Michael Saganski

Program Notes/Observations:

• I was able to relax a little bit deeper with bwgen, although I’m still having trouble clearing my thoughts when focusing on breath awareness.
• More muscles were tensed/relaxed today for body relaxation today, and I’m thinking this is a trend in the book.
• Energy work focused on sponging/brushing body awareness on my thumbs. It worked pretty well for me without any difficulties, and I felt tingling/buzzing in my thumbs because of it. It’s a very peculiar reaction to just pure thought, and it even lasts for a good few minutes after I’ve stopped thinking about it.

Dream Notes:

• Keywords: backpack, garage door
• I remember something about my garage being broken into with me being close by. There were more details but I’ve forgotten them now.
• I really have to get into the habit of fleshing out my keywords into better descriptions as soon as I write the keywords down. I find myself forgetting the details behind the keywords when I come back to write more later. I find it pretty difficult to force myself to write just after waking up.

Program Notes/Observations:

The Brainwave Generator isn’t as pleasant to listen to as Hemi-Sync or Holo-Sync, because there isn’t any sort of music overlaid on top of the binaural beats. That’s ok though, it definitely seems effective so far.

The relaxation exercises are pretty easy, but Robert Bruce seems to stress the importance of them so I will definitely keep working on them.

Breath awareness has been difficult for me as I have a pretty active “monkey mind”, and I find my that my mind wanders quite a bit. I’ve been meditating for many weeks now so it’s not like this is a new experience to me either. I imagine my breath awareness would be even worse if I was starting it for the first time today.

Energy body stimulation through the use of “tactile imaging”, which is something Robert Bruce coined, is pretty neat. Basically you try to focus your body awareness on a single area of your body, like your big toe. You can scratch or poke your big toe to help with focusing on it. Then you can shift your body awareness to other areas of your body. I only did this for about 5 minutes today but as I write this I still feel the tingling sensations from doing this.

Dream Keywords: web design, business, gift for parents, mix up/same gift with girlfriend

I remembered two separate dreams last night. One was related to having a business on the web, and the other had something to do with a gift for my parents. Sadly I can’t recall any more details than that.

As I prepare for my 90-day OBE trial that I start tomorrow, I decided I’d write about some of the structure of the trial and what I’ve done to prepare so far.

Weekly Structure

The organization of Mastering Astral Projection (MAP) is broken down into weeks. Each week focuses on a different aspect of the projection process, gradually increasing in complexity. I’m not sure if a week is enough time to “master” each topic, but it is a good starting point.

The first 6 weeks focus on all of the important skills before an actual exit attempt is made, such as:

• breath awareness
• mind taming
• energy work
• entering a trance state

I will go into greater detail for each skill as I practice them. After week 6, exit strategies and all the problems or difficulties that can come up are discussed. The main point of all this is that even if I make rapid progress, it will still be 6 weeks before I even attempt an OBE.

Preparation Done So Far

Week 1 starts off strong with an introduction to many of the practices required for reliable astral projection.

I’ve set up a meditation space in my home that features a sofa chair for the majority of my practice. An egg timer is close by to help with the timing, as well as some incense to help associate the space with the purpose of relaxation/meditation. There is also a hard-backed chair, soft-backed chair, and an extra bed nearby.

MAP recommends keeping a dream journal to help with dream and OBE recall. I’ve been doing this already for the past several weeks on my own and have been moderately successful in jotting down keywords from my dreams. During the 90-day trial, I’ll be posting my keywords and whatever I can remember from my dreams here as well.

I will be using the BrainWave Generator (bwgen) as directed in MAP to help with the practice. Previously, I’ve experimented with other binaural beats/brainwave entrainment technology such as Holo-Sync, Hemi-Sync, and have found them to be quite helpful with meditation. Luckily, I have an audio extension cable to get the output from bwgen on my computer to headphones in the meditation space.

The daily affirmation MP3’s from MAP are loaded into my iPod and I’ll listen to the appropriate one in the morning/evening. Every little bit helps!

Expectations

I’m pretty excited but I’m also feeling a little unsure of myself. By making this so public I risk making failure public as well, and not too many people enjoy that! At the very least, going through this exercise will be a huge growth experience for me. Not only in perseverance, but also in expression and courage. C’est la vie.

My next experiment is going to be a 90-day trial to achieve my first out of body experience (OBE), which is also called astral projection. This may seem pretty weird or “out there”, even for people who really know me, so please allow me to explain.

