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I wanted to share with you guys a method that I came up with, a simple way to access trance that both acts as an entry into the state and a failsafe once you're there.
this is good in instances where you are aiming for the sort of mental activity (call it astral travel, shamanic trance, whatever) where things may possibly get too intense for your liking, in which you are working mentally in environments or with beings that may or may not be familiar, entertaining, challenging, or dangerous.
all you need is a pin—your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, sewing pin. you get your body in a position where you can comfortably forget it. have it so you can clasp your hands—with this method it makes most sense if you do it with your fingers interlaced. now you want to position the pin between your palms like the bridge of a capital H, so that it is positioned as though you might drive it into your palm.
This is because if something starts happening to your mind that you don’t want to happen, your body will naturally tense. when your body tenses, usually the first thing it will do is to clench the hands. having the pin positioned this way with your fingers interlaced means that when this unconscious fear response is activated, you will be pricked or pierced (depending on the violence of your reaction), and hopefully the pain will be enough to bring you back. and another thing: if you hurt yourself physically, you've probably also mentally hurt yourself or scared yourself. whether it's just a nick or you had to pull the entire pin out your palm and staunch the bleeding :P, however long it takes to heal is probably the length of time your mind needs to recover from the shock. just sort of a physical reminder of good sense.
Now if you are one who scoffs at the idea that you might come across something that you couldn’t handle, then I would first like to say that you are a fool :P That said, the pin could still be useful to you. In the process of awkwardly trying to position the pin and then interlace my fingers without letting it fall or prematurely pricking myself, it served to focus my concentration on the preparation for the trance. It also keeps you from distraction, because once you’ve got it right, you’d rather not break the position and have to do it again. Also, keeping it in place requires stillness and the right kind of unanxious, not-thinking concentration that is exactly what you want for meditation and entering into a trance. [In addition, I have music playing to still the thoughts. shamans the world over beat drums and play rattles, I just set my mp3 collection on shuffle.]
It certainly worked for me, although I never did need the prick. Have any of you done or read of a similar method? I feel I have a natural talent for trance/astral travel, so I’m curious as to how others approach it. what other entry/failsafe methods do y’all use for trancing? how do they work? |
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