Lesson 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere In Time Introductory Note One of mankind's oldest cliches speaks of hours that seem like minutes, or minutes that seem like hours. You are, the saying implies, at the mercy of time. What is true, in fact, is that you are held fast by your emotions of eagerness of dread, by joyous or apprehensive anticipation. But you do not have to be. Just as your mind can surmount the barrier of confinement in space and liberate you, so it can jump the hurdle of minutes and hours. This technique is called time distortion. By means of it you can speed up or slow down your perception of time, to suit your purposes or your emotional needs. The areas of application are vast, ranging from the strictly practical to the highly spiritual. In this first exercise we will work toward a practical goal. You will then be able to adapt it to your own needs. Preparation. Put yourself into your altered state of consciousness with your eyes open, by fixing your eyes on a page of fairly small print until the lines blur. The Exercise. With your eyes open, tell yourself that you will now count from ten to zero, and that, on reaching zero, you will become wholly absorbed by the task which you are at this time supposed to perform. Suggest to yourself, in addition, that this task or train of thought will absorb you for a specified length of time (until your next cigarette is due), beginning from the moment you have returned to your reality state by counting from one to three. When that period is over, tell yourself that you will look at your watch and be utterly amazed at the speed with which time has passed, at at the ease with which you have entered the period of deprivation. If you are not working at a job, word your suggestion differently -- to the effect that you will become totally absorbed in the tasks that are on your schedule for this particular period of day, or those that could profitably be done at this time. NOTE: Once you have gained facility, you can set your mind to harder tasks. The next exercise might be worded to include a period half an hour beyond the time of your next cigarette; after that, try for a delay of an hour, two hours, and so on. Perform this exercise often, and lead your mind at a slow but even pace. Invite a self-perpetuating success rather than risking failure by reaching far too fast. This exercise has two clearly valuable effects: first, it eases the period of deprivation; second, it enables you to become totally absorbed in your work and not in the deprivation. End of file.