The Wonders of a Mindscape
This is the next lesson on Astral Travel! Enjoy~
What I call a Mindscape also goes by many other names: Mindspace and Headspace are a few of the ones I’ve seen most often. A Mindscape is a protected space in the Astral reserved specifically for you. No other entities can enter the Mindscape unless they are A) attached to you in some way or B) have your explicit permission. Often, your mindscape already has many features that you have subconsciously introduced. Sometimes a Spirit Teacher/Guardian/Companion will chill there. HOWEVER. You must still ward this space because as I said, entities that are attached to you <i>can</i> get in… this includes energy parasites, trickster spirits you inadvertently invite in, and entities that force there way in by attaching themselves to your energy and/or cloaking themselves with it. Astral warding is a bit too much to include in this one post, so I’ll cover it in the next one.
A Mindscape is a place that is influenced by you and your state of being. Let’s say you have a really Nature-y Mindscape. Forest sounds are playing almost all of the time, you can hear the distant waterfall, a gentle breeze is going. When you feel sad, sometimes your Mindscape will become sad right along with you. The Birds might stop singing, the waterfall in the distance might become silent, the air might become still. If rain is a “sad” thing for you, it might even start raining. Because your Mindscape is influenced by you, you can also consciously change it. You can change the landscape, or make flowers grow in a blink of your eye. You can zap a pretty little dress or an awesome leather jacket on yourself and build a castle on top of a shallow mountain. It’s the only place in the Astral where no rules apply.
In no other Astral Space can you do these things because the space will not be connected to you. You might be able to make flowers grow in the blink of an eye, but only if you have the talent, seeds, and energy to do it. If you zap on a piece of clothing, you’re taking that thing from somewhere else in the Astral. Remember this when you start to visit the Astral.
You can also temporarily disable the “no rules apply” feature of your mindscape. By doing this, you make the Mindscape a place exactly like the Astral–minus the entities. This makes your Mindscape a great place to practice Astral magic and the like. It is why I am telling you about this now: so that BEFORE you get yourself hurt somehow in the Astral, you can practice how being there feels first. You can practice offensive and defensive protective Astral magic, which is somewhat different from the spells you’re used to casting in the physical world. You can practice any new abilities you might find yourself having without many repercussions (other than tiredness). You can have a place to go when you need a little quiet time. You can even have a place to interact with your spirit companions–somewhere where you can probably actually *see* them in a way you wouldn’t on the physical plane.
Okay, But How Do I Get To This “Mindscape?”
With all this, now that I’ve probably gotten you excited, I think I’d better actually tell you how to get to this fantastical place. It’s quite simple really, and like Projection, there are multiple ways to do it. My favorite way involves meditation. Once you get there, it is easy to get back.
A Mindscape is connected to your mind; that’s why it’s called a Mindscape. I’ll share a few methods with all of you and you can try them out. If none of them work for you, pm me and I’d be willing to talk about some ways that might. I do recommend setting a time limit for yourself, though. What feels like a few minutes in the Astral could very well be a few hours here, and vice versa. Set an alarm that will bring you back if you get too lost.
Sometimes the simplest way involves the least amount of work. Just start imagining your Mindscape how you think it would look/sound/feel/smell to you. Imagine the most minute details; the grass under your feet, or the stone walls of a mansion. Perhaps you will imagine a vast ocean or a beautiful forest. Maybe you’ll find your home in the mountains; or maybe you’ll find it in a nice, cozy cottage filled with herbs and crystals of all kinds. Get Creative. :) Remember that imagination is only the way to get there; this is a valid experience you will have. The things you will do and see and smell and feel are real, even if they’re just in a mindscape. That’s kinda the point lol.
Sometimes during meditation, your mind will start to drift. You’ll start to think about random things, or maybe you’ll start daydreaming. Let it drift. Find yourself at peace, and sink deeper and deeper until you discover a place suffused with your thoughts and emotions. Relax. Also, keep in mind to meditate in a way that is right for you.
There are times when we need a guide to help us get places. My guided meditations are text-based. You read along and eventually, you break away from the guide and begin to take on your own view of things. Questions will prompt you to come up with your own, unique answers. This method is good for those who read a lot and find themselves getting sucked into the book, letting their own surroundings fade away.
Here’s a guide that I’ve used and have had others use before:
Prep: Get comfortable. Prop yourself up on a few pillows or drag a big, warm blanket around your shoulders. Make sure you are in a safe place where you will not be disturbed. Do not read this until you are ready.
The Guide: Your surroundings melt away from you. You find yourself falling in a void, though you are not afraid. You are safe. The invisible (or is it visible?) wind cradles your body, slowing your fall somehow. Eventually, the darkness that surrounds you begins to take shape. Look around and note what you see. What sights befall your mind? What scents? What sounds? The wind that cradles you, what does it feel like? You continue to fall, wondering if you’ll hit the ground. You cannot be hurt. Your fall slows, gently letting you down in the deepest part of yourself. Your feet touch the ground. The wind moves away.
Doorways lead places. That has always been true. On the physical plane, they only lead to one place, and it has to be adjacent to the room you’re in. That is not as true on the Astral. There, a door is merely a passageway. A portal. Since anything can be adjacent in the Astral, the normal rules don’t apply. Imagine a door in your mind. It should be closed. Put your hand on the handle but don’t open it yet. Tell yourself that this door will take you to your mindscape. Believe it. Tell the door this. Open it.
