Exercise 8

Developing Our Awareness

 

Purpose

This exercise consists of a number of short exercises that can be fun to do. They will help you develop sensitivity to energy as well as your level of awareness and confidence. There are many ways to do this and I will only be able scratch the surface of this very broad area. Everyone is capable, to varying degrees, of opening up and expanding their level of awareness. The degree to which one can do this is partially dependent on their higher self’s “goals” during a given lifetime. However, in virtually all cases the degree of growth possible is still enormous compared to the percentage of their awareness people are typically using.

After you have done these at least once, you should begin to get a sense of what may be possible with practice. You will likely think of many of your own as you do the exercises. Anything that has our mind thinking outside of its normal ways can help you, so I encourage you to discover you own ways of doing this.

 

Duration:

10-30 minutes (time spent depends on the exercise)

 

Prerequisites:

Note: any additional prerequisites will be listed in the exercise where they are required

Readings:

Exercises:

Additional Readings:

Additional Exercises:

Note: these following exercises will make these exercises easier but are not required for Exercises 8.1 to 8.4


Background:

One of the primary intents of the material on this site is to help you develop your awareness, which aids in personal and spiritual growth. Now that you have started to meditate and have an understanding of grounding, clearing and centering you are beginning to explore your awareness. The exercises in this set will give you further opportunities to do this.

You can do these as often as you would like and should try them all before you move on to shielding or working with energy. We can find ways to increase our sensitivity through various practices such as yoga, Tai Chi, playing a musical instrument, automatic writing and working at artistic pursuits to name but a few.

Anything that puts us outside of our comfort zone can also boost our sensitivity as does challenging long held beliefs about the nature of things. This is because our beliefs and thoughts about our existence play an enormous role in what our rational mind blocks and filters out of our conscious awareness. The bulk of our problem is that we base our perceptions on such ideas as:

  • Objects are discrete things rather than energy in relationships
  • Our view of things predominantly from the “I” perspective
  • That we are conscious because we have a brain
  • Rigid views about space and time.


We must challenge these views and ideas in order to move past them. The best way to do this is through actions that do not conform to these views, ones we can verify to ourselves. The exercises below may help to start this process. When we see ourselves as purely physical beings, we restrict our ability to reach out with our awareness. The goal is to expand our view of self by impressing the belief, in our rational minds, that we are not our bodies.

Try the following exercises in the order they appear though you can do them in any order so long as you do them all if possible.

 

Method

List of Exercises:

 

 

Ex 8.1 The Guessing Game

You can do this little exercise anytime and without any preparation, though you may also do this in a semi-meditative state to see if you can be more accurate. All you need is a deck of cards and a few minutes. When you do this exercise, be aware of your Rational Mind Editor (covered in Ex 2 Improving Our Honesty).

 

Step 1:

While sitting down at a table or on the floor, relax your body and mind as best you can. Take your deck of cards and hold it in one hand face down.

Step 2:

You can do this exercise any number of ways as listed below. Choose the one that is most comfortable to you, though I suggest trying all the ways to notice how the odds of correctly “guessing” affect your choice.

  • Use the colours of the cards only (red/black) – 1 of 2
  • Use the suite of the cards – 1 of 4
  • Use the number of the card regardless of the suit – 1 of 13
  • Use the actual card – 1 of 52

Step 3:

Once you determine the way you are going to do this, take the first card on the deck and without thinking about it state what you believe that card is (ex. It is a red card, it is a Club, it is a seven or a Jack, or it is the four of Hearts). Once you have stated what you think or feel it is, look at the card and place it in one of two piles. Put the cards you were right about in one pile and the ones you were wrong on in another. For all but the last example, you may also want to pass on looking at the card and simply place it in a pile corresponding to the choices you have. I suggest this because if we check every time we guess on a card and are getting many either right or wrong it can affect our thinking and take us out of the moment.

Try to go with the first thought that comes to mind and not second-guess yourself. When you are stating what the card is notice if you are thinking about your choice because once you start to think about it you may find that you get more wrong than when you go with the first choice.

