From the large number of reports about violent encounters with negative astral/ethereal entities it certainly appears that such encounters are more common than most people realize. BTW I have noticed an increase in the number of reports during the last 3 months. (See my post in the Welcome to Astral Discussions forum in the Monks Fighting Spiritual Wars thread.)
     My last violent encounter with negative/destructive entities was nearly two years ago. I was first confronted by 2 human discarnates. (Maybe they were shadow people or ghosts.) After a violent confrontation I forced both of them to leave yet was then attacked by six animal type creatures. These creatures can best be described as wild boar-like elementals. They appeared to be the same size and shape of wild boars though all of them were jet black. They attached themselves to my legs and immediately began to drain large amounts of energy. I was able to destroy two creatures manually. Then I managed to damage two more and all the rest fled.
     Since that encounter I have taken a number of steps to increase my psychic/astral protection.
     First I practice pranayama -breath control - on a regular basis. This provides an abundance of energy and clears blocked energy centers in both the physical and astral/ethereal bodies.
     About a year ago I began to practice a defensive protection spell similar to the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. This cleanses the space in my apartment and wards off any unwanted negative beings.
     At about the same time I began to strengthen my pyschic shield on a much more regular basis. If there is a secret to warding off 'negs' then it is most likely a pyschic shield. A shield is not a cure-all for every problem but it Is a big advantage in stressful or threatening situations
     And just recently I have been using a crystal to focus thoughts and energies during meditation. This seems to be helping though it is too early to be sure. Differeent people have differing opinions about the use of crystals. I had put off experimenting with a crystal for a long time though now it appears that using a crystal is indeed a bonus.

In regards to personal experience. I have on at least two occasions met very malicious entities which could be considered quite evil. My experiences appear to be similar to many reports that other people have posted on various websites.
     My problem is one of conceptualizing what type of power, if any, lies behind negative entities. The obvious 'orthodox' explanation is the one given in standard Christian dogma = the Devil and Hell. Yet I have never encountered a demon or devil and few people ever do so as well
    So to be honest I really have no clear idea as to what, if anything, is happening. This might sound strange but I tend to think that Satanists are not much of a threat, either in the physical or in the astral/ethereal. Personally I am more concerned about religious fanatics, especially muslem fundamentalists like the al-qaeda followers of Osama bin Laden. [}:)][!][?][B)]
 

Hallo LJ 57[]
        Those were two out of body experiences (short ethereal projections actually). Many people report eperiences nearly identical to yours upon first leaving their body. One reason that both experiences were so short is that you were probably confused and disoriented. Your natural reference point is the physical body. Thinking about the physical body tends to cut short many projections. Another reason is that you apparently had no 'plan of action' to act upon once out of body.
       As for conscious deliberate projections - those are actually much more difficult to induce. Most people are Much more likely to project upon waking from sleep. If you want to learn more I suggest obtaining a book containing various obe induction methods such as Robert Bruce's Astral Dynamics or Robert Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body.

Hi RavenMoonMist []
    You are certainly not alone in having trouble with your initial projection. If you read AstralPulse (and other website forums) long enough you will notice that many people complain of similar problems.
    Floating sensations during sleep and meditation Are peaceful. Each time those sensations occur stay relaxed. OBEs are as much the result of 'going with the flow' as they are the result of deliberate intention. (Few people can actually induce deliberate projections from meditation.)
     Don't give up. Keep expecting and looking for floating sensations during sleep and/or meditation. Many times (most times) projection is a result of the number of attempts made. Keep wanting to project and keep trying to project and eventually you Will project. Good luck.[][]

Hi WhatThePhak. I tend to believe that individuals are actually three separate and distinct entities. (Though I have not entirely become convinced about this/it might be only 2 bodies.)
     The first body is the physical body. Simple, 'nuff said.
     The second body is the Ethereal body. The ethereal body Is an actual, objective entity. It is shape and size though is greatly more flexible and elastic than the physical body. The ethereal body is what is called by many people the Soul. It can exist in the physical universe And the ethereal plane indefinately. The ethereal body can also exist on the astral plane(S) (though whether indefinately or for a limited time I am not sure.) My 'knowledge' of the ethereal body comes from many personal ethereal projections. My latest ethereal projection was a little over a month ago. At that time I saw my ethereal body reflected in a (physical/ethereal) mirror. (That was a first for me.) I have seen my own ethereal body and the ethereal bodies of other people many times.
     The third body is the astral body. The astral body corresponds directly with the concept of the Spirit. There are astral planes. I have been lucky enough to experience astral porjections a handful of times. All astral projections have been 'adventures' while, in comparison, the ethereal projections seem rather tame. The closest description that I know of the astral planes is Robert Monroe's Locale III. Astral planes can appear similar to ethereal or physical locales but there are creatures on the astral planes that you would not (likely) encounter elsewhere - Deities, God, Jesus, Dragons, etc. (No doubt that last sentence will draw some criticism but so be it !) That said my 'knowledge' of the astral body is somewhat limited. But again i am quite inclined to believe that both the astral body and the ethereal body exist.
    I would continue but I begin to ramble. Hope you can make some sense out of all this. Don't be discouraged. When you have your first projection then many things that are now confusing will become very clear to you. Of course many questions will remain and new questions will appear. Any 'secret' to successful projecting is simply to keep trying. There are always more failures than successes. It is always a questions of numbers. Keep trying (hint: to everyone that reads this []) and you Will eventually successfully project. Good luck.

