Astral projection
This article is about the psychic technique; for information about the musical band, see Astral Projection (group)Astral projection (or
astral travel) is an interpretation of
out-of-body experiences (
OBEs) achieved either awake or via
lucid dreaming, deep
meditation, or use of
psychotropics. Proponents of astral projection maintain that their
consciousness or
soul has transferred into an
astral body (or "double"), which moves en tandem with the physical body in a
parallel world known as the
astral plane.
Astral projection is often associated with the
New Age movement.
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,saurabh
Mystical model
The mystical model includes 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 to more advanced levels of the astral plane, more subtle bodies are realized and consciousness is transferred in turn to each of them. (Other mystical models assume only one subtle body.) The subtle body is attached to the physical body by means of an energetic connection which usually takes the appearance of a silver cord 'plugging' into the
chakras like an
umbilical cord.
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 merely 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 philosophy that external reality is actually an internally created state (see
Postmodernism,
Buddhism).
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 un-populated, 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 and un-detailed and depressing to bright, vivid and fascinating as detailed, among other writers, by
Robert Bruce in his
Astral Dynamics. Travellers 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's been said that space and time don't 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 travellers 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.
Real time projection
In contrast to "astral" projection, the traditional understanding of out-of-body experiences involves the projector (or traveller) moving about in (usually invisible)
ghost-like form in a world resembling mundane physical reality. This world may, however, have minor differences between the physical reality world we know and travelers may encounter non-human astral entities. Practitioners sometimes refer to this practice as Real Time Projection (RTP) and the mundane world as the Real Time Zone. From the Real Time Zone, travellers can access "the astral".
Virtual reality projection
Part astral projection and part real time projection, called Virtual Reality Projection by most, is when a projector claims to move on the physical plane and interact with the astral plane at the same time. An example of this is the projector walking into a "real" poster or picture and being transported to a perfect reconstruction of this place/world, via the concentrated experiences and thoughts of every beholder of the concept of the picture.
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 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 is 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, which has over 1,907 bibliographic entries from sources in 18 languages on the topic.
*
Etheric projection*
Esotericism*
Metaphysics*
Mysticism*
Occultism*
Gnosticism*
Personal reality*
Protoscience*
Pseudoscience*
Parapsychology*
Sleep paralysis*
Lucid dreaming*
Hypnagogia*
Tattva vision*
Teleportation*
Trance channelling*
Yoga Nidra*
Linga sarira*
Waldo Vieira (founder of Projectiology)
*Bruce, Robert (1999).
Astral Dynamics.
*Monroe, Robert.
Far Journeys. ISBN 0385231822
*Viera, Dr. Osvaldo.
Projectiology. ISBN 8586019585
*Pritchard, Mark H (2004) "A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams". ISBN 0974056014
*
International Institute of Projectiology and Conscientiology*
International Academy of Consciousness*
CEAEC - Center for Higher Studies of Conscientiology*
Astral Society*
Astralweb - Astral travel course and forums from a Gnostic spiritual group