In the physical, water connects two landforms together. In the Astral, water just connects. Bodies of water can be another valid entrance into your mindscape. Like the door method, you just have to tell yourself the water will take you to your mindscape and not someplace else in the Astral. Draw yourself a bath. Relax into the water. Let yourself (your mind not your body please don’t drown) sink deeper into the water… deeper. Don’t hold your breath; you can breathe Astral water like air. Assert that when you reach the water’s surface, you will be in your mindscape. Then start to swim to the top.
Note: Do NOT try this method if you have a tendency to fall asleep while meditating.
If you’ve ever wanted to know what a sound feels like, this is for you. Some of us like to zone out to music. Especially when listening to our own playlists, they can take us to a place of peace and relaxation. You sit down, put on your headphones, and start playing your favorite tunes. This helps to block out the rest of the world and is an especially good method if you’re not distracted by the music in your head.
Then, listen… feel the beats of your music. Notice how they move through you, changing you, resonating in some space in your mind. This works kinda like echolocation. Use the sounds to identify your astral space. Hear with your mind the way the music bounces off of objects; trees, ground. Once you know that it’s doing that, you know that object is there. When I did this the first time the music bounced off of a tree, making a sort of “wooden” sound, and the tree appeared in front of me, clear as day.
This is good if you have a hard time focusing while just sitting or lying down. Bilocation is the act of splitting your consciousness between a physical action and moving in the astral. For example, you could draw or doodle while the rest of your mind wandered into the astral, almost like a daydream. Some people like to jog or exercise. The physical exertion helps them focus their mind.
I, personally, liked to Travel while throwing. I’d wedge up my clay and it’d relax my body, loosening it and getting me focused. I’d sit down at my wheel and begin to center my clay. While I did that I was simultaneously centering my mind. After that, I could leave my body behind, which knew all the physical motions and what to do, and switch my mind to focus on my mindscape or some other place in the astral.
You can also paint, craft, play an instrument, or do any other “mindless” thing where you are physically moving your body.
How To Create Or Make Additions To A Mindscape
Some of us don’t have mindscapes that are readily made and filled with many things. If none of the above methods have really worked for you, this could be the case. Please note that most of the below methods can also be used to enter your mindscape once it’s been created.
If you’re the artsy type, then this is for you! What better way to create a mindscape than to actually create it? The best part is once you have it drawn/painted/stitched/whatever, that physical representation of your mindscape can become a portal to enter it. Focus on your rendition, and imagine yourself actually being in the place you have created. If you’re making an addition, start the drawing with a part of your mindscape that already exists so you can connect the two.
Start With Darkness/Light
Sink deep into yourself. Once you feel you’ve reached the deepest point, it’s time to create. Out of the Darkness, make a place that appeals to you. Imagine a waterfall or something. Have any of you ever seen Barbie: Rapunzel? You can imagine your Darkness (or, if you prefer, Light) as a canvas waiting to be painted on. Imagine that the paint brush creates the grass or stone under your feet, then watch it happen. You can also make additions this way; just take a brush or a finger to a place you want to make an addition and imagine it being created.
If you’re not the best at drawing or even imagining, this could be the method for you. Write about your mindscape like you’re describing a place in a book. Use the 5 senses just like a good description would do. Here’s an example from a book I’m writing:
The sky was a vivid green. Both moons hung in the sky, even though it was the middle of the day. The vegetation was every shade of blue and purple, so unlike the stark green plants in the Mundane world. Shadows darted in between the trees; flowers glowed with a strange luminescence. Soft chirps and other weird noises made up the song of this crazy forest that smelled like earth and plant and dark things. Strangest of all were the creatures that peered out from the darkness, their eyes a mixture of the darkest gold and the softest gray.
Once you’ve created it to your satisfaction, you can also use your description to enter your mindscape. The description should pull you into your mindscape when you read it. It’s like reading a good book and letting the rest of your surrounding fall away as you are sucked into a different universe; kinda like the strange place I’ve described here. You can also make additions to your mindscape simply by adding to your writing~
Connect The Idea of Your Mindscape To A Physical Object
Another way to get to your mindscape is to attach the idea of it to an object. I have a favorite crystal I carry around with me almost everywhere. I can spend a few days meditating on the fact that this crystal will take me to my mindscape. Doing so will help me associate the idea of it to my crystal. First, you have to get a good sense of your mindscape. Think about what it looks like, feels like to be there. Attach this idea to the object by sort of mentally “throwing” the idea at it. Then, you keep thinking, over and over again, “This crystal is connected to my mindscape. It will take me there if I will it.” You have to do this a few times over the course of maybe a week before the connection will stick. Also, as this is an addition, your mindscape has to already be created so you can more completely connect it to the object. Once it has, you can use the object to get to your mindscape by fitting your consciousness into the crystal.
Alright, I think I’ve exhausted my knowledge of mindscapes for the time being. I’ll make additions to this document if I find other ways that I know of. Remember everyone, you don’t have to visualize the things I’m talking about. If you’re using the writing method, for example, try something crazy: describe your mindscape without using sight. Talk about how the grass feels under your feet or the scent of a salty ocean on the cool breeze. The ability of your mind is not limited to sight.
The next lesson will focus on how to protect yourself while astral traveling. Until then, practice being in your mindscape and getting there. Practice moving your astral body there and keeping your conscious focused on the astral, instead of in the physical.
