Instructor: Rainsong
Date: June 2, 2018 (Saturday)
Seminar: Topic: Fitting practice into a busy schedule / Mixing psionics into normal activities (suggested by Rose, with further suggestion by SilkySky) with an emphasis on grounding, centering, and meditation – Saturday, 2 June 2018 at 6:30pm/1830hr New York Time — text format in the PSC #lecture room (Discord) — Instructor: Rainsong — Search LECTURE26
Rainsong – Note about seminars: Hi, all. I’ll be referring back to this from time to time… In lecture seminars (i.e., almost everything other than Journal Club), we’ll be going back to the older practice of holding questions until I pause in the lecture, and ask for “Questions and commentary”. I don’t want to stop folks from asking questions, but at the same time, it’s easier for everyone to follow what’s going on if there’s some kind of structure to the class. In some cases, a question will be such that it would be better handled after class or at some other mutually-agreed-upon time.
Rainsong – Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
Rainsong – We’re at the bottom of the hour.
Rainsong – Welcome to another psionics seminar here at the social club.
Rainsong – As mentioned above, our topic for the evening is how to fit practice into a busy schedule and mix psionics into normal activities.
Rainsong – Are there any questions or comments, before we dive in?
Silkysky – Good for now.
Nickodemo – Hola
Rainsong – Alrighty then. Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of variations in this topic, because “busy” has different meanings for different people, and different people have widely varying skills within psionics. Both of those factors will have an impact on exactly what you do.
Rainsong – Hi, Silky and Demo
Rose – hi, i’m present. but very woozy, i may fall asleep at any moment
Rainsong – Hi, Rose. Sounds like it might be naptime for you…
Rose – i kind of don’t want to miss this lecture…
Rainsong – Fair enough
Rainsong – Starting with the obvious, it’s typically easier to fit in short practices than long ones, as a general rule, when trying to stuff some psionics practice into already full day.
Rainsong – For example, Counting every second or fourth step when you’re walking, or running. It’s not always practical, but there are generally a few times a day when this is workable. It’s a very simple moving meditation.
Rainsong – Good counting practice, too 😛
Rainsong – If you spend a lot of time on the phone – especially if being “on hold” is a frequent experience for you — keep a small colouring book or a few colouring print-outs and some markers or crayons, and do some colouring.
Rainsong – Need to read something anyway? Practice sub-vocalization, by forming the sounds of the words as clearly as you can in your mind.
Rainsong – Commuting, and the bloody idiot in the vehicle behind you is riding your back bumper? Send an impression of a rude gesture and a “Back off, **!”
Rainsong – You see, this basic concept isn’t too complicated.
Rainsong – Questions or comments, so far, about “short easy stuff”?
Rose – none here
Bluh – a bit of a confusion
Bluh – that’s a bit tangential but do people talk in their heads normally or not? because like a person never really gets a straight answer
ceahhettan – That really depends on the person, in my experience. No questions from me, though.
Silkysky – Could also use the chance to work on using anchors to trigger different states and emotions that you spent some free time ahead preparing.
ceahhettan – (I don’t talk in my head, but I do sign in my head… that probably counts as subvocalisation.)
Rainsong – Bluh: Sort of. Most people do not maintain a clear though long enough to really talk in their heads – particularly not clearly or coherently – except when they are under specific kinds of stress: giving themselves a pep talk before an interview or exam, for example, or repeating/rehearsing/revising a list of things they need to remember at the grocery
Rainsong – (Ceah: Yep, that counts. I don’t know if there is a more “precise” word for mental signing… But then, I confess I often speak imprecisely about it. “I speak a bit of American Sign Language,” for example)
Rainsong – Silky: yes, indeed
Rainsong – Bluh: further, in my experience, the majority of people I’ve tutored over the years have needed to really work on “talking in their heads” to learn to do it clearly enough to Send… and, more to the point, to only Send what they wanted to Send, rather than a mish-mash of monkey-thoughts
Rose – wait… i thought talking in your head is common for most people? i mean, that’s the way it’s depicted in most media
Bluh – okay that makes sense
Kate Embers – I do it every minute of my life
Rainsong – Rose: Surprisingly not.
