It happened this morning. It seemed that I had awoken, but then I felt that my hand held the teaspoon that I had used to stir my coffee while in bed. I immediately realized that this couldn’t be, and rolled out of bed. I was suspended in air (lack of deepening). I realized that I could fly (lack of a plan of action). I flew up to the window. The drapes on it were different. I tried to fly through the window, but was unable to. I turned around and flew up to the door, and then easily flew through it and into the kitchen. My mom, who is now deceased, was standing in the kitchen and cooking something. I joyfully greeted her (lack of maintaining; possible loss of activeness) and out-of-body experience quickly ended (lack of secondary separation from the body).

At this stage, there is nearly always but one primary aim: to motivate seminar participants to keep practicing and intensively try out the methods they have been taught. No matter what lengths the teacher goes to, the only person who can make a student make attempts is the student himself. Motivation is the only key to a person’s own actions. No motivation means no focused attempts and no results. The result is a total waste of time. Experience shows that the seminar success rate is much determined by how well-motivated students were at the very beginning. And this is exactly where instructors often make their mistake when starting out. An instructor who is still hardly acquainted with how people’s minds work might immediately focus on the techniques and count on them to yield results since they have been finely honed on thousands of people – and he would be correct to do so. However, what he doesn’t realize is that people need to know what’s in it for them before they will perform the techniques.

That’s why he should use all possible means to put an emphasis on motivation. He needs to do everything he can to try to light a fire under the audience so that they are extremely impatient to get to the part where he goes over the first techniques, and think to themselves, "Are we there yet? When will he finally tell us how to do it?!" After this module, students should be literally squirming in their seats with impatience. That’s exactly the level that you need to get the group to – the boiling point where they all immediately and happily "soak up" all the techniques taught and then eagerly go home to try them out.

Another obvious problem during the introductory part of the lesson is the theoretical approach to the problem. There’s practically no way to avoid questions regarding the most diverse views on out-of-body experience-state phenomenon. Groups nearly always have many people with completely contradictory views. Nearly everyone shows up for lessons counting on some unrealistic expectation they have of the phenomenon being met. That’s why there will be constant nagging like, "So what on earth is it?" Or, "So it’s all in your head?" Although at times it can’t be easy to deal with a tough audience, there are some ways to turn down the pressure.

First, never put your weight as an instructor behind any theory regarding the nature of the phenomenon. Second, state upfront that everyone has his own worldview and a different explanation for out-of-body experience phenomenon. Third, explain that your task is to provide actual practice, unlike many others instructors who teach only theory. Meanwhile, let everyone decide what out-of-body experience actually is on the basis of the actual practice you help him achieve.

 

Requirements for the Premises

If the organizer is not aiming to teach phase states to a mass audience or use the same premises for other purposes and seminars, there is no need to sign a full-time lease for a venue, let alone buy one. It’s much easier to rent a conference room by the hour or by the day. Doing so is many times cheaper and simpler. It also reduces financial risks. This is the path most instructors take.

Requirements regarding the premises are mainly determined by the session format and group size. Meanwhile, there are several general points that one had better adhere to most of the time:

– the premises should be in the center of town

– the premises should have a flip-chart or a whiteboard

– the premises should be enclosed and insulated from outside noise

These are the minimum premises-related requirements. Premises that meet these requirements are sufficient for holding lessons. However, people spending not only their time but also their money will expect conditions to be as comfortable as possible. A pleasant and pretty setting will smooth over many an imperfection in one’s delivery. And conversely, the impression made by an ideally led training session with a high rate of success will be pretty much tarnished by a dirty and dingy room in a place that takes forever to get to.

The seminar instructor or organizer should never forget that learning out-of-body travel and lucid dreaming is a form of entertainment for many of the participants, some of whom might expect a kind of show. And this show should take place on a suitable stage. It’s best to find a room that fits the theme and sets the right mood – one with decorations that bring thoughts of spirituality and self-development to mind. For many people, just one such piece of décor will be enough to fully immerse them in the subject matter of the training session.

As regards the capacity of the room, aim for at least 15 to 25 square feet per person. That means that you will need at least 150 square feet for a group of ten people, and at least 750 square feet for a group of fifty. Sometimes it’s difficult to predict the actual number of participants because more people might show up than planned. Using 15 to 25 square feet per person as a rule of thumb, you will be able to accommodate substantially more people than you had planned on, though it will be a tight fit.

One-on-one consultations and lessons require the least floorspace of all. There are no minimum requirements at all here, seeing as two people can meet wherever they want: at a cafe, at a park, at a conference room for regular seminars, at an apartment, etc. However, it makes sense to have an office ready for such meetings so that you can practice techniques, have a bit of privacy, and show an air of authority.

Some believe that personal-development and spiritual practices (with which the practice of out-of-body travel & lucid dreaming are partially and yet inevitably intertwined) can forgo external material trappings. If your work is tied in with altruism in the sense that you’re providing free-of-charge instruction, then it makes a lot of sense to economize on the venue. If this is the case, you might meet on the lawn of a public park, in the woods, at private apartments, at summer houses, etc. What’s most important is that the attendees be in agreement on this point.

If your goal is to hold immersion lessons, i.e. practice the techniques as much as possible or even make attempts to enter out-of-body experience, the requirements for the premises might include the ability to accommodate all of the participants while lying down, keep out as much noise and sunlight as possible, a sound system, comfortable mats, and blankets. Country houses and retreat centers are good for such events, though they might be quite expensive.

Large-scale events are the hardest to find a venue for. Even large cities have few conference halls for 100 or 500 people, let alone over 1,000. Such halls are booked well in advance, and the greatest difficulty in organizing such an event may be the large rental payment, which will almost certainly have to be paid up front. Far more requirements must be considered for large conference halls than for smaller venues: a well-lit stage, a sound system, an overhead projector, etc.

Keeping in touch with your audience after they participate in your event is no less important. Many don’t understand this and immediately forget about their students as soon as they walk out the door. This is wrong no matter how you look at it. First, many people could use the help. Second, those people might take part in other projects of yours. Third, they will be advertising you to their friends and family – assuming they are completely satisfied in the first place. That’s why you should devote the end of any training session to letting people know how they can get in touch with you, what other services you can offer them, and where they can mingle and learn more. The aforementioned information should also be repeated in fliers, text messages, and mass mailings.

I woke up in the middle of the night and immediately realized that I was in the right state (lack of separation). While lying in bed, I began to imagine that I was palpating and scrutinizing the wallpaper pattern, and after a few seconds I realized that I was not only imagining it, but was actually doing it (lack of deepening). Two points on one of my old plans of action had been to look at myself in the mirror and see how the light-switch works. I went through them. I saw quite a strange reflection in the mirror – there I was, but it didn’t look realistic. Instead, it looked like a stained-glass portrait in one of those old churches or mosaics. The reflection consisted of many colored pieces and changed like a kaleidoscope when I moved. I then went to the light switch (the room was in semi-darkness) flipped it, and noted how the lamp hesitated for a few seconds before emitting a dim light. However, it didn’t become any brighter in the room. I then decided to leave my room (short plan of action), but I woke up (lack of maintaining, lack of secondary separation from the body).