The Astral Plane

If you concentrate hard enough and meditate you can reach this plane through lucid dreaming.That has been my experience anyway.I am still learning a great deal about it

It’s quite hard to get to the Astral Plane, or so I’ve heard, but my Tibetan friends tell me it’s lovely once you’re in. There are a great many small variations on the general theme, most of which I have accidentaly wandered into, but I would like to get to the real deal for once.

For example, the last time I tried I had been meditating for some two hundred and seventy hours and twelve minutes, and I decided I was tired of sitting there in the middle of deep space and wanted to get up and move around. Unfortunately I stood up too quickly, and found myself not in the Astral Plane but on my bedroom floor. Crushing disappointment! All in all, it seems that each time I attempt to reach the Astral Plane I either overshoot, undershoot, or do not shoot at all.

I am determined to remedy this situation by whatever means necessary.

(The following can also be found on the “have an out of body experience” page; I’ve copied it here to lay some groundwork. There are two other O.B.E. entries/comments that can be found on my personal page.). . .

We all have more than one body. The one we are familiar with here on earth is the physical body, but we also have at least two other “bodies.” Each successively lighter body can be viewed as being housed within its denser counterpart. Within our physical body is an “etheric double” which looks more or less like us but is more immaterial and can pass through objects like walls and doors. Within the etheric or astral body is another “body” which looks like an orb of light. (See picture.) This version of ourselves has even more range than the astral body.

An O.B.E., or out of body experience happens when our spirit, if you like, or astral body or etheric body (there’s a bunch of names for this)separates and moves out of the confines of our physical bodies and is able to move about freely. From this state it is possible to launch the light body (from the astral body) which is more like a point of consciousness. If you are ever out of body and see your astral body from a point outside it, you are also observing with your point of light body, confirming that your consciousness can be “split” and divided amongst different divisions of your self. (In fact, there is another locus for our spirit in the spirit world – part of us is sort of sitting in auto pilot mode as it coordinates us from “above,” waiting to be rejoined with the rest of its parts after we finish this incarnation/cycle.) The point is that we are all multi-dimensional, multi-level beings, but we are in the habit of denying most of who we are.

Most of the O.B.E. literature seems to focus on just the astral body’s abilities, though. I had several of these that I remember from childhood. In one my dad walked right through me on a middle of the night trip to the bathroom! In another I did all sorts of acrobatics like a champion gymnast. Later, in adulthood I tried with some success to have clear remembered O.B.E.s and I’ve just recently started trying to have O.B.E.’s again. I’ve had 3 so far.

It should be stated though, that, many, including myself believe that we all spontaneously O.B.E. (astral project) on a nightly basis to do “spiritual work” and learning. I have a feeling that most of these are stored in “deep memory” and are more difficult to remember consciously than those experiences that people try to cultivate using control of consciousness in a deeply relaxed, near-sleep state or from a dream. Memories of such spontaneous outings and other events taking place on higher dimensions could present themselves as the memories of dreams that seem to make a deep impression on recall. (Past life memories can also seem like vivid dream memories.)

So, by practicing techniques to astral project, you are simply learning to consciously participate in an activity at which your higher or subconscious or superconscious self is already very skilled and experienced. In this way, I don’t believe there are any true novices in the area of astral projection.

This act is natural to all humans, but a forgotten ability that we deny ourselves. It doesn’t go against any religion and is not an “occult” practice. It isn’t owned by any belief system. It is something for people to try and explore on their own to make up their own mind about. Most people find these experiences unforgettable, highly spiritual, life affirming and even life altering.

When people discover that they are separate from and not dependent on their physical bodies, they realise that who they truly are is an immortal energy being of light and love and that the limitations we endure on earth are little more than illusion.

I’ve thrown out a lot here, and I don’t mean to overwhelm anyone or turn anyone off to trying this experience out. If you’re not sure what to believe about this whole subject but want to learn for yourself, I think a good place to start would be to read the accounts of others with an open mind. To read so many accounts that seem to be so similar, operate by the same rules, if you will, is pretty convincing that something is happening besides just really vivid dreams. Then, try it for yourself. Don’t worry about formulating a belief system; just observe what happens and try not to make any judgements at first. Be thoughtful and scientific about it. Approach it as an adventure. It makes no difference whether you’re an atheist or very devout. All you have to be is human to embark on this journey, and I hope you do. But stay with it. People practice 3 weeks on average before having any success, but they all say it’s worth it!

Below are some links I’ve come across. I invite others to leave links that they have found useful on the subject as well as their own experiences in attempting O.B.E.’s (or having them without trying). Also, a great book I’m reading now is “Adventures Beyond the Body: How to Experience Out-of-Body Travel,” by Willam Buhlman, which I recommend. (If you want to learn on the cheap, the links below include a free online book in its entirety.)

(I’ve also written two comment posts to Keldar on this subject.)

http://www.astralinfo.org/commonlyaskedquestions.htm (why explore O.B.E.?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-body_experience (definition)

http://www.saltcube.com/out-of-body/chat-forum/viewTopic.jsp?t=obe-guide

http://www.astraldynamics.com/tutorials/?BoardID=65

http://www.spiritonline.com/files/messages/15/15.html

http://www.oberf.org/stories_obe.htm (first hand accounts)

http://www.out-of-body.com/techniques/index.html (a free online posting of a popular paper book)

This should get you started, if you’re curious to learn more.

Good luck!

Droxine

First time I got there was in a meditation excesize I did when I was 13.

I can’t reach it anymore, sadly…

I’ve done too much to let myself relax to that state anymore.

Took a lot of effort but I managed to get out of body via the vibrations (no, not that kind of vibration). And the classification is wrong – it’s not in outer space!