Bluh – I think authors might be more prone to it
Rainsong – Probably.
Rainsong – If you want more challenge than just talking/signing in your head, try talking in different voices/accents, as though you were reading a story to a small child.
Rainsong – Or sing. In more than one part. At once.
Kate Embers – Or just being lonely and having nobody to talk to externally so you start doing it interally :joy: Sorry
ceahhettan – I also, as a thing, asked my friend who is sitting right next to me. They talk in their head all the time.
Rainsong – It appears we may conclude that there’s a bit of a spread, from person to person.
Bluh – tolja it was a tangent
Rainsong – Not to worry. It’s a legitimate question
Rose – I don’t talk in my head usually
Nevyn – subvocal thinking != subvocal talking. it’s a focal shift
Rainsong – Good point
Nevyn – it’s also why people send without meaning to. they shift between the two without noticing the difference. or when they try to send they’re focusing internal which shifts it to thinking
Bluh – okay that makes sense
Rainsong – Any further questions or comments at this point?
im literaly dead inside – Hi
Silkysky – Changing traffic lights also makes good practice.
im literaly dead inside – That’s easy
im literaly dead inside – How about TK?
Rainsong – Be very careful if you’re going to indulge in mucking with traffic lights, so as not to cause a smash
Rainsong – Changing traffic lights is TK, presuming you’re not doing it by conventional hacking.
im literaly dead inside – Sure
im literaly dead inside – When I was little I could do it better
Silkysky – I Find they are generally balanced to change in proportion. Good for holding that green a few seconds longer to get through.
im literaly dead inside – Now I’m good at changing the outcome of events ( such as mindlessly hitting a tennis ball and then concentrating really hard to get it to move and hit another tennis ball and then another to create un-conicidental concurrences of tennis balls hitting other tennis balls)
im literaly dead inside – Presuming that there are multiple, of course
Bluh – is this really the place and time to brag?
Rose – indeed..
Rose – this lecture gets posted online
im literaly dead inside – No not brag
ceahhettan – Alright, I think it’s time for the next bit. Rainsong?
im literaly dead inside – It’s just different then changing stop light
Rainsong – For folks who drive cars – or who are frequent passengers in carpools – there are frequent uses for psionics that are both practical and good practice:
Rainsong – -Shield the car against theft… or errant football/soccer balls…
Rainsong – -Use dowsing to locate the nearest available parking space (Parking-space hunting is a common sport in many cities…)
Rose – (dowsing?)
Rainsong – Rose: Dowsing is the use of an amplifying tool such as a pendulum, forked stick, or even a finger to make a clear signal for a piece of precognitive or clairvoyant data
Rainsong – It’s most well-known for its use in finding water and precious minerals
Rose – does that work better than trying to locate via clairvoyant viewing?..
Rainsong – – Use pk to jump-start the engine (be careful not to blow it up, though)
Silkysky – Projecting slightly ahead is good while walking especially with bad drivers around. With more practice good for extra awareness while driving.
Wayfarer – Yes. Clairvoyant viewing / Remote Viewing is generally considered pretty bad for finding things.
Rose – thank you Wayfarer 🙂
Rainsong – Silky: in similar manner, pay attention to any “nudges” or hunches about changing route or changing position or stopping or the like.