Step 4:

Go through the deck one card at a time. Continue to monitor your thoughts and feelings as you do so, though try not to focus on them. The pace you choose to do this at can affect the outcome. The more time you take to consider each card, the more likely you are to be second-guessing. This means you are going with your impulse rather than your intuition.

Step 5:

Count the cards in each pile and see how you did. The odds suggest the average outcome should be. If the number of times you are correct varies significantly from the odds then you are getting the answers. If you are more often wrong then you are editing your thoughts to go with your impulse rather than intuition. You were getting the answers; you just were not able to trust them. This happens when we resist the intuitive response and replace it with a thinking response.

 

Follow-up

Do not worry about the number of times you were right or wrong, they are just about irrelevant. The benefit of this exercise is not dependent on getting the right or wrong answers; it is on paying attention to your mind and trying to learn to be perceptive of and go with the first thought that surfaces, the intuitive one. Over time, you should start to notice your editor engaging and can begin to examine why you let it speak for you. A common reason is we like to be right!

Do try all the variations if you can because when we have more choices you may be able to feel your editor more easily. This is because the higher the risk of being wrong the more our editor is engaged in the process.

 

 

Ex 8.2 The Key Exercise

This is a very simple exercise. You can do anytime and without any preparation, though you may want to try to do this in a semi-meditative state to see if you can be more accurate. For this exercise, you will need a key chain or ring that has no separators between any keys. It is best to use a number of keys of the same type so that you cannot tell the difference by touch.

You will be working on your active awareness in this exercise. The key to it is to try to not think and simply act. It is harder than you think. As in the previous exercise, be aware of your Rational Mind Editor (covered in Ex 2 Improving Our Honesty).

Step 1:

Take your set of keys and put it in your pocket or purse. Do not drop it in by holding onto the correct key, just hold them by the chain or ring and let them go.

Step 2:

Give yourself a couple minutes and as hard as it may be, try not to think about it. When you go to reach for the key have only one thought in mind, that being you are going to reach in and grab the correct key. Do not think about it; let your mind be blank. Do not anticipate grabbing the right key, which tends to trigger the rational mind to interject. You will know if you thought about it as you reached in. Thoughts reduce the likelihood of grabbing the right key. Do not be concerned if you pick the wrong key. Try it a few times giving yourself a few minutes before you try to grab the correct key.

Step 3:

Try this whenever you need to use your key for a while. This way you are less likely to think about it. Imagine that whenever you reach into your pocket you are not thinking and you will grab the right key. You will find that over time you are more able to pick the right one with no hesitation.

Follow-up

As in the previous exercise, the goal is not to see how many times you get the right key, it is to practice acting without thinking about it. This gives more freedom for your intuitive mind to speak to you and which increases you ability to know and recognize when it does. You will find that at times you do not even think about it, you simply reach in and grab the correct key. get the feeling you know the right key and simply I did this every time I used my keys for a few months in a row.

 

 

Ex 8.3 Changing Your Energy

You can do this exercise anytime you are around other people. This exercise is not as simple as the first two because you will need to focus you attention to do it. The scenario I will use is one where you are sitting on a bench or standing in a place where a number of people are close by or are likely to walk past you.

This exercise comes with a caution. When you are working with energy, you must always have as a root concept the idea that whatever we do must be in the best interests of everyone. All save the most adept have issues that can turn a harmless exercise into an act of manipulation, as even a subtle thought can affect the outcome, including non-conscious ones. The consequences grow along with our ability to work with energy. Whenever you work with energy remember to leave others energy alone (this applies to all living things), and second, if you are vulnerable to the energy of others, exercise caution. Those who are vulnerable should consider whether you should do it at all. Come back to it when you are feeling more able to manage any energy that could be present.

 

Step 1:

Before doing anything take a moment to do a quick meditation to minimize your thoughts, then ground and clear your energy. If you feel able, try to center yourself as well. Do your best to be calm, relaxed and in an objective state. You do not need to get deep into meditation; just be well grounded and have a clear mind.

