Monroe Institute, Silent Meditation Retreats and Losing Time | Andrea de Michaelis – Creating my own reality, one thought at a time

Back in November 2006, I had an intense month, including a week long stay at The Monroe Institute in Virginia where I took their 6 day Gateway Voyage, then two weekends in Orlando back to back, doing Pranic Healing Level II with Master Stephen Co, and then attending the Hayhouse I Can Do It! Conference where I took the pre-conference workshop with Abraham-Hicks. I came to realize in a bigger way than ever before, that all things are possible; that we are only using a small fraction of our potential, that we have inner resources that are amazing. One of the first things that happened at The Monroe Institute was they took our watches away, and the clock had no hands. We were summoned to events with a bell. This was to ease us out of a time/space mindset so we could experience existence outside a linear time frame. While disorienting at first, it was very freeing and allowed new perceptions to emerge. That was only a warm-up to many very mind expanding sessions using Hemi-Sync technology. I surprised myself by memorizing everyone’s name after the first session! I thought that alone was a great testament that something important was happening “inside” my mind.

We’d have several morning sessions and several afternoon sessions, with pre-briefings and de-briefings in between. We also had a group session where we attained the same state of consciousness without the guided recordings, to let us know we did not need the guided tape to access these mind states, that we could also do it on our own. It reminded me of meditation retreats I’d done in the past, where we spent several days having various intense meditation sessions.

At these retreats, we’d begin the day in silence, walking long winding paths thru nature as a group, watching carefully each step we place on the ground, then there would be an hour of gentle yoga and some time to journal before breakfast.

Next we would have silent breakfast as a group, then move on to the hall and chant for an hour and afterward sit in silence for two hours, with the vibrations of the chant still running through us.

There would be time to journal before silent lunch as a group and afterward, another walking meditation through the grounds. Then another hour of chanting, 2-3 hours of sitting meditation, then a free hour before dinner.

During dinner sometimes we could talk and, by the end of several days’ silence, everyone’s thoughts had quieted down a lot, so the talk was gentle and sparse.

Then back to silence and more yoga before dinner and a group walking meditation afterward, then retire for the evening to journal our thoughts and sleep. I wrote about it here: Journeys Out Of The Body at The Monroe Institute Gateway Voyage

I find retreats like this recharge me like nothing else. I love the silence and love to be alone in nature.

I also love to feel the energy of others keeping silence with me, especially in nature. It is very powerful and soothing. You begin to feel the subtle permeating substance around you of Love, pure Love, connecting us all to each other.

The concept that All Is One falls away as you come to feel and to know that All Is One. That We Are All Connected. That whatever I do to another, I indeed do to myself.

And then, after I’ve rebooted that internal computer in my mind, I must come back to ‘the real world’ and determine how to best apply what I have just learned.

As Frank DeMarco says, “Practice, practice, and make it part of your new routine, rather than allowing it to become encapsulated as “something different I did once.” Frank, also a Gateway Voyage graduate, is author of Muddy Tracks: Exploring an Unsuspected Reality wherein he relates his personal quest for finding “what is real” in this life and his need for putting meaning back into it. He shows how to use the universe as our teacher, toolbox and oracle through astral travel, psychic abilities, dream analysis, and distance healing.

How might I apply what I’ve learned?

I will schedule more time to spend in silence and in contemplation.

I will spend more time in meditation, and in creative visualization of what I’d like to be living.

I will spend more time visualizing those things my friends and family want for themselves.

I will spend more time with those I love to spend time with. No more working around the clock.

So, I have been reminded:

It’s refreshing to spend an entire week with like minded others from all over the world, when our focus stays on our common goal with no concerns or discussion over differences. Our sole focus was the ‘work’ we were there to do.

Coming together with a group that has the same focus and goal gives me a high powered feeling.

When I feel that high level of power, I get very inspired to new thoughts of what is possible for me and for those around me.

When I feel that powerful internal high, I become more artistically creative and everything around me begins to take on deeper meaning.

Spending time in silence shows me just how much time and energy I fritter away in unnecessary talk (and listening to unnecessary talk). In retrospect, I realize all the years I watched tv, that was mostly unnecessary talk I was listening to. What a waste of my thought-time to listen to that.

Also, for me, the news is something else I don’t need to listen to. And that has served me well for many years now. If it’s something earth shattering, AOL will flash it on the screen to me, or a friend will let me know. In the meantime, I stay aware of only the good in the world – and it keeps me atracting more of the same.

Removing the concept of linear time encourages me to slow down and appreciate more of what is around me, and it’s easier to be “in the moment” when I am not watching a clock.

Yes, for much of my work I need to watch the clock, since I work by appointments and deadlines, but I do not need to be on the clock 24 hours a day.

And if you simply won’t take time to go outside yourself on a retreat, you can always stay at home and go inside yourself for one: