Posts Tagged ‘out of body’
No matter which of the two astral projection techniques you decide to use, there are often some ’signs’ of imminent projection which you should be aware of. When any of these signs take place, be encouraged that your practice is bearing fruit. Continue your regular practice and projecting your consciousness successfully out of your body is just a matter of time.
The first sign are so-called ‘vibrations’. These are very difficult to describe, but generally make your body feel as though it is tingling with energy. Often these vibrations increase to the point where you may feel that your consciousness is being ‘flip-flopped’ inside your body – as though your consciousness is at the centre of a powerful whirlpool. These signs are not dangerous, and can actually be used to help you increase your projection efforts. In short, if and when they occur, will yourself to float out of your body. This may not lead to a full projection, but in many cases it does.
Another common sign is when you hear a sudden, loud noise during the exercise. At first you will want to open your eyes to see what is happening, but in almost all cases nothing physically is happening at all. It is simply a sound which is perceived astrally as the consciousness gets close to leaving the physical body. If you hear these noises you should therefore take heart that you are making good progress.
A third sign that you are making progress is if you suddenly regain full waking consciousness after feeling yourself ‘fall’ back onto the bed from a height. This occurs when you succeed in projecting your astral body a few feet outside the physical, but then something (usually an unconscious fear) causes you to ’snap back’ into your familiar physical shell. Again, be encouraged if this happens for it means that you are projecting. All you have to do now is try and remain conscious as you do so.
Exploring Non-Physicality
Eventually, if you follow the techniques and advice given, you will succeed in projecting your consciousness into the non-physical planes. When this happens, you are free to explore this new territory as you wish. I do, however, have some recommendations for your early projection exercises:
First of all, spend a few sessions getting used to and enjoying the realm of non-physicality. Enjoy floating around your environment. Maybe do a somersault or two. In short, enjoy your new-found freedom from the restraining laws of the physical universe.
Next, spend a few sessions experimenting with the way your thoughts affect the plane you find yourself in. Can you deliberately change your environment or even yourself? If so, how? How might your methods be applied to your normal physical reality, if at all?
A third suggestion is to look for any other signs of intelligence on the non-physical plane. Are there other entities here? Can you communicate with them? What do these intelligent beings have to say?
From here, you are on your own. Explore the realms you have entered with a real sense of adventure, and when you return to full waking consciousness, try and record what you experienced. By doing this you will be helping to chart what is largely unexplored territory as far as the majority of people are concerned. At the same time, you will be recording your first steps of an adventure which in all probability will change your life and the way you see it for the rest of your days.
Happy travels!
The second astral projection technique is known as the visualization technique. This technique is provided for those of you who can visualize to any extent, and is often a preferred method of projecting for anyone who thinks primarily in terms of pictures rather than sensations.
The Visualization Technique
As with the previous technique, begin by making yourself comfortable in bed. Make sure that you are warm and that your clothing is loose, then close your eyes. Spend a good two or three minutes just concentrating on your breathing and allowing your body to relax. Before very long you will find your mind becoming quiet and at the same time you will be receiving fewer impressions from your physical body. In other words, your arms and legs and torso will begin to fall asleep.
When you have achieved this state of total relaxation, imagine that you can see through your closed eyes. Imagine the ceiling above your physical body as clearly as possible. Spend several minutes doing this if necessary.
Once you can visualise the ceiling, imagine that your astral body (consciousness) begins to float out of your physical body towards the ceiling. See the ceiling coming closer as you rise up out of your body. Feel the sensation of weightlessness this brings about.
Float by the ceiling for a couple of minutes, then imagine yourself rolling over in the air and looking down at your physical body. Really visualise you seeing yourself and your environment from outside your body. Explore the room that your body is sleeping in, making sure that your visualisation is as clear and vivid as possible.
When you do this regularly, your consciousness will eventually “click” out of the physical and you will not need to visualise. Instead, you will be able to perceive your environment quite naturally as a floating point of consciousness. At this point you can consider yourself to has projected successfully and can begin to explore as you wish.
Another common question about astral projection is, ‘How real are the astral planes?’ In other words, is the non-physical world real, or is it simply the product of our own imaginations?
