. Practice Element 1.This exercise is excerpted from The "Unknown" Reality -- Volume One of a Seth Book Copyright © 1977 by Jane Roberts. It serves as an example of the many exercises embedded in The Seth material, a body of information encompassing over thirty published books and additional unpublished material archived at Yale University. The Seth material, one of RealityTest's primary sources, was channelled by Jane Roberts (1929-1984). Additional information regarding the material, Seth -- a self-described "energy personality essence," and channelling, is provided in RealityTest's Resources section, on its Channelled H.G. Wells page, and on older pages. As discussed elsewhere on this site, the concept of probable realities is basic to any form of time travel; this exercise provides an experiential glimpse of probable realities and the selves inhabiting them. "Take any remembered scene from your own past. Experience it as clearly as possible imaginatively, but with the idea of its probable extensions. Sometime, immediately or after a few tries, a particular portion of the scene will become gray or shadowy. It is not a part of the past that you know, but an intersection point where that past served as an offshoot into a series of probabilities that you did not follow. Instead of a shadowy element, you yourself may feel unsubstantial -- "ghostly." Instead of any of those things, the imagined dialogue -- if there is any -- may suddenly change from the dialogue that you remember; or the entire scene and action may quickly alter. Any of these occurrences can be hints that you are beginning to glimpse the probable variations of the particular scene or action. It is, however, the subjective feeling that is the important clue here, and once you experience it there will be no doubt in your mind. Some people will have little trouble with the exercise, and others will need to exert persistence before finding any success at all. This method is even more effective if you choose from your past a scene in which a choice was involved that was important to you. In such a case, begin imaginatively, following through with the other decision or decisions that you might have made. At one point a shadowy effect -- grayness, or other characteristics just mentioned -- will occur. One or several of these may be involved, but again your subjective feeling is the most important clue. Imagination may bring you a clear picture, for example, that may then become fuzzy, and in that case the blurred quality would be your hint of probable action. Until you have tried the exercise and become fully acquainted with it, you will not understand its effectiveness. You will know, for instance, when the remembered event and imagination intersect with another probability. Whether or not you have any great success, the exercise will begin a neurological reorientation that will be most important if you hope to glimpse realities that are outside of your present neurologically accepted sense-reality. This exercise is a mental and biological doorway that can expand both your concepts of yourself and reality. There may be instances in which it seems that little progress is made during the exercise itself. During the day, however, having made an important decision in one direction, you may begin to feel the reality of the opposite decision and its ramifications. The exercise may also result in a different kind of a dream, one that is recognized within the dream state, at least, as an introduction to a probable reality. You deal directly with future probabilities in the dream state in any case. For example, in a series of dreams you may try out various solutions to a given problem, and choose one of these. That choice becomes your reality. According to the intensity of the situation, now, another also desirable solution may be worked out in a probable reality. On an unconscious level you are aware of your probable selves, and they of you. You share the same psychic roots, and your joint yet separate dreams are available to "all of you." This does not mean that you are dreaming someone else�s dream, any more than it means that twins, for example, do. It does mean that your probable selves and you share in a body of symbolism, background, and ability. The multistructured nature of the dream state allows for dream dramas in which probable selves do appear. They may appear as symbolically representing strong characteristics upon which they have focused, though you have ignored them." |
3. Pendulum Exercise from the Channelled H.G. WellsThis exercise was channelled by a friend in August, 1998. As this friend is a Seth reader, her mind contains certain concepts found within the Seth material, and Wells uses these. The reader may not be familiar with them, however. The outer ego is that part of the self focused on external reality; the inner ego, closely connected, focuses on inner realities. The spacious present is a term Seth uses to refer to the expansive "place" where all exists in the present moment (except time, as we usually consider it). Root assumptions are basic to any particular reality -- in our reality, for example, gravity is a root assumption. Lastly, ATI is an acronym for All That Is, a living, aware singularity of all-encompassing consciousness. You've wondered