Seeing rocks and ground move

NigelK

Following the discussion on sparkles in the air I'm emboldened to ask whether anyone else has seen rocks or the ground make small movements!

I know this sounds completely wacky but it is a serious thread.
I first became aware of ground movements a couple of years ago whilst standing alone in a large garden early in the morning.
The ground appeared to ripple, perhaps I should say the ground under the grass.
I was very relaxed and sober. I haven't used any drugs for about 20 years.

I more or less forgot about this incident until about 6 months ago when I was in the mountains to meditate.
I was reclining on a huge granite boulder when I became aware that a moss covered area about a foot square appeared to be gently "squirming" near me.
It was like a small animal was moving just under the surface of the rock.
I obviously refocused and studied this area of rock and saw that I must have been mistaken. When I relaxed again the same thing happened.
This time I maintained my relaxed sate of mind and focus and began to study what I was seeing.
I found that the movements were independent of my eye and head movements, breathing and my small bodily movements had no apparent effect however they would cease immediatly should I change my mental state to sharp awareness or focus intently on the movements.

After a while I figured that the effect was to do with the rock rather than me so I went to investigate other rocks. A few others behaved in the same way.
I can now sometimes see the ground move this way when I try.
Just for the record I'm educated, successful, healthy etc. I'm not psychotic and probably not neurotic!
I've taken an interest in this and found the following:
I have to be alone
Relaxed mental state
Outdoors

Has anyone else had a similar experience or can anyone explain what I'm seeing (or think I'm seeing)?

Regards, Nigel K

SkepticOne

I think it might be related to the peripheral drift illusion. Click on the link and see if it is similar in some way. Of course, the design in that article will have been made to exagerate whatever might occur naturally.

arrietty

I've noticed that sort of thing occasionally too. I've never properly thought about it though. I think SkepticOne might be right... it's a good point about peripheral drift. But like I said, I've never properly studied it or thought about it. What's your theory NigelK?

NigelK

That peripheral drift illusion is a beauty!
Thanks for posting it SkepticOne.
It may be the answer but I'm not sure. I'll test it before the end of the weekend. I think it would be pointless trying before, during or after work.
Provided that this is the answer the question stops here.
If it's not, I'm not convinced yet, obviously, I wondered if it might be something to do with Earth energy or seeing through the maya illusion or something. I think I've got an open mind on it.
As a point of interest I've worked out that the places I've seen this effect, and it might just be coincidence, have a lot of quartz present.
The rock where I first really checked it out is granite. The same rock as used inside the great pyramid to help hold up the roof of at least one of the chambers, also the same rock as used in the stone circles in England, also the same rock that the western tribe Indians believed held a powerful spirit, also the same rock with a mild radioactive field and finally quartz displays the piezzo- electric phenomenom.
Anyway as you can see I've given it a bit of thought and if I find that the peripheral drift illusion doesn't answer this for me I think I'll try dowsing!

Regards, NigelK

NigelK

G'day,
Sorry about the delay, I would have posted yesterday but this page was so long loading I thought the site was down. I waited more patiently today!!

Anyway this effect is definitely not peripheral drift, and my quartz theory has been blown away.
Yesterday I checked out a large basalt boulder which I'd placed by my fishpond.
After about 5 mins it moved, tentatively at first but the movements became stronger.
The movements were confined to the subject I was focused on which was central to my field of vision.
The movements were in three dimensions including an up/ down movement (heaving) by (apparently) up to about 10mm.
The movements weren't large, I don't think I'd percieve any at more than about half an inch, whatever direction they went in.
I was standing about 15 feet away from the boulder and my vision was directed downwards at about 45- 60 degrees.

I'm now sure of what I've been seeing but I'd really like someone else to give it a go. Arriety are you up for this?
Anyway for anyone else here are a few guidelines which work for me...

The mind has to be in a meditative state. It can help to meditate first to achieve this.
There must be no distractions. Anything which draws the attention or distracts will stop this effect.
Analysing or judging will stop this effect.
Sitting is much better than standing as even the tiny toe movements which are needed to maintain balance can stop the effect.

Would someone please give this a try?
Regards, Nigel

Sandy2004

Nigel

Thats strange - everything does happen for a reason.. I haven’t logged on here in a while and I had one question in mind and didn’t think it likely that I would find the answer. At least I know I am not alone!!

For the past couple of weeks, I thought I was going mental, when looking at small enough objects - rocks, pavements, cupboards, other stationary objects etc, I see what I can only call a psychedelic shift – to me it seems particles seem to move within or around the object. Friends have commented on the way I have stopped what I was doing and just seem to be in a world of my own. I suppose in some way I must be in a medative state.

