Astral projection (out of body experiences)

[loverofloveandstuff]

I don't know much about astral projection but it's tickled my interest. Anybody have any experiences or thoughts they'd like to share?

 

For those who don't know what it is, I'll quote good ol' wiki:

 

Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of any form of out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of travelling outside it.[1] Astral projection or travel denotes the astral body leaving the physical body to travel in the astral plane.

 

The idea of astral travel is rooted in common worldwide religious accounts of the afterlife[2] in which the consciousness' or soul's journey or "ascent" is described in such terms as "an...out-of body experience, wherein the spiritual traveller leaves the physical body and travels in his/her subtle body (or dreambody or astral body) into ‘higher’ realms."

 

Edit: Just thought I'd add, I read about astral projection in one of Paulo Coelho's (author of the alchemist) books called Veronika Decides to Die so that's what intrigued my interest.

Edited September 19, 2010 by loverofloveandstuff

[Angel1111]

I've read about it but I've never really tried it. I found it very intriguing. I was reading about it because I was thinking about writing a book about something related to that. I've shelved the book for now, but I do find the topic interesting. I think if you have the patience and stay with, you might get results.

[aerogurl87]

I've read a bit about this when doing research on reading up more on near death experiences. Some accounts could be easily explained away while others, not so much. One example that comes to mind is a woman who was able to tell the doctors exactly what her family had talked about in the waiting room while she was in the ER out of earshot. Very interesting to read about, and I've come to the conclusion that there is definitely more to the human body than we currently know with science.

[PhantomJC]

Astral Projection is something many who are into esoteric sciences seek to be able to do. Many of the great organizations (such as the Golden Dawn, Order of Toth, and Rosicrucian Order) have practiced some form or variation of Astral Projection.

 

I teach aspects of Astral Projection at my other website on psychic development , however it is one of the harder aspects of the "new age" field to "master." Typically one starts with meditation, then long distance (remote) viewing, before attempting conscious astral projection.

 

Unconscious astral projection happens every-night or every time we sleep (according to many different sources of those involved in this field).... it can also happens at times when we are in extreme pain or in a traumatic situation where we would feel safer "outside of the body."

[shadowofman]

Sigh....astral projection is fascinating in the same sense as our imaginations are fascinating. Which they are. Lots of body image explanations have been proposed based on research with amputees. Our minds have the ability to imagine ourselves whether it's a missing limb or a complete, temporary removal of our minds from our bodies. But it's really all just an altered state. An imaginary perception. An individual's anecdotal tale, however convincing, must be accepted as just anecdotal evidence. That's part of science and that's how we know anything at all.

[Lovelybird]

I wish someone here will meet me too

[kuma]

it can also happens at times when we are in extreme pain or in a traumatic situation where we would feel safer "outside of the body."

 

My H almost drowned when he was younger. He felt himself drifting away, looked down and saw himself (his body). He also told me he felt very peaceful.

[wuggle]

When I was much younger (16-18ish) I used to be able to 'astral project' almost at will. Since then I have learnt that there is no god, therefore no soul, so now I can't do it at all

[anne1707]

When I was much younger (16-18ish) I used to be able to 'astral project' almost at will. Since then I have learnt that there is no god, therefore no soul, so now I can't do it at all

 

 

Hmmm... based on what Wuggle has told me about his youth, I think other substances might have been involved.....

[quankanne]

a friend of mine who is tapped into New Age stuff made a comment that caught my attention. We got to talking about being careful when making goo-goo eyes or admiring people because when it gets too intense it ends up becoming realized on an astral plane ... okay ... then he goes, "this is why the Bible talks about how lusting for someone in your heart is a sin even though you aren't physically interacting with that person. But on the astral plane, you're going to town, doing all kinds of naughty stuff that drains your spirit as well as the other person's spirit." Then he brought up celebrity crushes, how they really screw with the spiritual/mental balance of that person in particular because of the huge numbers of people hooking up with them on an astral plane.

 

freaked me out for a while afterward, but then I got curious. Does this count as fornication or adultery even if it's merely on the astral plane, or do fantasies slip under the radar of sin?

[shadowofman]

You perceive with your eyes, yes. But really, your brain has to process this information that enters your eyes. So really, everything you see around you is a judgement based on collected data. Sometimes the eyes fail to be the dominate data collecting instrument. Sometimes the brain just makes things up.

 

One that has had a limb removed might imagine themselves still with a limb. Phantom pain is a failure of the mind to perceive that the limb is missing. In the mind, they have cramped the muscles of a limb that does not exist. A simple procedure using an optical illusion can allow the person to relax their imaginary muscles.

 

The same sort of thing is happening in out of body experiences. Usually a stressful situation cause the person to imagine themselves from outside of their body. This seems to mostly override the data collection abilities of the eyes. It's sort of a waking dream. Or a half conscious dream.

 

You don't have to invent a brand new plane of existence in order to describe what is happening. Unless you think dreams happen on a whole new plane of existence. In which case you are beyond help.

[somedude81]

My great aunt claims to have accidentally astral projected while doing yoga. The experience freaked her out.

 

I only see her about once a year so I haven't had the chance to talk to her about it more.

[Rashad]

I always experience a sort of astral projection when I'm half asleep and half awake... the events are very difficult to recall and are usually very strange (if I manage to recall them) it feels like a dream only that you are half awake. Anybody get that?

[shadowofman]

A friend of mine has experienced sleep paralysis. Maybe similar to what your experiencing.

[Ella whispers]

Astral catalepsy. I read a book by Sylvia Browne and she spoke of it.

I have experienced it many times.

Basically she says your spirit is attached to your body by a silver cord. This cord will stretch and allow you to travel astrally.

When your spirit comes back into your body it's a kind of shock and you feel like someone is holding you down. Your mind is awake but you can't move, can't scream, any of it.

I don't recall going anywhere but the catalepsy is something you can't forget.

[shadowofman]

Are you sure it's a silver cord? Maybe platinum? How is this cord tethered to your body and soul? I don't see them.

 

Sleep paralysis is a simpler explanation. Also, Silvia Brown is a huge douche bag. Please don't give this woman any more money.

[IfWishesWereHorses]

Hmmm... based on what Wuggle has told me about his youth, I think other substances might have been involved.....

 

Salvia is a good one I've heard!

[wuggle]

Salvia is a good one I've heard!

 

Nah, merely altering your 'perception' of reality by using a drug like salvia, digitalis or even just weed was never a substitute for a proper OOBE. Best done totaly sober and not under the influence of anything, bad enough when you have to make the 'scarey leap' doing it sober, would be totally terrifying doing it when not 'all there'

 

ps totally agree with scaryiness of 'sleep paralysis', absolutley terrifiying first few hundred times, but you have to kind of go through that to 'get out'

 

Really, why would you bother. Is it worth the effort ?

Edited October 4, 2010 by wuggle

[wuggle]

Are you sure it's a silver cord? Maybe platinum? How is this cord tethered to your body and soul? I don't see them.

 

Personally think this whole idea of a chord is rubbish, Maybe just people's insecurities needing a link back in case they get too scared, or maybe just a way to partially explain the snap-back (which is very similar to the snap-out sensation as well, which interesting enough also seems to have some parallels in those religions or belief systems that describe a transition, such as the 'light being removed from eyes' in catholicism, the 'sudden awakening' in buddhism etc. I wonder why such transitions often seem to happen suddenly rather than slowly over a period of many years ?)

[wuggle]

You don't have to invent a brand new plane of existence in order to describe what is happening. Unless you think dreams happen on a whole new plane of existence. In which case you are beyond help.

 

Whilst generally I agree with you, on this issue I'm not so sure. Recent discoveries in quantum theory do 'hint' (just hint at the moment, no proof yet, but in quantum theory will there ever be any 'proof' ?) that there may actually be a form of collective 'un' or 'sub' conscience. They suggest that as each complex electrical thinking system like the brain operates, it creates what I think is termed a Bose-Einstien condensate ? (can't remember the terminology, sorry), which I picture as a sort of 'musical' field which can interact with other fields nearby. This would account for some unknowns (mood transferance, hunches, ghosts, dreams ??) so on this particular issue I am keeping an open mind. Waiting to find out it's true or its rubbish.

 

On the issue of 'seperate planes of existence' again I'm not going to be 'too' cocky. Many theorists still hold that the 'multiverse' idea still stands in which case this isn't ruled out. Agree it does 'sound' rubbish though.

 

 

[shadowofman]

Bose-Einstien condensate refers to the physical state of fragile gas. Somehow equating this to the connectome of a human is a stretch.

 

Mood transferance (sic). I assume you mean a phenom where one persons mood can be interpreted and adopted by another. It is easy to assume that "mood" is a thing that can be transfered, but that would be fallacious. Complex social evolution has "blessed" us with empathy and altruism. Nothing more is necessary to adopt another's mood.

 

Hunches. A superpower of a logical brain able to reason. But hunches are very, very often incorrect. In which case, guessing power any one brain is crippled by poor knowledge.

 

Ghosts. A poor "hunch" to explain an observed or imagined event. Never underestimate the minds ability to see things that are not there.

 

Dreams. Your brain is still very active while the senses are asleep. This is the power of the brain to imagine. To create images, sounds, etc that are not there. Dreams are imaginary, not some real place that your spirit flies off to.

