Actually, you did more than merely ask about it. You clearly stated that you don't understand why it (OBE) would be helpful for anything.
Yeah, I had quite a fresh start into this thread. I didn't intend it to sound like that, that's why I wrote more about my experiences, impressions and thoughts in my second posting.
But not having understood something in the past doesn't mean it's of no interest for me or that I am not able to understand it, if someone tells me about it. Although I've been in some German forums about magic, I never had the opportunity to ask someone about his experiences with OBE.
I have meditated about OBE before I've send my last posting, so I can at least imagine how it is to have an OBE. Since you said, that OBE is quite helpful, I would have liked to hear more about this from your experience.
I will not elaborate on my own journeys of exploration or on the mechanics of OBE, this is not the place for it, there is plenty of quite reliable printed material on the topic (Robert Monroe, etc...) ...
... As for myself, I'm a better speaker than writer.
Thank you for the recommendation of the book, but I have so many books in my reading list, I won't add this one. I don't want to read about it, I would have loved to talk about it and exchange experiences.
It's absolutely okay for me if you don't want to talk about it. You have your reasons and I respect them. And you are right, talking about it is much better than writing about it.
to KNOW the
"Ultimate Reality" of
"Pure Awareness", it
cannot be done through ANY structural filters of "Self" or "Identity". You have to
"leave ALL your garments at the door", so to speak
...
Oh, you are walking in this direction. Alright, then I understand why you say identity is ballast. This is absolute standard for most mystical teachings. I've been following these roads too for more than ten years (having a Guru, who taught about the Yogasutras of Patanjali, practicing asanas, pranayama (Kriya Yoga to be more precise), chanting mantras, meditating mantras, Nirbija Yoga and so on).
Then I realized that I was going in the wrong direction. My dreams were telling me from the beginning, becoming more intense every year, until it became horror. Dreams accompanied me my whole life and I loved them right from the start. But I didn't know much about the meaning of dreams back then. I was sad my dreams were talking so badly about my beloved guru and this wonderful way to find the experience of Pure Awarness and God. I just couldn't imagine why they were so severe about it.
When I realized that this path didn't provide any wisdom to me - and my guru, who claimed to be an incarnation of Shiva and to experience samadhi, wasn't very wise too - I chose another direction for my life. I would have learned much more during these years if I had listened more carefully to my dreams and sought for their profound meaning, instead of denying myself every day for the aim of Pure Awareness/Gottesfunke. But of course I respect the choice of everybody who loves to walk along these paths.
Finding my way back to lucid dreams: for understanding a dream it is very important to find out _who_ is walking through the dream. Very often we don't dream from the perspective of our daily consciousness but from the view of aspects deep inside who come to the surface to solve problems, to be integrated into life and to establish a stronger and deeper identity. Of course I don't think "who am I, who am I, who am I" while dreaming and interacting with my dreams (may they be lucid or not). Being connected to your identity doesn't mean to focus on it all the time. When we are empathic with other persons, realms and beings or identify ourself with stories or just meld into the beauty of nature or into the experience of gods, there is not so much focus on our identity. But it is no ballast for me at all and I rely on my identity although I am not focussed on it. I even can meld into another being and being aware of my identity at the same time, the experience is different, that's all. And as I wrote before, sometimes it is very important to have a sense of identity, especially when you are on a difficult and complex passage.
Thank you for your answers, Andro, they have inspired me to contemplate about all this and to express at least some of my thoughts and experiences. It's always a great joy when I can learn.
