Astral projection: Encyclopedia - Astral projection

Astral projection

Subtle bodies

Causal plane: Causal body
Mental plane: Mental body
Astral plane: body, projection
Etheric plane: Etheric body
Physical plane: Physical body

The 7 Worlds & the 7 Cosmic Planes
The Seven-fold constitution of Man
The Ten-fold constitution of Man

Cosmology

Sufi cosmology
Tanazzulut

Ray of Creation
The Laws
Three Centres
Five Centres

Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)
  Inner Plane
  Prime Material Plane
  Outer Plane

Astral projection (or astral travel) is a controversial interpretation of out-of-body experiences achieved either consciously or via lucid dreaming, deep meditation, or use of disassociatives and psychedelics, like DXM, LSD, Psilocybin or 5-MeO-DMT. Proponents of astral projection maintain that their consciousness or soul has transferred into an astral body (or "double"), which moves free of the physical body in a parallel world known as the astral plane.

Astral projection - Schools of Thought

There generally exist two schools of thought on the nature of astral projection; these can broadly be defined as the mystical model and the phasing model.

Astral projection - Mystical Model

The mystical model contains a large variety of belief systems and astral maps, but they are tied together by their belief that astral projection takes place outside of the actual physical body. A more subtle energy body is believed to carry the consciousness outside of the physical body, and as one progresses deeper into the astral planes, even more subtle bodies are created and the consciousness transferred to each of them in turn. The subtle body is attached to the physical body by means of an energetic connection which usually takes the appearance of a cord.

Astral projection - Phasing Model

The phasing model which was defined by Robert Monroe contains the belief that it is impossible to actually leave the body in the truest sense of the word, and that the astral planes and the physical world are but points on the long spectrum of consciousness. When a person projects, they actually ‘phase’ into another area of consciousness and the locales it contains. This can be likened to tuning a radio to another station. This viewpoint can be seen as a logical progression of the realisation that external reality is actually an internally created state, that is, we exist in a model created by our brain based on the sensory input it receives.

Astral projection - Other kinds of projection

Astral projection - Real time projection

In contrast to "astral" projection, the traditional understanding of out-of-body experiences involve the projector (or traveler) moving about in the "real" world as an invisible ghost in what is sometimes referred to as Real Time Projection (or RTP).

Another popular term to refer to this kind of OOBE consists of "etheral projection" as opposed to "astral projection". People who claim to have experienced both say they can clearly observe the distinction between these two states. Some claim that the sensations of real-time projection are usually as vivid as the ones of the physical body, which can be a source of serious anxiety when it unexpectedly happens. Sensations of strong vibrations in the whole body are also said to accompany this experience.

In some cases the 'traveller' leaves his mortal body and 'floats', being able to travel to a destination by thought. If the 'traveler' visits somewhere that other people are involved in daily life, the 'traveller' is unable to contact those people and can only observe. The 'traveler' can return to their body by 'wishing to return' as it were, whereupon they descend into their body smoothly until finally the back of the head jolts back into position after some vibration.

Astral projection - Virtual reality projection

Part astral and part real time (as mentioned above), called Virtual Reality Projection by most, is when a projector moves on the physical plane, yet interacts with the astral plane at the same time. An example of this is if one walks into a "real" poster or picture, they are transported to a -perfect- reconstruction of this place/world by concentrated experiences and thoughts of every beholder of the concept of the picture. This is part of the reason many try to project, but admittedly only a speck in the (literally) infinite possibilities. This concept is associated with the occult and the New Age movement.

Astral projection - Remote viewing

In some instances, astral projectors have described details of the outside world whilst in projection that they could not have known beforehand, known as remote viewing. In remote viewing, however, the viewer does not leave his or her body, but "sees" remote sites by other means.

Astral projection - Research

Projectors claim that during an astral voyage, communication with other projectors or spirits is possible. Sometimes the projector reported being attached to his/her physical body by a silver cord analogous to the umbilical cord. Pets have been said to react in a frightened manner when encountering a projector, and some people claim to have seen an astrally projecting person's spirit as a colored beam or shot of light darting around the room.

In addition to anecdotal evidence, laboratory experiments have shown that a sleeping person can be aware that they are dreaming (often referred to as lucid dreaming), and some of these subjects claim to have had out-of-body experiences. Modern science generally interprets this as a purely physiological occurrence within the human body, explained by subconscious ideas that have been inflated by an imaginative retelling. Astral projectors find their firsthand experiences compelling enough to validate the dualism of body and spirit, and believe they have visited another world.

Robert Monroe, founder of the Monroe Institute, published several accounts of his experiences of astral projection, including Far Journeys (ISBN 0385231822). Monroe developed a method he calls Hemisync to induce mental states that are favorable for projection. Hemisync is a synchronization of the brainwaves of both of the brains' hemispheres or lobes. This is said to work by altering brain waves using sounds, together with meditative instruction, listened to on headphones. The process based on a concept referred to as binaural beats.

An exhaustive reference, which includes techniques and types of out-of-body experiences and related phenomena, is the 1,200+ page Projectiology by Dr. Waldo Vieira, MD (ISBN 8586019585), which has over 1,907 bibliographic entries from sources in 18 languages on the topic.

Astral projection - Astral projection and the Bible

The Bible describes people as being "in the spirit" while receiving prophecy. Many biblical scholars attribute this to being in a dream-like state or trance. The terminology of astral projection is also found in Ecclesiastes 12:6-12:7:

Projectors claim they can (at will or otherwise) see a silver cord linking their astral form to their physical body. This cord mainly appears to a beginning projector as assurance they will not become lost. However, even experienced projectors find it useful, claiming it is a fast way to return to the body. If the silver cord is severed during life, as a rare form of suicide or naturally by death, projectors believe one returns to the astral as one of eight phases of death, ending either in one's shard of spirit being returned to God or by rebirth. Otherwise, projectors, clairvoyants and spiritualists describe the seventh, or crown chakra as a golden bowl, which is said to shatter at death, especially in a rare form of death caused by a kundalini surge.

See also

• Esotericism
• Metaphysics
• Mysticism
• Occultism
• Personal reality
• Protoscience
• Pseudoscience
• Parapsychology
• Sleep paralysis
• Tattva vision
• Teleportation
• Trance channelling
• Yoga Nidra

Astral projection - Major proponents

• Robert Monroe
• Sylvan Muldoon
• Ingo Swann

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Astral projection", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki