Self Repeating Thought Patterns
Stage One: Clear your mind through sheer force of will, blank slate it, silencing the repitition and brutally holding it clear, while taking deep powerful breaths, for as long as you can, gritting your mental and physical teeth, if you have if necessary. Whip and cudgel your imagination into temporary obedience. Physical relaxation is not required for any of this. Put everything you have into this and be prepared to shed some honest mental sweat over it. Use breath awareness to help with this as needed. This first step is designed to highlight the problem thought pattern, as well as being a brutal but excellent thought control exercise. If this fixes the problem, fine, but if the rogue thought pattern persists or resumes, continue to stage two.

Stage Two: Replace the rogue thought pattern as soon as possible after it begins repeating, before it grows any stronger. Do not allow it to continue! Replace it with a simple but slightly longer thought pattern and deliberately and strongly repeat this in your mind, over and over. Say this new one aloud a few times, or sing it, as this will help to strengthen it. Concentrate on repeating the replacement until you sense the pressure coming from the original thought pattern weakening. The replacement used can be absolutely anything, a snatch of a song, a verse, a ditty, a jingle, a prayer, an affirmation, etc. Something that flows easily or rhymes will work better. Once the original problem begins to weaken, change the replacement thought pattern again. Use anything but the original thought pattern for this purpose. Repeat the new repetition until the first repetition weakens. If this solves the problem, fine, but if not, proceed to stage three.

Continues another page and a half.

Trance State Familiarity                                                                    p.306-307

It is important to develop the ability to hold a comfortable level of trance and be able to function within it. This must be done without falling asleep too often or too deeply, and without falling into too deep a level of trance. The longer you can hold your physical/etheric mind in the trance state after a successful projection (which may seem like a failure at the time) the longer your projected double can stay out of your body. This also makes the projected double stronger during this time, making for stronger and more vivid experiences and shadow memories. This alone increases the chances for successful shadow memory downloading during reintegration.
            If you tend to fall asleep quickly after a projection attempt (which can be quite lengthy and exhausting during early attempts) you will usually fall into a deep sleep fairly quickly. Your chance of remembering a projection are then sharply reduced. If you can hold yourself semi-awake, flickering for just a few minutes longer, you can use this time with good effect. If, when you get out of body, you discipline yourself to return and reenter your physical body fairly quickly, knowing roughly how long you are able to hold yourself semiawake, and both you and your projected double work along with this, you will have more chances of successful reentry and a full shadow memory download for that experience. Even a brief conscious-exit projection lasting ten seconds is an extremely valuable accomplishment. It provides firsthand experience and makes projection real! The length of subsequent projections can be gradually increased, but the first successful, deliberate, conscious-exit projection and reentry is the most important one of all. This is the one that gives you something real to build on.

Astral Realms and Kingdoms                                                           p. 374- 376

            The astral planes can be likened to a vast ocean of reflected thought and emotion and memory that has been slowly filling since the dawn of time. Internal energetic filtration mechanisms of repulsion and attraction cause this ocean to stratify into layers into layers. Many of these layers develop a cohesive integrity that holds them distinctly separate from any other dimensional area. These areas, traditionally called astral realms and kingdoms, are generated by pools of structured, like-minded energies, thoughts, memories, ideas, beliefs, and fantasies that have collected over time.
            An astral realm is best thought of as a specific environment or world. An astral kingdom is an island or city or town inside a realm: a place that has a single theme and consistent structure. Astral kingdoms are usually civilized areas containing groups of like-minded astral beings.
            Astral realms vary greatly in size and scope, some appearing to be as small as a country village, while others seem infinite in size and scope. Each realm has a distinct and enduring flavor and atmosphere, and its own unique environment. Many contain native astral inhabitants, with varying levels of intelligence and society. Some appear to be fairly modern structures, while other seem ancient.
            Astral travelers will normally experience more than one realm or kingdom each time they project into the astral planes. As the astral level to which travelers project is set by their energetic values at the start of a projection, this will normally be well to their liking. They thus will normally find themselves in pleasant areas each time, where they will always feel reasonably comfortable; albeit often a little perplexed.
            For most novice astral travelers, a jaunt into the astral planes can be likened to taking a mystery flight and landing in a strange city. A city is a city, however, and although the language, customs and laws may be different, all cities are peopled mostly by recognizably human types. In time, as astral navigation experience is gained, it becomes possible to travel to more specific destinations and to then explore the astral planes, realms, and kingdoms in a much less haphazard way.

Astral Dynamics
Robert Bruce

CR 1999
Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
Charlottesville, VA 22902