Hello! I hope you are well. I wanted to ask, do you know any books on producing trance states? Is it possible to achieve trance but still have little muddling thoughts here and there in the middle? How do I distinguish my own thought and imagination from real visions? The times I've verifiably communicated with spirits or experimented with telepathy with my peers, I have felt no discernible difference between their 'voice' and mine, so it is quite difficult. Thank you for your time!
One of my favorite books has been Trance-Portation by Diana Paxson. Another than Iโm reading right now is Psychic Witchย by Mat Auryn.ย
The mind -loves- to talk. It can be a useful exercise to just let it talk itself out and observe impassively. Be patient with yourself.ย So, how do we get into a trance? My favorite method is just breathing. Focus on your breathing, and if you like you can count. Four counts in, four to hold, four breaths out, four to hold. Continue to do this until you no longer need to count, youโre just breathing. You will find that you come into trance rather quickly. Humans -love- to be in altered states of consciousness, whether thatโs binge-watching Netflix, scrolling through Tumblr, staring at a spot on the wall, listening to music, taking drugs...., et cetera! Trance comes easily to humans. Try counting backwards from 100. If you lose focus, start over again.ย As you go deeper into trance, the imagination ceases to be born from your own volition. For example: You might start in a light trance and visualize yourself entering into a well (this is a method to enter into Faeryland). You drift deeper into the well, and all sorts of images will appear to you. Some may be frightening, others funny. You must continue on. Eventually, you will notice you are just floating in darkness, and then things will start appearing that you are not controlling. Is this your imagination come to life, or the vision taking over? Doesnโt matter, the method is working. I think the difference comes from our depth of trance, and how spontaneous the visions are. Cultivating discernment takes time.ย Sometimes theย โvoicesโ we hear sound incredibly similar to our own inner voice, but after a while of learning to discern between our personal voice, and that OTHER voice, weย โfeelโ a difference between them. I used to ask a question of people: When you ask yourself a question, and someone answers, who is doing the answering?ย Another exercise to try: Sit in the darkness (or if you can near a brook or in a forest), and just listen. What do you hear? Nothing? The trees? That high pitched ringing we hear in silence? Perhaps voices, snippets of words and conversation? Where do these voices come from? Are they born within you, or are they spirit voices? If they benefit you, does it matter in the end?ย These are things I still struggle with now. Itโs a form of imposture syndrome. We have to get over it, but it takes time, so we must be patient with ourselves.ย
