Drawings by Lori E. Tostado (lorazz@inreach.com)
Image manipulation by R.K.Müller (kiwi@spiritweb.org)

As previously discussed in perception of subtle realms, we have physical and non-physical senses, and both have their own
area to serve us in how we act. To go a step further, I would like to describe here an easy way to activate the 3rd-eye, or the
inner eye, in a passive way: looking and perceiving.

Introduction

We are truely spirits, who occupy physical bodies to participate in physical reality: without our bodies we couldn't be a part of
it. We can consider the physical body as a vehicle, or using a modern word, a craft.

Most spirits forget that they are truely spirits, spiritual beings. But how? We get overwhelmed by a dimension we didn't
experience before, we even didn't know what time or space is, because as spirits we didn't experience such a limiting reality as
here. That's what the call was we heared, and many couldn't reject its challenge. We entered by many adjustments, called
dimensional doors, until we were able to enter a human-body. What we call taking birth, is a long prepared-for procedure. We
finally enter and accept the body, when we take birth. But then as babies we are in a period of time where we leave and enter
easily, as our vehicle is new for us and we aren't yet so identified and addicted to it.

Growing up means the spirit learns to use the vehicle, we learn to walk, even speak and behave in social conformity. This
learning pulls our attention to the physical senses, so better we learn to interpret the signals, and better we operate with our
physical body here.

We as spiritual beings naturally see, it's part of our nature. Seeing through eyes, which means looking through two holes, but
which serves us with many fancy signals from a colorful toy, even TV or even WWW such as here. We can refocus our inner
eye away from the physical eyes. This is called activation of third-eye, in a passive observing way.

Some of you maybe heard of or even experienced what is known as Shape-Shifting or Mirror Gazing, looking at aspects of
yourself. This is one step of the usage of the third-eye.

Pre-Stages of Third Eye Perceptions

Before I go ahead with my personal view on third-eye, let me describe some pre-stages.

     Most people have very very tiny particles in their eyes, and we usually don't perceive them as our focus is most 1-2m in
     front of our eyes. But in a very relaxed moment, we can focus very close to the physical eye itself, and perceive some
     particles, which distort bright objects and give a more colorful surrounding. This is a physical effect, not a subtle
     perception.

     Some people feel presences in the corner of their sight, and try by turning their head, to catch the presence they felt. This
     can be a real being, that is trying to get your attention. Your physical attention is mainly in the center of your sight, in the
     corner your sight it gets less focused, and sometimes your inner eye overlaps with the corner of your physical sight. This
     perception tends to be a real subtle perception of your third-eye.

     Some of the spiritually-interested people have drug experiences, like marijuana or cocaine, where some altered states of
     consciousness are experienced. But the difference between using drugs (including legal ones like alcohol) and the natural
     use of the non-physical senses is, that drugs distort perception by removing the natural blockages which are expressions
     our spiritual maturity and allowance. I personally do not promote usage of drugs, even legal ones, to achieve altered
     states, as it does indeed create more than just physical imbalances, but astral distortions as well, which are more difficult
     to be healed.

I believe, that all people have third-eye experiences, but most people do not pay attention to them, as their belief-systems
simply reject these experiences as real. A part of this text may help to make one become aware of it again, and accept it as part
of reality, and no longer para-normal, but simply normal.

Preparation and Training

One issue of preparation is, reading such an article about the third eye, even your conscious mind catches a part of the concept.
It's not meant to make-up or even create a huge amount of expectation, but an openness, wordly an open mind.

Here are some well known preparations, which you can practice to open and prepare yourself. You can do it daily, or even
weekly in circles, whatever you prefer.

     Take a candle, watch the flame for a period of time, let's say 1-2 minutes. try to think calming thoughts, try to feel the
     room you are in, and feel comfortable with yourself. Don't stare until your eyes tear, but simply watch the flame, and
     allow your thoughts to calm as your body does too. Try to establish a meditative state, but different than a common
     meditation: with open eyes.