why you only seem to get, in general, past life information if time is truly simultaneous. In fact you do get information about future lives as well, but your outer ego distorts it to fit in with your ideas of linear time. You can sometimes catch it at this trick, and certainly you can learn to see the distortions as they occur and to forestall them if you so desire. The spacious present is as close as the inner ego and is available through meditation, or even as simple a device as the pendulum. You have no idea, at least most of you don't, just how transparent time is. You view it as a block of solid steel; in fact, it is less substantive than air, merely a breath that blows through your environment. The outer ego tends to cling to time as a stabilizing factor, and that is by no means all bad, or even bad at all. It is only that once you are ready, you need to move beyond the wading pool into the greater depths and possibilities of time. You will not be abandoning your current concepts, for they are valid and useful in the physical space in which your outer ego operates. You will simply be adopting the appropriate view of time for the focus you wish to use. The pendulum, prosaic as it is, is an excellent place to start for the reason that most of you have few negative connotations associated with it. Other avenues may be more suspect. Play with the pendulum and the time. Ask what time it is and watch the results. For example, say "Is it 11:00 AM?" and watch the answer. It will give you hints of where your attention is. If the clock says 11:00 AM and the pendulum seems to be focused on another time, turn your attention towards that time and see what happens, what comes. Additionally, you can use the pendulum to seek out "times" you have lived in. Once a given time is located, think of it as a physical place, focus in on it as you might focus on a place you love to visit, and it will act as a medium of transport. Do not think of this as delving into your past or you will limit your explorations to the "past" only. "Future" lives are just as accessible, if occasionally less comprehensible, in terms of technology, root assumptions, etc. But be open and know that ANYTHING you do conceive of has life somewhere, and will continue to do so even when you turn your attention elsewhere. Of course, when you turn your attention towards something, you affect the energy, and change the thing you focus on. This is a law; it is natural and it happens constantly, even to ATI. Your interaction with me changes me, changes you, changes time and our concepts of it. So do this pendulum experiment. It would be beneficial to get one of those books or calendars which have "recorded history" strung out so you can use the pendulum more easily. It also helps to include the geological ages, and to think of the earliest beginnings as being in your future. This is a device, but a useful one. There will always be some camouflage between you and the comprehension of time while you are in your physical existences. This exercise of using time in a different way will stretch you as yoga or some other flexible physical discipline stretches and loosens the physical body. You are stable in your existence. You can stand some expaaaaaaansion and will not break loose from your physical tethers prematurely. Do not fear -- there are worlds awaiting and there is so much we can accomplish. (Note: The spelling of expansion was left this way by request.) |
4. Imaginative Aids to Accessing Future IncarnationsThese exercises were provided by "Anyone," autotyped by Annette, a friend of RealityTest. Anyone adds these preliminary hints: Allow time to flow in an associative, rather than a linear fashion; bundle up your expectations and set them on the shelf; and engage a playful attitude -- pretend you are a child again; imagine you are dreaming. Now that you are nice and relaxed, get a good sense of how you and your surroundings feel -- how they look, the smells, the tastes, the sounds, the feel of the atmosphere on your skin, and so on. Feel how it is to be you. a. A pebble has just been tossed into a smooth surfaced pond. Imagine you are at the point where the pebble entered the water; waves ripple out from this center. Another pebble is simultaneously tossed in the pond and ripples spread from its impact, too. At its center is an incarnation. Imagine riding one of your waves to the point where it intersects with the waves of the incarnation. Notice what feelings change. Follow those feelings, allowing impressions to come into your awareness, impressions of sensory data, emotions, and expectations. b. Again, get a good sense of how you and your surroundings feel. Imagine you are the center of a ball. Through the surface of the ball dangle strings. These strings lead to other incarnations and realities. Select one that attracts your attention. Follow it. As you approach the surface of the ball, it dissolves and fades away. Keep following the string. The senses of the incarnation are faint at first. They grow stronger... and stronger. You may feel a bit disoriented. Allow yourself to sense this incarnation. Let the memories of it come into your mind. c. This time, imagine you are at a play or a movie, or maybe watching a video. The stage or screen is empty, but if you look really closely, you can faintly see activity. In your hand you find a device for intensifying the images. Turn up this intensity to see the images more clearly. As you do this, the volume also increases. Adjust the intensity to a comfortable level. Sit back and enjoy the play. |
