Since learning the concentration/visualization practice on Belsebuub’s courses some years ago, this exercise became one of my favorites. I liked to pick up a random object like a pencil, glass or a plant and focus on it for a few minutes, often several times a day.
As I got used to doing these practices, I also started exploring what worked most for me, and found out that I would often have a success when practicing after coming back from the gym. Being physically tired but mentally awake proved to be a very good state for doing mystical practices, so I made it my routine to do a short practice of concentration or visualization after my daily workout.
I would sit down very comfortably in a recliner and start to focus on whatever object inspired me. For about a week, I decided to focus on a lit candle. After the usual full-body relaxation, I proceeded to the concentration.
This time, however, I didn’t want to just concentrate on the candle itself, but wanted to be aware of my surroundings at the same time. This new way of visualizing/concentrating really got me inspired and I spent the whole week fine-tuning it, until I felt like I had achieved a good level of focus and awareness of my surroundings.
After about a week of practicing in this new way, I had an unexpected experience.
I sat in my recliner as usual and got very comfortable, relaxing all the muscles of my body. Then I focused my attention on the top of the candle, where the wax was melting. I kept concentrating on that part of the candle while at the same time perceiving my surroundings.
My mind was calm and my focus sharp, and then all of the sudden I found myself floating on my back, looking up. All around me was a white/ivory light and I realized that I was actually floating in the melted wax and the white thing around me was the candle.
Interestingly, I didn’t feel any heat, it was just very comfortable and the light around me was beautiful and soothing. I didn’t have to work at floating either, it felt very natural to me. As I looked up from my position, I noticed the blue part of the flame straight above me.
Amazed, I started looking around a bit more and then suddenly came back to myself. I became aware that I saw the whole candle again, feeling very still as a result of the practice.
Later on, I started practicing this concentration with awareness more, instead of just concentrating on an object alone. Practicing this way helped me a lot to have more frequent astral experiences.
Rich, interesting employment of the standard visualization technique. I’ve found that practice to be a very good challenge. There’s kind of a ‘dance’ internally to play with how you focus, how your ‘see’ the visualization in your mind, where you place yourself and your perspective, how much effort you apply etc.. I like your adjustment! I’ll give that a whirl next time I approach visualization.
Hope all’s well with you Rich!
Thanks for sharing this experience, Rich.
Your concentration practice sounds quite innovative. I’ve never really thought of combining concentration upon an object with an awareness of my surroundings: I generally focus on one or the other. Clearly, this brought you a very special and unique experience, so it was a good approach to take.
As another comment, just from your general description of how you approached your practices, I find your dedication to fully exploring an exercise highly inspiring. It goes to show you that by investigating an exercise and honing it over time, we really do get results!
It was really nice to read about the feeling of what it was like floating in the wax Rich. How wonderful it would be to look up at that blue part so close. I find it so beautiful even when just observing it and visualizing it. Such a special experience.
I really like how you describe the process of fine tuning your practices and discovering things that made it better, doing what worked for you, using objects for the practices you felt most inspired about. I feel like this is how one could maintain their interest in a practice and achieve results much more than just doing always the same thing and not picking up on the cues as to what could be improved that come as a guidance from within.
I feel like my mind gets easily stuck in its tracks often. If I have an idea in my mind of how a practice is best done, I might even be noticing these things like you said about focusing on your surroundings at the same time as concentrating being helpful, but not picking up on them but continuing to do the practice in the same way just because of that idea, even if it might be getting a bit stale. So I’m happy I read your experience because it makes me recognize I need to do it.
Hi, Rich. thanks for the inspiration. That experience sounds so soothing and relaxing. I like how you made sure your body was fully relaxed and in a comfortable position before starting the concentration itself. I noticed when I’m not entirely relaxed, I can’t get properly into it. That enjoyment you talk about isn’t there then.
Observing the candle from that perspective must have been cool and it makes me wonder how much more we can discover if we are able to astral project more often.
That’s a great astral experience Rich and one that stuck with me after I had watched that video some time ago. I recall when I was first starting out with Belsebuub’s astral course, this was one of the first concentration practices that I learned. A student taking the course at the same time as me had a similar experience as yours except she projected directly into the flame. After listening to her describe her incredible experience to me I was inspired to achieve the same thing and gave the practice another try after I had given up on it. I find that whenever I practice it, I benefit from the clarity and overall calmness it leaves on both body and mind. I appreciate the tip you gave about perceiving the surroundings while concentrating on the object and will try it at my next practice.
Hey Rich,
that’s a pretty unique astral experience alright! Though I’ve had powerful concentration practises that have made me feel like I was there, they didn’t go that extra step to actually being there.
Since reading your post a couple of days ago, and being reminded of how both pleasant and beneficial it is to do regular little concentration practises, I’ve been incorporating them into my day more and can say I can see the effect on my ability to focus over all and that they’ve made me feel more ‘balanced’.
I do find visualisation one of the more mysterious practises – how it can just transport you to a place. I’ve only had one significant experience with it as an astral practise, where I was aiming to get to Stonehenge. I was so surprised when I actually ‘merged’ into being there (that’s the best way I can describe it), I lost the experience quickly.
I was reading The Astral Codex by Belsebuub the other day (ebook version – Chapter 4, The Process of Astral Projection) and this stood out as being related to your experience:
Astral projection is like taking a cup and saucer. The cup is filled with tea that has a rippling surface. If you make what’s in the cup still, the cup will leave the saucer of its own accord.
Thanks for the inspiration Rich!
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I also read that bit and thought it didn’t really work so well as an analogy 🙂 But maybe it does very well describe exactly that process of astral projection, and I’m personally certainly not at the level where ‘the cup leaves the saucer of its own accord’ so I can’t say. I think I did sort of get the feeling of what was meant though.
Thanks for sharing those experiences Rich. It’s great that you were able to gain unexpected and inspiring results from simple concentration exercises.
Cool and inspiring experience to read Rich 🙂 Especially because I’ve been aiming to improve my level of concentration lately. As in practices I’ve come up against a wall a number of times recently where my lack of concentration didn’t allow me to go deeper in a practice, which I really want, into that other mystical side.
I like that you had a routine and kept working and fine-tuning it every day.
Nice one Rich!
Sounds like you build up the skill during that period and probably the experience came also because of that.
I liked that you point out about perceiving your surroundings. I have noticed as well that this concentration practice can gradually reach a meditative state, while being aware at the same time of the surroundings. Often the mind is very tricky making me playing with my sight around the object or/and playing with the image when I visualize it. The sense of where I am though, keeps the focus sharp.
Thank you for bringing this up. I don’t know why I don’t do it like this every time…
Amazing experience and a great tip! I also had very calming experiences concentrating with an awareness of my surroundings. It is not something that I had a clear guidance for, but was simply drawn to when the room is inspiring to be in. I wish I had payed attention to that feeling and made an effort to create a harmonious place in the space I do practices in. Thank you for sharing.
Wow what an experience Rich, you described it so crystal clear that I could imagine it as though I was there. Thank you for sharing such an inspiring experience and how you approached it.
I enjoyed the video a great deal too!
What a beautiful experience Rich. I’m so happy to see you sharing it here because I remember it very well from when you shared it with some of us back in the day 🙂
Seems like a gentle, soothing thing….being the wax by the fire of the candle.