I think that you and your friends are on to Something Sublime. I also tend to think that there is some kind of conflict going on. Why do I think that maybe a conflict is indeed happening?? Well, consider the following.
     1) Many people report encounters with negative/evil entities while projecting. In a small number oF instances people do report fighting such entites. The types of entities that have been combatted include spirit hinderers, demons, shadow people and elementals (usually thought elementals).
     2) Within the past two months the number of reported attacks by negative entities on astral/ethereal projectors has risen. The following is a list of such reports from AstralPulse: Mathias Johnson "Attacked on Astral Plane" posted on November 13, 2002, Manuel ""help me become fearless!!" posted January 24, 2003, MeaghanEmily "Can anyone ...?..." posted January 19 and Chris "OOB this morning" posted January 1. In addition I have seen several reports about fighting negative entitiies on other websites. From personal experience there have been 4 occasions when I was forced to fight/combat ethereal or astral entities. Fortunately the last such experience was a few years ago.
     3) It is hard to find words that will accurately describe this concept and I do not want to be misunderstood. It seems that our present era in history in unusually 'heavy' with both paranormal omens and religious signs. I need only note the many 'doomsday' seers who predicted destruction and gloom three years ago during the coming of the new millenium, the advocates proclaiming great changes related to the year 2012 in Mayan prophecy and the Christians who claim that Revelations and the Apocalypse are coming soon. These three examples should be enough to make this point clear.
    Now I hesitate to put too much emphasis on any single prophecy or event. Yet taken together... PLUS the fact that the United States and Great Britain are in what is fundamentally a religious war (War Aginst Terror) And the continuing disintegration of the situation in Israel/Palestine And the fact the anyone who has ever had an astral/ethereal projection Should realize the Objective existence of discarnate beings....then it actually makes great sense to believe that some sort of superphysical (astral/ethereal) conflict is either ongoing or is in fact just beginning.
     Now I am not a religious person. Yet having experienced many astral/ethereal projections I feel a degree of spirituality. I also instinctively feel that some sort of greater conflict is taking place or is about to occur. (It is a fact Many people claim that hinderers/shadow people/ghosts scare them while in sleep paralyses and prevent them from projecting.)
     As yet I have no clear idea as to what is happening.
     I did not intend for this post to be so long. Thank you for reading this. When I come across more information then I will either post it here or will begin a new thread.

[8D]    Hallo again MsAmerican. In regards to your parents - Yes it certainly sounds as if your parents are giving you a very hard time.[]
     My suggestions (for what they are worth/ should be of some help). Do not talk to your parents about any of your unusual/paranormal experiences. They obviously are Not in an understanding mood. Far better for you to try to alleviate their concerns by saying to them --
      1) It is just a faze that you are going through. Tell them that you got interested in out of body experiences and were reading up on this subject. Then tell them that you got a little Too involved in the subject and got "carried away".
      2) Tell your parents that what you esperienced were actually dreams. (Yes I know that you would be lying if you said this but it is better than having them take you to a psychiatrist. You don;t need 'professional' help.) So, tell them that you thought that your dreams were actually meetings with God Because they seemed so real. You can finish this approach by telling them that you have not had any more of these dreams in a week (or 2 weeks).
     The idea behind this tactic is to make your parents believe that you think that your experiences were only an illusion. Now you know they were not an illusion but want your parents to think that they were an illusion. Then do Not talk to your parents about any similar experiences. Unfortunately it may be years before your parents are actually ready to discuss these experiences with you.
    Important note. It is perfectly allright to continue having these experiences. Don't allow your parent's negativity to put you off. There is nothing wrong with you. Just don't discuss any of this with your parents. Hopefully your situation will soon get better. Good Luck
[8D][]

There is another idea that I would like to introduce into this discussion. That is the concept of Mind being separate from, and greater than, Brain.
     If intelligence consists of the physical brain And something else, which is usually termed Mind for lack of a better word, then IQ would not necessarily be an adequate indicator of a person's aptitude for out of body experiences. Rather than narrowly limit intelligence by an IQ (Intelligence Quota) rating it might be more accurate to measure intelligence as an ability to perceive a broader field of data (both physical and super-physical). I am not a scientist or a psychologist so will not attempt an in-depth discussion/explanation. This idea does make sense, however.
     Here is another expression of the Mind over Brain assumption. Ghost chasers are people who incorporate super-physical data into their understanding of reality. So, those people who chase ghosts could probably be considered more intelligent than scientists who must rely solely on physical data to understand reality.

