Copyright (C) 1999 by William Mistele.  All rights reserved. 

3.  Transferring Consciousness into People.

I asked a friend today to see if she could notice anything unusual or
different as I projected my consciousness into her.  She noticed
nothing different.  On the other hand, a number of years ago I had
several partners with whom I practiced this exercise.  We regularly
would project our minds into each other's bodies.  It is a fascinating
experience when another person can feel your mental presence and
also note subtle nuances of energy shift as one or both of you
practice different meditations. 

A Female Friend 

Bardon suggests starting with people you know such as friends and
relatives.  I have a picture here of a woman I have not seen for
about seven years who is a good friend.  Before beginning, it seems
natural for me to spend a few minutes recalling all of my
experiences with her--when we first met, the ups and downs of the
relationship, and the last time I saw her.  Also, I recall what I know
about her family, her job, and her interests.
    I next visualize her standing in front of me.  And then I place my
consciousness within this picture.  I can distinguish between being
within the visualized image and the slight shift which occurs when
my mind moves inside of her aura.  I notice that my aura changes to
match hers.  I feel her astral body, her physical body, and her
mental vibration.  
     All of this seems very easy to do since apparently she and I
practiced tantric yoga together long ago in another lifetime.  That
intimacy and rapport of spiritual union and purpose remains intact in
spite of the different paths we have followed since then.  I notice,
for example, the strength and purity of her physical vitality.  She 
practices a fair amount of yoga and this seems to be the reason why
her health is so strong.  There is an uplifting and open feeling in her
chest from practicing the breathing exercises of pranayama.   
     It is fairly easy for me to concentrate on being within her
physical body so that I feel her tongue is my tongue, her eyes my
eyes, her hands my hands, and so forth.  I think I can meet Bardon's
requirements that I be within the other person and forget about my
own body and thoughts while I do this.  It is not her physical form
as a woman which strikes me as being so different from my form as
a male.  Instead, it the estrogen she has as a woman.  The estrogen
makes her aura stronger in elemental energies giving her a richer tie
to nature and to the earth.  
     It is quite clear that she has ambitions and works hard at her job. 
But, nonetheless, the presence of this feminine essence derived from
estrogen dissolves a lot of the feeling of separation which belongs to
myself as a male. In other words, this transference of consciousness
has a tranquilizing effect on me.  She herself, no doubt, has had to
wrestle with being somewhat passive in life.  But I find that this
feminine receptivity balances my own energy as a male.
     Having spent a few more minutes focused within her physical
being, I can feel an amplification of our energy connection.  I look
for what is causing this by concentrating on some of her chakras,
that is, I project my mind directly inside of each chakra.  As I center
my mind in her lowest chakra, I can tell again that her yoga and
spiritual practices have given her mind a mesmeric, almost trance
like ability when she meditates.  But this is not the source of our
connection at this point.
    Her second chakra is very strong also.  She has a great capacity
for sensuality.  This is an ability to give and to receive pleasure and
to discover in her five senses great satisfaction.  But so far she has
not found the appropriate means to explore and express this
sensuality.  Some might pursue art, dance, music, poetry, and so
forth to work with this.  It would seem that she might be very good
at massage and bring a lot of psychic and healing ability to this if she
were to practice it.
    In her third chakra, she tends to let things happen to her.  She can
adapt well to the expectations of a group of people or organization
but does not actively plan her future.  She can assert herself and
make demands of others when this is appropriate but she does not
make things happen.  Things tend to happen to her.
    Her heart chakra indicates that she is loving, nurturing, generous,
and sincere.  Again, she tends to allow others to call upon her to
meet their needs and this she does.  As I focus here in her heart, it
appears to me that her parents never understood how sensual she
was as a child.  And her father never assisted her to make the
transition from family and home to pursuing a career which
matched her interests and which held her attention.  He never
shared with her how exciting life is.  And so she lacks that spark of
enthusiasm for discovering new things.  The element of curiosity is
missing.
    In her throat chakra, I sense a residue of shame and guilt
projected on her, again, mostly from her parents.  She has
responded by saying, "I am just going to find my own way without
your help, thank you." And this she has done.  She is very focused
in the present moment and does not have the problem of relying on
thoughts rather than her feelings when she responds to people and
situations.