I have also noticed sometimes as soon as I focus on an object, I see people walking by or faces appearing from the corner of my eye, when I look there is no one there. I have had my psychic senses heightened over the past while and am on a rapid spiritual path. At the moment I have one possible explanation as to why it is happening but I am sure as time goes by, I will reveal the exact reason. At the mo, I take it as just another psychic gift to enjoy!

Peace..

Oryx

This is something Ive never come across before, but if I ever get the time to spend on it, Id like to try. Id imagine Im too much of a novice at meditation but Ill try.
Not trying to be funny but this kind of phenomenon would put a whole new slant on the issue of moving statues. After all people tend to pray to these things (ie medative state)

Sandy2004

I didnt actually meditate for it to happen, it just sort of happens out of the blue but when you get engrossed or stop to watch the full effects, then you seem to others as been in a meditative state. Did anybody ever read the Celestine Prophecies? It describes in one chapter about aura / energy perceiving and how alot of pyschics started to see plants, people and the earth in a different way (increased energy field) when they reached a certain spiritual place (it other words - when they reached a certain progress point on their spiritual path).

SkepticOne

NigelK wrote:

G'day,
Sorry about the delay, I would have posted yesterday but this page was so long loading I thought the site was down. I waited more patiently today!!

Anyway this effect is definitely not peripheral drift, and my quartz theory has been blown away.

It is not identical to the peripheral drift illusion but it does seem to be related from what you describe. I think the cause of it is that we are not using the visual system in the normal way. Normally the eye darts about a lot. In the meditative state the eye will normally rest on a particular spot allowing us to notice what appears to be movement outside the central vision.

The normal thing would be to move the eye to the place where this movement seems to be happening where we would quickly note that the rock isn't really moving. By keeping the eye in one place we prevent this from happening.

While I can't say for sure that this is the correct explanation, I think we can agree that it is some form of illusion. The rock isn't really moving. It is something going on in the head rather than reality.

my_mate

I think you might be using your eyes in strange ways. In a natural state, the guy focuses on a single point only but constantly darts/shifts in order to view an area. If you relax enough, this darting/shifting causes objects to appear to swing in opposite directions to the shift. This is when your vision is at its optimum. People with defection vision, myopia, hyperopia etc. tend to focus on an static area(causing strain and blurriness) rather than rapidly shifting between points and so don't notice this effect.

When a person with defective vision (or even average vision) relaxes completely, their vision returns to normal and the swing can resume. This can be so powerful that it appears that the universe itself is swinging with you. Even if you didn't have defective vision, this can be good to achieve as you can achieve better than 20/20 vision with it.

stevenmu

my_mate wrote:

I think you might be using your eyes in strange ways. In a natural state, the guy focuses on a single point only but constantly darts/shifts in order to view an area. If you relax enough, this darting/shifting causes objects to appear to swing in opposite directions to the shift. This is when your vision is at its optimum. People with defection vision, myopia, hyperopia etc. tend to focus on an static area(causing strain and blurriness) rather than rapidly shifting between points and so don't notice this effect.

When a person with defective vision (or even average vision) relaxes completely, their vision returns to normal and the swing can resume. This can be so powerful that it appears that the universe itself is swinging with you. Even if you didn't have defective vision, this can be good to achieve as you can achieve better than 20/20 vision with it.

I think I've noticed this effect myself, it kind of reminds me of something they might show on TV or in a movie when someone with some kind of enhanced sense notices something and on the screen their view pans to it in a blurry kind of way with a whooshing noise. I was a little worried it might be something wrong me, it's good to hear it's just to do with good eyesight.

I'm not sure thats what the OP is describing though, if you and me are thinking of the same thing it's a very very brief effect, it's over so quick you only really notice it afterwards and you can't really 'make' it happen, well I can't anyway. The OPs experience seems to be something he can actually look at, and look away, and look back and see again.

Scubadevils

I went through a phase of staring at things and seeing them breathe or move etc. I would have also found that I needed to be very relaxed for it to happen. Its like what I would have tried a good few months ago in staring at a point on my face in a mirror and then seeing my face change into other faces etc - this was described in a martial arts book I was reading at the time as seeing spirits within you, which was something I would like to have believed but dont. In fact, a lot of what I may have believed only a few months ago I now dont! I put anything visual like this simply down to an optical illusion that is much more likely to happen in a relaxed state.