     If you have a pet, like a cat or dog, try to watch her or his eyes, and relax and try to establish a deep peace in you. Pets
     usually reflect humans' emotions and thoughts and therefore teach us our own inner peace by sourrounding humans.

     Watch your face in a mirror, try not to laugh or smile about the ridicilous situation looking at yourself. Look at your face,
     in a kind of distance, saying to yourself: That's now my face, it's part of myself, my physical body, my vehicle. Try to
     watch your own face for 1-2 min. too, with dimmed light if possible instead of bright light which might hurt your eyes.

     If you feel better in nature than in your own apartment, look for a place where you feel totally calmed and relaxed, for
     example a lake, or river. Try to achive a meditative state, but as mentioned, with open eyes.

It's simply important, that you can calm with open eyes. It's much easier to calm and relax yourself with closed eyes, when the
visual influences are disabled that distract our inner being, but for this procedure it's quite helpful to reach the same state with
open eyes.

A Theoretical Background

As said before, you inhabit a physical body, which serves you with physical senses, where the visual sense, our eyes, feed us
with thousands of electrical signals every second. It's no surprise that it's not well known to look without physical eyes,
especially in the technical times we live in today, where everything has to be multimedia to get our attention.

   1.Physical Eyes Only

                      This is the most common case in western society. We are very visually oriented, and our
                      technically oriented attention and research needs a high degree of ability to perceive physical reality
                      in order to change it as we did mainly with industrialization, as an example. An additional thought
                      you may find in Inner Realization vs. Technology. I may not go into that more, as today's world
                      already says enough.

   2.Physical Eyes and Inner Eye Overlap

                      This is the issue I try to describe here in the entire text: the physical eyes serve impressions of the
                      physical reality to the inner eye, which I indicate with the persence in the middle of the head (point
                      of presence), as I perceive and feel it. If your physical eyes get prepared by yourself, and reduce
                      the traffic of information, you slowly and partly will watch through the inner eye, or third eye, which
                      may give you impressions beyond physical reality. The nature of this subtle picture is different than
                      the impressions of physical reality. More simply said, physical pictures passed by the eye are real
                      in the order of physicality, and the pictures of the inner eye are real in the order of subtle reality. To
                      bring both together, that's the real issue. The understanding of their correlations I only partly can share
                      in this text, since this is mainly achieved through practice.

   3.Only Inner Eye

                      This case is somewhat rare, and is only achieved with a lot of practice and inner allowance. Giving
                      up the attention to physical eyes is dependent on a deep trust that there is more than physical
                      reality, and often there is a lot of fear involved, deep fear to lose any orientation of physical reality,
                      at least I experienced it that way, when I slowly shifted away from my physical eyes too. I describe
                      more about this below.

By the way, the issue of having open eyes is to make it easier to allow becoming aware of the inner eye. Some people, even
experienced spiritually aware people prefer to see with closed physical eyes. In our strong belief-system most of us use to
define, that we only can see with open eyes. Anyway, in this case I like to describe, it's easier to do it with open eyes.

Somehow, this theoretical background is my chosen belief-system to comprehend mentally the experiences I personally
made. Take it as a personal truth, not more.

The Activation, Its Passive Usage

I suggest two prefered kinds of procedures to achieve the best results:

1.  Mirror Watching -- A Single Person

This version is a further practice of one of the relaxation suggestions I made above:

Watch your face in a mirror, with dimmed light. Make sure you are alone, or you know that no one will interrupt you, as you have to slip into a very relaxed state of consciousness, where any physical interruption may affect you much much deeper. Choose maybe an evening, not a special time, but maybe after work, when you are perhaps already a bit tired physical and mentally. If you feel really tired, don't practice it or don't even urge or strain yourself to do it. Do it when you feel comfortable, it's important you feel comfortable, there is no competition to win or to constrain things. I say this, as I came across people who constrained things mentally, and blocked themselves with this urge.

     Again, watch your face, relax yourself by a calming suggestion such as, "I'm in peace within myself, I simply watch
     my face to calm and find peace in me". Focus with your physical eyes on one point, between your eyes, forehead,
     or one single eye. Do not try to watch both eyes, because it will make you move your sight.
 
