I will be interested to hear what others think of it..as long as you realise its the same as everything else in development..it doesnt happen right away...

this is a very easy technique..but you do have to keep in mind throughout this..it can take some time,you still have to determine yourself if what comes at first is possible spirit or your imagination..but you will learn this very quickly,its not suited for everybody,but if achieved the results can be amazing..

firstly..you will have to get comforatble..and have no distractions at all..

i usually do this at night when the kids are in bed..no body will phone and the door wont be knocking..

if done through the day..which suits many people..turn off mobile and house phones and any other audio gadgets..tv etc

i find it best to lie on my bed,arms to the side of me and legs uncrossed..

i have to admit i always open up and protect myself first..whcich is something i will add in another post..

the first part of this technique is to realx your body and mind..and is actually more difficult than you think..

there are many ways to do this but i will just mention how i achieve it..although some ppl may do the first steps the other way around..you do what suits you..try switching them if you are comforatble with it

when you close your eyes it is perfectly natural to see shadows,colours,shapes,patterns etc..but i want you to relax the eye and let this fade away..if you have difficulty in this try and visualise a blankness in your mind so you are irradicating any form of shape,colour etc from your closed vision..

this part may take some time to achieve and is prob the hardest bit of this technique..it may benefit you to learn the first two steps first before trying the contact aspect..

the second aspect is to fully relax your body..i do this in a visualisation too..and again can take some time...
think of looking at yourself how you are lying....take in the peacefullness..visualise your body from your feet upwards..very slowly..as you do this imagine a warmth starting at your toes..try and visualise any calming colour filling your every inch you are scanning as if using it as a guide to what parts you have reached so far..seriously take your time with this too..inch by inch if you have to..and keep an eye on the colour and the feeling as you move upwards..if you reach or go past a point that still has a bit of tention..move back down and visualise again..and so on untill you come and finish at your head

once this achieved you can begin your communication..
this is the important bit..if done this way in this order (relaxation of body last)..clear your mind once more..you should be able to do this with ease this time as your body id relaxed and outside stimuli is or should be forgotten about by now.

this process should be done very carefully with thought..and done very very gradually..dont get carried away at this point..this is something you are going to start and gradually build up..more so for yourself in the aspect of "learning" and "distinguishing" the difference between your imagination and that of spirit i talked about.

this can be done over each day for sometimes weeks..so be prepared..for the wait..

the first time you try this after completeing your first two steps..is to ask outload in your head some very simple non personnal yes/no questions..this is all you need right now

maybe start with asking....
am i relaxed ?...is it day time ?...are bannannas yellow?..things like that...try not to ask too many questions at this point give yourself a max amount to ask..maybe no more than say 10 to start with..

when each question is asked..this is where awareness plays a roll..take your time between them..and give extra attention to any replies you will hear..believe you me it will sound the same as you asked..your little inner voice answering back at yourself..but dont be put off by this..

try and remember what answers came to you..was it yes or no and was it correct?

each time after this..you can gradually buid up your questions bit by bit..but still at this point keep the amount to a minimum...ask the same questions again if you like and and add a couple more on..or ask a total new larger amount of questions but make sure they always tally up on quantity (the same with a cpl new)..or (a new set of the same amount)

introduce new questions..stick with the yes/no theory in mind for the first couple of times..but you can get a bit more personal as you go along..

am i happy in life..am i spiritually aware..do i have good knowledge and so on..

after being able to do this with confidence..start with asking more spiritual questions..

am i on the right path spiritually..do i have a guide..ask how many etc etc

then move to more in depth questions to them..

ask if you are aware of them..are they male/female..ask their name..ask if you are ready to see them visually etc ask for a sign from them,try and connect as if they were a living person talking with you..ask if you are ready for a mental picture of them etc

after this point is reached (which really should be weeks away..if done at a steady pace)..you can ask any amount of questions about all different aspects of your life...relationships,contentment,happiness,health etc

in time..you will know yourself if you have contact with spirit or your own imagination..i found after many weeks i believe to have had contact with them..i learned this as i would ask questions..and often enough the answer would be starting well before i would be finishing my question..and termed in a way i would never use myself..or would have to be well thought of first the reply would reel out as if i was reading it..never mind having it in thought form...

after you have mastered this technique..and i do hope you succeed..keep a note of the conversations you have to look back on..they often make more sense afterwards than you realise....

hope although it sounds a bit hard..is easy for you..and im sure in time it will be a doddle with experience..
good luvk and let me know how you get on..

my meditation etc made me more relaxed (obviously) allowed me to have time to "myself",allowed me to blank out everyday stresses and concerns (which was my aim)i wasnt aware back then that the connection cld enhance ones abilities or open up further exploration etc.

maybe its not everyones view,but i have been and experienced some beautifull surroundings via meditative state,and given my personal beliefs i have connected my meditation expierences as spiritual.

I keep trying to meditate - it seems to make it on to my new years resolution list every single year. I find it v hard as I can't still the inane chatter that whizzes around my head.. you know the ususal stuff..should be doing the washing, what shall I do for tea, should be doing this, should be doing that, yada yada yada. Plus the dogs tend to bark 24/7 which doesnt help much.

I used to go to yoga and the meditation part of that I used to like but can't seem to recreate this at home.

do you have any time or day or night when its more quite?

less or no distraction is obviously best.maybe you cld meditate outside of your home,maybe another class,or a friends house.

clearing your mind is easier said than done,i will admit that.maybe start by doing "mini med"..even if you periodically think its quite,for just 5 mins see if you can achieve blanking every day thoughts,then as you do over time,simply up the time by a few minutes more etc etc

like you say its personal belief,and believe you me the world wld be a pretty boring and miserable place if we all shared the same thoughts.

I think there are some good points here. Everybody is differant, they have their own way to approach the subject and will interpret what they experience as individuals based upon that approach. I think though that the mechanisms for these experiences could be very similar and conversations like these can be very interesting.