Rainsong – Some of you are students. And some might be in military units or other workplace situations where meetings and debriefings happen. You might sometimes find that being “not noticed” can be handy there, especially when you don’t wished to be called upon
rowinha – Ah, I know this one. If 3 dozen bunnies stand in a row in the middle of the road, stop. :sweatsmile: #nudges
im literaly dead inside – Ha
Silkysky – Also if you play sports you can use some kinetic types of shielding or redirection to aid in things or dull impacts.
ceahhettan – So if 3 dozen pedestrians stand in the middle of the road definitely stop?
im literaly dead inside – Or use future sight to see where the other team will be @Silkysky
Rainsong – Force-bubble against paintball or to keep your opponent from sending a ball into a billiard pocket (or basketball hoop), a bit of pk nudge to change the trajectory of a ball, arrow, bullet, etc…. There are endless ways to, ehem, practice (cough cough cheat cough cough)
im literaly dead inside – Oh that seems pretty hard xD
im literaly dead inside – PK nudge for BASKETBALL net
Rainsong – Telepathic “interpretation” is often useful for understanding what someone else is saying, particularly if they are speaking/signing a language you don’t know.
im literaly dead inside – Or forcefield around the hoop so other team doesn’t score
Rainsong – But at that point, we’re getting into more “advanced” skills than we originally had in mind for this class
im literaly dead inside – Ok
im literaly dead inside – :grimacing:
Silkysky – True. Some sports you end up getting hit anyways like boxing or MMA so extra protection abd reflexes help. Easy enough to enhance your awareness and reflexes usually and easy to practice while traveling in that case.
Rainsong – Be careful not to damage yourself too much, if you manage to alter your reflexes directly. You might find it more useful – not to mention safer – to use a nifty little mental trick called “time distortion.” It’s fairlyu popular among martial artists.
Kate Embers – time distortion?
Bluh – or just keep an eye on the imediate future
im literaly dead inside – Oh yah that comes in handy
Rainsong – Something else that martial artists can get a fair amount of practice in, is easing strained muscles and bruises. Easiest approach is probably Quantum Touch, for this. The good ol’ blue psiball is pretty good for temporary numbing, though
Rainsong – Kate: “time distortion” in the normal sense of the word makes the passage of time seem faster or slower. For example, “slowing” everything down gives you more apparent time to make a decision, evade a punch or sword cut, or calculate the maths problem you’re trying to do in your head. It’s not psionic, per se, any more than colouring is, but it’s the kind of “associated” skill a lot of psionicists learn to do.
Kate Embers – Would it exceed the range of the lecture to ask how to do it?
Rainsong – It’s most often “learned” by means of hypnosis, and then practiced
Rose – ohh? that’s interesting… a skill learnt through hypnosis?
Rainsong – This lecture? Yes, but we could probably add it to the queue for a lecture of it’s own, if you want
Kate Embers – please :3
Rose – yes please
Kate Embers – would really like to!
ceahhettan – Actually that sounds like it’d be an excellent lecture.
Rainsong – July 7, or whatever that weekend’s Saturday is.
Nevyn – Worth noting that the style described is nothing more than a perceptual shift, so it doesn’t make you able to move out of danger’s way faster, just gives you more time to realize you’re in danger and move. So while you can increase mental reaction time it does nothing for physical. There are other methods for that, but in many cases mental is enough.
Rose – does that technically temporarily increase your speed of thought and processing speed?
Rainsong – nods It will seem to people around you that you’ve also affected how fast you’re moving, sometimes, however, because you started moving earlier than you could otherwise do
Rainsong – Rose: Sort of. The processing speed is the same, but you’re not getting in your own way by being rushed.
Rainsong – Questions or comments at this point? We’re at the bottom of the hour again, already… Do people wish to continue?
Kate Embers – we can
ceahhettan – I’m still here, for once! so, yes.
Rainsong – Whoo 😀
Rainsong – I imagine that some of you play video games from time to time.
Rainsong – Some might even play table-top games with dice.
Nickodemo – Yess
Rainsong – You can sneak in some microPK practice by mucking with the “dropping” of treasure, accuracy of attacks, amount of damage caused (or evaded…), and so on.
Rainsong – Of course, it’s better sportsmanship to do this with the agreement and participation of all parties…
Rose – ooooh i love doing that! makes me have a question. does that work on download speed?