Step 2:

Take a moment to feel your energy. You should have meditated a few times by now, and feeling your energy is similar to what we do when we center ourselves. You will be looking at shifts in others due to shifts you make. While you need to know and work with your energy, it is relative; hence, for this exercise the state of your energy is almost immaterial. Notice how big your energy field is before moving on to step three. Do this by imagining you are reaching through your energy field and feel how far it extends.

Step 3:

Observe the people around you and their reactions or lack thereof to you in your current state. Focus your attention on two things, your energy and noticing how people react. Gaze around as blankly as possible to avoid staring at people. Staring will affect their reactions. Keep your energy in the same state by reacting as little as possible for a time, say a couple of minutes.

Step 4:

Shift your energy from its current state to some other one. Use the below list as examples of what to try or try ideas of your own.

  • If you energy is calm, try to make the outer edge of it more assertive or edgy.
  • Pull your energy in or expand it.
  • Imagine you are invisible.

Do this by remembering what what you own energy feels like and then expand it as you did you own in Step 1. Hold this energy state for a few minutes as well.

Step 5:

Observe how people react and try to notice if more people pay attention to you or less. Other reactions to observe are how closely they look at you compared to Step 2.

Step 6:

Try other types of energy, perhaps feelings of sadness or joy, or even anger. Again, hold this energy for a time. You do not need to make your entire aura feel this way, just the outer edge. This will not harm you or make you take on the feeling you are manifesting; it will simply put that feel on the outside of your aura. People tend to react to their first impressions, which in this case will be the outer edge of your aura.

 

Follow-up

This is just a fun way of breaking away from perceiving ourselves as purely physical. This belief is the illusion painted by the mind and supported by our physical senses. We need to remember that the mind expands when we increase possibilities. We do this when we create new thoughts, they whittle away at strongly held beliefs.

 

 

Ex 8.4 Getting Someone’s Attention from a Distance


This exercise is almost an extension of the last one and is one you can do anytime you are around other people. While it is similar to Ex 8.3, it is not as easy to get results. It is one thing to expand your aura and quite another to reach out beyond it.

This exercise comes with the same cautions as Ex 8.3 Changing Your Energy, though even more so because we are actually going to work with energy other than ours. Simply remember to leave other people’s energy alone and have the thought that any energy you move must not affect the energy of others. You are tapping them with your energy and not pushing your energy into them. You still should consider doing this exercise when you are feeling safe and strong, as those who are vulnerable to the energy of others can over extend themselves and leave “holes” in their own energy.

One point to note in this exercise is that you do not have control over its success or lack thereof. Avoid doing any form of keeping track of whether it works or not as it is entirely up to the other person. What I can say is that when you are successful you will know it. There will be no question in your mind. These exercises are to help you develop your awareness, this happens regardless of your perceived success rate. It is best to this exercise when you are not likely to be undistracted by others talking to you.

 

Step 1:

Before doing anything take a moment to do a quick meditation to minimize your thoughts, then ground and clear your energy. If you feel able, try to center yourself as well. Do your best to be calm, relaxed and in an objective state. You do not need to get deep into meditation, though make sure you are well grounded, have a clear mind and feel solid but not in a physical sense.

Step 2:

Before starting, take a few extra moments to feel your energy and focus your attention. You should have meditated a few times by now, and feeling your energy is similar to what we do when we center ourselves. Minimize limiting or restrictive thoughts. It is one thing to change how we feel as in the previous exercise, and quite another to overcome thoughts that one cannot get someone’s attention over a distance, “tap them on the shoulder” so to speak, and get their attention just using energy.

Step 3:

When doing this exercise, the person you choose to try to tap on the shoulder should not be someone who appears or feels like they are in any form of distress or feel weak. Pick someone who is does not appear to aware of you or who is looking your way and pick someone within a reasonable distance. The distance is not the issue; it is our ability to hold the thoughts when the person is further away. Also, have in mind that the person you pick will be someone receptive to energy. It is unlikely you will get the attention of someone whose energy field is closed.

