Mental Landscape Visualisation

[Tigerangel]

I was reading about this exercise online, where the author talked about a technique where you create an alternate landscape in your mind, a sort of 'safe haven' for you to travel to in meditation/trance. It's supposed to help with visualisation as well as enabling images to surface from the unconscious mind. I tried it today and it was interesting...

But does anyone know what it's called, and where I can read more about it? I only came up with astral projecting in my searches, which is interesting, but clearly not the same thing. (Or is it?)

This is exactly what I do when I do a shamanic journey and mindfulness mediations, my created place I call my sanctuary, ( Safe Haven) and I don't share to anyone what it looks like because it's a place for me to protect myself, only me, 2 of my spirit animals and one spirit guide are allowed freely to enter it.

I go to my sanctuary first then I will set my intentions for what I'm wanting to meditate or journey about, if it's a mediation I'll just sit in the sanctuary and let my mind go where it needs too, with journeying I will purposely put my mind into a guided meditation to enter the lower/middle or upper world, once in one of the world's then I will let my animal,spirit guides take over what I experience, I always go back to my sanctuary and ground before I come back out my meditation or journeys.

 

[suk]

Lol! Not sciencey at all I promise you.
It's very simply creating an inner world. You can use that inner world.
You can have anything you want in it from a gym to a spa via a temple or dragon flying centre!
To give you an example, if you've put a healing centre of some sort in there, you could imagine someone needing healing being healed by you or your own inner world shaman or even angels.
It's your world, you decide what's there or not.
Even enemies or bad dreams can be dealt with in your inner world. You could lock them up in your inner world prison to be dealt with with whatever entity to deal with them in anyway you want.
It's meditation/ visualisation/ imagination work. You can journey from it via portals to any world you want, if that's what you want.
I do have the book yes and it's quite an easy read. The cover of it never looked very professional to me but the content is actually quite interesting and amusing.
I say amusing because you could even have sex with whoever you want in your inner world and do some dragon's back riding if you fancy it!

Damn, girl! You mentioned your book collection to me before, and I can see why you didn't want to part with any of it! I can only imagine what other titles you have in there...
It sounds wonderfully kooky, I'll see if I can find it anywhere here.

@Tanga
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. That's exactly what I was talking about. I've only done it twice so far, but it's been completely invigorating already. I used to do this in some way when I was younger, but it was more about romantic fantasies... which is embarrassing to admit! But the way in which it was done was much the same, because there were complete landscapes and other worlds, costumes, flying motorbikes... you get the idea. The difference is that I thought I was 'wasting' my time back then, and now I can call it meditation. Who said growing up couldn't be fun?

@decan
I have read that Vietnamese soldiers used a similar technique, but I don't know what they called it. It was used to insulate themselves somehow from the brutality of torture and war. Creating a space in their mind where they could retreat to was empowering because the enemy could never take that away from them.
I wouldn't be surprised if Buddhism speaks of a similar technique. There are a lot of Buddhist meditations that focus on visualisations, which is essentially what this is about.

@Tigerangel
I have so many questions!
I do like the idea of not sharing it with anyone, so I understand that. How did you arrive at the spirit and animal guides who could enter? I have animal friends with me when I do it too, are they my guides?
I've heard of the lower/middle/upper worlds with relation to astral travel. Is that what you're referring to here? How do you know which world you're in?
Finally, a practical question. I usually use a timer of some sort for my meditation, but when it goes off I kind of just stop. How do you make sure you go back to your sanctuary before it goes off? Or do you just go back after you turn the alarm off? It sounds silly, but I'm serious...


Thank you all for replying!

 

[Tigerangel]

@Tigerangel
I have so many questions!
I do like the idea of not sharing it with anyone, so I understand that. How did you arrive at the spirit and animal guides who could enter? I have animal friends with me when I do it too, are they my guides?
I've heard of the lower/middle/upper worlds with relation to astral travel. Is that what you're referring to here? How do you know which world you're in?
Finally, a practical question. I usually use a timer of some sort for my meditation, but when it goes off I kind of just stop. How do you make sure you go back to your sanctuary before it goes off? Or do you just go back after you turn the alarm off? It sounds silly, but I'm serious...

