I’m thinking of starting up again.  I need a bigger stick for getting me up though.  That seems to be my biggest challenge.  I’ll bet it’s really everyone’s biggest challenge

So I’ve just about gotten myself talked into it again.  So much to do and so little time.  Sleeping seems to be a luxury I can’t afford at the moment.  I’ve got to learn a new language (Italian) post haste, get that book ready for publication, and keep the house clean enough for surprise guests.  Really, it is now, but I’m picky.  I want it cleaner!

I’ve tried using “the naked alarm clock”.  It’s an online alarm clock that plays revelry.  The biggest problem is that when MicroBorg starts updating stuff, and restarting the computer, it kills the settings.  Thus, no wakie-wakie for me.  (

I’ve got one of those old fashioned bell alarm clocks.  That’s the one I’m gonna use tonight.  So I guess the answer is “Yes to Polyphasic”.  How long I can keep it going is another question entirely.  I figure anything past four days is success, since that is my current record.

And, for those of you who are having as much trouble as I–I hope this blog helps.  Please let me know ’cause at times I feel like a L-O-O-S-E-R for not being able to stick with this silly thing!

I can stay awake with no problem.

Then I take my first nap.

and I don’t wake up!

Hypnosis is proving to be the most effective way to make Everyman work for me.  I’ve cut back to 3 naps of 15 minutes, except for the first one.  It really aggravates me that I can’t seem to get this one under my belt!  I’m hypnotizing myself again tonight to conquer this last obstacle to my success.  Absolutely every other part of Everyman is working but the wake up from the first nap.  If you have never tried hypnosis before, I highly recommend it.   The process is simple, and you feel refreshed when it’s done.

I’ve also started doing Kundalini yoga and meditating shortly after waking up from the core nap.  I wake, have a cup of English tea, do yoga for 15 to 30 minutes, then meditate for 30 minutes.  After that, I take it easy and read/study.  By 8am, I’m ready for a light breakfast.  Then I do housework until the first nap.  First nap is now at 9:45.  I just can’t seem to wake up though!  The alarm went off at 10, but my memory of it was that it was a dream sound and not real, so I ignored it.  My husband woke me at noon and asked if I was going to sleep all day

I skipped my 3pm nap, since I’d already slept two hours longer than I had intended.  Instead, I cast a quick attraction/harmony spell for a neighbor that’s having too-frequent spats with her hubby.

If you are interested in my hypnosis script, let me know.  Maybe I’ll make that a post for others to use.  It’s a great way to program yourself to get up, even if you are not doing the polyphasic sleep.

Eating before sleeping also seems to be a source of oversleeping on naps for me.  I find it hard to sleep when I’m hungry, but it’s nearly impossible for me to wake up after I’ve slept on a meal.  So, now that the first two days are over (the worst for me, and for many others) I’m back on track.

I’m finding that getting back on track is easier and easier.  It’s a mind game really, and so long as I remind myself that it’s my job to make this schedule work, I can keep it up.  I’ve set the alarms on my cell phone like this:

1:50 – 4:30am –> CORE NAP (300 cal breakfast) 4 hours awake

8:30 – 8:50am –> 1st nap (300 cal brunch) 4 hours awake

12:50 – 1:10pm –> 2nd nap (300 cal lunch) 4 hours awake

5:10 – 5:30pm –> 3rd nap (300 cal dinner) 4 hours awake

9:30 – 9:50 –> 4th nap (0 cal) 4 hours awake

You will notice that I’ve trimmed 20 minutes off the core nap, and added five to each of the little naps.  So far, that’s been the pattern anyway, since my husband and I usually fidget around for a while before settling down into sleep.  We are more to the point on naps   I think we are only getting 15 minute naps because of the giggle-factor.  We are terribly punchy by the time we get to the 9:30 nap, and since we are such good friends, we usually play slap-and-tickle until we doze off.

I’m determined to make this schedule work.  I’m taking vitamins with my meals, and working in a diet plan at the same time.  I think the little meals will have the advantages of keeping my sleep on schedule.  Too much sugar causes insulin spikes, which in turn causes the classic ” sugar crash”.  Eating when I wake up has, in the past, helped me gain and maintain wakefulness.  The trick for me is to avoid simple carbs and stick with things high in protein, water and fiber.  Yogurt and fruit, with a tablespoon of flax-seed oil on top for breakfast; almonds, carrot juice and tea with milk for brunch; ham and cheese on apples with a side of walnuts for lunch; and a dessert plate of whatever is for dinner (which amounts to about a cup of food, total).   I’ll be writing after each meal to talk about how this is working.  The blogs are helping me see my progress, and what is (or isn’t) working.  I’m off now, to teach my roommate how to make old fashioned stove-top popcorn!