 

The multi-verse is a mathematical hypothesis. That's as far as that goes. It is unscientific to create a new hypothesis in order to explain a hypothesis, as if it were an observed event. Besides, the multi-verse simply "suggests" that outside of our universe lay alternate universe, minutely different. Moving from one to another, would be just as difficult as moving across our own universe. Likewise, communicating with another universe would be as difficult as communicating with someone at the other end of our universe. All still at the mercy of space-time.

 

But, my knowledge of theoretical physics is elementary, so I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[wuggle]

Bose-Einstien condensate refers to the physical state of fragile gas. Somehow equating this to the connectome of a human is a stretch.

 

Thought I had the wrong phrase, remember reading about the brain as a complex electrical system creating a field and some thoerists had speculated that it was possible for these fields to interact\interface, I had pictured it as sort of two pieces of music played over each other, one affecting the other like a sort of harmonic resonance. Wish I could remember the phrase

 

The other things I mentioned as possibly following on from this (mood transferance (sic) Hunches, Ghosts, Dreams ) that you counter , fair enough , I suggested them only as possibles, personally don't believe any of them are true. (well to be totally honest still not 100% convinced about there being no ghosts).

 

My mentioning the 'mathematical' hypothosis of the multiverse was simply to try to highlight that as people of a scientific bent , we should not just dismiss ideas such as an astral plane or god as completely rubbish, at best we should say we personally don't believe them because we have seen no evidence to suggest they are true.

 

It is unscientific to create a new hypothesis in order to explain a hypothesis, as if it were an observed event

 

I didn't, and this may be the point at which we start to disagree. To my mind this would be a bit like believing in God to explain why we are all here. But then my knowledge of theology is ethereal at best.

Edited October 6, 2010 by wuggle

[Ella whispers]

Are you sure it's a silver cord? Maybe platinum? How is this cord tethered to your body and soul? I don't see them.

 

Sleep paralysis is a simpler explanation. Also, Silvia Brown is a huge douche bag. Please don't give this woman any more money.

 

 

I'd want mine to be purple anyway!

I don't see angels but I believe in them.

I don't buy books, I use my library card.

 

 

How is she a douchebag?

Just curious.

[shadowofman]

How is she a douchebag?

Just curious.

 

Several others have highlighted and the immoral activities of Silvia Brown and her ilk. From Trey Parker and Matt Stone to Penn and Teller. On a more academic level, James Randy has challenged her on several occasions. She even accepted and then backed out like a punk. She takes peoples money and feeds them a complete line of BS. In my opinion, she is completely aware of the fact that she is just making things up. And it has funded her worthless existence. Sort of the definition of a douche bag in my opinion.

 

Thought I had the wrong phrase, remember reading about the brain as a complex electrical system creating a field and some thoerists had speculated that it was possible for these fields to interact\interface, I had pictured it as sort of two pieces of music played over each other, one affecting the other like a sort of harmonic resonance. Wish I could remember the phrase.

 

Garrett Lisi has a fantastic model of the nature of reality, yet to be proven. It explains as best can be easily understood, the nature of matter and energy. It also fits nicely into an elegant package without the need to conjure up folk-tale-like souls. No one would dispute the incredible phenomena which is the self. The debate is whether or not this thing is dependent on the body. We don't need to learn anything new to know that it is. 100%! We don't understand it completely, but one thing is 100% apparent. Without a functioning brain, you cease to exist as you might now exist. Therefore, you cannot leave your body. There are no ghosts. If anyone were to observe something of the sort, then a more logical conclusion is that they are mistaken.

[wuggle]

The debate is whether or not this thing is dependent on the body. We don't need to learn anything new to know that it is. 100%! We don't understand it completely, but one thing is 100% apparent. Without a functioning brain, you cease to exist as you might now exist. Therefore, you cannot leave your body. There are no ghosts. If anyone were to observe something of the sort, then a more logical conclusion is that they are mistaken.

 

Whilst I agree with most of the things you say, I do disagree with how you are saying them. I do not believe in God, or ghosts, or an astral plane, or most of the other things mentioned on this thread. But, I do not think that we should talk in terms of absolutes or certainties, especially when men of science far cleverer than us do not. This is I believe one of the problems with a brand of scientific approach that states that X is definitely or 100% so or not so, this I feel is why many view science as arrogant.

 

At best we should be saying that we do not believe that X or Y is such BECAUSE there is no evidence to support it, but always be prepared to re-evaluate our beliefs when and if some credible evidence is brought to light to suggest we are wrong.

 

Some of my earlier posts did allude to the fact that when I was younger I did, to the best of my understanding at that point in time, manage to have many OOBEs. However as many years have passed and I now no longer believe in many of the things that would underpin such a possibility as OOBEs I have re-evaluated my past and decided that I was wrong and that some other explanation would better fit my experiences. Exactly what I do not yet know.

 

But I am always ready to be proven wrong.

Edited October 7, 2010 by wuggle