Rainsong – Rose: It’s rather more difficult to affect download speed, but it’s sometimes possible.
Rainsong – In table-top games, muck with the dice-rolls.
Rainsong – In casinos… predict cards, force dice-rolls, nudge the ball in the roulette wheel… I’m sure you get the idea here.
Nickodemo – As any normal person would do whenever they’re Internet is being slow I would hope strongly that the Internet gods would speed up my portion to finish that download so I could continue playing whatever
Bluh – pff it’s best sportsmanship do do it to make the funnest events
rowinha – We used to give fate points for intentionally “rolling for psychic powers”. 1 for 3 identical rolls in a row, 3 for 5. #houserules
Rainsong – Our houserules encouraged that, too.
Rainsong – If you play chess or similar games in which you’re trying to out-manoeuvre someone else – and “illegal” moves become legal if the other player allows it to stand by proceeding with his/her own move – there are some options such as putting a “hedge” Shield around a piece you don’t want captured (or used), gently nudge the other player to make a bad play (slide your queen over beside my rook… you know you want to…)…
ceahhettan – our house rules used the “if the next person moves” you get away with it too
Bluh – A ‘dont shoot me’ aura in a shooter
Rose – this is all still seemingly above my current level of experience…
Rainsong – In most versions of chess, that’s the official rule, rather than house rule. There are other games to which that applies, too, but none are coming to mind at the moment
ceahhettan – Well, but also in things like cribbage or whatever
Rainsong – Rose: not to worry. Across the class, we’ve touched on the full range, from “preliminary, not even actual psionics yet” exercises clear through to “things that many people will never be able to do”
Rainsong – Bluh: Yep, indeed. Or a hedge around the avatar so the other player ignores or can’t find you.
Rose – there are some things mentioned here that i’ve done but i’d rather not brag
Rainsong – “Hedge” Shield = local community slang for a Shield that diverts attention elsewhere, making the person/thing Shielded effectively “invisible”
Rose – ooooh, that’s an awesome shield…
Rainsong – It’s a handy one. At risk of bragging, myself, I’ve used that one to escape a serial rapist. In broad daylight.
Rose – wow…
Rainsong – I’ve also used it to keep a parking space for half an hour… :innocent:
ceahhettan – I used to use it to ditch my parents in stores.
Rose – i’ve tried shields that repel attention but towards something random in someone’s awareness. is that the same as a Hedge Shield or does a Hedge Shield divert attention to something specific?
ceahhettan – Or my boss when they wanted something.
Rainsong – I certainly recommend the effort to learn that one.
Kate Embers – I’ve used it to switch the gender I’m perceived as ^^
Rainsong – Rose: Random or specific. As long as it diverts away from the Shielded thing, it counts
Rainsong – Kate: technically not a Hedge, but similar effect. Can also make folks remember your hair colour or car colour as being different from what they actually saw…
Rainsong – I think the magic-user types call it a “glamour”?
Rose – yes, they do
Rose – i think they call hedge shields that too
Rose – it’s commonly found under the term “invisibility spell”
Rose – on spell websites
Silkysky – I like the generic immediately forgotten human version. They see you but they just register generic person with no memory of your details or recognition of you as an individual. Less chance of people walking into you.
Rainsong – nods Yep, adjust as conditions dictate. Once you’ve got one of them working consistently, the others are relatively easy to learn
Rose – i want to learn this, but first i have to learn and stabilize the skills that would power a hedge shield
Rainsong – Yes. Rudiments are good.