This is a very difficult question to answer, for it all depends on what one considers to be ‘real’ in the first place. It is true that the non-physical planes of existence experienced in astral projection are perceived through the imaginative faculties, but then so is much of our everyday physical life. When we read a book, the words themselves are just symbols. It is our imagination which interprets those symbols and creates ‘mind movies‘ which appear as if real in our mind’s eye. This does not mean, however, that a book is simply a figment of one’s imagination. It simply means that the reality of the book is different from the experience of what the book contains.
Some people spend a lot of time arguing about whether the non-physical planes are ‘inside’ the mind of the individual or ‘outside’ the physical body, but such arguments are futile. Because the non-physical plane is, as it’s name suggests, non-physical, it does not reside in any space and cannot therefore be described as either ‘in’ or ‘out’. All that can be said with any degree of certainty is that the non-physical plane is perceived by the imaginative faculties of the individual, but cannot be described as having any geographical location.
The real question one should therefore ask, is not, ‘How real are the astral planes?’ but, ‘How useful are an individual’s experiences of the astral planes?’ This question gets to the real crux of the matter, since what a person really wants to know is whether or not astral projection will benefit them, and if so, how?
According to the vast majority of people who have deliberately projected their consciousness into the astral planes, the experience is of great use and importance. Apart from the obvious ‘novelty experiences’ of floating, flying to far-off places and generally enjoying freedom from the restrictions of the physical plane, astral projection offers a lot in the way of spiritual and personal development. Consider the following :
• Astral projection enables you to experience existence as a point of pure consciousness which is not encumbered by the housing of the physical body.
• Astral projection allows you to see your thoughts shape his experience on a moment-by-moment basis. This is very useful, since it demonstrates how your thought-energy shapes the reality you experience on the physical plane.
• Astral projection gives you the opportunity of exploring the non-physical planes for yourself and allows you to draw your own conclusions as to what is ‘out there’ instead of merely relying on the recorded experiences of other people.
There are many other things which make astral projection beneficial in terms of personal and spiritual development, and you will no doubt discover these for yourself as you begin to explore the realm of non-physicality on your own. In order to do that however, you need to learn how to project your consciousness into the non-physical planes, which is what I will begin to discuss in my next post…
Astral projection (also known as astral travelling and the out of body experience or OBE) is a subject that has fascinated millions of people throughout the ages. In this new six part series I will present all the information you need about astral projection to not only understand the subject but experience astral projection for yourself.
Scientists and metaphysicians alike have studied the subject of astral projection at length, and whilst one single, absolute conclusion has not yet been reached about the nature of the phenomenon, one thing has become clear – the best way to study astral projection seriously is to experience it yourself. From that vantage point you can then explore the non-physical world and draw your own conclusions based on your first-hand discoveries.
Astral projection is the art (some might say the science) of projecting your consciousness out of your physical body and exploring the universe in a purely non-physical state. In this state, you are not bound by any of the laws which govern the physical plane, such as gravity or density, and this makes it possible to experience flight or walking through “solid” matter. Even better, astral projection allows one to explore other “planes” of existence which are beyond our physical perception. It is on these planes that an individual can learn a great many things about himself and the universe.
One questions which many people ask when discussing astral projection is the possibility of danger. Most people wonder if projecting the astral body can be harmful, either physically or emotionally.
The vast majority of experienced projectors would say that any danger you face is created purely by your own fears. The door to the astral plane is the human imagination, and what you will find on the astral planes will be determined by how you perceive things in your normal waking life.
For example, if you are of a very nervous disposition and your whole waking life is filled with fear, then you may well find astral projection to be frightening just as nightmares are frightening. By facing up to your fears, however, you can liberate yourself from them forever, and so it could be said that projecting your consciousness into the astral plane is a good thing even if you are normally fearful.
As for the question of whether or not astral projection can be physically damaging, the accepted consensus would seem to be that it is not. The vast majority of seasoned projectors agree that astral projecting is something we all do at night when we sleep, so if this is true then the act itself is perfectly natural.
My belief is that astral projection is safe for the average person, but if you are fearful even of the idea of projecting your consciousness out of your body, spend a few weeks analysing and conquering your fears before you begin thinking about actually experiencing non-physical reality for yourself.
