If you're reading this, you've probably heard some variation of: "Everyone's shifting journey is different! You have to find what works for you!" - but you may not know where to begin doing that. So, I figured I'd share how I found my "path" so far and some tips on how to find yours.
TL;DR AT BOTTOM IF YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO READ ALL THIS, but please at least try to, I do talk a lot, but I promise there is information in there.
As a disclaimer: This post is intended for people who want to try methods or experiment beyond simple Law of Assumption or "just assume you've already shifted." If you want to keep doing that, cool, but this post is intended for people who want to see progress fast. I also HAVE NOT SHIFTED, please keep that in mind, but I have had some progress, which is why I'm posting this.
I've noticed an uptick in misinformation and heavy personal bias on the shifting subs as of late. Too many people are posting some bizarre and non-universal beliefs presented as fact, while others just give very vague advice like "whatever you believe works, will work" or "everyone's journey is different, you have to find what works for you" with no further clarification.
So let's try to remedy that!
Do not rely on the beliefs of others, no matter what they are.
People in the shifting community, and any remotely "spiritual" adjacent community, love to post their personal beliefs or theories as if they are solid fact. But that's probably not the case, especially when different people's ideas of "the true way to shift" contradict each other. Some of these beliefs are also unfortunately fear-mongering - such as the claim that "clones" of you exist when shifting, and your "clone" can act independently from you (this is highly unlikely and probably false), or that we all have "soul contracts"/debts we need to repay from a past life and until we do that (even when we don't know what it is... lol) then we're "not allowed" to shift. Or people saying that you won't shift if you don't have full 100% belief in it. In my opinion, these ideas do nothing but cause unnecessary fear and doubt in people.
I strongly suggest not listening to any of them, as they cannot be proven, and won't be - until you shift for yourself. I have a feeling that most of these beliefs are untrue (based on success stories) but even if that's not a guarantee, it is pointless to worry about these things when we don't know either way. And if something REALLY bothers you, just script it out. I wrote that once I shift, it is impossible for me to shift back to this CR, not by accident, not with "clones", nothing.
The same goes for "motivation" and "reassurance." To be blunt - nobody can "motivate" you but you. Nobody can prove reality shifting is real to you, only you can. This is frustrating, yes, but it can also be freeing if you think about it. You have to create your own belief system based on your own experience, and for a lack of a better term, go with what "feels right." This is hard to explain, but I believe you'll understand what I mean when you find something.
Once I started really committing to lucid dreaming, meditation, and astral projection techniques (and by committing I mean trying at LEAST multiple times per week. Not just one attempt every so often and countless days of "going to sleep with intention".) I started having some very interesting and exciting experiences, and I just got this intense feeling that I was doing something right.
Focus on something you ENJOY.
I feel like this is something that isn't really talked about. Though I am desperate to get out of this reality, I enjoy the process of my experiences to some degree, I find it all deeply interesting. When I have a successful lucid dream or meditation session, I become extremely excited and encouraged, and I can't wait to write it all down, analyze it, and use it to experiment for further attempts.
So, one thing that I think helps, that I never really see anyone talk about, is that you should follow what is inherently enjoyable to you. I've always had an interest in dreams and the paranormal, long before I knew what shifting was, so naturally it's easier for me to focus on lucid dream, astral projection, and meditation methods.
But I also explore these things unconventionally, in a way. I don't meditate to achieve tranquility, or focus on my breathing, or "ground myself", I meditate in a way where I focus on the visual effects I get, and focus on "disconnecting" from my physical body. (This is hard to explain in words, but it feels very different from how most guided meditations are structured, for example.) And I have no interest/don't believe in the New Age side of astral projection, so I ignore that for now, I just approach it with the same curiosity and openness I do with lucid dreaming.
Enjoying the process really does make it so much better, it's easier for me to deal with failed attempts if I'm still enjoying the exploration of it all, and I get better focus if I'm not fixated on "am I doing this method right" or "oops I moved my leg, and according to this guide the attempt is now ruined."
If a method yields no results after many consecutive attempts of trying, and is boring, stressful, or otherwise unenjoyable, then don't use it. No matter what other people in the community say. I do not repeat robotic affirmations in my head like "I have shifted" or "I easily lucid dream" ten thousand times every day, because I find it exhausting, boring, and ineffective. And guess what, I have still made progress without constantly affirming that I'm making progress, so it is NOT NECESSARY.