History

For the past 10 years I’ve had an off and on interest in astral projection. I first heard about the concept in high school when I looked up a psy-trance music group that I was interested in at the time, which were aptly called “Astral Projection”. Naturally, a Google search for those two words led me to the other meaning – out of body experience.

I became quite interested in the topic and read a couple books on the subject. I tried some techniques and had some interesting experiences but I never fully got there. For whatever reason I lost interest for a while and decided to put OBE’s on the back burner.

Over the years I’d periodically regain some interest, read more about it, and try some techniques. Without much initial success I became impatient and would move on to other things. For whatever reason though, I found myself coming back to the concept over and over. Eventually I came across the work done by Robert Monroe, and read his three books:

1. Journeys Out of the Body
2. Far Journeys
3. Ultimate Journey

I was completely blown away. The stories were so amazing I wondered how anyone could make them up. Then I discovered that the institute he created, The Monroe Institute, was still alive and going strong. Supposedly, people are learning how to do this all the time!

I decided that it was worth pursuing completely. As I’ve matured I’ve realized that anything worth doing usually takes persistence and patience. This 90-day trial also fits into Steve Pavlina’s success strategy of 30-day trials, so I’ve decided to really give this my all and see if I really am “more than my physical body”.

Strategy

The plan I will be using is from Robert Bruce’s and Brian Mercer’s book, “Mastering Astral Projection” (MAP). That book provides a 90-day guide to having an out of body experience, which includes:

• affirmations
• writing in a journal
• dream recall
• relaxation exercises
• breath work
• mind taming (i.e. meditation)
• energy work (i.e. chakras)
• binaural beats
• exit techniques

I have read many books on out of body experiences but I’ve never come across one with such a structured, day-by-day guide. I feel like this book will help stack the deck in my favor, giving me the best possible chance at an OBE. Note that each day will be different, so it differs from typical 30-day habit forming trials.

The plan is to follow the book as closely as possible to see its effectiveness. However, since I haven’t read the entire book yet I can’t guarantee I’ll follow it completely. One basic change I’ll have to make from the start is that some exercises that are meant to be done in the afternoon will likely be done in the morning, due to my schedule.

For the most part I’m coming into this trial as a newbie. I’ve been doing some meditating everyday for the past few weeks which will help with taming my mind, but that’s about it.

MAP itself suggests reading other books during this trial, to really saturate the subconscious mind, so I’ve queued up:

• Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce (read about 50% so far at the time of this posting)
• Adventures Beyond the Body and The Secret of the Soul by William Buhlman
• Voyages into the Unknown, Volume 1 by Bruce Moen (I will probably get the other 4 volumes as wanted)

I’ve also signed up to various forums and communities about Astral Projection/OBE’s to try and soak up as much knowledge as I can about the subject.

Motivation

So why am I doing this? Well some people might say that it’s all just mind games, but I believe it could lead to a verification of the after-life. At the very least, I will have much more evidence supporting the belief that I am more than my physical body.

Lately I’ve been exploring what spirituality is, as I used to be an atheist. I am a pretty left-brained and a scientific/analytical type of mind, so this type of verification of a spiritual topic would be a huge validation of my beliefs. It’s one thing to believe that you have a “spirit”, but it’s an entirely different thing to know.

I feel like astral projection is almost like a Pandora’s Box for me, which could lead to a very cool spiritual journey. Some people may think it’s weird or question the whole point of exploring anything not in the “real world”. I could probably write a whole post on that point of view, but I think that growing consciously is really the whole point of life to begin with. Why close your mind off from the whole package?

Other than that, I just find this topic interesting even as a mental exercise. I’m also a pretty curious person, and I like exploring topics that are on the edges of social norms.

Public Posting

I will be posting about my experiences over the 90 days. According to the book, each week will contain a different focus so posts will be weekly at the very least. I’ll try to post daily as long as there is something interesting to report.

I’m making this experience public for many reasons, which includes:

• increasing my chances for success. Having people read and rely on my progress will give me extra motivation to follow through with the whole 90 days.
• exposing more of who I really am, and what I am interested in. I’m sure I’ll attract other like-minded individuals who I can share and grow with.
• helping others who want to explore out of body experiences. This is a pretty nice topic, so the more information out there, the better.
• having writing from a newbies point of view. Writing’s on how to achieve an OBE from the perspective of a person who has them regularly is never the same as one starting from the beginning.

Wish me luck. I’ll be starting day 1 this weekend. I’d be happy to read your thoughts.