    In her third eye, that is, her psychic abilities, she possesses a
powerful clairsentience but this she has not explored or studied in
any active manner and so it remains dormant.  In fact, her
awareness of the past and future are slightly blocked.  In a way, this
is a protective function.  Some individuals who can feel everyone
else's feelings are overexposed and vulnerable.  The needs of the
world cry out to them and they are wounded by the pain.   The
particular way for this woman to explore her psychic perceptions is
perhaps best sought in her crown chakra.
    Among other things, the crown chakra oversees the higher
aspects of conscience.  It reminds us of the need for balance and
provides the impulse to grow.  I enter her crown chakra--underlying
this woman's consciousness is a vision of how we are all a part of
each other, a part of nature, and a part of all that exists.  There is
that ancient Hindu sense of the union of Shiva and Shakti which is a
very precise and defined yogic attainment.  
     Although the master she has studied with undoubtedly has
attained this union, he has been very reluctant to teach this union to
his students.  It takes a lot of will and a lot preparation and
Westerners he has noticed have special problems with proceeding in
this direction.  This crown awareness within her is reflected in her
readiness and willingness to take this inner journey when the
circumstances present themselves. 
    From the point of view of her crown chakra, then, her
clairsentience should be developed in the context of working with
divine images.  You cultivate a spiritual identity through
contemplation and meditation.  In yoga, there are ways of working
with the images such as Shiva and Shakti in combination with the
training of the psychic centers in the body.  
     In Bardon, you select images which embody for you the four
fundamental attributes of deity--omnipresence, omnipotence,
omniscience, and immortality.  These images can be concrete such
as the specific form of a deity or they can be formless to represent
the pure consciousness of spirit.  When you take on a divine aspect
in meditation, you can then use your psychic abilities in that context. 
In this way, the individual's personal and spiritual perceptions are
kept separate from each other to avoid confusion.  
     At this point, identifying with all seven chakras at once, I feel I
know this individual much more clearly.  The conflicts of her
childhood and the drama of her teenage years are more transparent. 
Her years as an adult make more sense to me.  She is like a flower
that blossoms when the season is right. 
      But there is also a spiritual quest waiting for her to discover it. 
The problem is that her job, her family, and the world around her
do not reflect or speak of this quest.  Her experiences in life do not
support the consciousness of her crown chakra.  We are all
surrounded by a spiritual universe as vast as the physical universe
with its two hundred billion galaxies.  Each of us must find our own
time and way to search within for our guiding visions as well as
participate in the outer world of our society.
     There remains one final step to take and this is not in Bardon's
exercise but it part of his training system later on.  I take a few
moments and reach out to this woman's guardian angel.  I have
looked at the woman from the point of view of her chakra's and
personal consciousness.  It helps to also look at her from a more
transcendent and timeless perspective.
    Entering akasha, I visualize her guardian angel in front of me.  In
a few moments, I sense the presence of a feminine spirit.  She sits
next to me and has the demeanor of a very wise and loving middle
aged woman.  Here is the love and caring my friend has not
received from her parents or her lovers.  Here is the will within fire
and the wisdom within air which balances the earth and water which
are the elements dominating her aura.  
     The guardian angel has a perspective which takes in all of the
individual's incarnations.  The angel is not so concerned at this point
in time that my friend attain some high and mystical consciousness. 
It is more important that she become proficient in caring for those
around her.  As she matures, she will provide guidance and
inspiration for others.  She will know their thoughts and their
feelings and be able to help them through their problems.   
    Her greatest weakness, from the angel's perspective, is her failure
to understand what is motivating those around her.  She lacks this
penetrating insight and it is not the type of thing you get from
training in yoga.  And developing her clairsentience would not help
her here either.  
     Occupations which might have furthered these abilities would be
training to be a school counselor or a lawyer.  With these she would
acquire a practicality combined with skill in solving problems.  The
guardian angel is emphasizing in effect the development of this
individual's third chakra, that is, the strengthening of her personal
identity and her ability to communicate herself effectively through
interactions with others.      
     I take a few moments to join the guardian angel, myself, and this
friend into one consciousness.  I meditate with the guardian angel on
this woman having a strong identity, assertive communication, and
penetrating insight into the thoughts, feelings, and problems of those
around her.  And then I return the angel to its own domain and
close down my friend's and my own aura.
    I would point out that long ago when I first made contract with a
guardian angel it was an absolute disaster.   There was the
equivalent of an explosion of feelings within myself.  I sensed the
incredible mistakes I had made in life as well as the great difficulties
which were waiting for me in the future.  I was completely
unprepared for both the degree of transcendence and the lower
astral vibrations which were stimulated by such a contact.  For this
reason, Bardon saves contacting your guardian angel until the last
chapters of his book. 
     I take a moment to imagine myself within this friend again just to
compare my feelings now with those I had when I first began the
exercise.  Initially, I chose this person because I felt there were some
unresolved feelings and questions I had about her life.  My feeling
are now more complete.  If I might wax philosophical for a moment
in regard to my experiences here, I would say--We human beings
are both ordinary and mysterious, stuck in the limitations of our
lives and also surrounded by divine freedom.  If there is a lesson
from this, I would say that it seems to me we need to be loved and
to give love both in equal measure.

A Businessman.  

I have never met this person but I have a photo of him and a friend
who knows him tells me what he is like.  I visualize a picture of this
businessman standing in front of me.  I also can recall his voice
from tapes I have heard.  I can say that he looks a little boyish and
somewhat immature but I think that image does not reflect his ability
and influence.
     As I project into him, I notice immediately the remarkable quality
of this individual's mental body.  He has a very high and creative
mental vibration. I would call this energy Aquarian in that he is
constantly thinking about the future while also taking into
consideration the present and the past.  
     There are some psychic exercises in which you imagine traveling
a few weeks, months, or years into the future and then look around
to see what things are like.  This individual has part of his mental
body permanently stationed about three years in the future.  He sees
the world as it is now.  And he equally attempts to see the world as
it will be three years from now.  I can not say I have ever met
anyone who embodies so perfectly this kind of Aquarian outlook on
life. 
     The second main theme present in his mental body is his fierce
sense of competition.  Let me spend a few minutes pursuing this.  It
appears that he tries to take control in the present of what he knows
will one day be valuable in the future.  He is aware of things which
others do not yet see or understand.  There is a deceptive quality
here which is somewhat like a Howard Hughes who makes secret
deals behind the backs of her competitors in order to undermine
their strengths.  
     I  am sure you understand there is a difference between a
research scientist, an inventor, a prophet, and a businessman. 
Whereas the first three occupations involve a degree of detachment
and purity, this businessman moves to take control of all aspects of
his trade.  From his point of view, productivity involves
accumulating assets and providing services which ultimately give
you an advantage over others. 
     In all fairness, I have to repeat myself and say that this individual
is a little too zealous about destroying his competitors rather than
just out performing them.  There is a dark element in his mind and
to be honest it seems to be what makes him so effective and
successful.  Like many wealthy businessmen, he is altruistic and
generous in his giving, but he is also rather ruthless when it comes to
gaining market share. 
     You may wonder where I am getting these impressions.  All of
these comments and descriptions have in fact already been made
about this individual by his competitors and others.  I am not saying
anything new.  The difference is that I am telling you how his mind
works from the inside.  This man will remain effective because none
of his competitors are as future oriented as he is.  None of his
competitors can take the assets of their companies and change
directions overnight the way this man can if that is what he thinks is
necessary to dominate other companies.
    There is no question that others in the same line of work have
more character and are wiser in providing goods and services. 
Others even see future trends as clearly if not with a broader range
of vision than this individual.  But the businessman I am focusing on
carefully monitors his competitors.  He is more than ready in any
moment to learn from their ideas and to jump ahead of them when
he discovers their plans.          
     My procedure in projecting into this man's mental body is to
enter the picture of him which I visualize.  In doing this, I feel an
immediate link to the actual person.  I then make my mind empty of
my own thoughts so that as much as possible his mental vibration is
all that is present in my awareness.  Now when I think, or look
around myself, or sense what my interests are, I think and see and
feel as he does.  
     What is so astonishing is how his mental vibration is so deeply
ingrained within him so that it has become automatic.  He does not
have to make an effort to think about the future.  As I have
suggested, part of his mind is permanently within the future and so
he is constantly being informed from that perspective.