Not silly at all, I'll start with the alarm question first,
I would maybe make it not to loud to startle you, and have a sound that is soothing for your alarm, and when you hear the alarm bring yourself back to your sanctuary, ground yourself then you can go out of your altered state and turn the alarm off.

I arrived at the animals and spirit guide who could enter simply because I trust in them completely and are my main lifetime guides.

If you have animals with you, they could very well be animal guides for you, I can't tell if they are or not though, that is something that you would need to ask these animals yourself, next time you are with them ask them if they are you animal guides or ask any other questions you may have for them.

The world's are accessible in both forms of travel, here I may have a different view from others and you will find a whole heap of people's experiences and conflicting opinions on this matter, the best way is to come to your own conclusion and what is true for you and what works for you, as we are all unique, we all perceive things in our own unique way.

But I'll share how I view the difference between astral projecting (OBE) and my shamanic journeys.

I have experienced one true OBE in my life, and have never been able to do it again, I believe with astral projecting that our full spirit/soul leaves the body, connected by silver cord and when we leave the body through astral projecting, our physical body is an empty shell that we have no control over when we are not physically in it.
With Shamanic journeying I see this as me going into an altered state of consciousness for healing or advice from my animal guides or higer guides and I'm aware of my body and able to control it.

My experience of my obe was good and bad, maybe that's why I haven't been able to fully achieve it again, when I did this I was lying down in bed and relaxing for sleep, I pictured in my minds eye a large crystal I liked floating above the bottom half of my physical body and then reached to grab it with my non physical body "soul body" and grabbed onto it pulling myself out of my physical body, I have no clue how long this took to do, but when I did leave my whole physical body started to vibrate and shake, it was a very strange sensation, then I found myself in my Hall in my house I felt like a was physically there but with no body, then this black shadow threw me up against my cupboard door in my Hall and pinned me to it, I couldn't move then I had an amazing experience that I wish I could do again, the best way for me to describe this to compare it to traveling at wrap speed in a star trek movie, my soul body was moving at an amazingly fast pace and I could see stars whizzing past me I could happily stayed there travelling through the stars forever.

But it did end when I found myself back in my physically body, this was over 12 years ago this happened and I now understand that what slammed me into the cupboard was a manifestation of my own fears, I would never consider doing an obe again unless I was very sure of my intention of where I was going and put in some form of protection in for my physical body and made sure I was not holding unto any unconscious fears.

With my shamanic journeys I will sit in the lotus position, I don't lie down because I will fall asleep lol, and my journey is entered into through rattling and drumming ( the rattling is done moving around before I sit down) and my shamanic teacher does the drumming around us, when at home I use an mp3 of drumming.

That's when I will go to my sanctuary, I have a main spot where I sit and will state my intention for my journey and what world I wish to visit, you can access the world's through how you would like, to go to the lowerworld I will enter through a cave, visiting the upperworld has always been random for me, I've went up through a vortex that sucked me in once, and also went onto a lake full of mist that lifted the boat up, the upperworld world is always white and cloudy for me, you go there to access higer guides like angels and ascended masters, but for some it can have crystal palaces ect, and the lowerworld should always be natured based and you would normally find your animal guides here. In middleworld journeying you can access the nature spirits that are in our physical world by our normal reality can't see, you should always put in protection for yourself if you do a middleworld journey.

I did a dismember and remembered journey last Wednesday, I haven't shared the experience yet on my journey into the unknown thread, but it was a good journey even though it sounds horrific lol.

You can read some of mine and others journey experiences on this thread if your interested
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=257255

To sum up how I perceive the difference in a simple way astral projecting is external and journeying is internal.

The best way for you to find out what is what is to experience your own mediations or journeys and come to your own views and conclusions of what it means to you.

 

[Tanga]

@Tanga
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. That's exactly what I was talking about. I've only done it twice so far, but it's been completely invigorating already. I used to do this in some way when I was younger, but it was more about romantic fantasies... which is embarrassing to admit! But the way in which it was done was much the same, because there were complete landscapes and other worlds, costumes, flying motorbikes... you get the idea. The difference is that I thought I was 'wasting' my time back then, and now I can call it meditation. Who said growing up couldn't be fun?

