THE AWAKE/ASLEEP LINE (The Ultimate Controlled Relaxation)
Let's review, shall we? Well, we're gonna whether you want to or not, smarty pants. You understand the principle of desire as a catalyst to getting out of your body (fine-tuned soon). You've picked up some hints on relaxation and visualization. You've chosen some methods from the library that relax your physical body and thoughts, without sending you to slumber city. You've fed the dog a steak, and the kids got kibble. Gee, you're absent-minded. Please try to pay attention.
Whatever your fall-to-sleep habit (slow, medium or fast), there is a constant that runs us all. We must consciously or subconsciously allow ourselves to seek sleep. Aside from pure exhaustion and sedatives of all type that may knock you out (and defeat controlled relaxation), you make that decision. You let your relaxation relax further and cross the line from awake to asleep.
Once you cross the line, the asleep-you (that had been suppressed while the awake-you was awake) presents a jolly show of subconsciously pent-up thoughts and desires. After awhile, the awake-you says it's time to start your day again and crosses back over the line. This suppresses the asleep-you, so that you may then drag yourselves out of bed and off the two of yous' go to meet your new day.
But now it's night time again (time just flew by). You went to sleep earlier tonight and it's five hours later and you're awake. You're plenty relaxed and it's too early to get up. Suddenly, the awake-you looks at the asleep-you with passion. (Violin music begins to play.) Perhaps yous' two could get together. Sure, you're on different sides of the line, and each side follows its own agenda, but what about meeting on the line? You both agree.
You very slowly step towards the asleep-you. You get accustomed to maintaining your control. When your control wavers as you move closer, you pull back a step and regain your focus. You take one careful step and another and you're soon on the line with the asleep-you. Please hold hands and tip the violinist.
You may notice your slide towards the line, as your physical senses shut down one by one. This occurs typically, but not always, in this order: Touch, sight, hearing and smell. Taste doesn't do much of anything different unless you're saving food in your mouth like a pelican (or whatever sea-faring, feathered fowl it is that does that).
That's really the whole enchilada. Take teensy-weensy steps towards the line and stay in control while you're doing it. You'll feel a deepening beyond your relaxation method, as you move closer to awake/asleep. A positive sign of your attempt to reach the line may be noted when you fall over to the asleep side for a moment and pull yourself back. This occurs because you have instructed yourself to recognize a new boundary of control. Your subconscious recalls this and wakes you up again, which kicks you back to the other side of the line.
Focus your desire on remaining in control, as close to sleep as possible. Even a partial success increases your chances for the next time. If you can mostly but not always, on occasion and sometimes reach the awake/asleep line, you'll be traveling before you know it.
Keep this in mind. Those times that you don't go careening into sleep are very useful. And the more times you control your descent to sleep, the easier it becomes to do it again. And it soon becomes part of your relaxation method. And that's the way it is. And aren't you tired of the word "and" yet? And why aren't you? And let's move on. And away we go. And stop it already. And...okay, I'll stop.
Yet Another Memory O' Me...
I'm twelve. I'm not in my
bed. I'm right here. I'm outside my window. I'm floating above
the ground. This is wild.