Human beings have been conditioned to think of as “real” only that which they can perceive through sensory faculties. You have been taught to identify with your physical body— that “you” = Jane Doe, female, born in 1985 in Los Angeles, American, liberal, 125 lbs, lawyer, and that all this has something essential to do with who you are.
This narrow definition is like blindfolding yourself and claiming that darkness is the only thing that is real! You are far, far more than merely the physical vehicle of your body and its worldly experiences, trapped in the linear time of this incarnation.
Your essential, true being is consciousness. Not your physical body. Your physical body is not by any means the sum of who you really are.
The body/mind interface experiences a very tiny range of frequency called visible light, and there is very, very much in this Universe which falls outside of this range. The five human senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell provide only a very small window of perception to the true reality of what is really there. If the range of your senses were augmented ever so little, you would find yourself beholding a very different world.
Many creatures can perceive aspects of reality that are not apparent to humans. Cats can see in infrared frequencies that the human eye cannot. Dogs can hear sound frequencies that are far too high to register to the human ear. The reality that our animal friends live in includes things that are not “real” to us at all, yet, if you’ve ever seen the effect of a dog whistle on your pup, you would never deny that these phenomena are truly there!
Similarly, there are certain species of fish that can only see in two dimensions. Their range of perception excludes much of what we can see. From a fish’s point of view, “reality” is only a sliver of what we consider reality to be.
The point is, all that you see only appears in the shape and form that it does because your sensory apparatus is tuned to certain specific rates of vibration.
There is a whole cosmic library of information that is yours to download if you can open up your mind to the realities lying beyond the narrow slit of sensory perception. When you tap into the powers, you will let go of the idea of yourself as a finite and limited being, and step into the truth of who you are, which is infinite consciousness.
One of the main tools for this kind of spiritual expansion is what is known as Astral Projection, or the Out-of-Body experience.
Astral projection is a phenomenon where the consciousness of an individual exteriorizes from the physical body (while remaining tethered to it by a silver energetic cord) and makes excursions, both to places in the physical world and to non-physical dimensions. One may remotely view loved ones anywhere on the planet, and one may visit the pre-incarnate planes or the place we return to after death.
The consciousness of the individual manifests into the “astral body”, also known as the “psychosoma”, and travels away from the physical body in this etheric form. We are all interacting with this non-physical dimension at all times during waking hours and while sleeping, but Astral Projection allows one to perceive the energetic planes consciously and all that dwells therein.
Thus, Astral Projection can greatly enhance one’s understanding of the energetic bodies, including the Chakra system, and having this “insider perspective” of the energetic planes can have innumerable benefits in all kinds of metaphysical, somatic or therapeutic practices.
Some of the other benefits to Astral Projection are:
There are different types of Astral Projection or Out-of-Body experiences. Spontaneous projections are unplanned projections outside of the individual’s control. In these types of projections, a person may take a nap or go to sleep, and then “wake up” to find themselves outside of the body, sometimes even seeing their physical body sleeping. The person may be totally bewildered by the experience and have no conscious idea of how to repeat the experience.
Unconscious projections are characterized by a feeling of falling or sinking, followed by being woken by a sudden jolt. This jolt is the astral body, which had been floating up and hovering above the body for some time, abruptly reconnecting with the physical body. Sometimes these experiences are accompanied by dreams of falling from great heights or flying. Most people separate at least some inches from the physical body every night when they go to sleep. The natural process allows us to recharge our astral body, our emotional vehicle, with the subtle energy it requires.
Forced projections sudden and spontaneous exits from the physical body, usually caused by sudden shock or trauma to the body, such as a car crash, brutal violence, or extreme wartime emergency. Many people who would otherwise not believe in paranormal events have recounted the experience of suddenly finding themselves watching their own physical bodies from outside or above, often with notable calm detachment and lucidity, even in spite of the astonishing surprise at having popped out of the body!
Lucid projections, where a person is fully conscious and in command of the direction of the astral travel, is the most productive kind of astral projection, and one which rewards extensive practice and study. Anyone can learn how to project astrally, although, as with anything else, there will be varying levels of natural ability. Some people are much more tightly “glued” to the physical world, whereas others can hardly keep their feet on the ground! There are many techniques available to suit the unique temperament of the practitioner.
There are three basic skills required for a successful Out-of-Body experience.
The first step is relaxing the physical body to the point that the astral body is free to leave the constraints of the body. It is helpful to do guided meditations moving awareness around the body, tensing, and relaxing each muscle one by one. The more relaxed the body, the easier it will be for the psychosoma to release into the etheric planes.
Knowing how to open your chakras and facilitating a balanced flow of chi or prana throughout the energy body can be a great help in this process. Blocked chakras in the energy body can keep the astral body glued to the physical body. You may, for instance, relax to the point where you can feel your legs and arms floating, and even get the head of the astral body to move around, but feel as if there was a weight on top of the chest that is keeping you inside the body.
The second skill for Astral Projection is the maintenance of lucidity while projecting. This essentially means the process of keeping the mind or spirit awake while allowing the body to fall asleep so that you can cognize and make sense of the information you encounter in the astral planes while projecting.
The third element needed for the process of Astral Projection is a good memory. As with dreams, astral projections can be quite easy to instantly forget upon returning to waking consciousness, and so it is important to put in place certain practices that help transfer and store the information gathered.
One technique for successful projections is self-suggestion, consisting in repeating an intention five or ten times before the projection attempt.
You can say something like, “I will get out of my body, remaining lucid, and I will remember everything when I come back”. It is important to pay attention to what you are saying and say it with energy and confidence. You can also try repeating information you want to remember while you are out-of-body or repeat your intention to remember what you are learning as you learn it.
There are many schools and methods for learning Astral Projection, and each unique individual will have to find the one that works best for him. Happy exploring!
