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What is
Astral Projection? That's maybe the toughest question to answer,
lucid dreaming is where your body is asleep and paralyzed but
your mind is bright and awake and awareness in now in your brains
own created dream world. Astral projection
is seen as many to be nothing more than a lucid dream. By belivers astral projection (out of body experience,
etheric projection) is when the astral body, light body or consciousness
can separate from the body and travel in the astral planes/ other
dimensions.
Below are
three main interpretations of the term we know as astral projection.
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1.
Astral Projection is merely a very high lucid dream that feels
like you have left your body (this is the explanation favored
by classical science). Reports of near death experiences do seem
to challenge this view point but it is assumed that information
must be being gathered in other more conventional ways. Detailed
descriptions of the operating room and procedures by the resussetated
are explained by other senses, such as hearing sounds and forming
a mental picture of operating procedure etc.
2.
You aren't really separating from your body, but your consciousness
is, your mind makes sense of this by giving you the sensations
of being a spirit freed from the body (an explanation favored
by some unconventional scientists and parapsycologists). Your
freed consciousness can surf dimensions that science hints at
in its as yet unproved theories about our universe, this state
can be used to gain information that would seem to many to be
only explained by paranormal powers
3.
You really do have a another vessel (spirit) that contains your
consciousness and this vessel is able with the correct focus to
be able to roam planes of existence. These planes are what many
cultures would regard as the afterlife, as an astral projector
you will only be able to navigate a few planes that exist near
our earthly plane of existence. The highest plane is the source,
the Atmic plane, oneness, the light... god.
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I
can't tell you which one, if any, is the correct view. I can however
say that there is a state of conciousness beyond normal lucid dreaming, even feeling different from a high
lucid.
For
example, in an astral I had, I bounded up some steps and as I looked
out of my eyes I also saw my body from the side, above and every
different angle, not in small boxes or over lapping but as if I
were a million me's all appreciating and able to rationally think
about what I was experiencing. I often find that in these astral
states of being my mind is razor sharp and my knowledge seems expanded,
imagine the best you can ever be and then multiply. I struggle to
express an astral state properly, no earth bound sensation comes
within a whisker and no drug can take you to the heights you achieve
all in perfect clarity.
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Astral
Projection, Out of body experience or Etheric projection explanations?
Unlike many people writing books or internet
pages I don't have definite theories about what astral projecting
really is. Many commentors piece together parts of older teachings
and practices that describe the world beyond our own material
world. Science seems to be in on the act too, or at least new
theories in science are being claimed by some as supporting ancient ideas
about a living universe where our consciousness may not be as
constrained as we have been led to understand.
I will use my artistic licence to form a "posibility" from my own experiencs
and reading the experiences of other that claim to be able to astral project. Read below and see what you feel about the possibility of being able to seperate conciousness from your physical form.
You aren't
your brain, that is to say my consciousness, my mind, isn't
the cells and neurons of my brain just as the computer on my desk
isn't its Intel central processing unit (CPU), it may have an
Intel CPU (brain) but its software (mind) is the operating system
Windows. In fact if I wanted to I could run Linux OS on my computer
although to do that I would have to load up the software onto
the computers memory. *Brain structure is part of the whole*
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Imagine
this thought experiment, we click our fingers and stop time, now examine
the computer mid operation if we could extract the position of each
electron and the pathways open to the current in our computer, your
computer would now look quite different. This is actually picture
of the mind (software in operation), we could do exactly the same
thing to a human showing where all the electrical pulses that run
through our nerves somewhat like this artistic impression by Alex
Grey.
If we didn't
require a physical body to interact fully in the material world
then this electrical map would be the essence of us, our thoughts,
feedback from our senses and the interconnections of our memories.
So far this is an acceptable if a little poetic description of what
we are, however to make the split with our physical body we also
have to make a split with conventional (early 21st century) wisdom.
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To
our eyes and instruments this etheric body cannot leave the body, the
electrons are intimately tied up with the physical atoms that make up
our neurons and other cells in our body. Those electrons and the subatomic
particles that make them up are constrained in our earthy plane of existence,
to progress we need to involve higher planes.
Higher planes
or dimensions can be imagined like our own familiar three dimensions
of the world around us, length, width and height these three give
us three dimensions. As a thought experiment imagine a 2D universe,
a flat piece of paper where we all lived our live in blissful
ignorance that there should be any such thing as up or down.
