In this introductory video, Brett Stewart covers the essential first step of remote viewing: Stage 1. This is known as the “handshake” with the site—the moment you establish a mental connection with your target using a structured technique called an ideogram [11:07].
The Handshake with the Signal
Stage 1 is about creating a “zip file” of information that contains everything you will need for the rest of the session. It begins with a Reference Number—a unique string of random numbers associated with a specific task (like a photograph of a mountain or a building) [01:43].
The heart of this stage is the ideogram: a spontaneous, reflexive mark made on paper immediately after writing the reference number. Brett describes it as a “bolt of electricity” traveling down your arm to the pen [03:00]. Once the mark is made, you move into the Decoding Process, where you use your perception to break down the motion, feeling, and “gestalt” (the big picture) of that mark. This process tells your unconscious mind that this specific signal is important, prompting it to feed you more data [06:50].
Learning Steps: Mastering the Stage 1 Protocol
To correctly perform Stage 1, follow this three-part decoding process:
- Generate the Ideogram: Write your unique reference number. Immediately after finishing the last digit, let your pen make a quick, spontaneous line form on the page (usually taking less than half a second) [03:06].
- Part A: The Motion: Retrace the ideogram in the air slightly above the paper. Use specific descriptive phrases to record the journey your pen took, such as “diagonal down,” “curving under,” or “diagonal up” [04:18].
- Part B: The Feeling: Kinesthetically “push” your mind into the ideogram. Record the first textural word that comes to mind—not an emotion, but a physical property like “hard,” “soft,” “metallic,” or “rough” [08:16].
- Part C: The Gestalt: Identify the “big idea” associated with the signal. For beginners, focus on three primary categories: Land, Water, or Structure [10:05]. Ask your unconscious mind for the overarching concept and write down the first one that bubbles up [11:00].
- Practice and Feedback: Brett recommends doing several of these a day for 1-2 weeks. Only move on to Stage 2 once you are consistently identifying the correct Gestalt for your practice targets [12:14].
Watch Stage 1 here: https://youtu.be/l24e0uOoJdE