Frederick Holmes Atwater also known as Skip Atwater
was the officer who was responsible for creating the army's secret psychic
spy unit. As a child, Skip's parents encouraged him to listen to his
dreams and inner guidance.
Later in life when Atwater would become an army intelligence officer
listening to this "guidance" would prove to be extremely valuable.
Learning to trust this "guidance" was important; Skip realized
through "guidance" that important life events occurred in
synchronistic ways for a reason.
Even when life events seemed to be moving slowly, Skip believed "guidance"
was still at work. In the period between these moments of "guidance",
Atwater prepared himself as best he could. This preparation included
additional schooling, or doing personal research.
Atwater's first encounter with "remote viewing" was as a teenager.
Skip loved to work on car engines. Atwater soon discovered he had the
ability to close his eyes concentrate and see inside the engine.
He could see broken engine components or the oil flowing within the
motor. Skip thought this psychic ability was natural and everyone possesses
it.
In 1977 before attending Officer Candidate School, Atwater read Russell
Targ and Harold Puthoff's book titled, Mind Reach. As Skip read the
book, he wondered how the use of psychic abilities might apply to army
intelligence.
After finishing, OCS Atwater returned to his former base and commanding
officer. Skip then proceeded to show his superior officer Mind Reach,
who upon examining it gave Atwater permission to explore in more depth
"remote viewing's" (RV) potential for use by military intelligence.
Shortly after receiving permission to research RV the commanding officer
rewarded Atwater by giving Skip his own office. His new office was the
old office of a retired Lieutenant Colonel. Upon opening the drawers
of the former Lt. Colonel's desk Skip was amazed to find three classified
documents regarding RV.
Two of the documents showed that the Soviet Union and some Warsaw Pact
members were spending twenty-one million dollars a year on RV research.
Another document contained previous research on RV, which the US government
funded under a project code named "SCANATE."
The research scientists involved in "SCANATE" were none other
than the authors of the book Mind Reach, Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff.
Shortly after the discover of these classified documents Lt. Atwater
was attending an intelligence meeting at US Missile Command at the Redstone
Arsenal in Alabama. The meeting was to determine security measures at
the missile site.
Near the end of the meeting, one of the project managers produced the
book Mind Reach and asked what security measures were there against
a hostile RV threat. Lt. Atwater responded to the project manager by
saying he would look into his request.
Eventually the military provided funding for Atwater to do research
and hire psychic spies for the army. The army gave the newly formed
operation the designation name "Grill Flame."
Having secured funding for "Grill Flame", Lt. Atwater headed
west to California to meet with Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff. Additionally,
Skip and his superior officer had decided the remote viewer's would
not only be military personnel but also civilian employees.
Lt. Atwater met with the two physicists Targ and Puthoff, who signed
a contract with the army to instruct some of the RV trainees.
Skip also wanted to know what traits to look for in the military personal
he would be interviewing to train as remote viewers. When Lt. Atwater
asked the two scientists, they gave him a list of six traits.
First, the trainee must be open to psychic concepts. Second, the trainee
should be able to draw and verbally describe their psychic experiences.
Third, individuals held in high esteem by his or her fellow co-workers
tended to be better at RV. Fourth, people who are able to digest a lot
of information and not form concrete conclusions were better at RV.
Fifth, trainees should not do RV because of succumbing to higher authority
but rather because it is their own decision. Sixth, individuals who
are good remote viewers tend to be able to focus and meditate deeply
and have the ability to put daily worries aside.
After returning from SRI (Stanford Research Institute) in California,
Lt. Atwater interviewed and selected twenty military volunteers for
training in RV. Next, Skip designed and put into operation a RV training
program.
One of the difficulties Atwater's remote viewers would be facing was
"spurious sensory data" SSD. This SSD was additional sensory
data that tainted the RV description. SSD might show up as an additional
material or an anomaly in the remote viewer's description.
Examples, like a car in a horse race or a house floating in mid air.
Controlling and eliminating SSD Atwater believed would increase RV results.
Several SSD reducing techniques were tried, with good results.
However, Atwater concluded what allowed for good RV results were the
abilities of the remote viewer to quiet his or her mind and concentrate.