As mentioned in my previous post, I decided to give a 3 day apple fast/detox a try. The goal was to see if I would experience any changes in my overall physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Some people make some pretty grandiose claims about detoxing, so I wanted to see what it would do for me.

I bought 30 organic red delicious apples from my local organic food store for about $16, plus a bag of regular red delicious just in case. Red delicious apples have the most pectin (fiber), aren’t as sweet as some of the others, and are reasonably priced so I decided to go with them.

On the day before the fast I tried to have a light supper with no snacks in the evening to ease my body into the fast.

• Day 1: I felt pretty normal for about half the day. The rest of the day was met with hunger pangs and feeling a little spacey. I had to go to work this day which entailed a bit of physical and mental stress which led to a couple very mild moments of nausea. By the end of the day I had gained the feeling of dense cobwebs in my head. I ate a total of 11 apples.
• Day 2: I woke up feeling pretty good – the hunger pangs had stopped. The cobwebs were still there but had lessened, so my head felt a little clearer. Throughout the day my head improved but my body had started to ache more and more, and I started to get some chills. Also, cravings for other types of food started to surface. My nose became very sensitive to other smells. I ate a total of 10 apples throughout the day.
• Day 3: This day was a more intense version of day 2. The headache was basically gone, but in return my body aches and chills worsened. Physically, I was quite weak and had a low amount of energy. Weirdly, my food cravings turned into an intense craving for soup. I imagine it had something to do with the chills, and I also live in a very cold climate. 9 apples were eaten in total. I came very close to cheating on the fast this day.
• Day 4: I stopped the fast on this day, but I still feel like it’s worth mentioning by itself. I woke up feeling similar to day 3 but my eyes were very bloodshot. I would have probably slept more but I had to go to work, so this probably had something to do with it. I ate a smoothie for breakfast to break the fast, followed by a soup (hehe) and salad at lunch. Breaking the fast was relatively easy and I didn’t really experience any food cravings or hunger pangs.

After I had broken the fast, my head felt very sharp and clear despite not getting enough sleep. My body took longer to physically recover. I’m currently writing this on day 5 and my body is still feeling a little weak. I will likely start exercising again tomorrow, although I did jump rope a little this morning.

So what are the overall results of the fast? Well I’m going to see if there are any changes in the long run, but I eat a pretty healthy diet so I don’t expect any drastic changes from what I’m feeling now.

• My sense of smell has improved. Historically I’ve had a pretty terrible sense of smell, and have had problems with sinusitis, a runny nose, etc. I definitely have a better sense of smell but it’s likely not as good as what it could be.
• My sensitivity to my own emotions and the emotions of others has definitely heightened. I felt more empathy towards my girlfriend.
• Sense of inner strength has improved since I completed this difficult challenge. I think I will have better control over my food cravings and have less hunger pangs in the future.
• I probably lost a few pounds, but it was likely water weight. I’m already at my ideal weight/body fat percentage so I didn’t watch this too closely.
• My skin worsened initially during the fast but now it feels better than it was before.

Overall I consider this detox/fast to be a success. The results are more subtle than I would have hoped but I think it is realistic. Keep in my that I was already in pretty good shape health-wise before the detox so my results are likely not as extreme as others could be.

As part of my ongoing goal of personal development, I’m going to be doing a 3-day apple fast from February 19-21. Basically, this means I’m going to eat nothing but apples for 3 days. This fast is a type of detox that is supposed to be especially good for your skin.

Why apples? Well apples have a special type of fiber called pectin, which is supposed to be especially good for absorbing toxins. This type of fast is also supposedly easier to do than a pure water fast, where you don’t eat anything at all. A water fast is much more intense and harder to do.

If the trial goes well I may incorporate fasting into my lifestyle, which would mean fasting once or twice a year. The fasts may change to different kinds, and I may end up making them longer – such as a week or two weeks.

I’m going to blog about each day of the experience here, so that anyone else interested in trying this type of fast will have a better idea of what to expect. From my own research I’m basically expecting to be feeling “hungover” for the 2nd and 3rd day. I also really love eating food so depriving myself of anything but apples is going to be an interesting experience in itself.

Why am I doing this? Well I’ve been exposed to the concept of detoxing from many different sources lately and have just decided to give it a shot. The downsides are pretty minimal but the potential upside is huge. I’m excited to experience improvements in my health, and my mental/spiritual well-being.

Stay tuned for the results.

I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. I’ve worked for myself ever since I was around 12 years old, although I have had jobs with employers on the “side” as well. I’ve been building web sites ever since I was 11, but I’ve never built one that was

• long lasting
• owned by me
• profitable

all at the same time.