     There is more to be said here in regard to his competitive
instinct.  This man is not telepathic.  He does not transfer his mind
as I am doing into another person.  He does, however, hold the
image of his competitors in his mind in order to penetrate their
thoughts.  He has the ability to discern from their actions what they
are thinking.  This usually gives him a clear advantage because no
one seems to be able to do the same with him.  
    Yet when he is dealing with someone who sees the future more
clearly than he does, he notices this also.  What he does then is not
try to understand the other's mind because that would require
genuine psychic ability.  What he does is imagine himself as the
CEO of the other's corporation.  That is, he thinks about what
another corporation can actually do with its products, marketing,
and research.  He determines its strengths, weaknesses, and
limitations.   
     It is on this basis of being able to understand market forces and
the dynamics of corporate strategy that he then maneuvers so his
company is the first to enter a new market in a way his competition
can not do.  If he is already in possession of some product, service,
or technology before the other gets it, then he will be able to exploit
it in a way which gives him an edge over other corporations.  
     In other words, you do not fight your competitor on the terrain
where the other has an advantage and you do not attack the other in
the area where he is stronger.  Instead, you maneuver the other into
a position where he is fighting at a disadvantage and you attack him
where and when he is weak.  Some might suggest that wars are won
on the basics of economic strength and economic conflicts are
resolved according to military tactics.  Generals and businessmen
often forget about the things they share in common.  This man does
not.
     To summarize, this individual produces inferior products
compared to his competitors.  But his understanding of market
forces, sales, and developing trends enables him to succeed where
others fail.  The net effect is that the world has more technology
than it otherwise would without his leadership even though his
products are not the best.  On the other hand, if he had chosen to
emphasize quality along with success, he would have had twice as
much influence and people would praise him rather than hate him. 
    Let's see if we can make more sense of this man's unusual mental
vibration by pursuing its source within him.   I focus on the akashic
or spiritual awareness within him.  At the risk of sounding
pretentious, it seems to me this man is an advanced soul.  His inner
source of inspiration is very clear about the task he wishes to
accomplish in life.  
     He has been sent into life to help stabilize the world's economy
and to provide the technology so that people around the world can
gain access to each other.  This man is a world servant.  There is no
limit to his creativity.  His wealth is not just of money but also
spiritual resources--he is inventive, ingenious, and can comprehend
a great number of different view points all at the same time. 
    If it is the case that he is on a divine mission, we have to ask why
he is so conniving and domineering in his business dealings.  Like so
many of those who are apostles of the Protestant Ethic, he has great
faith in hard work and creative endeavor.  In this Ethic, the whole
point is to have dominion over the earth.  
    But what these entrepreneurs do not understand is that having
dominion over the earth also entails taking complete responsibility
for the earth.  This spiritual consciousness has not been presented
by Christian ministers, teachers, or evangelists.  I think when this
businessman realizes how influential he is and that his position of
wealth and power are completely secure, he will turn more positive. 
Then he will be freed to think more in terms of the needs of the
planet rather than his corporate needs for success.   It is good for the
human race that there is a positive spirit guiding him from within. 
     Turning now to his astral body--his emotional life--he seems to
be a fairly normal person.  He is casual and does not assume airs.
But he does have a fetish about winning in competitive situations. 
Also fortunately, he has individuals in his life who are loving and
loyal to him because he is not particularly a nurturing kind of guy. 
These others remind him to show more sympathy and
understanding than he would normally do on his own.
    Focusing on his physical/etheric body, I notice he is effervescent. 
He likes to be on the go.  He enjoys interacting with lots of people,
that is, as long as they can give him some interesting feedback.  He
is impatient with people, though, because he is sick of others not
being able to quickly comprehend his ideas and his goals.   
     This is not unusual.  Those who are focused on the future often
have great communication problems to overcome because they have
to invent new explanations and reasons for why others should
change their lives to deal with emerging realities.   He has certainly
got himself right in the middle of this conflict between the old and
the new and by all accounts he seems to be winning.   
     In regard to his health, I would say that in about three or four
years he will have to reduce the high level of tension he lives with
and learn to relax more.  Individuals who are under the most
tension, such as the President of the United States, play golf every
week or take two week vacations at Camp David two or three times
a year just to deal with the intensity of their work.  This individual
will have to adapt in that same way and learn to delegate more
corporate power to others.  Otherwise, his body will not be able to
supply the vitality his brain needs to operate at his normal high level
of creativity.
