William W. Atkinson’s book, Clairvoyance and Occult Powers, is strangely resonant. It’s full of all kinds of insights into what he calls “the astral senses.” While I found the concessions to scientific proof a bit unnecessary, his knowledge gave me inspiration for exercises in my own practice.
There are three methods he presents for inducing clairvoyant states. The first is psychometry, the second is scrying, and the third is trance. Out of all of these, trance interests me the most. Atkinson denigrates improper trances, such as those induced by drugs, unnatural breathing, and hypnotism, for good reasons. I personally think that if you’re a psychic, you shouldn’t need anything other than focus and relaxation in order to get into a proper state for reading.
Trance Exercise
In Buddhist practice, we meditate single-pointedly on an object for calm abiding. Now, to activate our clairvoyant senses, we do the same thing, except we need to choose to focus on the energy of the astral plane.
I find resting in my own energy is a good way to get a feel for what the astral feels like. Luckily, there are plenty of exercises available online for feeling and sensing energy.
What we consider to be “energy,” in the metaphysical sense, usually is the energy of the astral plane. So all we have to do is tune into our own energy, and slowly peel back the layers in order to gain more insight into ourselves and our circumstances. I recommend tuning into your own energy, and then slowly extending that sense to other kinds of energies, like that of rocks, plants, and people who’ve given you permission to practice with.
The goal with this exercise isn’t to shut out all thoughts and senses, but instead to shut out thoughts and senses that are unrelated to the astral energy you’re trying to read.
Try it yourself. This is the basic technique used to tune into energy. See if the energy trail leads you to different times and places. Good luck!
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