Don't move with your sight or blink your eyes, because it's necessary to allow your attention to move
away from your physical eyes toward your inner eye.

     Choose a point on your face you focus, and don't change it anymore. Remain on this point as long as possible,
     again don't constrain it, if you feel not comfortable doing so. After some moments, maybe 30-60 secs and you are
     fully relaxed, you will feel an warmth on your back, neck area. I do mention this, so that you simply get aware of
     your energy. If you don't feel anything special, don't worry, don't expect, but if you do feel it, know you are well
     underway.

     The warmth is energy, which you attract by refocusing your attention. You can say, it's a type of preparing energy
     from your spirit-guides, or beings helping you in your spiritual path, or simply perceive it as presence of the good.
     It's not so important you know excatly what it is, or who it is. If it feels comfortable, open yourself even more.
     Imagine an inner door you open, while you still are looking at your face and this particular point.

     After some moments you may see a short change in your own face, starting at the point you are looking at. Don't
     awaite this, but be open to allow it to happen. If you wait for it to happen with your mind to grab it, it will not
     happen.

                    You have to release the attention to watch with your physical eyes!

The change of your own face, is an overlapping picture which reaches your consciousness, the one picture served from your
physical eyes will be smoothly overlapped like a slide by another face, another presence. This face may be humanoid.

When this happens, breath slowly and surround yourself with the best and most lightful energy that you can, and maybe close your eyes for a moment to give your eyes some moisture and cleansing for your physical eyes, as we are usually not experienced with having open eyes for 60 seconds or longer. Focus again on a point, maybe the same as before, and relax your sight again as much as possible, and you will slip very easily and faster until your face will change again.

If you see parts of someone else's face in yours, watch as an observer, but only look, don't judge what you see, even if it's a
beautiful or grotesque face, just look, just watch.

This entire procedure maybe shouldn't go for longer than 5-10 minutes, and if you don't see anything after 2-3 minutes, stop it.
Again, no constraining, but allowance. Don't even judge yourself if nothing happens the first time.  This Mirror Watching is a subset of the so-called Mirror Magick. In this context, the mirror is generally used to focus the attention and will to make affirmations, for example, to call spirits, or even focus on third eye.

2.  Watching Faces, or Shape Shifting For Two Persons

     This is the way I would prefer for most who have already some experiences with the mirror, even if they are just
     small and short snapshots of other faces in your own.

     Ask a friend, who is interested in energies, as well as meditation and who you can openly share spiritual concepts
     with, without fearing that he or she may laugh at you. Some basic knowledge of chakras may be very good for
     both of you to know. Practice a relaxing meditation, for 10-15 minutes, like surround yourself with light, and
     balance all the trouble and distraction from your daily life.

     Choose two chairs, and maybe a table with a small little candle in the middle, but it's not especially necessary, it
     simply helps you to relax better, and shifts the consciousness into a more relaxed state. You could also sit on the
     ground, but make sure you are comfortable, I can't repeat that enough. Keep about 1.5 to 2 meters distance
     between you and your friend. Make sure that there is no direct light, dim any artificial light, or use a candle as
     mentioned.

     Look at each other's face, choose one point in the face of each other, either the nose, the point between the eyes,
     the forehead or whatever. It's not important where you look with your physical eyes, it is important though that
     you relax your sight totaly. Even as said before, don't move your sight anymore when you have anchored your
     sight, and don't blink anymore if possible. Every blink of your eye-lids brings your inner attention back to your
     physical eyes, so it is therefore important you allow your attention to move away from the physical sight by
     relaxing mentally as well as physically.

     Breath deeply, and feel whether energy surrounds you, as in the example of warmth around your head, face or
     back of the neck. Warmth in your face will indicate the energy the other one radiates by his or hear third-eye;
     warmth on the back, upper part of body or even neck indicates a coming presence entering your aura, attracted
     by the activity.

