8 months have passed since my interest in meditation and awareness of my chakras caused me to investigate the world of esotericism. In these 8 months I've done a considerable amount of reading, researching, and comparing along my way. I come from the south and Christianity dominates the area I reside in. There's a strong Muslim presence in some areas and new age thinkers litter the cities but normally its not shocking to see different denomination churches on every other block. I've always been a spiritual person, and upon routinely practicing meditation and chakra balancing and a variety of other experiments associated with the esoteric world I've found that there are definite ways to track my personal progress/journey. 1. Living- The easiest way to prepare for mental/spiritual ascension is by living an ascended life. Acting heavenly towards others; showing mercy, empathy, and acceptance in your life and making it your natural reaction in LIFE situations will prepare you once it comes time to look within yourself. Living also grants you experience, and in this field experience is something most value because that directly determines your success/progress not only as a lucid dreamer or meditator but most importantly as a human. 2. Confidence- A. Confidence is KEY. waking up confident starts your day off better, and maintaining a confident attitude throughout the day is perfect life experience your brain will subconsciously recap over while you go through different stages of slumber or meditation. B. Confident attitudes should transcend the physical world (as everything else must) and come into play when concerning your ability as an astral traveler/meditator/or just wanting aligned chakras. It is important to REFRAIN from constantly comparing your progress to others via conversation or reading about oob experiences or other things on the web. Your life is yours, and your path is just as solitary. You need to go into practicing meditation and lucid dreaming with joy (not only should you be joyful just because we have the ability within us to even do these things in the first place), but because success in these aspects of your life will transcend back into the physical realm we inhabit and life becomes easier to understand and thus more pleasant. 3. Practice- Your confidence will grow the more you practice. Practice even seems as though it should be replaced by participate, because some people slip into lucid dreams or states of heightened awareness from merely relaxing and unintentionally using techniques such as deep breathing and mental visualization. But the more and more you intentionally participate in meditation the more results will be uncovered to you by yourself. Before I had really taken notice to chakra attributes/colors and on how you should physically place yourself for most effective meditation, I had employed my own techniques derived from what felt most comfortable. Upon researching more one night it surprised to me find that many of the ways I reach mental clarity are in fact standard techniques used by people seeking the same thing I was. And THAT is the true indicator on whether or not you know its working, my friends. You must cater to yourself, your very state of existence! Cater to the most comfortable path to nirvana, because your life will reflect your thoughts and vice-versa. Nirvana in definition is stability/homeostasis of the microcosm of YOU. when you are at peace with the world and with yourself your mind will then be ripe for exploration. When something within is unlocked by you own mind, the feeling you get is incomparable. This is why I strongly encourage other hopeful spirits to find within themselves mental strength, and that strength be followed by the ability to open doors anywhere