As stated in the summery, Focus 1, labelled by Robert Monroe as C1, is what we usually refer to as the physical or material world. For the duration of our physical lives, our Primary Focus remains Focus 1 (F1). Anyone reading this within the physical (Focus 1) has their Primary Focus set to the physical. When we project, our Primary Focus does not change. We may shift our focus of attention, but our Primary Focus remains Focus 1. This means that it takes a bit of effort to temporarily shift our focus of awareness to other focuses, like F2 or F3 (or F4 if you are really ambitious!). After physical death our Primary Focus will switch to F3 that that will be our 'home focus' while we go through the transition phase which will eventually allow us to make the permanent switch to F4. At this point, F4 will become our Primary Focus once again and the cycle is complete.

F1 encompasses EVERYTHING that we regard as physical: the world, the galaxy and the entire universe. If you want to know who created the universe, I have been reliably informed that it was us! The purpose of the physical universe is to experience objective reality. At some point we got together, from a Focus 4 perspective, and decided to create a common pool of subjective energy that would manifest itself objectively in the form that we recognise as the physical universe, the purpose of which is to provide an excellent means of gathering experience; we are here to experience and being physical in an objective sense is a wonderful way of doing so. The physical world can be thought of as condensed subjective energy manifesting in an objective manner and in creating it, we set up a series of rules surrounding this energy. The result is of course the material principles of the universe and what we understand as Physics. One of the most useful aspects of the physical world is that being physical shields us from the worst effects of subjective expression: with regards to the Wider Reality, if you think about something, you will release subjective energy; do this enough and the desired effect will manifest. This causes problems for those who are in a poor state of mind. The lower levels of F3 are awash with people who are stuck in their own self created hell-holes due to an ever increasing spiral of negative energy. For example, someone who creates a terrifying situation for themselves then results in them becoming even more terrified, resulting in ever more terrifying situations and on it goes.

In the physical, this doesn’t happen. The equivalent to this scenario is what we call a nightmare. This is a fear generated scenario created in F2 while our bodies are resting. However, if the scenario becomes too terrifying, then we wake up, i.e. return to F1 where these energies have little effect. However, when our Primary Focus has switched to F3, we have nothing to stop us and it is possible for us to get caught up in all manner of negative scenarios, all of which provides the retrieval experts with plenty of work!

To put it another way, in F3 if you will a can of beer to appear in your hand then it is possible (with a bit of practice) to make this happen. In the physical, you can sit in your armchair and think about that beer in the fridge until the cows come home, but it won't appear in your hand until you get off your ass and go and get it!

I should point out here that recent exploration has provided me with evidence that our desires and mental attitudes DO directly influence our physical reality to a far greater extent than previously thought; indeed our physical circumstances are DIRECTLY LINKED to our particular desires and attitudes. This means that with the right intent you can change your physical circumstances accordingly. At present I am still only at an early stage of exploration in this important area and much additional research is needed. However, even with this being so, it is clear that the norms surrounding physical reality do shield us from the most immediate and direct aspects of the 'thought = action' principle which governs the Wider Reality (or Astral World as others call it). This leaves us free to engage in all manner of experiences, all of which ultimately lead to our enrichment; that is after all the purpose of life: to live and to experience and to grow.

Some people question the notion that our primary purpose in physical existence is to experience, for if that is so, then this seems to justify or belittle all the horrible things that happen in the world and allow us to pass them off with 'ah well it's all experience and is therefore all good'.

Actually, I am NOT saying this: There is NO excuse for ANY KIND OF SUFFEREING! It is true that we are here to experience, but that does not mean that we have to experience horrendous suffering or that suffering is somehow 'good'. The fact is, the physical world offers us a plethora of possible experiences, so many in fact that there is no need to immerse ourselves in endless horrific situations just for the hell of it. Our most innate natural state is in fact one of joy, peace and comfort; to experience the opposite to any great extent is not healthy.

In fact, the only useful aspect of experiencing agony and suffering is to learn how NOT to experience more agony and suffering! These are NOT naturally desired states and should be avoided if at all possible. Of course, the nature of the physical world and its freedom of action can make this impossible, as we are emotional creatures after all. We can all expect our fair share of pain, but there is no excuse for encouraging these negative aspects. The best we can do is to focus on the love and positivity than can arise from such painful moments, providing we give them a chance to do so. We should do our best to encourage an end to suffering everywhere!

Astral Projection/Out Of Body Experiences:

One thing I want to make clear concerning what is normally called 'out of body experiences' is that this name is actually incorrect. The fact is, we already occupy ALL of our Consciousness Continuum to start with, with our Primary Focus being centered along a certain part of it i.e. F1, F3 or F4. With regards to F1, we are primarily FOCUSED on our physical bodies and we perceive and interact with the physical world through them but we are in no way INSIDE our bodies. When we 'project' we are temporarily shifting our focus of awareness from F1 to wherever, we are NOT leaving our bodies as we were never IN them in the first place!