5. Regions of Self Focusing ExerciseThis three-step exercise was inspired by several passages in Jane Robert's Seth Speaks. Deceptively simple, it can yield unexpectedly powerful results but does require some persistence. Anyone unfamiliar with the Seth material will require brief explanations of the concepts it employs. These include Inner Self, Entity, and All or All That is (it is not necessary to believe in these regions of self to do the exercise; they can be simply imagined, as parts of a rudimentary and hypothetical "map"): Inner Self is that region of self closest to the conscious self which does not rely solely on the five physical senses; it is experienced as lying just "beneath" the conscious self. Entity is that region of self often called "soul" (see other explanations elsewhere on this website). The entity is self aware but that awareness includes innumerable life experiences; the entity is thus of a much larger scale than a physically focused personality. All or All That Is is that region of self which is all encompassing, a great and vast singularity of consciousness not to be confused with mythical projections of human attributes upon what can be called the "divine." Again, it is not necessary to believe in such a vast region of self in order to do the exercise, although imagination will be required as well as a necessary stilling or quieting of conscious mentation. Per Seth, all of these regions of self (and the conscious personality) form a whole -- the division into components is artificial ("There is no separation"). In short, every being is an expression of the ultimate consciousness, by definition, while every physically focused personality is also and simultaneously an expression of a non-material Entity, the Inner Self being that region of Entity closest to any particular such personality. Seth describes the Inner Self as a "messenger" between self and Entity, the Entity as "mediator" between self and All or All That Is. 1. Relax body, quiet mind, and close eyes; it may also be useful to take several long, slow, deep breaths. Focus on Inner Self. (At first, it may be easiest to simply imagine Inner Self; with practice, however, the focusing generates an immediate and direct experience. Persistence will change the experimenter, making the next steps easier, but the amount of persistence required will of course vary greatly from one person to another. One way to imagine Inner Self begins by sensing or feeling the physical body after eyes are closed and mind is quieted, treating this sensation as a kind of "personal energy field." Inner Self is imagined or sensed at the origin or center of this field.) 2. Focus again on Inner Self; after entering the Inner Self region, focus on your own Entity (greater self, essence, or soul) and attaining "intimate contact" with this more expansive region, again imagining this at first if necessary. Imagining yourself becoming your Inner Self, so that you _as your Inner Self_ are now focusing on Entity (much as you -- your usual conscious self -- focused on Inner Self in Step 1.) may also be helpful. 3. Focus on feeling or sensing a connection with All or All That Is, extending the exercise to the most expansive region of self. (This step could be said to have much in common with various traditional "paths;" as such, mastering it could require an entire lifetime or even lifetimes -- who can say?) Expansive VariationGenerate a feeling of love -- whatever this is to you -- at the start of the exercise, and maintain it through the steps. Notes and
Suggestions |
6. The Inner SensesJane Robert's Seth uses "inner senses" to refer to certain features of human awareness intimately associated with the Inner Self of Exercise 5. and RealityTest intends to create a simple but effective exercise (or exercises) focusing on these features. This is a work-in-progress likely to appear here before long, after preliminary experimentation ("field testing"). The doorway to the inner senses opens when the experimenter turns his or her attention inward, away from the "camouflage" nature of physical reality (as Seth might describe it). From The Early Sessions, Book 1, Session 42: "When the ego becomes a mere observer rather than a controller, and momentarily suspends its rigid judgments, then inner direct experience is given some freedom and yet the ego is still aware of it. When the ego is completely or nearly completely subjugated, as in sleep, then there is direct experience through the inner senses, but no conscious awareness of it. The reason that direct inner experience is often cut off and rarely sustained is that the ego almost immediately clamps down to examine the phenomena..." Those who would prefer to begin exploring their own inner senses immediately are encouraged to review Chapter Nineteen: The Inner Senses -- What They Are and How to Use Them found in The Seth Material Copyright © 1970 by Jane Roberts. Additional material by Seth and those adding their own interpretation and/or commentary to Seth's original material can be easily found by on-line searching and includes locations such as Nirvikalpa.com (with its searchable databases) and NewWorldView, among a great many other sites. |
