Very interesting discussion! I personally haven't found the distinction between The observer and The seer but I can grasp what Open says about it. I practiced observing (so I intended it) and I have experienced 'observing' spontaneously also. The spontaneous ones came with a feeling of expansion and really not worrying about what transpires in this physical dimension. They often arrived when somehow I stopped fighting or resisting inside myself. I agree with you Jenny that there is lacking good info on these states in most spiritual teachings. A lot of the time they talk about simply not seeking or stopping the identification with the outer drama. But then people start forcing themselves not to identify or start placing themselves outside of daily reality. I believe The seer can not be summoned by will; it will just happen when we stop resisting life. And life consists of EXPERIENCES so we indeed have to go through these. I recognize the tendency to want the answers too quickly because I do that myself a lot of the time. I start thinking about it in the hope I can figure it all out that way. Leaving it open with trust mostly works best! But asking these questions I believe is very valuable and necessary because once we do understand these processes, spirituality loses its vagueness and becomes very tangible. Through our left brains we then translate what is happening so we can 'map' our journey and understand with our day-to-day consciousness what's going on. Being able to understand the process and to articulate it might also help us to let the small self know everything is okay and we're not going mad. Quite the contrary.