[Gogglist_pub] my aura instructions version 1.3

[Mark Thorson]

At 01:11 AM 4/12/2010 -0400, you wrote:
>Mark,
>         Thank you for all the work putting together these instructions.
>They look quite good, and cover a few points I omitted in the version I
>wrote up.
>
>So, first, I would like to post them on Primummobile exactly as you have
>written them.  Is that alright?

If I don't send you a new version today or
tomorrow, you can post that one.  I should add
something about turning off cellphones.  The
first time I trained someone, her cellphone rang
right at the aura viewing step.  That is the
worst possible time for an interruption.


>For the PranaView instructions, there are a couple of points that I would
>like to discuss.
>
>I personally find it easier to see an aura against a lighter / neutral
>background, rather than a dark background.  I find it helpful to have a
>range of background light levels available when I am looking at auras to let
>me seek the best one for the circumstances that day.
>
>So my instructions discuss the use of gray, light, and dark backgrounds.  Do
>you see that as a reasonable change?

I've only used dark backgrounds.  Actually,
I use an area in shadow, well away from the
focal plane of my hands.

>When I do group experiments, I bring packages of large construction paper of
>various colors, so people can choose their own backgrounds for their hand /
>hand, hand / arm experiments.  I find that people don't always follow my
>recommendations, and yet appear to get mostly good results; that is, some
>choose light, some choose dark, some choose vivid colors, and some choose
>neutral colors.  I'm not quite ready to say that anything goes, but it seems
>that different background luminance values do work better for different
>people.

That sounds like an area that needs more research.
Certainly, people with dark skin will need a different
background.  I suspect a gray background would be
best for them.

>I agree with your safety rules with respect to the Sun, including its
>reflection.  I wonder about the restriction on not looking at an
>incandescent lamp, though.  I and my friends have done it many times to no
>apparent ill effect with PranaView, which does have an effective UV blocker.
>I was even going to say that observing the filament was fun.

I have only used outdoor scenes for training.
Perhaps I went too far in saying that you shouldn't
look at a lamp, but I'm still not too comfortable
with that.

>If you don't look at the light, I'm not sure that incandescent sensitization
>is all that effective.  The amount of near UV / deep blue in the interesting
>bands is puny for most incandescent bulbs compared with the Sun on a
>cloudless day.  I'm not just reading that from a book, I have measured it on
>a spectrometer.  I'll prepare the graphs & share them with this audience.

If you feel the need to look directly at
a bulb, I'd suggest getting a brighter lamp
and using that to illuminate a scene.
Something like the lamps portrait photographers
use.  I'm not sure what sort of scene would be
best for indoor use.  Maybe an old projection
screen, cut up into pieces and tacked to a wall.
That would reflect the light with high efficiency
and provide some texture.

>I'd be worried about looking at a searchlight, or arc light, or theater spot
>light, (I wouldn't try looking at a laser beam, either,) but an ordinary 100
>watt bulb doesn't seem to be a problem. Is there evidence of a special
>danger, or does your concern arise out of general caution?

Mostly general caution.  I can't say specifically
that looking at an incandescent bulb is dangerous.

>Thanks again for your deluxe efforts--
>tom