    
A Politician

Let's consider now a third example.  This individual is currently the
dictator of a small country.  He is an example of someone who
specializes in negative energy.
    When I use the term "negative" to describe energy or an
individual, what I mean is that the individual's focus is on
manipulating, destroying, and utilizing fear and terror to accomplish
objectives.  The positive by contrast builds rather than destorys.  It
nurtures rather than manipulates.  It offers freedom and opportunity
rather than fear and bondage.
     In a certain way, the negative is invaluable.  Your conscience
should prompt you to look both ways before you cross a street out
of fear that you may get killed if you do not.  You should take
control of yourself so this becomes a life long habit.  And you
should destroy salmonella bacteria on a piece of chicken by heating
it properly before you eat it otherwise you may die.  The negative is
useful for defining boundaries and reminding us of our limitations. 
But individuals can also turn the negative into a habit and pursue it
for its own sake.  
    I visualize a picture of this politician in front of me.  I shift my
awareness into this picture.  After a few moments I feel a kind of
alchemy in which I move from the image of him directly inside of
his body and mind.   
   Focusing on his physical body I in effect ask myself, "What is it
like to wear this body?"  Unlike the previous businessman, this
individual is rather phlegmatic, even slothful.  He is lazy and
overindulges himself.  He eats too much and he does little in the
way of exercise.  I notice he sweats through his head especially at
night when he sleeps, though he does sleep well and his health in
general is good.
    His physical laziness, however, in no way reflects his emotional
and mental life.  His astral body has a strong Mars connection
though again it is rather negative.  He has the outlook that you do
what you need to do to accomplish your objectives.  If you have to
subjugate an entire nation, destroying the health and well-being of
millions, then that is a small price to pay for maintaining political
order and the stability of government. 
    He looks around himself with the attitude, "Those who oppose
me I destroy.  And if there are those I can not destroy I will position
myself in such a way that I will destroy them even if it means
destroying myself in the process.  As long as they understand and
believe this about me, then I will have the respect I require."
    In terms of the four elements, from the above statement we can
see that he has a lot of fire which gives will and a lot of earth which
is interested in stability.  He has almost no air so he lacks intelligence
and he has little water so he has next to no feeling for what other
people are going through.  These imbalances leave him so isolated
he has little understanding of the world beyond the borders of his
nation.  He is, however, very astute in observing when his own
people are compliant or rebellious but he could care less about their
suffering.
    On a mental level, he is very arrogant and haughty.  He assumes
his power is a matter of privilege and birthright.  He likes to be told
how well he and the country are doing.  This makes it difficult for
his administration to keep him informed about the actual state of
affairs.  You risk his wrath and indignation if you try to explain that
there are problems which need to be solved.
    This imperial pomp and presumption, however, does not mean
that he is not alert.  What he can do very well is sniff out those
officials who are dissatisfied with his decisions.  Such individuals do
not last long in his government.  In such a country, as you can
imagine, terror is thick in the air.
      Let us move on now to the spirit or akashic awareness which
inspires and guides him.  The spirit informing this man's incarnation
is a spirit of pure, unmitigated domination.  There is no ethics,
morality, or conscience within it.  It is autonomous, independent,
and measures its success only by the amount of power it acquires.  
    This individual's inner source of inspiration is solid and enduring
as a mountain and it has a total commitment to gathering power in a
slow, but steady manner.  When this individual is confronted with
obstacles, problems, and dilemmas, this inspiration is always present
to guide and to reassure him.  
     The way this man maintains control over a nation accurately
reflects to some degree the spirit within him.  His inner spirit,
however, is more knowledgeable about how to build a strong
economy and it is much more adept at brain washing people.  In
other words, his inner spirit is not hostile or arrogant.  Instead, it has
a pure commitment to being effective and efficient as it pursues its
goal of domination.  You could say that this man's inner spirit is a
master of the negative while this man's performance is still on the
level of an amateur or an apprentice.
    This viewpoint I am presenting, I realize, goes against the more
liberal notion that "every soul desires to transform the world through
love," and so forth.  To that optimistic attitude I would have to say,
"Sorry, but that is not so."  I can indeed sense the positive within
this man's spirit, but it has been shoved so much to the side that it
has absolutely no influence over his life.
     For Christians, human beings are made in the image of God. 