Eating before sleeping also seems to be a source of oversleeping on naps for me.  I find it hard to sleep when I’m hungry, but it’s nearly impossible for me to wake up after I’ve slept on a meal.  So, now that the first two days are over (the worst for me, and for many others) I’m back on track.

I’m finding that getting back on track is easier and easier.  It’s a mind game really, and so long as I remind myself that it’s my job to make this schedule work, I can keep it up.  I’ve set the alarms on my cell phone like this:

1:50 – 4:30am –> CORE NAP (300 cal breakfast) 4 hours awake

8:30 – 8:50am –> 1st nap (300 cal brunch) 4 hours awake

12:50 – 1:10pm –> 2nd nap (300 cal lunch) 4 hours awake

5:10 – 5:30pm –> 3rd nap (300 cal dinner) 4 hours awake

9:30 – 9:50 –> 4th nap (0 cal) 4 hours awake

You will notice that I’ve trimmed 20 minutes off the core nap, and added five to each of the little naps.  So far, that’s been the pattern anyway, since my husband and I usually fidget around for a while before settling down into sleep.  We are more to the point on naps   I think we are only getting 15 minute naps because of the giggle-factor.  We are terribly punchy by the time we get to the 9:30 nap, and since we are such good friends, we usually play slap-and-tickle until we doze off.

I’m determined to make this schedule work.  I’m taking vitamins with my meals, and working in a diet plan at the same time.  I think the little meals will have the advantages of keeping my sleep on schedule.  Too much sugar causes insulin spikes, which in turn causes the classic ” sugar crash”.  Eating when I wake up has, in the past, helped me gain and maintain wakefulness.  The trick for me is to avoid simple carbs and stick with things high in protein, water and fiber.  Yogurt and fruit, with a tablespoon of flax-seed oil on top for breakfast; almonds, carrot juice and tea with milk for brunch; ham and cheese on apples with a side of walnuts for lunch; and a dessert plate of whatever is for dinner (which amounts to about a cup of food, total).   I’ll be writing after each meal to talk about how this is working.  The blogs are helping me see my progress, and what is (or isn’t) working.  I’m off now, to teach my roommate how to make old fashioned stove-top popcorn!

I teach introductory Paganism and Witchcraft to anyone interested.  I currently have three classes starting in February;  A Year-and-a-Day class (goes from 1st degree to 3rd degree in one year), a Piresthood training class (equiv. to 4th degree) and a Shamanism class (totally separate from the other two).  The Year-and-a-Day class is three hours long and starts at 1pm.  So does my nap.  Gotta change that.  The others are fine, I think.

The polyphasic sleep is excellent for class preparation.  At 4:30 in the morning, no one is up, and I can sit and stare and write to my heart’s content.  After nap one of four, the rest of the house is waking up, and I can do noisy things like hang pictures and run the vacuum (I’m still unpacking from the last move).  Well, I’m pretty fired up about class, so I’m gonna get back to my syllabus and class lecture notes.  I’ve been considering putting the class online, so if you are interested, why don’t you let me know.  That way I can see how quickly I should be moving on it.

Polyphasic 12272009 from Aaron Taggert on Vimeo.

Ok so here we go polyphasic yet again…

Oh they’re soo tired…

Polyphasic 1.2 12 27 2009 from Aaron Taggert on Vimeo.

Waking up late…..

A valiant effort is made but where have our heros been over the new year????

Everyman 2.1 from Aaron Taggert on Vimeo.

Day two of the Return to Everyman

I’ve certainly felt better, but I’m going to keep at it.

I’m already noticing slight differences. Most of my sleep tends to be the mind awake/body asleep type sleep developed by Robert Monroe. I have greater focus in my daily activities and I’ve certainly accomplished more. Sleep has turned more into meditations than sleep. Which I find very interesting because my guru says that meditation can replace sleep. That combined with the altered awarness and I think I’m on to something…

I plan to have four thirty minutes naps totaling two hours of sleep per day. Naps will begin at 11am & pm and at 5am & pm. This is known as the Dymaxaion Sleep Schedule. All of this non-monophasic sleep is known as Polyphasic Sleep.

I will also attempt to keep a video record of my experiment:

Dymaxion 1 from Aaron Taggert on Vimeo.

Another interesting side note is that I’m using techniques from the Hemi-Sync Gateway Series to put me to sleep. One of the biggest problems people have is with getting to sleep in the beginning. Sleep deprevation is also known to trigger OBE’s, which is just another plus in my book.

Ultimately though this is just day one. We’ll see how things progress. I tried starting yesterday i.e. 8-11-09 but I woke up at 6am and took my first nap at 5pm. It didn’t work quite so well and I was going to try the Uberman Sleep Schedule then but reality hit and Dymaxion allows for easier scheduling.

Dimaxion 1.2 from Aaron Taggert on Vimeo.

I managed to make it. I played Savage 2 and won twice. It’s almost nap time. I have heart burn. I hope it doesn’t get worse. Good Nap!