This is indeed a very interesting topic. Though I have not personally experienced any synchronicities regarding 11:11 or 11 there are many people who have. I refer specifically to the Coast To Coast radio show (formerly the Art Bell show). (Art Bell retired in December.)
     I have heard several recent shows where host George Noorey talked about his own extensive experiences with 11:11 (or 1:11). On a few occasions an entire show was devoted to that topic. Caller after caller related personal experiences with reoccuring numbers. The staggering number of people who share this phenomena makes me believe that Something other than coincidence is at work. Unfortunately what that something is has yet to be adequately explained.[?][?]

Hello everyone. This is a Heavyweight discussion (and at times a somewhat pointed debate). So I would like to post my opinion for consideration. I have had several dozen OBEs over eight years so I do have experience being out of body.
     First I most certainly Do beleive that people have an objective second body. In fact I am still considering whether there are actually Three bodies. I am certain that there are At Least Two - The physical body And The Astral body And/Or the Ethereal Body.
I tend to lean toward the idea of 3 but am not certain. In any case the Second body does exist apart from the mind/consciousness. I equate the Ethereal body with the Soul and the Astral body with the Spirit.
     My opinion is that there is an Ethereal plane. The ethereal equals the Real Time Zone (Robert Bruce) and also equals Locale I (The Here and Now of Robert Monroe). The ethereal is a double (imperfect double) of the physical universe.
     There is an Astral plane/realm. It is 'higher' than the ethereal. Whether the astral includes the Christian Heaven and Hell is a question that I have cannot attempt to answer due to lack of experience.
   I would like to note that debate, discussion and argument is healthy. I respect the opinions of everyone who posts here but always reserve the right to decide for myself based, of course, on my personal experiences. [8D]

Hi MsAmerican. The others who responded to your post are definately right - you certainly are Not crazy. As to whether God was talking directly to you - well that most certainly Could be true. Its also within the realm of possibility that you misperceived the communicator as God when it was really another discarnate (angel, spirit guide, personal 'guardian' ?). In any event this spiritual being seems to be trustworthy. You are also the best judge in this case as you are the person who is receiving the communications.
    Lastly - precognition is actually much more common than most people realize. A large number of people have precognitive dreams but either forget those dreams or believe those dreams are about the past. For example a few years ago I had some dreams about a war in Iraq. I thought, back then, that those dreams were about Operation Desert Storm (which happened in 1991). It has only been in the past few months that I realized those dreams were probably of the future -of a war which appears will be fought in the next two or three months.

Hi Hephaestus. My opinion is that there probably is some type of negative entity attracted to your house. I read something a while back that anyone who lives in a city has a 95 % chance of having a major haunting within one mile of where they live. So it is not at all unusual.
    There could be two ways to deal with the problem.
     1) Attempt to become lucid in a dream (any dream). When in a lucid dream you can either banish the malignant spirit by words or by force. Try talking to it first. If that does not work well...what is the saying ? "Open up a big can of Whupass on it!" It should understand that you mean business pretty quickly.}:)
     2) Physical means to clean or purify an area can include burning sage incense. Maybe a psychic shield can be employed. Another possibility is a protective magic spell such as the Lesser Banishing Ritual or the Pentagram. You do not have to know much about magic to make a spell work. I have performed a modified version of the banishing ritual several times and the room always has seemed to be clear of distracting/hindering entities. Whatever happens don't give up. Websites such as www.spellsandmagic.com can be of service in providing protective spells.

Though I do not have any experience using the Death Method to induce astral projection I do have some experience with spontaneous stopage of breath.
     I practice pranayama which is yogic breath control. This exercise is to breathe in for a number of counts, retain the breathe for a longer time then slowly breathe out. I practice both Adhama which is beginner breath control (inhale for 4 seconds, retain for 16 sec. and exhale for 8 sec) and Madhyama (intermediate level = inhale for 8, retain for 32 and exhale for 16 seconds).
     Though I only practice pranayama 2 or 3 times a week now I used to practice it nearly every day about 3 years ago. During that time I found that during meditation I would frequently spontaneously stop breathing. Though I was never in any danger it was sometimes annoying. Also I read somewhere that a few people who got into yoga without qualified teachers also experienced this and sometimes it caused them anxiety attacks.

Very good Paukki! I would like to be the first one on the AstralPulse forums to congradulate you. From your description it sounded like you had more control than most first time projectors experience. Most people, when Out of Body for the first time, just sort of float about inside their room in a somewhat confused state of mind. (I know that is what I did on my first OBE.)
     Also the method that you used to induce the OBE seems to offer a lot of potential. If you continue to use those tapes and have future success in projecting then please posts your experiences in these forums.With practice you could become a very skilled projector. [8D]

For Erico and Zarklon, and other people who have trouble staying awake while trying to induce a projection, a possible alternate method is inducing an OBE through a Lucid Dream (LD). The dream state is a natural state of consciousness. During dreaming the body is asleep while the mind is only half-awake. Becoming conscious of a dream while dreaming is called becoming lucid. Then the body is still asleep while the mind is fully awake (=aware, conscious). When in this mind awake, body asleep state many different methods of inducing an Out of Body are quite likely to be successful.