They are all redeemable.  For Buddhists, every sentient being is
capable of attaining enlightenment.  I agree wholeheartedly with
these sentiments.  But there is a lot of room for freedom of choice
as we seek to develop our divine creativity and pursue a mind which
is full of wisdom and light. 
    For the last ten thousand years, since the end of the last ice age,
human beings have been struggling with each other over the control
of limited resources.  The other intelligent species on our planet, the
Neanderthal man who was here for hundreds of thousands of years,
suffered extinction perhaps in part due to our greater capacity to
reproduce and to seize Neanderthal's food sources.  Even most of
our religions have been fighting each other in spite of their high and
noble ideals until the last few hundred years.  Consequently, I am
not surprised that some individuals have acquired a great deal of
soul experience in learning how to survive by commanding people
and controlling land.      
    For example, this man's skills would be invaluable in some other
historical situations.  You put him in charge of defeating the pirates
plaguing the Mediterranean if you in the Roman Empire.  You put
him in charge of defeating Napoleon or Hitler if you are in England
or in Russia.  There is a time to fight fire with fire and this is the
man for the job.  He would surrender his laziness and stupidity in a
moment if he was offered a position in which his real ability to
destroy things could be fully utilized.  But if you place him in charge
of a country in the late twentieth century, he becomes a threat not
only to his own people but to the world at large.  
     Is this man capable of learning to be positive?  I think so.  You
just have to put him in a situation where he has no power at all.  In
that place, he is offered rewards and genuine appreciation for the
work he does.  People treat him with respect because of what he has
to contribute.  At the same time, if he tries to cheat or hurt others,
he is put in jail like so many others around the world.  Eventually,
after repeatedly experiencing the results of his decisions, he finds
that he enjoys cultivating the positive in himself more than the
negative.  Thus far in terms of his life experience on earth, he has
found the negative to be far more rewarding and that is why he is so
adept at it.
    
These three examples are fairly representative of my experience with
transferring consciousness into people.  I have not included
examples of transferring my mind into children or into strangers as
Bardon suggests.  In the last example the individual was not
completely a stranger since I had read his biography. 
     In the beginning, I think it is fine to practice transferring of
consciousness as a purely mental exercise.  In this case, you are
imagining what another person is like--how he or she thinks, feels,
and perceives.  This is not so different from trying to figure out
what motivates a character in a movie or trying to make up a story
about someone you have never met.  
     In either case, you can ask yourself, "What might have been this
individual's experiences in the past which are the basis of his or her
behaviors and attitudes?"  Or, "What factors are involved in the way
this individual makes a decision?"  In internal acting, you recall
experiences from your own life which may reflect the outlook of the
part your are playing.   Similarly, when you imagine you are another
person you still rely to some extent on your own experience to
understand the other.
     On the other hand, if you identify in your mind with the words
and actions of another person, you automatically feel the way this
person does.  Both methods are helpful for gaining a sense of what
transference of consciousness is like.  Later on, when you are more
comfortable with various forms of telepathy, clairvoyance, and
clairsentience, you can concentrate on the psychic impressions you
receive during the exercise.  In some methods, however, such as
Silva Mind Control, practitioners enter a state of alpha and then
immediately receive impressions about other people they have never
met.  You will find out from your own experience how to make this
exercise work best for you. 
    Though there are many other topics to consider in discussing
transference of consciousness, I would just refer to one further
point.  In chapter 3 and 4 of Initiation into Hermetics, Bardon has
the student work with the four elements.  Transference of
consciousness into other people is also a way of studying the four
elements.  In the first example I gave of the female friend, the
woman had a very strong watery vibration.  Projecting into her
furthers my understanding of the calmness and serenity of water.  
     The second individual, the businessman, has a remarkable power
of the air element in his mental body.  His mind is a study of the
qualities of air relating to genius, ingenuity, foresight, and the
capacity to understand multiple perspectives in the same moment. 
    The last individual, as I pointed out, is strong in fire and in earth. 
Though his fiery will is negative, he is a reminder of the importance
of developing a will which overcomes all adversity.  His earth
element is also negative in that he seeks to provide stability and
order through domination.  But again, his sense of solidity and
endurance are an important reminder of the strength and
perseverance we need within ourselves to accomplish our objectives
in life.