     At the beginning you maybe will have difficulties focus on one face, as there may appear 10-15 different faces
     during a very few seconds, as if you are watching a slide-show, but someone doesn't wait until you can grasp its
     meaning. It's like you see, but you have to learn to turn the channel smoothly, like a radio station. If there is a face,
     which attracts you, and you remember it well for that short time, think of this face, and allow yourself deeply to
     move back to this face, smoothly. It takes training to focus on one presence longer.

Other activations

     Crystal Sphere: This I didn't experienced myself, but it's just another way to relax the physical eyes, to move the
     attention to the inner eye. The crystal-sphere allows by its physical structure, to recognize no real pattern to begin
     to search astrally for connected presences and energies. When watching faces, you go with a key, even the face.
     The difference with the sphere, is you have to build within yourself a key, for what you are looking for.

     Candle: The candle initiation I heard of, but I don't know exactly how it's done. It seems, that the preparation
     technique of using a candle is used to reach a certain state of consciousness, where other beings can be perceived
     in the flame. Often some kind of ceremonies are involved to invoke spirits, who support the activation.

     In case you know some of other procedures I may list here, drop me a line by email.

If you are successful fast, practice as often as possible so you feel comfortable - to make your conscious mind ready to allow
you to perceive in your daily-life with the inner eye as well, not just in a prepared surrounding.

In case nothing happens, absolutly no feeling, no changing of the face, your attention may be strictly on the physical, which is
ok. I met a lot of people hanging arround and partly rejecting their being on the physical, and its better for them to ground
themselves first beforehand, in order to train psychic abilities such as this third-eye example. If the time is right, you might come
across other ways to train your subtle senses. Be open, and not disappointed about yourself.

Further Steps

When you practice Watching Faces or Shape Shifting weekly, and you get skilled in focusing also during daily-light and
moving faces, you may take pictures, and focus on them.

Focus as described above, and form a key, to attract the connected energies of the picture. This key is an inner question and
thought-pattern which you broadcast literally with your mind. It's different than channeling, as you receive a picture related to
the picture. It will tend to be a face too, but not necessarily. If other face-forms appear, be open, don't judge or censor them
with your current belief-system.

Watch people's face around you. While you talk to them, watch their aspects they keep, it will give you a glimpse of their bigger
personality, that each of us is. You may perceive aspects of somone's personality, that you may connect with the concept of
past-lives, or you might see a personality aspect one is balancing in his or her present life.

Some hints about things you may experience when you are a bit skilled:

I get headache when doing this, what can I do?
     Well, it's like you re-use something you haven't used for a very long time, and your brain has problems grasping all the
     information. It could be also, that you have an energy-blockage in the third-eye chakra. Try putting one hand on your
     heart-chakra, and the other one on the forehead, then change with the one hand from your forehead to back of your
     head. It may help. Especially after the first time you watch with third-eye you may experience a headache the next day or
     so, but it shouldn't be heavy headache.

There are a lot of faces, what does that mean?
     This person is dealing with a lot of personality aspects, which may be perceived in a spiritual manner as entities in her or
     his aura. I tend to remain in silence and not share this perception, as I made the experience that it does disturb the person
     even more than help her. Maybe mention the major impression of all faces, for example fear, or not being respected.
     Support this person with words of understanding and suggestions of integration of the so-called denied aspects of her or
     himself. People who tend to judge themselves being unworthy tend to have a lot of faces of sadness, or beings in their
     auras which have distorted looks of accidents or sickness when they left their bodies, and now had found an embodied
     being, who shares the same view of him or herself. It's a symbiotic relationship of sympathy, not a case to judge.

I see freaky and ugly faces, what does it mean?
     Freaky faces tend to be associated with mentally unsteady people, who have no focus, and tend to be attracted by
     everything which seems to give them something. Ugly faces, there you have to distinguish very carefully, sometimes there
     are past-lives coming through, where other kinds of beauty counted in society that may not be like today. Sometimes,
     with people who are afraid of getting fat, you may see very fat faces. Understand that they fear to repeat this again, and
     have a difficult connection with their bodies.