Real Acne Treatment is my first attempt at a site that accomplishes all three. The goal of the site is to share the knowledge I’ve gained through my journey of achieving clear skin. Acne treatment products are big business and there are many sites out there that are very misleading. The unique selling proposition of my site is that the best way to get rid of acne is from the inside, not by slopping creams on your face.

Getting rid of acne from the inside means improving your health all around. This is not the stance most acne sites take.

So why has it taken me so long to build a web site that I know will be a long term business for me? There’s many reasons… but I suppose the main one is that I was always too focused on the technical aspects of building web sites. I never really practiced the actual writing part – the content.

And guess what? That’s the most important part! Everything else is secondary.

There are many back-end content management systems that you can get for free or a small fee that act as the scaffolding for your web site. Blogging platforms are one example, and many out there are free. I’m current writing with Wordpress. Real Acne Treatment is built with SBI.

I like Wordpress and SBI, but they are targetted to do different things. If you just want to practice writing, Wordpress is a great choice. If you’re serious about building a web site that can make you revenue, there’s a lot more involved in becoming successful. SBI teaches you the whole process from beginning to end, gives you all the tools, and provides an awesome community to help you along the way.

Even though I am a very analytical person (and computer programmer by trade), I love how SBI does all the technical stuff for me. It leverages the power of technology so you can focus on the human aspect that lets you create true value for your customers, faster. It took me a long time to understand this, but I’m on a roll now.

If you’re looking for help for acne, be sure to check out my site.

I attended the most recent Conscious Growth Workshop by Steve Pavlina in Las Vegas. I have decided I’d like to share some of my thoughts and experiences from this life changing event.

Why Go?

First of all, do you find yourself in a passionate pursuit of personal growth – yet find it hard to find others who do as well? Well this workshop would be perfect for you, because there’s a huge amount of networking done at this event. All of the people who attend are very conscious and interesting people. I personally found it reignited my desire for social connections.

If you’re thinking of attending, make sure you come a day before the event and stay at least a day after. The networking events that happen outside the workshop are just as important as the workshop itself. I missed the pre-workshop meet up with my visit and have regretted it, but I did stay a day after the event and loved it.

I still connect with the people I met during the event through the Internet, and I have a feeling some of those connections will be maintained for a long time to come.

One of the principles that Steve teaches – Love – is really shown at a workshop like this. When you surround yourself with people who share the same interests and goals as you, your productivity and motivation sky rocket. For me, having connections with people that support my goals was shown to be my weakest link, and I learned this at the workshop. This simple realization alone will make me a more successful person for the rest of my life.

Read the Book

Steve spends the first day going over his universal principles for personal growth that are covered in his book. If you haven’t read the book, please do so. If you’re going to one of his future conferences I think this is a must. People may say that it is not required, but you just simply won’t get as much out of the workshop.

By reading the book beforehand you can get through some initial breakthroughs in your personal growth. After a period of time you may get stuck or need a refresher. This is a great time to go to one of the workshops, as Steve will give you a fresh take on the principles.

New Experiences and Breakthroughs

Days 2 and 3 go through applying the principles of personal growth into practical areas of our lives. This includes:

• Career & Work
• Money & Finances
• Health & Fitness
• Skills & Habits
• Emotions
• Social Life & Relationships
• Spirituality

These days really stretch your comfort zones, as that’s what growth is all about. Fear is a common theme for pretty well everyone, but I found myself becoming more accustomed to it. Much of this was due to my approach anxiety – Steve makes you work one on one with a stranger over and over again for each segment of the workshop.

I had never met so many intuitive (some may say psychic) people in my life as I had at this event. This was truly astounding to a person like me who has previously been very close minded to the whole idea of intuitive development. I even got a free psychic reading by someone who had just discovered his psychic abilities at the event, and his accuracy and insight for a beginner had astounded me.

Many people experience life changing breakthroughs at this workshop. The most common change tends to be a new career path, or at least knowing you should quit your job. This comes up a lot because most people are not happy doing what they’re doing at their jobs, and feel like they could contribute more by doing something else. Other changes include breaking relationships and religious practices so that better ones can form.

Raising Your Vibration

I never really understood what many spiritual people call “vibration”. The concept was made clear to me at the event by having my own vibration raised to levels I’ve never experienced.

By the end of the workshop I felt like I was on a high. My heart actually was actually hurting from all the love I had experienced. I was beaming for days and I noticed that the way people reacted to me was different.

I highly recommend attending this workshop if you are at all interested in personal development.