Astral Projection and
Out of Body Experiences

The idea of astral projection has fascinated me for years. It is similar in nature to out of body experiences (OBEs), near death experiences (NDEs) and has been compared to lucid dreaming.

Technicalities aside, they all share one common feature: the transfer of conscious awareness beyond the physical body.

As this science experiment from University College London proves, the question is not whether we can transfer our awareness out of body. The question is - where is it actually going?

The participants in the UCL study were sent a few feet across the room. But many people report flying through other dimensions and meeting non-human entities during astral travel. It makes you wonder if astral projection can tell us more about the nature of human consciousness and the existence of the spirit.

What are Out of Body Experiences (OBEs)?

Studies reveal that 1 in 10 people have had an out of body experience at some time in their lives. These OBEs can occur spontaneously (beyond your control) or deliberately (with OBE induction techniques). They have been reported in sick people and completely healthy individuals while sleeping or meditating.

Here are the most common causes of out of body experiences:

Trauma - such as a car accident or during surgery. One famous Near Death Experience comes from the American novelist, Ernest Hemingway. While writing a fictional story he drew on his real life experience of being hit by shrapnel during World War I. He writes: "I felt my soul or something coming right out of my body, like you'd pull a silk handkerchief out of a pocket by one corner. It flew all around and then came back and went in again..."

Lucid Dreaming - conscious dreams can trigger out of body experiences too! Try practicing Wake Induced Lucid Dreams yourself and see what happens. Do you step out of body into a physical world or astral plane? Or is it all inside your mind?

Psychedelic Drugs - can create a heightened sense of awareness and alter your perception of reality. They can induce hallucinations and a feeling of being outside your physical body, much like a form of astral projection. This altered perception of reality is often compared to lucid dreaming.

Sleep Paralysis - when induced at will, this natural state is described as "Mind Awake, Body Asleep" and occurs on the brink of conscious awareness. People who practice astral projection pass through sleep paralysis just before traveling out of body. It can also occur spontaneously due to stress or illness.

Meditation - entering altered states and using calming visualizations can train the conscious awareness to exit the body, much like in out of body experiences. In my research I have found brainwave entrainment to be an excellent tool to meditate deeply and astral travel at will. I like this Astral Projection MP3 which uses binaural beats and isochronic tones with fascinating results.

How To Astral Project in 3 Steps

Some people say that we all engage in astral projection every night when we sleep. After phasing through sleep paralysis, our astral bodies (or non-physical awareness) separate and explore the astral world - aka the dream world!

The implications of this theory are huge - suggesting that our dreams are real and lucid dreaming simply means to gain awareness of the astral world.

With this in mind, why not try conscious astral travel when you wake up tomorrow morning? (Both lucid dreams and astral projection are always easier in the morning, for physiological reasons.) Here's how to astral project in 3 steps.

Step 1 - Relax Your Mind and Body

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Make sure the room is quiet and there are no distractions. You must be able to shut off from the outside world and not be startled by anything - including voices, telephones and footsteps.

Listen to a brainwave entrainment recording to relax your body while keeping the mind entrained on a higher level of consciousness. This is my fast-track method of meditation. Alternatively, you can learn to meditate deeply without entrainment but it takes a lot more focus and practice.

Take some deep breaths and clear your mind. Forget about all your worries. Each time you breath in, visualize golden energy entering your lungs. On breathing out, relax your body even more and imagine all the tension draining away. Don't think about anything - allow your thoughts to pass by in their own time.

Starting from your forehead, allow all the muscles in your body to go slack. Spend more time on your face, jaw and neck, where you hold most tension. Keep going until you have relaxed right down to the tips of your toes.

Step 2 - Entering Altered States of Awareness

After 5-15 minutes you will be extremely relaxed and barely able to feel your body. Now shift your awareness away from your body and gaze into the black space in front of you. Visualize distant stars and planets if you like, and be aware of the images arising in your mind's eye - from beyond your field of vision.

When your body is completely relaxed, you will "fall asleep consciously". This is when your body falls asleep (and enters sleep paralysis) but your mind is consciously alert and aware - exactly as required in lucid dreaming!

You may feel the effect of sleep paralysis, as a lead weight moving over your body. But often I feel nothing at all, because my focus is elsewhere. You may also be startled by a loud vibrating or humming noise inside your head. This is like the static noise you get as you transition between two radio frequencies. Just ignore it and stay as relaxed as possible, allowing your awareness to drift freely.

Step 3 - Transfer Your Awareness Out of Body

Provided your body is asleep (and your mind is awake!) you are now prepped for astral projection. There are many ways to move your awareness out of body:

Float out - visualize your viewpoint has risen a few feet into the air. Imagine the ceiling is now that much closer. Your awareness will follow.
Swing out - visualize the viewpoint you would have on a swing. Start small but form longer arcs as you gain momentum.
Sink out - imagine your dream body slowly dropping through the bed. Get ready to see what the inside of your mattress looks like!
Roll out - visualize yourself turning on your side and rolling over. In your mind, create a twin "dream body" and leave your physical body in bed.
Teleport out - visualize yourself in another room or location and engage your senses. Your consciousness will jump there.

You will naturally gain your "astral vision" - starting with unusual lights and colors and quickly developing into reasonably clear vision. Many people determine the difference between out of body experiences (travel in the physical realm) and astral projection (travel in the astral realm) based on the type of vision here. If you feel you are lucid dreaming, then you can also enhance your lucidity.

The Astral Dimension

What is astral travel like? To learn more, I recommend a groundbreaking book called Journeys out of the Body by Dr Robert Monroe. This is an excellent introduction to out of body experiences. It relates how Monroe began having involuntary OBEs and first thought he was going mad. He includes some shocking diary excerpts detailing his experiences from a scientific perspective.

Also check out Treatise on Astral Projection by Robert Bruce, which you can read for free online. As a young man, Bruce attempted many psychic and out of body experiments and kept a fascinating diary. Now fully fledged in astral travel, he explains that the astral world is the closest dimension to our physical world. It overlays and permeates the world like a huge mind net, capturing all thoughts.

Bruce believes that to create dreams, our unconscious mind tunes into the astral dimension to solve problems and communicate with the conscious brain. Complex thoughts are projected onto the astral realm, where they become solid. In a way, it is like a movie projector lighting up a movie screen; aka the astral plane.

Lucid Dreaming vs Astral Projection

What is the difference between lucid dreaming and astral projection? Some people - including some astral travelers themselves - say they are the same thing. Others say they are completely separate; the astral world overlays the dream world just like it overlays the physical world.

Here are some questions to ponder: