Patterns
When the patterns initially started a few months ago, only part of the visual field was involved, maybe the size of my hand with the arm extended. Gradually the images have become bigger and more complicated. It seems like the less the mind engages with them, the faster they change and the larger they grow.
During the retreat I saw many patterns the size of a wall, but there was one particularly memorable, a demon like figure with the likeness of Heruka that one can see painted in Tibetan thangkas.
My teacher confirmed that these phenomena are part of the tsel energy that become manifest as the light channels connecting the heart area to the eyes open up. The gazing practices that bring about direct experience of the luminous self-awareness of the mind or rigpa are called Six Lamps in Bön Dzogchen and Tögal (Thod rgal) in Nyigma tradition. At the early stage one sees visual representations of the karmic imprints.
Tummo
When doing the practice of inner fire or Tummo during the retreat, many students experienced heat right from from the start, but that did not happen for me. The practice itself is a combination of breath control, visualisation and muscle locks. For me there was an experience of brightening up, like someone turned the lights on in the cetral channel, increased lucidity of the appearance aspect of rigpa and the visual field becoming vivid and sparkling. There definitely was more energy in the meditation afterwards, so after the retreat I have now included Tummo in my morning routine.
Now after three weeks of practice also the heat has started to show up and the brightness of the central channel seems to be increasing.
Antero's practice journal 