However from
another perspective it could be seen that the universe was actually
constructed in three dimensions if you were a being that could
sense in three dimensions like we do on earth. To us it would
be hard to imagine how these 2D people couldn't sense or imagine
up and down and it would be fun to walk over their world and run
around scaring them, laying down for a second forming to what
their 2D senses would perceive as another being before leaping
up and jumping into the air thus disappearing.
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If
there was a 2D being with the ability to raise themselves into the
3rd dimension then they could interact to a certain degree although
it might be difficult for the mind of this 2D being to translate
the experience of this a 3D world adequately if asked.
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Now think
of your 3D self, if higher planes (dimensions) exist then you'll
not be able to use your ordinary senses to see and interact with
them, you need to raise yourself into this higher plane. Like
the 2D being, an aspect of your mind/self has to be separated
from your material body. In our body it is the etheric aspect
of your material body that is able to make this transition. The
unique properties of the electrons in your etheric mind/body self
allow them to penetrate beyond the three dimensions we usually
experience. They vibrate in a state of flux, to an outside perspective
they would seem to exist in two places at the same time, your
physical body where your body is immovable but your mind will
be exhibiting all the functions of being awake and aware within
another subtle (etheric) body.
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In
this state your awareness you seem to have become aware in your
own body or have instantly slipped out of your body, I tend to be
in my physical body and have to stand up and free myself which can
offer some resistance. You are on the boundary of the material world
and a higher plane and its very difficult to remain here, your consciousness
either wants to move higher or merge back into the material world.
I always seem to have two opposite situations in this state, either
the room I project in is filled with a wonderful light and all is
calm or its like I'm the center of a mighty dark storm. If you want
to explore the neighbor's house and scare the local cats this is
the state you want to be in. Personally I don't seem to only exist
in this state for what seems like a few meters in distance from
my body. After that I either get awareness back in my body or I
fully cross over into the higher plane.
In
my opinion I tend to doubt that my essence moves higher into these
planes, I'm of the belief (and lets face it I have no proof
so it is only belief) that I, as a human being have a structure
that extends higher into these planes, I just can't see the rest
of me with my earthly material senses. Imagine it like this, to
the 2D beings I'm merely the outline of my feet, two odd feet twins.
We know I'm really something that's million times more complex than
two mere foot print outlines! What if it didn't end there? What
if from a higher perspective my "real" form extended beyond 3D,
what if my 4D form was as complex a jump up as the mere outlines
of my feet were to my 3D form?
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So
I'm not really moving at all, what I'm actually doing is piggy backing
the higher structure and senses that are me and that penetrate all
the way through the higher planes of existence. There are myriad
of problems with projecting like this, the main can be explained
if we think of our 2D beings being able to see through 3D eyes into
our higher plane, their lower consciousness cannot interpret what
they are truly seeing.
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The
different planes you can travel in -
in astral theory you can raise the vibration of your astral body in order
to move higher in the different planes of existence.
THE
ATMIC PLANE - The
oneness, the light... God.
THE
BUDDHIC PLANE - I'm sure its virtually impossible for an astral
projector to travel this high, beyond the grasp of human minds to describe
and appreciate.
THE
MENTAL PLANE - Here you break free of your former bodily trappings,
creativity and free thought flow like water. Its extremely difficult for
an astral projector to reach and very difficult to spend any length of
time here. (This state might be linked to Passive
lucidity).
HIGHER
ASTRAL PLANE - "Summerland" heavenly peace. This
is a very difficult plane for an astral projector to reach.
MIDDLE
ASTRAL PLANE - Somewhat
like our reality, souls here are rehabilitated, universities and centers
of learning abound.
LOWER
ASTRAL PLANE - Very close to our physical world, those who
have passed over but continue to cling to their physical life can be found
here.
THE
PHYSICAL PLANE - The world we experience in waking life, made
up of slow vibrating matter.
Etheric
Projection Technique (Etheric
projection is the state of least separation from your physical
body in fact you don't have to leave your body just sit in it
and look through your closed eye lids.) You can try this technique
at anytime but I've found it works on a lazy afternoon or if you
set your alarm for an hour before you'd usually get out of bed).
1.
The first time you try this you need to be in a certain state
of mind. You have to be in a Zen like state (empty headed) even
in a regressive, sleepy (but not really tired) mood. Basically
you need to be in a relaxed dreamy state of mind to begin without
any stress from an appointment within the next couple of hours.
2.