With regards to exploring the physical while in an 'out of body state': in such a state, what we are therefore doing is not leaving our bodies but focusing away from them. Now, in doing so, we can continue to perceive the physical world as a point of consciousness but it can be difficult to navigate and to perceive properly if we're not used to it, so to make things easy we can (usually automatically) create an energy double to focus on and use to navigate and perceive things around us. This is the so called 'ethereal body' or astral double that people talk about. The ethereal body only exists for as long as it is needed and it is then dissolved when we refocus back on the physical body again. This energy body can take many forms depending on the expectations of the projector; however they are not necessary in order to focus away from the physical but are a common feature.

The term 'Astral projection' on the other hand is normally used to refer to trips to the astral world or what I call F2 and F3 states. In F2 or F3, the process of 'body creation' is the same although it is much easier for people to create bodies for themselves and they feel much more 'real' than the temporary second bodies created for the duration of a physical 'projection'. While people permanently engaged in F3 can adopt whatever form they wish, most people appear to automatically adopt the form of their previous physical existence, but as it was at their physical peak, i.e. 25 to 30 years old. This is somewhat of a generalization but it tends to be most common.

One other point to note is that it is our continued desire to remain primarily focused on the physical which keeps our energetic connection with our physical bodies intact and keeps our physical bodies alive. As soon as we *permanently* switch our focus then our link with our physical bodies is broken and the physical body dies. To put it another way, the body is not the source of the mind, nor does it sustain the mind; the reality is that the mind sustains the body; as soon as the mind decides to disengage permanently, the physical body will die.

The Real Time Zone:

When talking about physical projections, people often talk about the physical world and a 'buffer zone' next to it. This buffer zone is like an exact parallel of the physical world and is where we project to when navigating the physical world in a non physical manner. I used to accept the notion of a buffer zone between the physical and the astral but no longer do so. I now believe that what we call the buffer zone or 'Real Time Zone' is in fact all part and parcel of the physical world. It is just that Focus 1 or the physical is made up of a lot more than what we perceive from a normal, physical perspective. I suppose we could call this the 'Wider Physical'.
You have not actually gone "out" of body at all. You have simply taken a step "back", so to speak, from the front-line physical in terms of your current focus, into the wider physical. You cannot go "out" of someplace where you were never "in" in the first place. If someone moves their location from point a to point b, this logically presupposes the person was actually at point a to begin with. If I want to go out of one room into another room I have to initially be in that first room.

In terms of the body, we are not located in that first room, we are merely focused within it, as if from a distance, if you like. The analogy falls down rather quickly but imagine looking into room one from a distance through a telephoto lens, then you shift your focus to room two. In a sense, and only in a sense, this is what we are doing.

Reality Fluctuations:

Projectors often talk about 'reality fluctuations' when involved in a RTZ projection. For example, you may be floating around your room, looking down at your body and everything appears just as it was when you were physical, except it was dark outside and now it is light! Hold on, the door is in the wrong wall! These fluctuations are not really fluctuations, they are *overlays*. You see, F1, F2, F3 and F4 don't sit one on top of another in a nice, organized, linear manner. The reality is that they all intertwine together, much like several strands of string bound together to form rope. You can experience F1 and *at the same time* experience an overlay of F2 or even F3. This is how I expect mystics have their visions. They experience an F2 overlay of Jesus or whoever, and this is on top of their F1 experience. The end result is seamless so you would in effect see Jesus walking around in front of you in the parking lot or wherever you were having your vision! Ghostly manifestations may also be a result of overlays, perhaps F1/F3 overlays, allowing the witness and the 'ghost' (i.e. someone residing in F3) to perceive each other. Overlays or fluctuations as they are more commonly called, can be kept to a minimum with practice: you need to practice keeping your mind as focused and emotionally neutral as possible during physical projections and eventually you should be able to observe your RTZ surroundings with a good degree of accuracy.

Parallel Universes:

The Wider Physical is a very interesting area which I am just starting to get to grips with. When you are exploring the Wider Physical you come across all manner of tubular structures, astral gateways and all manner of weird and wonderful entrance structures. I now believe that at least some of these may lead to other parallel physical universes. There is not just one universe you see. While ours is vast enough, it would appear that we created many other parallel physical universes as well. Some are very similar and others are wildly different. I am now of the opinion that they all exist very close to each other but on different vibrationary levels. It is perfectly possible to "travel" between what are commonly called parallel universes. A seasoned projector can do this (though not in the physical sense... yet?) by traveling along the myriad of tubular structures that link all the various different realms of physical-reality universes. I suspect this underlies Monroe's F35 experiences, described in his book. I have never found an exact parallel for F35 and I believe that he may have actually arrived at a crossroads of parallel physical dimensions. However, instead of these crossroads residing somehow 'beyond' F27, these parallel worlds may in fact interact at a much closer level, somewhere in the Wider Physical level, or what we call the Real Time Zone. Like many aspects of the Wider Reality, this area requires further study.

Opportunities For Providing Proof:

As I always say, the only way a person can “prove” experiences to himself or herself is to gain knowledge of an action that is unconnected with themselves. Physical projection, once mastered, is an excellent opportunity to get some. For example, in one RTZ projection I had fairly recently, I was outside and saw a large van making a delivery to the bakery. I popped back to physical, threw on some clothes, walked down the road to the bakery to check and there was the van. This is just one example but once you have done this kind of thing a few times, residual doubts about your experiences will soon be dispelled.