Atwater list five behaviors in the RV process, these are, relaxing,
connecting, listening, becoming aware and reporting.
According to Atwater RV is dependent on an internal state separate from
the five normal senses. In order to separate one's self from the normal
senses, one must relax, focus within and let go of preoccupations.
In helping to achieve a relaxed and focused internal state, an individual
can simply regulate his or her breath, change their posture, or visualize
a peaceful scene.
Connecting is described as synchronizing or resonating with the place
or person whom the remote viewer is trying to connecting too. This process
may differ between individuals.
Some remote viewers reach out with their sixth sense until they harmonize
or make contact with the target. Other remote viewers bring the image
or sensory data within themselves.
Listening is where the remote viewer is attentive to the sensations
coming to him or her from the place or person of contact. Again, remote
viewers will differ on what they experience. Some remote viewers will
express things in terms of seeing; other remote viewers describe it
as feelings.
At this stage, the remote viewer must not attempt to report target data
or have any expectations about what the target might be. Atwater's protocol
for teaching this stage was for the remote viewer to describe their
experience of observing. Here the remote viewer is coached to "listen"
with an open mind to his or her own perceptual processes.
After several minutes of observing their internal process, remote viewers
were asked, to report their experience of observing. At first, some
remote viewers would tend to describe the cued information. However,
with more coaching, this would be corrected and the remote viewer would
then describe the process "listening."
Becoming aware has three phases: the moment before awareness, the awareness
itself, and the period after awareness. Atwater describes the period
just "before awareness" as the release of information where
the remote viewer experiences a "disoriented moment of confusion."
Next is the "awareness state" where the remote viewer experiences
information such as, sensations, smells, sounds or visual images. The
remote viewer simultaneously experiences a feeling of significance accompanied
by a positive state of mind. Additionally, the remote viewer identifies
or becomes one with the target, dissolving any independent identity
between self and the target.
In the period "after awareness," the remote viewer may do
one of several things with the information. He or she may suppress the
sensation, attach it to other thoughts or feelings or try to rationalize
its significance.
All of these would be a mistake to do. At this stage of "after
awareness", what is important is for the remote viewer to leave
the information "as is."
Reporting is the last step in the RV process. While still in contact
with the target, the remote viewer gives a description of it. Here the
remote viewer must learn to give an accurate account of the target without
trying to reason or analyze what it is.
When describing the target the remote viewer should remain inwardly
calm and speak slowly. Further immersion into the connection with the
target is possible at this stage.
Another remote viewing term that is of importance is, "analytic
overlay" AOL. AOL is when a remote viewer starts to speculate consciously
about what the target may be.
For remote viewers what is important is to maintain "structure"
and not worry about "content".Quoting the remote viewer's
motto, "Structure! Content be dammed!"
Ingo Swann was another scientist Skip had the privilege of working with.
Ingo believes everything that exists is apart of a large "matrix."
Additionally, each individual physical aspect of the "matrix"
was accessible to a remote viewer by a "signal line." Furthermore,
when a remote viewer makes contact with a signal line, the unconscious
automatic nervous system first registers the stimulus. This initial
contact with the signal line Swann called stage one.
Stage two, is when contact with the signal line is established and yields
stage two, sensory information about the target site. RV information
coming to the remote viewer at this stage progresses slowly.
Additionally, the remote viewer would experience sensations as though
they were physically present at the target site. At this stage of Swann's
protocol, the remote viewer would use one or two descriptive words.
Some examples, green, warm, sunny, ect...
In Ingo's third stage, the remote viewer further immerses into the "signal
line" by making a rough sketch of the target.
In the fourth stage, the remote viewer has now established a better
connection and can now give more details. Here again a single word or
a few word concepts are used to describe the target.
However, now the remote viewer writes down these words under a column
with a designated heading. The heading of the columns include, S for
sensory perception, D for dimensional, A for aesthetic, E for emotional
and so on.
In the fifth stage, the remote viewer is believed not be in contact
with the "signal line."
Ingo believed once a remote viewer makes contact with the "signal
line" that some information would be stored in the brain and automatic
nervous system.
After the RV session, Ingo would have the remote viewer note words or
images and decipher their meaning. Stage five, is complex and requires
more detailed study than the space permits me.
