Shifting consciousness

[JASON587]

I have recently been experimenting with guided meditation and it worked out really well but my mind seems to wonder. After about 10 to 15 minutes of listening to meditation while laying in my bed my mind seems to shift focus. I'm not exactly sure where before I know it I shift back to my consciousness, this isn't out of fear this is mostly out of not knowing where I am for those couple of seconds. It seems like the places where my mind wonders to is completely foreign to anything I experience on a daily basis. About 90% of the time I can't remember those few seconds and it's too soon for my mind to be asleep considering I mostly do my meditation in the middle of day. There's only been one time that I have reached out to my spirit guide during this time for advice. It's really hard to keep this shift of focus without my mind kicking in. Is there a specific name of this occurrence? Thank you very much for any assistance.

[Starman]

Guided meditation is an active form of meditation; active because you are listening to someone who is guiding you into a meditative state. The shift is probably an automatic move to a more passive meditative state. In passive meditation there is no external guidance you just slip into what may appear to be a “blank” state.

But actually its’ really not a blank state, rather it is a very fine state more so than the state we experience feeling our physical body on a daily basis. Over time and with practice you may grow into that very fine so-called blank state and come to embrace it as absolute silence, or label it in another way. It does not matter what you call it.

I have been doing passive meditation, or what I call quiet meditation, for more than 40-years and in my initial experience of meditation it seemed as though I was not present; that I had disappeared; although over time I came to learn how to remain conscious when I am not here. With practice the experience itself will teach you how to embrace it.

You mentioned having a spirit guide and I think that kind of connection may be helpful in this phase of your meditation practice. That which I refer to as “GOD” is nothing, or no-thing, God for me is not a thing; in fact when coming into a deeper spiritual experience you may experience nothing. It is just another realm of consciousness where you are an observer more than a participant. We are always conscious; even when our body is asleep, but knowing that we are conscious is another matter; like having a dream an knowing that you are dreaming.

This is the only thing which I can think of at present from what you have described, but it may have nothing to do with what I have shared, so take this as just one possibility as others may chime in with a different take on your experience. Again, your spirit guide might be most helpful. BTW, welcome to the forum.

[JASON587]

Starman. Thank you very much for your insight. I have spent time with practicing passive meditation as well when I was younger. I have always been involved with meditation of all kinds since I was 15 years old and it seems it keeps on progressively more and more deeper. I grew up with terrible sleep paralysis without even knowing anything of this subject yet and that used to evoke the deeper of fears, after breaking out of that stage I would try to see what else I could.

I tried self hypnosis, then astral projection/OOBE and now guided meditation. It seems it's not the guided meditation itself that put me into this shifted state but it seems to distract my consciousness while I go somewhere else. Again it's a state that I go to without even being aware of going to it. I very vaguely remember vast landscapes but it's as though they are a distant memories like if they are my own. It's not something I have control of whatsoever and all I could do is watch from the background while it unfolds. I read about the different stages that occur with astral projection and OOBE and I don't have any of those occurrences. This just happens without warning.

I hope I could find what this is called so I can develop it more and explore what else this can lead to.

[Govind]

Guided meditation requires great deal of focus and concentration beacause in this form of meditation you are learning it by listening, so focus is very difficult to maintain, so in starting days of it you have to practice it for shorter times and then gradually try to increase it's time and than your mind starts adapting it with good concentration and your interest starts increasing day by day, but don't break that habbit.

[sunnyray]

Jason,

I don't think it is strange what you're experiencing. Especially after following your guided meditation for some time. This will certainly bring your body and mind into into a state of deep relaxation (alpha state). From there, one can easily project into a brief astral projection without even being consciously aware of it. After returning to the physical body, you have no recollection, but in fact it could have been astral travel.