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Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of an out-of-body experience achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming or deep meditation. The concept of astral projection assumes the existence of another body, separate from the physical body and capable of traveling non-physical planes. Commonly such planes are called astral, etheric, or spiritual. Astral projection is construed in terms of the spirit or astral body leaving the physical body to travel in the spirit world or astral plane. The concept of astral projection has been familiar for thousands of years, dating back to ancient China and other ancient cultures.

Those who are regarded as psychics often say the subconscious (dreaming) mind controls the spirit or astral body, resulting in falling dreams or waking up with a falling sensation and sudden jerk. Many end with the feeling of suddenly "falling" or "snapping" and sometimes "pulling" back into their physical bodies. Most non-lucid dreams are not remembered by the conscious mind, making the experience of astral projection subjective. Believers in astral projection point out, though, that most ghost sightings often define the ghost as a lucid or transparent apparition walking the earth.

It is generally accepted by those who credit the existence of Mediumship that while a person is alive he or she eventually wakes up consciously, but after death or even during sleep, the subconscious assumes the functions of the active mind.

Astral projection is controversial. It is not observable or testable by scientific method. The International Cultic Studies Association labelled astral travel as "transparently childish self-deception".

Schools of thought

There are two general schools of thought on the nature of astral projection. These can broadly be defined as the mystical model and the phasing model.

Phasing model

The phasing model, which was defined by Robert Monroe, holds the belief that no "movement" actually occurrs when one leaves one's body, but rather the astral planes and the physical world are points on the 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. The phasing model does say that the mind is dependent on the brain, but only that our concepts of space do not apply to astral travel.

Separation model

The separation model includes a large variety of belief systems, which say that astral projection takes place outside of the physical body. In this model, a subtle energy body carries the consciousness outside of the physical body. According to Robert Bruce the higher astral planes are reached through the progressive projection of subtler energy bodies from previous projected bodies, much like a Russian doll (pages 33-42). The subtle body is said to be attached to the physical body by means of an energetic connection which usually takes the appearance of a silver cord 'plugging' into the chakra system.

Projection Types or Locations

The astral planes are usually conceived as either realms that overlap the physical in different layers, or as states of consciousness that need to be traversed in order. Usually, the progression is from the physical to the etheric, then the astral, then various other realms or spirit worlds beyond the astral.

Etheric projection

In contrast to "astral" projection, the traditional understanding of out-of-body experiences involves the projector (or traveler) moving about in usually invisible or ghost-like form in a mundane physical reality—the etheric body. This world may, however, have minor differences between the physical reality world we know if strict mind control is not maintained. Robert Monroe describes this type of projection as a projection to "Locale I" or the "Here-Now", and describes it as containing people and places that actually exist in the material world, and should not contain strange or unknown beings, events, or persons. Robert Bruce refers to a similar area as the "Real Time Zone" or RTZ and describes it as the nonphysical dimension level closest to the physical. He states that it overlays and permeates the entire physical universe and contains a perfect reflection of reality within it, though he also states that confusing "reality fluctuations" may occur that cause inconsistencies between the RTZ and material reality. While his description of the RTZ most closely matches the traditional understanding of what the etheric is, he also claims that the RTZ is technically a part of the astral dimension, but is best considered as being separate. His reasoning for this is that he does not believe that the etheric body can be separated from the physical body while the physical body still lives.

In Western theosophy, each subtle body is functionally distinct. Since the etheric body and astral body are not the same, according to several sources (noted below), they can not possibly represent the same kind of psychic activity.

Alice Bailey, in Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle (Lucis Trust), stated that the etheric and astral bodies should not be confused. She indicated that "HPB" (Helena P. Blavatsky) had erroneously merged the two concepts, in order to cover a "mass of information anent the etheric astral" (pages 140-141).

The Rosicrucian Fellowship has released several publications on the "etheric region" and the etheric body, as well as their integral relationship with the physical state of being (see Max Heindel, et al).

The Theosophical Society, having several branches around the world, also has published literature on both the etheric and astral states. To them, the etheric body is actually the same as the physical; however, it "rests" at a slightly different frequency than regular matter.

Lawrence Bendit and Phoebe Bendit wrote a book called The Etheric Body of Man (Theosophical Publishing), in which the analysis of a psychiatrist meets the psychic visions of an alleged clairvoyant. Therein, the authors explain how the etheric body is a functionally separate body from the physical, and yet they share a mutual relationship—all of which seem to be consistent with how ether and etheric projection is believed to operate, as depicted in other literature.