There are many ways to do reach out and “tap someone on the shoulder”. I will cover several methods; they may very well spur you on to imagine your own in the future. There is no requirement to try all of them, though you would benefit from each in different ways. Use the one that feels the most comfortable. I would recommend not trying your own until you have done one of the below unless you have the utmost confidence in it. In which case, have fun!

Method 1: Project the Thought

Thoughts are energy; however, most thoughts, save those that come with strong emotional aspects, are not forcefully empowered. This method has the lowest chance of affecting the energy of others. It also is one of the harder ones to do.

Once you have done Step 2, I suggest you picture a sea of energy between you and the person whose attention you are trying to get. To get their attention, think or feel that you would like to have their attention and see them turning to look directly at you when the thought gets to them. Empower this thought by focusing on it and excluding all others.

You can further aid this by imagining your thought traveling out like a sound wave, one that continues as long as you are thinking it. See these waves radiating out towards them and then interacting with the other person’s energy field, though not penetrating it. This last point is important. Let the energy go by and around them. Your thought should be one of asking not demanding. If they are open to it, they will turn around and look to see what caught their attention. They may stare directly at you or look in your general direction before returning to what they were doing.

 

Method 2: Use Energy near the Person

With this method, we will use the energy that is freely available all around us. Once you have done Step 2, visualize that a small portion of the energy next to them is empowered, like a finger, and tap their energy with it, do not push into their energy. Again, imbed in the energy of “finger” the thought that you would like their attention. When you tap them notice if have even an inkling of a thought that the persons energy is resisting back off.

As in the Method 1, you must empower this thought form. Feel or see the energy as malleable, that it responds to your thoughts. If you cannot visualize it, you are unlikely to be able to do so. Focus all you attention on this act and make the visualization as “real” as you can. You are actually putting part of your attention there, the more you focus the more energy you will draw into you “finger”. Try not to think about it too much; conscious thoughts can include those that do not believe it possible to do this.

 

Method 3: Using the Energy between Us and Them

This method shares similarity with both the first two methods, in that we are using the energy that is present all around us to “transmit” our little tap and we are manipulating the free energy between us do so. It is generally easier to use existing energy rather than to try to project our own.

Once you have done Step 2, I suggest you picture a sea of energy between you and the person whose attention you are trying to get. Now imagine that you are charging the energy between you and them. Try the image of a chord or cable materializing, or use your own imagery. Include in the energy the thought that you would like to have their attention and see them turning to look directly at you when the chord reaches them and meets their energy field. Empower this thought by focusing on it and excluding all others.

See the chord as comprised of energy that contains your thought and intent. Continue with this image until it reaches the person and their energy field. Also, see it as interacting with the other person’s energy field, though not penetrating it. Remember not to push into their energy field. Let the energy simply connect to their field with the thought as a request and not a demand. If they are open to it, they will turn around and look to see what caught their attention. They may stare directly at you or look in your general direction before returning to what they were doing.

 

Method 4: Energy Extension

This is the most challenging method of the four presented. Distance is a factor with this method, as most people have to keep at bay thought constructs or forms that block the awareness that we can extend our energy and how. I cannot actually give you a literal explanation on how to extend your energy all. I do suggest that imagine you are reaching through with a portion of your energy field and feel it extend. The “thickness” of the extension does not have to be a certain size. The thickness of the extension does not matter, just as I mentioned with distance. Both of these are rational mind restrictions or programmed limitations and not actual ones.

You must be able to feel the extension, but it is not like a physical sensation. Some use energy extending from the belly area, others from their chest or head. Where one extends from really does not matter, what matters is focus and exertion of will (not to be confused with will power). You must be part of the extension and not separate from it. Allow the feeling of you extended; to do so see your spirit as being connected to your body, extending outside of it rather than being contained in one.

If you can get the feel of this exercise, you have come a long way. The ability to do this is not a common one; though I have observed aspects of this in Tai chi training. There are likely other examples of which I am not aware.

