Discussion Post I submitted for my Atlantic University TP6100 Course – March 18, 2020
In his weekly video address, our Mentor Loyd suggests that we be very specific when we select a particular psi talent to choose for this exercise. I’ve decided to focus my psychic development exercise resembling Remote Viewing (R.V.). This is because I just finished McMoneagle’s book, where he details his extensive involvement in R.V., and because I participated in three separate R.V. experiments that I found worthwhile. In terms of this exercise, I will borrow from those I participated and add my own elements.
In terms of the group, they should be curious about psi and psychic development, and have an open mind to the subject. As we’ve read throughout the semester, belief in psi, or “Sheep-Goat” effect, is one of the most important aspects of a creating a successful experiment. I envision the exercise being part of a psychic circle or psychic development program. R.V. experiments can even be done in a family setting or get-together in someone’s home. The atmosphere should be relaxed, friendly, and it should be approached with a sense of fun and adventure. The group size should be small, 10 or less, and even numbers so people can break into pairs in the second phase.
I will set the lights down low and begin with a group meditation for about 10-15 minutes in order to relax everyone and to take them away from the hustle and bustle of the world they just left. This will also help calm separate their minds from the “monkey chatter”, allowing them to be more focused on the psychic material at hand.
The first part of the R.V. experiment will involve the group as a whole. Each will need their own paper and pens. I, as the facilitator, will sit in the middle of the group and focus on the house I grew up in outside of Boston. I will ask people to describe the home starting with walking up the steps to the front door, entering the house, and then walking through each floor and rooms. I won’t give them any guidance or hints, I will simply focus on the house and walk through it in my mind. I will also ask them to write down any impressions, such as color of the house, feel of the rooms, etc. I will give people 20-30 minutes to visualize my house, sketch a floor plan, and write-up their impressions.
Once time is up, I will go around the room and ask each of the participants what impressions they received, and to show me the drawings. I will place the drawings on a table in front of everyone. I will then proceed to describe the house, and walk people through room by room. I will solicit input from the participants, we will examine the maps, and look at the impressions to see how close an R.V. “hit” people received. I will ask each person to grade themselves on the effort.
For the second phase, I will ask people to pair off and to spread out so they aren’t distracted by the talking of others. When we did the exercise, we were allowed to hold hands but I suppose in this coronavirus world we’ll have to set seats facing each other that are at least six feet apart for the purposes of “social distancing.” For the first fifteen minutes, one person will imagine a home they lived while the other attempts to sketch a floor plan and note any impressions. After 15 minutes, the pair will switch roles. I suppose this phase could involve some “interpersonal empathy” as its success depends on how well a person can connect with the one across from them. In my limited experiences, I did much better at this when the person across from me was a friend as opposed to the time I tried it with a person I frankly didn’t connect with very well.
Following the conclusion of Phase II, I will bring the group back together. I will ask each pair to report on how the other did with the exercise. I will also ask them to describe the impressions they received and how close the other person felt they were to the target home. Again, I will ask them to grade themselves. I will then provide a social break for people to talk and share their experiences. As a participant, I found this very helpful as it allowed us to discover psi abilities in a safe and fun environment.
The main objective of the exercise is for “psychic development” as well as exposing those people to the concept who may be open to it but don’t know a great deal about it. For me, as someone who was and still is relatively new to psi, I found this the most tangible evidence of my own psychic ability. I didn’t find trying to communicate with spirits easy (and I still don’t) but for some reason I did well with these R.V. experiments. Maybe because I – like most guys – are visual creatures and in my mind’s eye I was able to see the target homes clearly.
Before the outbreak of this virus, I’d say there weren’t any dangers at all involved with this exercise. Obviously, having people in close proximity to each other can result in the transference of flus and other illnesses. While it wasn’t necessarily a danger, I did witness some individuals who were frustrated with the exercise since they didn’t get much, and it added to their skepticism of psi in general.
Finally, the three times I was a participant in these types of R.V. exercises, they were part of a “psychic development” group or conference. In other words, the entire process was set-up not as a way of trying to prove the existence of psi but to relay to people that they themselves – many of whom had not thought they had any psi ability at all – in fact could pull this off. It was tangible evidence of their own psychic ability.
For me, when I did the one-on-one R.V. with a friend, it was the most psychic experience I’ve ever had personally. I faced my friend and proceeded to describe the exact floor plan of a flat she lived in when she was much younger and in Switzerland. I correctly said that it sat on an urban street that was on the side of a hill like you’d see in San Francisco. I then walk through the entire apartment in my mind pointing out the exact layout. Kitchen to the right, front hall closet straight ahead, living room with a t.v. to the left., etc. I proceeded to the back two rooms and saw a bureau in one of them where a large sewing kit like a tackle box sat. I told her I saw a big apple type of thingy (I couldn’t remember the name was pin cushion). Later, when she described the apartment, she said the back bedroom I saw was her grandmother’s and that she sewed there and had a kit like I described. She also said the big red pin cushion I saw was a strawberry not an apple, so I learned a valuable lesson that communicating what you see accurately is almost as important as the impressions you receive!