The term was coined at least as far back as the 1940s, by Dion Fortune in her book Psychic Self Defence (Red Wheel/Weiser). She theorizes that an etheric body (during etheric projection), once projected, is "sufficiently physical enough" to be mutually observed by on-lookers (pages 20-22).

James H. Brennan, in The Astral Projection Workbook (Sterling Pubishing), devotes an entire section of his book to etheric projection and its constituents (pages 17-28).

Annie Besant, in The Seven Principles of Man (Theosophical Publishing House) actually explained that the "etheric double" can be separated from the physical body:

This etheric double is the exact double or counterpart of the body to which it belongs, and is separable ... When separated from the body it is visible to the clairvoyant as an exact replica thereof, united to it by a slender thread...(pages 8-9).

Stuart Wilde in The Sixth Sense (Hay House) wrote that the etheric body (not astral) is the "true" individual, and that its function is to allow psychic abilities to actually surface. He stated that astral projection is not at all part of the etheric body's actions, and that it is more a "mental state " (page 102). Further, he said that the etheric body is actually the vehicle used in an OBE, and that calling it astral projection is misleading (pages 102-103).

Robert Monroe in his series of books makes several references to a "second body", which he says must be "shed" in order to be completely free. Monroe said that many of his experiences happened after this shedding.
Susan Blackmore wrote an article, summarizing some of Monroe's observations. Therein, she stated:

Monroe gives a detailed description of the "second body". It has weight, is visible under certain conditions, produces a sensation of touch just like the physical touch, and yet it is very plastic and may adopt any form required of it. Possibly, suggests Monroe, the second body is a reversal of the physical. He even relates this to his ideas that it may consist of antimatter, although what he means is obscure. As for a cord, he tried feeling it on some of his excursions, but it was not an important part of his experience. Finally he suggests that the second body is related in some important way to electricity and magnetism. In experiments in a Faraday cage he found that he could not pass through the walls when a current was passed through them, but when it was turned off he could (though sufficient details are not given to assess the explanation fairly). He suggests a "third force" to add to electricity and magnetism which is used by the second body and fundamental to thought.

What can we make of Monroe's descriptions? As always it is hard to disentangle what he has discovered about locations others might visit, from the product of his own bias or preoccupations. Some of his descriptions sound familiar, but many seem only odd.

Many people confuse this phenomenon with astral travel; however, etheric travel is mainly related to that which can and does exist, physically. During this type of experience, there are no fantastical worlds, or self-absorbed encounters; the majority of the experience can be validated. Dr. Charles Tart has done many experiments and tentatively concluded that the person may not have invented the experience—unlike astral travel, where the experience is conceptual. For example, in a 1967 study, a subject was unable to discover a five digit number written down and placed face up in an adjoining room, but did provide some details of the activities of the technician monitoring the experiment. Tart summarizes, "Thus, there is some indication that ESP may have been involved with respect to the technician's activities, but it is not at all conclusive."

According to Arthur Powell and Max Heindel, the etheric "double" serves as a medium between the astral and physical realms. Ether, also called prana, is the "vital force" that empowers the Physical forms in order for change to take place. This means that when one views the physical during an OBE, they are not technically "in" the astral realm at all.

Astral projection

The traveller finds him- or herself in an apparently real domain, analogous to the "other worlds" experienced by traditional peoples, which have no parallel to any physical setting or to consensus reality, described by New Agers and occultists as the astral plane or "the astral". Environments here may range from populated to unpopulated, artificial to natural to completely abstract environments and from beautific to horrific. Here, normal physical laws often do not apply and humans can often, for example, float or fly. Quality of physical detail ranges from crude, non-detailed and depressing, to bright, vivid and fascinating, as detailed by Robert Bruce in his Astral Dynamics. Travelers may travel from one realm to the other. Projectors may find access to visions of the past or future and to the Akashic records accessible from here. It has been said that space and time do not exist on the astral plane nor the higher planes, but no explanation is given as to how forms and entire environments can exist without spatial dimensions, nor why there can be a sequence of events and yet no such thing as time. Many travelers have theorized that people having dreams actually travel to the astral realms, unaware, and, again as reported in Astral Dynamics, travelers have reported seeing dreamers enact dream scenarios on the astral plane, unaware of the more extensive and varied non-physical environment surrounding them. Some also claim common movements in dreams, such as falling or feeling like you are walking through quicksand, is the astral body in action.