Nickodemo – There’s also the term “cloak/cloaking” for making yourself less noticeable
Rainsong – mhmm
Rose – i’ve usually seen “cloak” being used moreso as a term for a construct that hides you energetically from other psions or magick practitioners trying to find your signature remotely
Rose – essentially wipes you off the radar
Nickodemo – The term can be used for more “physical” uses as well
Rose – nods
Kate Embers – Hehe, I’ve had fun with those
Rainsong – “Cloaking” is pretty broad. Even including literal invisibility by diverting or absorbing light so you can’t be seen, or projecting an illusion of whatever’s behind you. Those are both more difficult than the “that thing over there is much more interesting” approach
Rose – that works?.. literal invisibility?
Kate Embers – in my experience less invisible than just so unremarkable people don’t even look at you
Nickodemo – Lmao kate
Rose – that’s the kind of shield i meant, the kind i’ve used and the kind listed as “invisibility spell” on magick websites
Rainsong – It is possible to do it, yes, Rose. It is very difficult. Leave that for later. 😉
Kate Embers – what xD it’s true. That’s how I made my cloaks and it worked quite well.
Rose – okay Rainsong ^^
Nickodemo – “I’m not worth your time, don’t even look at me”
Kate Embers – pretty much, yea
Rainsong – It’s pretty rare for it to be worth the effort, anyway. “Look over there” is generally just as good, but easier and more reliable.
Rose – these are all skills on a level that used to be in my range for things i wanted to try, but now i want to perfect the rudiments and basics before getting back into these
Rose – well, not all of them
Nickodemo – The basics are useful everywhere afterall
Rainsong – It’s true
Kate Embers – anyways, it’s 2 am here by now, I’ll be off to bed 😀 See ya! Thanks for the lecture :3
Rainsong – Be well, Kate. Good night.
Nickodemo – Later Kate
Rose – actually only some of them, the ones not involving PK
Rose – nini Kate ^^
Rose – it’s 2am here too, and i’m really tired.. and rambling semi-incoherently
Rainsong – For those of you who like to do precog and/or dowsing and/or clairvoyance, dowse or ask yourself questions such as
Rainsong – – what will tomorrow’s headline be
Rainsong – – is this melon ripe (before you knock on it)
Rainsong – – which shop to start in, to find a red t-shirt / trousers that fit / that book I’m looking for
Nickodemo – That second example is one I’d find quite useful since I’m bad at telling if a fruit is ripe or not
Rainsong – It’s a handy skill
Rose – going to sleep as well… as useful as this lecture is, i’m no use when this tired
Rose – nini
Rainsong – You can even dowse the time, for practice.
Rainsong – Be well, Rose. Good night
Rose – thank you Rainsong
Rainsong – Speaking of time, by the way, asking your FCD/subconscious to wake you up a minute before your alarm, or at a certain time, is a useful practice.
Rainsong – Questions? Comments?
Nickodemo – Gn rose
Nickodemo – Hmm, I can’t think of any questions lol
Rainsong – (Another thing to dowse, just thinking about it… the day’s weather, if you’re in a place where the forecast is “complicated”. Parts of the UK, for example. The Canadian Maritimes….)
Nickodemo – I was going to ask how you would douse the time but realized a way, but would there be another method besides having a drawing of a clock?
Rainsong – The tradition method was to hold a pendulum close to a wall or other vertical surface. It will tap solidly for each hour (eg, three strikes for 3 o’clock), a light strike for the bottom of the hour (eg., three solid hits and a light one, for half past three)
Nickodemo – Ahhh
ceahhettan – I use the parking space one sometimes
Rainsong – For more precise times, a chart is normally used
ceahhettan – Will put out points for multiple truck stops if I have a choice and dowse for where I will successfully find parking.
Rainsong – Ceah: might want occasionally to make (specific company deleted)-repellent shields
Rainsong – To keep their drivers from parking illegally in such a way as to block you in, that is.
ceahhettan – Lolol.
Rainsong – I’m sure you know which company I mean
ceahhettan – Yeah.
Rainsong – Any other questions or comments?
Rainsong – Alrighty then, I guess we’ll call it a night. Thanks for participating, everyone. Good discussion 😀
ceahhettan – thank you!
Rainsong – 😀