Astral Projection: The Beginning

Astral Projection is probably the coolest topic I have ever come across in my life. I had heard of "Near Death Experiences" and "Out of Body Experiences," but I had always categorized them in the weird and insane pile. Stress induced, most likely, or something like that. Then I found a book.

It started off as a regular trip to a bookstore. I was in Brampton, Ontario at a Chapters and I was browsing through the discount section. My girlfriend and I love scouring the titles and picking up books that we would have never thought of purchasing otherwise. I came across a book on lucid dreaming, which was going for $3.99 and thought..."I can afford this." Most of the time, you get what you pay for. This book was not extremely insightful, but it did open up my mind to a knowledge that there was more to discover in this life than just going to work and doing some social stuff.

From that book, I moved onto the internet and researched techniques on how to have lucid dreams. It was a fun experience and it actually led to successful lucidity. As I practiced the suggested techniques and discussed lucid dreaming more and more, I began to find myself in a certain amount of control, in my dream state. It was very exciting. Then, for some reason or another, I lost interest.

Once you start to research a particular subject, doorways often open into other, related topics. Lucid dreaming is no exception. It is difficult to study lucid dreams without coming across the concept of Astral Projection, or Out of Body Experiences.

From what I have gathered, Astral Projection deals with two different planes: the physical and the astral. I have heard this astral plane described as the spiritual plane, or the 4th dimension. Whatever it is called, it is very difficult to comprehend, but remains a very enticing proposition.

I have often felt (and hoped) that there would be more to life than what is regularly experienced. In North America, especially, there is a certain infatuation with money. No one seems to have enough and a lot of people are constantly trying to get more. But surely, this can't be the reason why life exists, if there is indeed a reason at all.

In my younger days, I went to church and enjoyed studying philosophy at university. The concept of metaphysics and a metaphysical realm has always fascinated me. But satisfactory answers are tough to find...I find. Are we spiritual beings trapped in a mortal coil? Maybe. Are we cosmic accidents that are just passing time? Even if we are, is it really beneficial to think about it in such a way?

Many cultures discuss the possibility of a life after this one. Is that common bond enough to make it a reality? Or is it more of a reflection of the existence of a collective unconscious? (As if describing the collective unconscious is any easier than discussing a spiritual life, after death!)

And so I return to this idea of Astral Projection. Is it possible to somehow leave your physical body and travel on a plane that is ethereal, or spiritual or just non-physical? I've even seen some people claim that everybody does this type of travel all the time, but we just don't remember it. Lack of memory is a bit of a weak argument, though. I could claim that I jump 100 metres (that's not a typo, it's just wacky Canadian spelling!) in my sleep and play pinochle with Big Foot all the time, but I just keep forgetting. It doesn't make it so.

I'd like to believe that it is possible to leave my body and travel to far off lands with a single thought. To traverse space in such a way would be astounding! I've heard it said that you can also travel across time, to connect with people long dead, or also see events in the future. That's just awesome! And what about the pure joy of flying? I've always wanted to experience what it would be like to fly, as easily as I walk.

If these types of activities are, indeed, possible then I imagine that such an experience would have a profound impact on my perspective of life. What kind of experiences could be had? What type of wisdom learned? Could I witness events that have shaped the course of human history? Or spy on people and become the most efficient and effective private investigator of all time? I wonder if astral evidence is admissible in the courts these days...

The purpose of this hub is not to explain, nor discredit any claims. I have to admit that my interest has been piqued. I heard that it was possible to induce lucid dreams and I have experienced them first hand. I have also heard that it is possible to induce Out of Body Experiences and I really want it to be true. But where do I go from here?

The internet is filled with resources on the subject of Astral Projection. The internet is also famous for having quality content and a lot of useless information as well, so where does a guy start?

Working online has exposed me to a lot of advertising copy that claims to offer products and services that are unmatched in whatever they offer, but often are scams or ineffective. So, when I do read a quality article about Astral Projection and see an offer for a system that will teach me how to have an OBE, I am immediately skeptical. Does this system work or is it another example of clever copy writing, intended to pique my interest and open my wallet?

I am convinced that there is more to life than what I have experience, but I am also jaded by my experiences (like that's something new!). Some people write about Astral Projection as if it is the easiest thing to accomplish, while others indicate that it will take months and years of practice. Which one is it?

I've been weighing out my reason for wanting to attempt Astral Projection. And what I've come to realize is that there is no one thing that I am trying to accomplish. My reason seems to stem more from the fact that I have a sneaking suspicion that there has to be something more to this life than what I've experienced.

I'm not trying to prove that any philosophy is correct, but it just seems plausible that some people are getting more out of life than I am. And I'm not complaining about my life. I am actually quite happy with what I do and how I live. But if human beings typically only use 10% of their brain power, then what is going on with that other 90% (check out those math skills!).

There are just too many cool connections in the world, like deja vu, mind reading, different types of energy and so on. How does it happen that you sometimes meet another person and just feel like you've known them forever?

Whatever answers are available, I'm looking forward to discovering more about Astral Projection and this spiritual realm. If anyone reads this and has had an OBE or some type of experience with vibrations, energy, lucidity or anything along those lines, please leave a comment with your perspective on this topic or a direction that might help me on my journey. It's always nice to get advice from people that aren't actually selling a product. Thanks for reading this hub and I hope I'll be able to update my progress in the future.