SUMMARY OF FIRST EXERCISES
At best – go outside – where things are moving and changing randomly... surprisingly... amazingly... sit down, (take off your glasses), and then:
Seeing
Find a boring, neutral, and motionless focal point straight ahead, fix your eyes on it but ignore it – be aware of the oval shape round the periphery of your field of vision. Then, find a blank wall, or a monotonous area of sky, anything which has no focal point, and focus on it – but look at and concentrate on all the interesting things happening everywhere else. Pay special attention to the periphery.
Listening
Because sounds are often quiet or quick, and especially nowadays with the constant noise of machines, it is necessary to listen-out, to listen actively.
Listen-out for changes. Listen-out for sudden sounds, nearby and in the distance. This is pre-emptive listening, ready and waiting for the first sign of anything new.
It depends on where you are and what sort of background noises there are, but it is often useful to listen-out for children and dogs. At night for hedgehogs and owls. You might not hear them, that's irrelevant, listening-out for them is the vital part.
Going Panoramic
At first, do the listening and seeing separately. Then combine them.
Do these two exercises for just one minute as well as you can, at least once a day, and repeat frequently, whenever you want to.
It may be more practical to think in terms of 5 minutes a day. Do it once, have a cup of tea, and then do it again.
The repetitive impulse of short regular periods of stimulation will act as a catalyst: they are the best way to tell your subconscious "it's time to remember".
Short periods will also replicate the immediacy animals feel. Once you can do it, you may well want to do it for longer periods.
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