How do I know, whether it's a being, or a past-life?
     Generally speaking, you see associated energies. Your inner knowledge will allow you to understand the bigger picture.
     Non-balanced past-lives, which someone rejects inside, appear as another being in his or her aura, or even attract
     like-minded bounded entities. Don't define it according your current belief-system, where past-lives are a part too,
     maybe read Reincarnation and The Self for some additional understanding or suggestions. I personaly need to use some
     time (from minutes, hours, even months), before I'm able to sort out all the impressions I've gotten and understand within
     me, when I watched with the third-eye to someone before.

There is no other face, but the same just a bit younger. What does it mean?
     I personally only saw one single person, where I shifted my focus and watched with my third-eye, and the face didn't
     change, but got bright and more intense in appearance than the physical view I had before. When I tried to find out what
     it did mean, I received the hint, that this person indeed has intergrated all aspects of himself, and that this person is to
     become complete, self-realized.

I can't watch animal faces, what now?
     It takes some experience to do this. I did it with our dog and saw a similar dog in him, but I couldn't get any more
     impressions. Once I tried with our hare, and he had no face, but he turned into a bright glowing white ball ... it touched
     me so deeply, I can't describe here in words. It made me remember the divinity of all creatures.

Is it for sure that the things I see are connected to the person?
     Yes, and to you too. You look with the key-pattern of the other person's face into the pool of all patterns. The more
     skilled you are, the deeper the patterns you will get. Every piece of information is given to you in understanding. You may
     experience also some cases, where you are not permitted to get information. You will feel or even listen to your
     spirit-guides, who are always involved in the moment you watch with your third-eye. The more open you are, the more
     universal information you can access. If you have a strong belief-system, the more you limit yourself in order to
     understand the things you perceive.

When meditating it's said not to drink alcohol or eat meat, the same for third-eye watching?
     Well, alcohol affects the solar-plexus very much, as well as the throat chakra where a part of the subtle energy of the
     alcohol gets absorbed. In the case of meat, especially raw meat, it does attract beings who have experienced the same
     death. Check out by watching a slaugtherhouse with the third-eye, and you will know what I mean. As most of us are
     opening and starting to use the charkas consciously, you might try to reduce any possible influence which might distort
     your perception.

To whom I may share this third-eye activation?
     Everyone you feel might be open, and understand its meaning. Those who are not able to handle it, will not able to see.
     The only additional thing I may say is, don't play with it, but use it to bring understanding of the subtle reality into this
     world.

This is so far some of the common issues I came across when I showed people how to watch with the third-eye. If you have
some experiences with it you think I should add here, let me know too.

Advanced States

1.  Lucid Sight

     A further step in looking with the third-eye, I call Lucid Sight. I experienced it a few times, and so far haven't
     read anything about it. I only once listened to a professional psychic who saw my spirit-guardians and described
     their appearance, and I honestly doubted that she saw them. Some time later, when I trained my third-eye a bit
     more and I saw light-beings, I knew she possibly was right in the way she saw them.

     If you are focusing on the person, and you move away from the face, for example to the outline, and you start to
     see the dull milky aura of the person, you even have to let go more of your watching with the physical eyes. You
     slip into a trance like state, but you are fully conscious, your mind is totally passive, observing, a very peaceful
     state. Slowly the entire surrounding begins glowing by itself, not only the person you looking at, but the wall, and
     all things standing arround.

     When I remained in this state, my sight got expanded, not fully spherical 360 degrees, but maybe 240 degrees, as
     I could see things behind my shoulders glowing, and I felt, how I literally gave up watching with my physical eyes,
     as I no longer had stereoscopic view, but one intensive looking and feeling of living energy in the entire room I was
     sitting in.

     You will see glowing smoke like dancing energies, and you will see your own aura or energy flooding your sight,
     and everything will get brighter and brighter without any need for artificial light. You might be able to see
     light-beings standing or being present in the room, or maybe just a human-like outline, which becomes a glowing
     presence of light, who are assiting you and the people who gathered for the session.

     You can read a related text from Robert Hay, Spirits, and the Spirit World.