Mental projection

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Mental projection is projection of the astral body to the mental plane via utilisation of mental energy while within the astral or etheric to phase into the Mental, or a different process used to project directly into the Mental Plane. The active subtle body of the mental plane is the mental body, which constitutes the intellectual consciousness of the projector in general. The environment is generally highly colorful and kaleidoscopic in nature, like the astral, and shifting consciously. The difference is that even mathematical functions and thoughts will manifest seemingly physically. The buffer zone between the astral and mental planes is known as the Akashic Records, and appears as a library of knowledge of past, present, and future possibility. There are many theories as to why the perceptions of these records and the mental plane in general differ from projector to projector, but the general consensus is that the Akashic records will appear differently, like a computer or library to different people at different times, and that the future is always sketchy and can often change mid-viewing to the projector.

Research

Dr Robert Crookall published case studies of astral projection in 1960. He divided these into (a) Natural out-of-the-body experiences (people who nearly died, people who were very ill, people who were exhausted, etc, and people who were quite well) and (b) Enforced OBE, from anaesthesia, suffocation, accidents and hypnosis.

Robert Monroe, founder of the Monroe Institute, published several accounts of his experiences of astral projection, including Far Journeys. Monroe developed a method he calls "Hemi-Sync" to induce mental states that are favorable for projection. Hemisync is a method of altering brain waves using sounds, together with meditative instruction, listened to on headphones. The process is based on a concept referred to as binaural beats.

Bruce Moen began as a student of Robert Monroe, but has refined and developed the process of mentally exploring through 'projection' in such a logical manner as to frequently override the need for sound wave support. His "Afterlife Knowledge" workshops are presented internationally and his books have been translated into several languages.

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, which has over 1,907 bibliographic entries from sources in 18 languages on the topic. Dr. Charles Tart has conducted many experiments on OBE, and has had several articles and journals published on this subject. These include http://www.paradigm-sys.com/ctt_articles2.cfm?id=31 Psychophysiological Study of Out-of-Body Experiences in a Selected Subject], which was published in the journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.

Edgar Cayce, the famous American psychic wrote many books and articles on dreams, the spirit world, the subconscious mind, and his claimed communications with spirits. Cayce is quoted with saying "the subconscious is both in the body, through the autonomic system, and beyond the body, in the soul realms of telepathy, non-physical life, and timelessness" and "at death, the conscious mind is gradually absorbed into the subconscious (the mind of the surviving soul), and the subconscious becomes the operative mind," supporting that astral projection is a real event.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 12:6 "Remember him (God) - before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it," and "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." - Corinthians 15:44.

See also

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• Esotericism
• Hypnagogia
• Linga sarira
• Metaphysics

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• Near-death experience
• Parapsychology
• Protoscience
• Sleep paralysis

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• Tattva vision
• Teleportation
• Trance channelling
• Yoga Nidra

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Notes

1. "Reincarnation, Life After Death, and Astral Travel". International Cultic Studies Association. no date. Retrieved 19 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. Projection of the Astral Body by Carrington and Muldoon
3. Out of Body Experiences: How to have them and what to expect by Robert Peterson (chapters 5, 17, 22)
4. Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce (pages 31-33, 404-410, 538)
5. Wilde, Stuart: Sixth Sense, p 129. Hay House, Inc, 2000.
6. Monroe, Robert A: Journeys Out of the Body, p 60. Anchor Press, 1977.
7. Bruce, Robert: Astral Dynamics, pp 25-27, 30-31. Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc, 1999.

References

• Bruce, Robert (1999). Astral Dynamics. ISBN 1-57174-143-7
• Buhlman, William. Adventures Beyond the Body: Astral Projection. ISBN 0062513710
• Carrington, Hereward. Muldoon, Sylvan J. Projection of the Astral Body. ISBN 0766146049
• Monroe, Robert. Far Journeys. ISBN 0-385-23182-2
• Monroe, Robert. Journeys Out of the Body, ISBN 0-385-00861-9
• Peterson, Robert. Out of Body Experiences. ISBN 1571740570
• Pritchard, Mark H (2004). A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams. ISBN 0-9740560-1-4
• Vieira, Dr. Waldo. Projectiology. ISBN 85-86019-58-5
• Wilde, Stuart. Sixth Sense, ISBN 1-56170-501-2
• Crookall, Robert. The Study and Practice of Astral Projection, copyright 1960 (before ISBN)

External links

• Out-of-Body Experiences and the Astral Hypothesis: Part I Robert Novella, The New England Journal of Skepticism, Volume 5 Issue 2, 10/1/2002
• OBEs and the Astral Hypothesis: Part II - Lucid Dreaming Robert Novella, The New England Journal of Skepticism, Volume 6 Issue 1, 5/1/2003
• The Elusive Open Mind Susan Blackmore Discusses 10 years of Paranormal Research

• Paranormal worlds and bodies
• New Age
• Lucid dreams