7. Your Subliminal Self at the KeyboardThe "subliminal self" was a term used by Frederic Myers and others engaged in psychical research, long ago. RealityTest uses it here to refer to regions of self beyond or beneath the conscious self, much as in "subconscious" and "unconscious." No major effort is necessary for enabling your subliminal self to express itself; all that's required is a light trance condition and your computer keyboard. 1. With your fingertips resting lightly on your keyboard, close your eyes and deliberately relax your body and mind, taking a series of long, slow, deep breaths and allowing your conscious thoughts to gradually come to a halt. 2. After a few moments -- there is no need to be in any hurry whatsoever -- open your eyes, and type away, focusing on whatever subject has entered your mind. As you do so, be aware of the gestalt of writing, your mind and fingertips working as one as you simultaneously view the symbols of your thoughts -- the words appearing on your monitor. Trance is obtained when your conscious mind is focused with sufficient intensity on this process so as to become reasonably transparent. You will know when you have successfully entered a trance when the subjective passage of time is altered -- what may have seemed to have taken only a few minutes to type will turn out to have taken much longer, while the tone of your writing will be subtly changed from your usual prose. You may not experience this on the first few tries, but with a bit of persistence you'll soon find your subliminal self expressing itself through your mind and fingertips. Should you meet with success, the Internet offers endless and intriguing possibilities for interacting with others while in trance. Cautionary Note: Those who hold fearful beliefs concerning the " spirit world " and/or their own unconscious mind are advised to not experiment with trance. For those sufficiently intrepid to pursue this but unfamiliar with trance states, it is not wise to drive, operate heavy equipment, or engage in any other such activity while in trance; if you should find yourself much more deeply entranced than anticipated, drink some water, eat some solid food, and go for a walk. Having someone else around, somewhat attuned to you, may also be a good idea during such experiments, if you find yourself prone to deep trances. (Not all are, and trance writing doesn't require a deep trance; a light trance will suffice.) |
8. Finding the Center of YourselfAn excellent exercise enabling an awareness of "reincarnational" selves is found in The Early Sessions, a nine-volume collection of Seth sessions channelled at the beginning of Jane Roberts' Seth odyssey (before Seth explored probable selves and realities and simultaneous time; the linear time, serial reincarnational self concepts of this exercise were eventually superceded in later sessions, although the exercise is still quite effective, nevertheless). The exercise is found on-line here, at Nirvikalpa.com. A brief excerpt: "The experience will deepen and reinforce your sense of individuality, and you will know for yourself that you are one in many, and yet many in one." |
9. Just What Are Those Methods?Exercise 5. above was inspired in part by this passage from Jane Robert's Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul: "By that time, all religions will be in severe crisis. He will undermine religious organizations -- not unite them. His message will be that of the individual in relation to All That Is. He will clearly state methods by which each individual can attain a state of intimate contact with his own entity; the entity to some extent being man's mediator with All That Is." The situation Seth is referring to takes places decades from now, but that hasn't stopped RealityTest from continuing to wonder about the nature of the methods in question. This wondering has long included experimentation with consciousness expanding exercises, focused meditation, and the acquisition of additional channelled information. Examples of the last include these two overlapping items: 1. "Our bodies have talents most would scarcely believe today. The methods specified will activate these talents. This is not something new. In various times past, in your terms, these completely natural abilities were more frequently touched on than they are currently. Meditation, as it is practiced in most systems, is inadequate to the task as quieting the mind chatter, while essential, is only one part of the puzzle since, by itself, it doesn't activate the body's natural energy systems. Some clues to these methods can be glimpsed in various hieroglyphics. It's not that all this knowledge is today obscured. It exists in part, in the energetic practices of the dervish, oriental systems, yoga, etc. All are using this method, but only on the outer edge of the whirlpool that is the true center." 