2.  Out of Body Experience (OBE)

     A further state of Lucid Sight is, your sight expands to full spherical 360 degrees, and you feel you are in the
     middle of your head (point of presence), and then, if you are fully centered in your being, you leave your body fully
     conscious and you feel you're watching like a bee, you feel very small and the room will getting huge, and you will
     see everything in spherical 360 degree view.

     Charles Goldmann wrote in his OBE, Spiritualist Technique: "... one phase of mediumship, which is called
     'traveling clairvoyance' is the out of body state. "Where the medium is conscious of leaving the body, and
     in that state views the surroundings, we use the term 'traveling clairvoyance."

     I honestly have to say, that I always faced a deep fear when I reached this state, and I just move a bit out of my
     head, and slipped immediatly back inside in the middle of my head, but I could keep looking nearly 360 degrees.
     As said, it's a very very peaceful state, somehow, as reality is then even more real, more vivid.

     I will write later about other approaches to achieve an out-of-body state more active.

Active Using

Well, that's all that is passivly meant, above. There are many different intensities to use third-eye in conscious active way.

Visualizing

     A lot of teachings of visualization are done today, in meditation circles, OBE interested groups, uand now modern
     management teachings. You manifest with the third-eye, and with the force of the heart and base chakra. If you
     visualize, you pull astral and etheric energies toward you, where you act as modeller.

     Managers: They visualize activly, and ground themselves with the 1st base chakra to be able estimate the
     success of the business, then achieve a business and company that flourishes: "Your success is of your own
     creation". Today managers are kind of half-aware yogis, who manifest things with material energy called money.
     But often spiritually aware people judge those, who are deep in materialism, but those spirits simply learn to
     handle energy here, and are often overwhelmed by its usage.

     Artists: They usually perceive more, and control with the third-eye and physical eyes the transformation of the
     higher-dimensional patterns into matter (the picture). For example, a very intense picture drawn by an artist has a
     physical appearance, and an astral aspect as well, and if the artist was balanced when he or she drew it, we feel it
     and it does deeply touch us. One of those cultures that was conscious of this connection was the Egyptian culture
     with its hieroglyphs, which indeed are more than physical symbols.

     Scientists/Engineers: As partly described in the text about spaceships (discussing conscious and unconscious
     creation of spacecrafts), scientists act as visualizers too, especially when they have to make theoretical research
     available for industry. Making a plan, then drawing symbols to make other people aware of to create a physical
     thing, is mainly based on the ability to transform higher realities into the limited physical reality.

     Again, everything we affect, may it be cooking, painting a wall, signing a contract, driving a car or riding a bicycle,
     has an astral aspect, which is more real than the physical aspect. The connection of both is the secret of every
     success.

Full activation

     The full activation of the third-eye with the kundalini is a major step, which needs to be assisted by a teacher or
     guru. I'm not especially a follower of guru-ism, but I honestly have to say, without guidance of an experienced
     embodied teacher or a full-conscious remembrance of a past-life you where received the teaching already, it's not
     good to do so.

     As long as the third-eye is somehow isolated in use, there is less to achieve. For example, the moment you also
     open other chakras to perceive the subtle reality, you not only get pictures, but feelings and emotion which may
     help much much more to understand these impressions. The same for the active usage, if you work consciously
     with base-charka (full acceptance of incarnation, fully grounded), and the heart-charka, and the crown as well
     (acceptance of a higher purpose of your life), you may indeed experience miracles.

     Anyway, full activation of the third-eye is connected to the full balance of all other chakras, which is the kundalini,
     which finally leads to the true enlightment of an embodied spirit. There is no short-cut possible to being fully
     balanced in yourself . . .

     I will add later some affirmations for the active usage.

So far, those are my thoughts on the third-eye, and some associated subjects. Take it as a personal
view and belief-system, and if you think it serves you, fine. If it's too far away from your own reality,
fine too. Everyone lives a life, and every life is different hopefully!

I will update this text infrequently.

Peace,
René K. Müller (kiwi@spiritweb.org)