In the sixth and final stage, the remote viewer would make a three dimensional
model of the site. The remote viewer would draw or mold clay models
of the target.
Atwater later added an alternative advance-training course using a technology
called Hemi-Sync. Developed by Robert Monroe, Hemi-Sync works when an
audio tone set at a specific frequency is played in each ear. In order
to work these specific frequencies audio tones must be synchronized.
If you hear, the tone in just one ear all that is heard is a steady
hum. However, when listening to the synchronized tone in both ears a
wavering sound is produce. These wavering sounds are known as binaural
beats.
When relaxed and listening to Hemi-Sync, brain wave patterns change
depending on the frequency of the audio tone. Certain set tones induce
the listener into different mental arousal states such as, alpha, theta,
or delta.
In 1984, Atwater decided to further research Hemi-Sync technology by
using one of the Army's more experienced remote viewers, Joseph McMoneagle.
At the beginning of one session, Atwater wrote down on a piece of paper
"The planet Mars, one million years B.C." McMoneagle was unaware
of this. Besides the transcript in the book it also comes with an accompanying
a CD containing the original audio recording of the remote viewing of
Mars by McMoneagle.
In light of some recent discoveries on Mars by the Twin Rovers, this
session is very thought provoking. Such as the recent discovery of water
beneath Mars surface and other geological features.
This session with McMoneagle and others reveal another aspect of RV
that of the role of the monitor or coach. Ingo Swann believed feedback
is important for new RV students. Ingo also believed the role of the
monitor during a training RV session is to give feedback.
Feedback is restricted to a narrow use of words, which helps the remote
viewer identify that he or she has established contact with the target's
correct signal line. Feedback by the monitor should not give in any
way a description of the target.
Examples of feedback are: Remote viewer, "soft"; monitor "correct";
remote viewer, "taste spicy"; monitor, "cannot feed back";
remote viewer, "shinny"; and monitor, "possibly correct."
However, most RV practitioners oppose Swann's method of giving feedback
to remote viewers.
Another role of the monitor is to help identify when the remote viewer
is shifting away from describing structure and trying to analyze or
AOL what the target might possibly be. A good monitor recognizes AOL
and is able to help the remote viewer shift back to describing structure.
An example during the early stages of a session the monitor may hear
his remote viewer say, "I think it is a flower." The monitor
responds by saying, "Just give structure, we can analyze what it
is later."
After leaving the army, Skip returned to civilian life, and started
working at the Monroe Institute. At the institute, Atwater has been
quietly engaged in research, and adding to knowledge to what it truly
means to be fully human.
Atwater believes "guidance" has been with him his whole life.
Moreover, everything in his life is the result of his ability to follow
"guidance" when it reveals its presence to him. Skip also
seeks out "guidance" during his sessions with hem-sync. He
calls these sessions "Personal Recourses Exploration Program or
PREP.
During these sessions Skip would ask "guidance" to help him
understand more deeply some of his life's concerns and fears. Many times
"guidance" would reveal these deeper truths through what Skip
called the "Energy Voice." Atwater soon discovered during
these PREP sessions that "guidance" did not understand concepts
of individuality, but a concept of oneness. Instead, this led Skip,
several times, to rephrase his question, which he had directed towards
"guidance."
Another example is when Atwater asked "guidance" on how to
confront his fear of letting go of things. "Guidance" replied,
"one always has everything…. and there is no reason to fear
what cannot be lost.
In seeking "guidance" during a PREP session do the following:
Before the session prepare yourself by writing out or talking about
what your intent and goal is. Moreover, keep away from getting too in-depth
or defining what the goal is.
During the PREP session keep an open un-opinioned mind, this is important
for letting "guidance" do its work. Allow several PREP sessions
for "guidance" or for the "energy voice" to become
more attuned or resolved.
In summary, to do successful "remote viewing" patience and
practice is required. Furthermore, for good RV results one must follow
the protocol of relaxing, connecting, listening, becoming aware, and
reporting. Another key ingredient is focusing on structure and knowing
when AOL is interfering.
Lastly, in my opinion anyone interested in the historical and technical
aspects of remote viewing, would benefit enormously from reading Atwater's
book.
To order
this book from Amazon.com, click
here!
