Some time ago, I successfully completed a remote viewing course here in Nevada. Not only was I quite amazed at the technology, but also that I had the ability to remote view as I did manage to hit nine targets out of nine. But, the most interesting thing I found, about myself, is that I've been missing out on a lot in my life. This is not a whining article outlining regrets, but an actualization of the things that we, as human beings, have blocked out of our lives because they seem to be trivial to our personal missions in life. I noticed that these silly trivialities are the things that can turn an unbalanced life of black and white into a colorful maze of new and positive journeys.

What is remote viewing?

Remote viewing, or RV, is the process that an individual uses to acquire information about a target (i.e., person, place, thing, or event) that is physically distant in time or space. In all cases, the information collected during an RV session is not accessible to the individual through any means currently known to science. RV is not psychic, but it is a specific process performed within an approved protocol to validate the data being acquired.

In RV, you don't necessarily go into a trance, jiggle beads, or anything of that nature. Some RVers listen to rock-n-roll before performing their sessions and others might meditate in quiet. The entire process requires that you simply focus on a particular target and accept the information as it comes to you. The information is acquired according to a set of rules, or the protocol, which provides a basis for validating the information acquired. The trick is in pushing the conscious mind out of the way to keep it from filling your session with logical representations of the data your acquire, also known as analytic overlays.

What about this analytic overlay?

When we get a great idea or come across something in our lives that is out of the ordinary, we tend to analyze and categorize it based on what we already know. As we apply existing knowledge to unknown information, we are providing ananalytic overlay. An analytic overlay is the closest thing your brain knows based on the attributes of the new idea or information.

One of the more interesting abilities required of a remote viewer is the use of all senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Another trait that is required of the remote viewer is the ability to accept information for what it is and focus your subconscious so that your conscious mind doesn't interfere. In both cases, this is a difficult task as we are raised to allow our conscious mind to filter out unnecessary information acquired by our senses and only use the information that applies to our current situation and our existing beliefs and knowledge.

Analytic overlay occurs when we've acquired a considerable amount of information during a remote viewing session and our conscious mind applies this information to something we already know. For instance, four or five pieces of information might be characteristics of a particular item that your logical mind can identify. In this way, your brain turns the target into something that is familiar, thus misguiding your session.

How does analytic overlay affect you daily?

It's rather interesting to note that, as you learn remote viewing, you begin to find that your conscious mind is blocking information from so much of your day to day activities. Instead of accepting things as they truly are, your conscious mind is busily categorizing information into nice, neat boxes that are easy to manage.

This overlay is what causes many of us to do the same thing over and over again. You'll always do what you've always done because of what you know and what you believe. We tend to miss out on so many things because we are busily masking the realities so that they are able to fit within our comfort zones.

How can I truly see?

One of the exercises I had to do involved the acquisition of information from my surroundings. My teacher took me to several locations in Las Vegas, including Lake Mead and a farmers market, so that I could observe and sense things as they existed, not as I wanted them to exist. I had to make a conscious effort to smell the smells, hear the sounds, and feel the environment. I didn't realize how much I was missing in my real life.

The brain tends to block those things that are common and inconsequential because they do not have anything to do with your current mission. I found that I was missing out on so much because, somewhere along the way, I lost the ability to accept things like the smell of strawberries, the texture of a papaya, the feeling of water, and the varying beauties of a desert sunset.

As I opened myself up to accepting the small inputs of the senses, not only did my remote viewing become more accurate, but my appreciation of my life through the senses has increased. I was able to see the strawberry and taste it for what it was instead of just seeing the strawberry as something to consume for nourishment. There's so much to the various items of life than I had missed that, once I saw beyond my ingrained filters, I turned a mundane life into one of continual interest and intrigue.

What's next?

In the hectic world in which we live, we're busily blocking unnecessary inputs and categorizing experiences within our comfort zones so that we can focus on the issues and motives at hand. Our conscious brains process information and organize it comfortably as it tosses out those pieces of inconsequential information that don't apply to our lives.

One thing I've learned through remote viewing is that the universe is bigger in mystique, than in size, than we can imagine. However, we, as humans, have allowed our minds to become smaller than is acceptable. We have to learn to touch, smell, hear, see, and taste our lives instead of just issuing a projection of how we think it is, based on that which is comfortable. Not only will such an acceptance of things as they are allow us to enjoy life to its fullest, but it will also simplify life since we won't have to try to make things fit instead of just allowing things to be as they are. By opening our minds to the world outside instead of following the small world we create inside, we can learn to control our whole lives and 'target' a vision that provides us with greater balance and fulfillment.

Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D., is a published author, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Edward works with people to help them strive for a richer life. He also authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as well as his articles covering various life-changing topics! Contact Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his site at http://www.make-life-great.com.