Step 4:

One can do these exercises with different kinds of energy. If you choose to try your own version, make sure to adhere to the cautions I have mentioned including how your probe, thought waves or energy extensions may react with the aura of the person you are trying to “tap on the shoulder”. The only risk with this particular exercise is if you choose someone who is of a lower vibration rate as they can react to any probing of their energy and are highly susceptible to act out rashly. Keep your energy as neutral as possible and include this thought in your choice of the person whose attention you are trying to get.

 

Follow Up

This is can also be a fun way of breaking away from perceiving ourselves as purely physical, though it is not nearly as easy to do as the previous ones. You can also do this with animals, though I have often found that animals respond better when you picture things from their perspective. In this case, it means you should focus your visualization as one of the animal turning to look at you.

 

 

Ex 8.5 Attaining a Meditative Posture

 

Introduction:

When I use the term ‘Meditative Posture’ is mean a state of mind where thoughts are at a minimum, one is well grounded, their energy is clear from strong vibrations and balanced. While one can attain such a posture at any time, whether they are at rest and seated, standing or moving about, I will explain this from a seated or meditation position first. I will follow this with an explanation on how to go about this at other times as well as how to speed up the process.

There are many benefits to being in a meditative posture. This is especially true for those who have limited spiritual training or who are not naturally able to shift their awareness to be receptive to and sensitive of energy. It is not difficult to obtain a meditative posture, though it can be a challenge at first primarily because you may lack familiarity with this ‘state of being’, and familiarity is the key.

With this exercise and those after it, we will be expanding on the basic meditation exercise, specifically on “Expanding our Awareness”. At this point, I will assume that you have done all four of the required exercises, from meditation through to centering, at least a few times prior to attempting this one. In addition, review Part II the Meditation Exercise (Exercise 4), paying particular attention to the section on “Expanding Our Awareness”, before you start this exercise.

 

Step 1 – Meditation and Grounding:

Do the meditation exercise starting at Step 1 and continuing to the end of Step 7. This is the core step of this process and though the others are also important, this one is essential. You need to get mind as clear as possible to reduce the tendency of the rational mind to interfere. Ensure that you have a solid ground. This serves two purposes: first, for both clarity and protection as you may trigger or tap into energies that can be problematic and second, the energy of the earth has a cleansing and balancing effect.

Step 2 Clearing Your Energy:

Clearing your energy is an essential step to attaining a meditative posture. Clearing energy removes left over astral or emotional energies we have collected or taken on that are not part of our aura. Do the Clearing Energy exercise starting from Step 1 and continuing to the end of Step 5.

Step 3 Centering:

This is the second last step in the process. Follow Steps 1 to 4 inclusively, in the Centering exercise. Centering is important for meditative posture as objectivity is critical to minimize the tendency to judge perceptions rather than to accept them as they present themselves to us. The last step is a check of our “centeredness” and is important because it help us validate consciously that we are in as clear a state of mind as possible. If we are clear then it is far more likely that we will be able to sense energy as it is, and not as we would like to perceive it.

Step 4 Remembering:

By going through the first three steps, we attain a particular state of consciousness, or rate of vibration. You can liken this to a note or a sound. Take a few moments to “feel” your energy, to notice the state of vibrancy you have attained. This energy state will vary the first few times you go through the process and may be slightly higher or lower; however, after going through it a number of times you will find that you attain the same overall energy state each time you do it.

 

Follow up:

We do not have to follow the same formal steps each time we want to get into a meditative posture. We can bypass these steps by remembering the energy level and then attuning ourselves to it. I do this by first closing my eyes, mostly to remove the tendency to think about what we see, and then focus my attention within myself. What I mean by this is I seek to get a sense of my energy state and then remember the state of energy I would like to attain. I then deliberately and methodically start to shift my energy towards it by calming my breathing and at the same time, I ground and clear my energy.

With practice, one can learn to condense this process to a few seconds. What marks a gifted psychic from the average person is that this state is never very far away, if at all. They know how to allow this state of mind to be there without having to shift to it, they know it well and trust that it is there without question. We can all learn to do this, if we choose to work at it. We knew how to do this when we were young children, only we have allowed our focus to be primarily on the external. 

 

 

© 2011 Allan Beveridge

 

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