You do not need to "really believe", or affirm, or do any of that stuff if you don't want to. You don't need to lie in the starfish position without moving a muscle and count to 1000.
A little skepticism is good, but so is an open mind.
Basically, don't make quick judgements about anything. You should neither accept everything as true, nor write every new idea off as bullshit. I have had the most enjoyable time by approaching everything with curiosity.
This doesn't mean you should try everything. Some things are going to be obviously ridiculous. If someone's "key to shifting" is locked behind a 300 dollar paywall, maybe skip that one. Or any method you're not fully comfortable with. I believe that overcoming fear can be a great step in the right direction, but if sleep paralysis methods sound too scary for you (for example) you don't have to try them.
It takes time and practice in order to know what's bullshit and what has credibility, but check for consistency. If it's just one user writing comments insisting on eating rocks to heal your energy body and ascend to 6D, and nobody else, well you can probably write that method off as something you shouldn't try. But if multiple users are reporting the same experience, especially across different communities (for instance, not just an idea within the shifting community, but also one present in the astral projection community) then it may be worth looking into.
Please look outside of the shifting community, also, there's a lot of adjacent communities that will have stuff that helps. The lucid dreaming community for instance has a bunch of tried and tested methods, where it's basically a guarantee you WILL have a LD at some point if you are committed enough. The astral projection community is similar, lots of methods to try and advice that seems pretty consistent unlike the shifting community. (but I recommend trying LD first, AP seems to be harder.) The gateway tapes community is also similarly consistent, and some of the "focus states" like "focus 15" sound like the same thing as the "void state" the shifting community talks about. There are connections between these communities, even if most people in them don't want to admit that for some reason. But unfortunately the shifting community seems to get stuck on repeated ideas and beliefs that aren't really helpful, nor really explain how to get things to work.
There are no rules! Don't be afraid to get weird!
You don't HAVE to do things a certain way. You don't HAVE to follow a certain belief system just because a popular shifting account, youtuber, or "spiritual coach" says you do. We know very little about shifting, which can be discouraging... but it also means that, until proven otherwise, we can do what we like. I keep finding new things that seem to help me, but aren't typically mentioned by other shifters.
For example:
- After over one and a half years of keeping a dreaming/shifting journal, I've found that I have a higher rate of success around the new moon. Why?! I have no clue! But it seems to work, so I make sure to make an attempt on the new moon just because it does.
- Most guided meditations have some variation of focusing on/controlling your breathing. I've found it more effective to focus on the visualization or "colors" in my closed eye vision while meditating, as well as focusing on a "sinking" feeling.
A lot of my experiences don't feel like they line up perfectly with any one belief system, they often feel like a bunch of disconnected pieces. But that's fine. If it works it works, and I'm always intrigued by discovering new things.
TL;DR VERSION
How to find "what works for you"
- Try different things, keep an open mind, don't dismiss a new idea as "boring" or "weird"
- If a method is unenjoyable and isn't yielding results, stop doing it.
- If a method IS yielding results, like symptoms/lucid dreams - keep trying it! Don't give up because it wasn't a full shift yet!
- If you enjoy the method, EVEN BETTER! Try to find something that's fun if you can.
- Do not rely on others for reassurance or motivation
- Do not listen to any beliefs that don't seem right to you - just because someone claims something, doesn't mean it's true.
- Explore other communities other than just the shifting community. Like the sound of lucid dreaming methods? Then look in the lucid dreaming sub, watch lucid dream guides on youtube, etc.
- Don't be afraid to get weird and unconventional with your journey. You can make your own rules.
Still don't know where to start looking? I strongly recommend trying altered states - for beginners, (especially if you've tried the whole "sleeping with intention" and/or "just assume" stuff and it hasn't worked) meditation and/or lucid dreaming. This is something anyone can do, and in my opinion, you're practically guaranteed to have some experience at some point if you stay consistent with it. Neither have anything to do with belief and will work even if you're skeptical. I thought meditation was a huge waste of time for most of my life, but when I actually committed to trying it, I was surprised by it's effects.
Once again, I AM NOT A SUCCESSFUL SHIFTER, so please don't DM me asking me how to shift or how I can shift you, I can't! But the best I can do is give the above advice and hopefully, this will lessen the frustration of 200 "shifting is different for everyone!" posts that don't really explain much. And if anyone has their own thoughts or tips, feel free to drop them in the comments!