I'm personally lucky (or unlucky) depending on your view point
to have a very empty unthinking head :¬) but you can deepen this
by listening to certain music for half n hour before you start.
I find the band Boards of Canada to be the best at this as they
use sample loops that are from childhood, but those mood CD's
with whales n sea on the shore n bird songs are the good too.
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3.
Have a CD on that will balance out the noise you might experience
in your chosen room. I use a looped a Hemi-sync mp3 called theta
that just sounds like speaker hiss gradually moving in a wave form,
this is suppose to produce theta waves in the brain (works for me).
Try and use something that your brain cannot recognize and hook
into those mood CD's will do just set the volume so its as equal
as you can get it to the ambient noise in the room. (Free
Hemi-sync Music or Travishartnett
music)
4.
Choose your book, it should be a challenging read but not something
that you have to tie your brain in a complete knot to read.
5.
Lay down with your book, making sure the body is warm but not hot
(just get comfy but not so it makes you want to sleep immediately).
6.
Read and read but you want to get into a state where the text in
the book has promoted your brain to fantasize about a related topic.
I find this happens all the time if I'm not careful, I loose focus
and slip off into imagining something else. You eyes might be drooping
and if you feel the need to close them do so.
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7.
DON'T SLEEP! as soon as your eyes are closed I want you to "very"
gently try to recall the page you were just reading. Imagine that
book is still in your hand a few feet from your eyes and you are
still reading that page. Don't force it! Don't try to screw up your
eyes and see the page. I'd say you were just seeing blackness with
flashing colours and formless shapes at this time.
8.
Don't focus on the shapes and colours keep reading the page in
your mind, see the type face and if there was a diagram on the
page imagine that. All the time keep the feeling that the page
is held in your hand away from your face in a normal reading position.
9.
This next part will either happen or it won't but if it does you'll
not really notice from anything from 5 to 60 seconds. You'll still
be imagining this page and reading it and then you suddenly notice
that your not recalling the page from memory anymore your actually
seeing the page and the book in seeming complete reality. When
you get better you'll notice that at some that this point is like
the second eye lid of a lizard or a shark. It just flicks open
and your vision becomes crystal clear and bright and you instantly
see the page.
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10.
If you don't loose this due to the shock I'll be surprised, its
what always seems to a happen. Your mind is perfectly fine in that
5-60 second period where your seeing the imaginary/real book but
as soon as you realize the implications and process all this you
shock your self and loose it. DON'T be shocked if you open your
eyes when this happens and your blind, it will only last for a maximum
of 20seconds and your vision will return (a bit tunnel like from
the center to the outside).
11.
At the opening of this inner eye(s) you need to keep relaxed and
in the same state as before. Don't think too much, stop reading
the book and look into your room, turn your head very gently. Note
the quality of the light in particular (usually very golden) now
you have to try and stand up and leave the room, I use the door
but many people like to walk through walls or fly through the ceiling.
If like me you have a reasonably logical mind you'll find flying
very difficult and walking through walls is like walking through
treacle. I can recommend slowly pushing your head through the glass
of your window as personally I can see and feel the molecules of
my body and the glass move around each other.
12.
Things get very odd :¬) you've managed to etheric project which
you'll be unable to keep focused on and you'll astral project as
soon as you leave the room where your body is located.
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The Crossroads
is a place where you can meet others in a lucid dream. Hopefully
given time the Crossroads will begin to form in the astral. If so
the doors will function as portals to astral planes and experiences,
and the custodians at the reception desk will be spirit guides.
Astral project
from a lucid dream at the Crossroads via the mirror or the central
pool. See this page for directions about
how to reach the Crossroads.
The Astral
Pulse runs projects designed to engender meetings by
groups of people on the astral planes. Astral Pulse is called Astral
Island.
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Energy
raising - I'm putting this Tai-chi exercise in
because its extremely relaxing, if you suffer from stress you
can use this anytime in your day. Also many astral projectors
believe in chi (life force energy) and this exercise gathers the
energy from the space around you.
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With
your legs slightly bent raise your arms in a circular motion slowly
from 1 to 4, breathe in while you do and feel your body become lighter.
From 4 to 6 breathe out slowly push the energy you have gathered in
steps 1 to 4 down your body into your tandan (belly where you can
store the energy safely), feel yourself sinking as you do this. Repeat
all steps for at least a minute.
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Places
to discuss issues on this page
Other
relevant pages at the Crossroads
Pages
on the internet similar to this one
Other
astral websites on the internet
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