Point of Departure
With practice, you will have become comfortable and proficient in moving your consciousness within an expanded energy body. Now you are ready for take-off. Once again you will be led to Focus 12, where you will move your consciousness into your energy body and rotate it 180 degrees. This technique may seem familiar from earlier exercises in the Gateway Experience. This exercise, however, has a very different starting point – your energy body – which is vibrating at a very high speed. The rotation may also seem different. For some, the experience may appear to be like a very slow movement in time and space; for others, a shift in awareness, like having eyes in the back of your head. You may actually see your own body. It is best to suspend expectations. Whatever your experience, your goal during Exercise 3 is to project your consciousness out of phase with your physical body.
If you have difficulty with this exercise, don’t despair. Please know that not everyone will have a conscious out-of-body experience. It takes a lot of practice for most, and many of us have hidden fears that hold us back. Also, if you try too hard for an OBE, the intense effort can become the very distraction that holds you back. Try to be nonchalant about OBEs. They are just a small part of the process of self-exploration and personal growth.
Expansion in Locale 1
Exercise 2 will enable you to begin a greater exploration of Locale 1 through the expansion of your energy body in Focus 12. This is accomplished by speeding up the vibrations in your energy body and expanding it outward, like a large bubble surrounding your physical body. Once fully expanded, you will move your awareness toward the far reaches of your energy body; becoming lighter as you move farther from the confines of your physical body.
Nonphysical Friends
We encourage all who participate in our residential and in-home programs to be open to the idea of asking for and receiving assistance. Our enthusiasm for doing so originates from our early experiences with the Explorer sessions conducted at The Monroe Institute’s laboratory facilities. During these sessions, it became apparent that our Explorers were not alone; rather, they had an abundance of help. “Helpers in energetic form” would typically position themselves two on each side of the Explorer. These helpers might assist the Explorer in leaving his/her physical body or contribute to otherwise with purpose of a session. The particulars of how these nonphysical friends were helping were not always obvious, but their benevolent intentions were remarkably clear. This much-appreciated cooperation gave rise to the latter half of the Gateway Affirmation, which became an essential component of our programs for exploring states of consciousness. Who are these non-physical friends? We prefer that you decide for yourself. Exercise 4 is designed so you might establish trust through direct personal contact.