Question about Awareness Hands, etc.

soulseeker · 26th June 2008, 05:03 PM

While reading Astral Dynamics I noticed that when Mr. Bruce was talking about awareness hands reaching down to touch and go through your right foot (or whatever part) he said that you need to "imagine" your awareness hands. So, does this mean that you should imagine it as you would a daydream and see it in your mind's eye (like if you were told to close your eyes and imagine a loved one or a tree or whatever)? Also, I am very imaginative and am having a very hard time only feeling my MBA. I tend to imagine that I have a hand that is stimulating my energy body. I do feel the energy moving sensations as I do try to feel them, but I think that MBA is more like how a blind man "sees". I am a sighted person so whenever I close my eyes and try to "feel" something I also must see it. I can not just close my eyes and "feel" my MBA. I tend to automatically feel and see it with my mind's eye. I do get sensations, however. In Astral Dynamics, Robert Bruce stated that a person who is good with imagination is actually at a disadvantage at the beginning of the course until he or she can learn to just feel. The problem with that is, is that it is very hard to just feel and not to imagine or see the spot I am trying to stimulate in my mind's eye. Does anybody have any advice on how to train myself to just feel and not automatically "see". Did any of you have a similar problem when first starting?

Thanks a lot,

Richard

**CFTraveler** · 26th June 2008, 07:18 PM

Hi Richard. I'll try to address your concern the best I can.
First, instead of 'imagine', substitute the word for 'remember'.

Originally Posted by soulseeker

While reading Astral Dynamics I noticed that when Mr. Bruce was talking about awareness hands reaching down to touch and go through your right foot (or whatever part) he said that you need to "imagine" your awareness hands. So, does this mean that you should imagine it as you would a daydream and see it in your mind's eye (like if you were told to close your eyes and imagine a loved one or a tree or whatever)?

Not necessarily. For example, raise your hand. Not looking at your hand, with your eyes closed. Wiggle your fingers. Now, lower your hands, and remember how you raised your hand and wiggled your finger. Remember how it felt. That way. You don't picture it in your mind's eye because you didn't see it, however, you know how it felt to do it. This would be the same thing. Put your hand on the top of your foot. Recreate the feeling (in your memory) but extending it to the inside of your foot.

Also, I am very imaginative and am having a very hard time only feeling my MBA. I tend to imagine that I have a hand that is stimulating my energy body. I do feel the energy moving sensations as I do try to feel them,

Then you are doing it right.

but I think that MBA is more like how a blind man "sees". I am a sighted person so whenever I close my eyes and try to "feel" something I also must see it. I can not just close my eyes and "feel" my MBA. I tend to automatically feel and see it with my mind's eye. I do get sensations, however.

This is an illustration, because as a sighted person, you can't 'unsee' the world. So don't despair, if you are feeling it you are doing the correct thing. The important thing is not to let it discourage you, and not to depend on mental pictures to do what you're doing. There is a reason he's being strict about the MBA not being visual, because he is trying to get you used to 'feeling energy' as opposed to 'seeing it'. But if you're feeling it, then you are all right.

In Astral Dynamics, Robert Bruce stated that a person who is good with imagination is actually at a disadvantage at the beginning of the course until he or she can learn to just feel. The problem with that is, is that it is very hard to just feel and not to imagine or see the spot I am trying to stimulate in my mind's eye. Does anybody have any advice on how to train myself to just feel and not automatically "see". Did any of you have a similar problem when first starting?

Thanks a lot,

Richard

My advice is to go on with it, and to close your eyes when doing the 'actual physical thing' you want to recreate, to practice 'knowing where your parts are without looking', and not let having an imagination discourage you- later on in the program visualization is helpful for other things.
The purpose of MBA is to know how to feel your energy body, and to feel the moving energy.
One way to practice it without angst is to sit with eyes closed and ask yourself-where is my left foot? Then wiggle it. There it is (without looking) -then do other parts that are far from your head) and then do this with parts (like the back of your neck) that don't move but you can touch with your actual hands. This is helpful for the kind of awareness you need to have when you start.
Good luck and don't worry about it. If you can feel it, you're doing fine.

soulseeker · 27th June 2008, 03:18 PM

Thanks, great reply. It's hard sometimes when you are teaching yourself something (like trying to learn martial arts from a book as compared to an instructor) it is easy to begin doubting that you are doing the right technique the right way. You have clarified many issues that have held me back out of fear of teaching myself the wrong way. Thanks a lot.