Well that's where I began (and even earlier I used to imagine going out to meet the monsters in the shadows of the garden at twilight - or not) - before I grew up enough to contemplate it as a spiritual practice (and I guess why I find visualisation so easy). The journey's I used to go on with the film stars on my wall!!! And I'm a lucid dreamer with some control too - so I'd deliberately engineer them into my dreams as well.

@Tigerangel
I have so many questions!
I do like the idea of not sharing it with anyone, so I understand that. How did you arrive at the spirit and animal guides who could enter? I have animal friends with me when I do it too, are they my guides?
I've heard of the lower/middle/upper worlds with relation to astral travel. Is that what you're referring to here? How do you know which world you're in?
Finally, a practical question. I usually use a timer of some sort for my meditation, but when it goes off I kind of just stop. How do you make sure you go back to your sanctuary before it goes off? Or do you just go back after you turn the alarm off? It sounds silly, but I'm serious...

I can't tell you about worlds - as I don't practice Shamanism - but Re:animals...
Do they re-appear each time... Do they linger in your awareness after you've been on your journey. Do you somehow feel "at home" or "right" with them (or fascinated).
Then - they are likely your guides.
I recommend reading up on animal medicine Shamanic style - and also the natural habits of these animals, so you become more familiar with their properties and what purpose they seek to lend to you.

Re: the alarm. Remember that your journey is your own. So even if the alarm says stop - you don't have to. (though of course having the presence of mind for this only comes with practice - in the beginning, all is distracting).
As Tigeragel suggests - make the alarm soft so you're not physically shocked back into reality (with a jolt of adrenaline ). When you hear it - you can start leading yourself to the end of your journey. In my case (if I'm using an alarm - I don't anymore) when it's time to stop, I finish up whatever I'm doing, say thanks to all and sundry who may have been present.
Then visualise myself walking back through the little black gate that used to be at the bottom of my garden. This is the signal that I'm returning to my body sitting in the chair (or whatever).

...But I'll share how I view the difference between astral projecting (OBE) and my shamanic journeys.

I have experienced one true OBE in my life, and have never been able to do it again, I believe with astral projecting that our full spirit/soul leaves the body, connected by silver cord and when we leave the body through astral projecting, our physical body is an empty shell that we have no control over when we are not physically in it.
With Shamanic journeying I see this as me going into an altered state of consciousness for healing or advice from my animal guides or higer guides and I'm aware of my body and able to control it...

I have experienced OBE twice. 1) During my Reiki 2 initiation I left my body and went through the roof up into the sky.
2) In a psychic awareness class, whilst meditating on a crystal - I got "stuck" inside that crystal (minimized - I wondered around the crystal landscape).

The altered state - yes often.

And 3 times - I've gone into an altered state an remembered/re-lived a snapshot of a past life... (the meaning of remembering those particular details... I'm still not sure of. But it was fascinating).

 

[suk]

Wow! I didn't expect such lengthy replies. Thank you both so much for taking the time to share everything.

I'm so happy you solved the alarm problem! I'll try it with a softer tone and see how it goes.

I've been reading a book on astral projection, and the person says that people leave their bodies all the time, such as when they're sleeping and so on... and that consciousness is often in two places at once. 'True' OBEs, like the one you describe, are rare and tend to be quite intense. It doesn't quite make sense to me what the author says, but then I don't have much experience with this yet.

It's really interesting that you can enter upper or lower worlds by imagining going down or being lifted up. It's as if, if it can be imagined, it can be done. That's a really game-changing kind of idea to me. Although, as humans, you would think we would know this by now.

I'll ask the animals questions when I see them again. So far, they have had a protective kind of vibe, like I trust them completely. They do make me feel very at home and relaxed.

It's been soo interesting reading about your experiences. I feel like I should get deeper into my meditations!

Tigerangel, I'd come across the thread you linked before, but when I read it the first time I couldn't make any sense of it! Now that I know a bit more, it's super interesting and helpful. It's funny how we have to be 'ready' before we can digest some information...

 

[earthair]

Finally, a practical question. I usually use a timer of some sort for my meditation, but when it goes off I kind of just stop. How do you make sure you go back to your sanctuary before it goes off? Or do you just go back after you turn the alarm off? It sounds silly, but I'm serious...

Try 'installing' a grandfather clock with a loud chime at the doorway. Or if you're outside, follow the sun/moon across the sky and stop when it sets.