2. "There has been some question as to whether meditation -- inner focus, is all that is needed to clear the energy pathways so the physical body can function as a clear channel for energy. As you stand now, this is not sufficient. Your modes of living have created blocks, and these blocks cannot be removed by mental focus alone. To remove a block, you must first become aware of each one and where it is located in the physical energy body. The term "methods" was used because I was speaking not just of physical and not just of mental or psychic doings. The physical part of the methods will gradually give you awareness of the nature and location of your own blocks. Acupuncture does help clear these blocks, but you have all the time between sessions to restore them. And restore them you will unless you are fully aware of each one and take care to do what is necessary to keep the channels relaxed and clear. When I speak of awareness of these blocks, I mean AWARENESS. Once you connect with your body in a friendly, health-giving way, your knowledge of the blocks will be as sure as your sense of the chair you sit in, the sights your eyes convey to you, the shape of a ball you hold. It will not be vague in the least. I suggest getting to know your body. See how it feels, not just with your awareness, but with your very physical hands. You might begin with your head. Your scalp seldom gets much attention except when washed. There are many energy nodes in the head, some in the scalp, some around the ears, some on the face. A few minutes exploring your physical self each morning, as soon after waking as possible, will be most beneficial. If you can do it while still in bed, fresh from dreams, that would be the most effective." Another Take on the Methods (posted to the comment thread found below this Guardian Comment is Free (Belief) article, 28 May 2012 3:25PM): The methods that will finally put an end to a flawed and dying religion are very gradually becoming clear. For these to be effective, they will have to be straightforward and yield consistent results, outside the context of any official religious beliefs. When they are finally formulated and then spread, swiftly, very likely through whatever version of global connectivity exists at that future time, Christians, followers of other religions, atheists, materialists & those who adhere to beliefs in scientism -- anyone, in fact -- will be put into a position of either trying them or not; arguing against them without trying them will accomplish nothing. Since they have yet to be explicitly formulated, those aware of their future existence -- but not their exact form -- can only guess and experiment, wondering. My current best guess is that these methods will proceed in several clear steps. The first will be a kind of basic meditation, in which the practitioner deliberately and consciously relaxes his or her body, closes his or her eyes, and allows their conscious thoughts to come to an end. The second step may be a focusing of attention on the interior of the head, gradually resulting in the experience of a very particular sensation, that of a "field" surrounding the head (but this step may require some persistence owing to a variety of factors). I could use terms from various traditions for this step but prefer not to, as doing so tends to mentally and emotionally -- psychologically -- color the resulting experience (or prevent someone from trying it owing to their beliefs and associations). A truly successful execution of the first step will ameliorate this situation, somewhat; impartial experience requires a detachment from all traditions and beliefs, particularly religious beliefs and those that atheists and materialists have imbibed since childhood or later then reinforced, typically on an almost daily basis over many years, simply by repetitive thought. I'm not sure what the third step will be, exactly. Possibly, someone reading the above will figure it out, not by abstract or analytical thought, but by successfully engaging in the first two steps. Their challenge will then be to express their understanding outside of any existing framework or tradition, in a way that successfully challenges others to try the first two steps, instead of simply deriding this person. (Consider how unusually successful Saul of Tarsus -- Paul -- was in a marketing or promotional sense. He conveyed a seriously distorted "vision" but very effectively; in the case of these methods, whoever succeeds in formulating them will also have to be a marketing genius with abilities not unlike Paul's for them to spread.) Getting back to the article -- I can't see the point of basing an article on the word "revelation" without a full exploration of the actual meaning of the word, one that is seriously loaded or "charged" with religious associations, particularly so in the case of Christianity and the very peculiar institutions and institutionalized beliefs that began to solidify into "orthodox" or "official" forms centuries ago, offshoots of even older variations, practically all other variations being snuffed out by any number of thoroughly ego-bound personalities such as Athanasius. (What chance did Christianity really have, anyway, considering the nature of the world in which it developed, the older "Messiah" expectations, and so on?) Bill I. RealityTest will continue to probe and experiment; any specific methods found to be truly effective -- in terms of both ease-of-use and results -- will eventually be posted here. |
